Map shots are displayed when the level is selected in Halo 2. They are a representative
screenshot taken somewhere in the level selected. You can add a map
shot to your level with Sapien.
To create a map shot
In Sapien, open your level.
Position the camera in the Game Window, and then press
ALT+PRTSCRN to take a screenshot.
The screenshot is placed on the Windows clipboard and can now be
made into a map shot with any graphics program that supports an
alpha channel.
For best results, maximize the Game Window when taking map
shots.
To create a professional looking map shot, use the
mapshot_template.tif template provided in the tools directory. The
template is 220 x 207 pixels with a single pixel light blue border
and an alpha channel. Crop your screenshot to fit within the
template border, and then flatten the image and save it as a 32-bit
.tif file in the data\ui\global_bitmaps\map_shots
folder.
Before your map shot will appear in game you need to convert it to
a .bitmap file with Halo
2 Tool. Map shots should be placed in the
tags\ui\game_bitmaps\mapshots folder of your level. For details on
how to convert the file, see the Import Bitmaps section.
When you first convert your map shot, you will get an error because
the file is not in the right format. To fix the error, open the new
.bitmap file in Halo 2
Guerilla, and then change the Type to interface bitmaps and the
Format to 32-bit color.
Save the .bitmap, and then convert your original image again. It
should now compile correctly.
To assign the map shot to your level, open the scenario in
Guerilla, and then scroll down to the Level Data header. In the
Multiplayer section,
you’ll see an entry for bitmap. Click Browse to assign your map
shot to the level. Save the scenario and recompile the level to see
your map shot in the game.
