Release 1.2.2 | Settings Overhaul

This release redoes the way settings are stored as well as bring up to compatibility with latest release.

Small Additions

• The new map icons from the latest snapshot have been added in.
• Several other icons that are unused in game have been added as well.
• All icons can now be rotated by pressing 'r'.

Changes

• Settings are now stored in a json file rather than a txt.
• Reorganized icon menus.

Turns out including the files in the exe was not working. The changes have been undone and its back to needing all images in the same directory.

Really going to try to include those assets in the future. No updates until its done.

Release 1.2.1 | Bug Fixes

This release fixes 2 bugs I ran into during regular use.

Bug Fixes

• Scaled Merging now works correctly when all maps are the same size
• Converting images to maps now actually converts it instead of returning a completely empty map

I also figured out how to include the images into the exe file so that is now the stand alone version is an option. You will still need the settings.txt file however

Next update will probably refactor the way settings work as its getting increasingly annoying to work with.

Release 1.2.0 | Image Reversal

The "Generate Maps" button has been renamed to "Generate Images" to better reflect its functionality.

Image Reversal

I have added the ability to turn images into map files. Upon clicking the "Generate Maps" you will be prompted to select an image file and then a donor .dat map file (CAUTION: this operation will overwrite the original map file). The image file will be shrunk down to 128 by 128 and then converted to the Minecraft color pallet so images may come out slightly different than the original file, this is an unavoidable issue and not a bug. Future versions may allow for different image sizes but this feature has not been implemented yet.

Release 1.1.0 | Scaled Merging and Minor Bug fixing

This is a fairly minor release compared to the last one and only contains one new feature that users will be aware of.

Scaled Merging

Maps in Minecraft can have 5 zoom levels with the largest being over 16 times the size of the smallest map. In this update I have implemented different sized maps together putting the most detailed maps on top. This setting can be toggled separately from regular merging by changing the new "Scaled Merge" setting located right under the other merge setting. The following image is an example of how the new merging works.

Bug Fixes and Minor Additions

• Prevented stamps from being placed when cursor is off of map
• Fixed settings to make the software actually listen to user settings
• Image is shrunk down if too large to fit on screen (Only in software, files remain full quality)

Release 1.0.0 | Official Release

Main Features

.DAT to .PNG Conversion

The main feature of the application is allowing the user to covert their in-game Minecraft maps into external, editable images. Click on the "Generate Maps" button on the upper menu bar and select the files you want to generate. Depending on the settings you have selected several modifications may be made to you images such as...

Image Merging

Maps can be automatically merged into a single image file based on there position in Minecraft. The coordinate data is taken from the file and used to place each map next to each other just how they would be in Minecraft. If the maps are too far apart or if they are not the same scale the merging will fail but the individual images will still be saved.

Map Icons

Map icons are another supported feature of this tool. Icons such as banners and item frames will show up on maps automatically if enabled and will be positioned correctly. However icons such as the Woodland Mansion, Ocean Monument, and Buried Treasure are not included due to limitations with the file format itself. These icons can be manually added through the software as detailed in the Icon Stamping section of these notes.

Image Output

Once an image is done generating it will replace the default background of the application. The Image will automatically be enlarged to depending on its size to better fit the available space. If even greater detail is required, simply use the scroll wheel to magnify a specific portion of the image.

Settings

The Settings drop down consists of two major sections: file location settings and image options. If you wish to refresh all your settings simply click the "All Settings" option at the top of the settings dropdown. To change an individual setting select one of the lower option.

Map Locations and Image Locations

"Map Locations" servers as the default directory the software will begin in to find the .DAT files when running the conversion. This can be set to any directory the user prefers but it is best to set it to the Minecraft saves directory for easy access. The "Image Locations" setting is the directory where images will be saved after converting. It is important to be careful with images here as the application will overwrite any images left in this folder when it is started.

Merge Images and Banners/Item Frames

These two items simply toggle the settings listed in the previous section off or on allowing the user more direct control over how the images are processed.

Icon Stamping

Another tool this application provides is the ability to stamp extra icons onto the map. Simply click an icon at the top of the menu bar and then click where you want it to be placed on the image. For the Item Frame or Arrow icon a direction must be picked from the drop down before it can be places. The banner icon requires a similar selection from its list of available colors. The zoom feature is also fully implemented with stamping allowing for precise placement onto the image.

Saving Stamps

Once you are finished adding to your image you need to save it by locating the "Save" or "Save As" options from the "File" drop down menu. Depending on your choice the image will automatically save to its previous directory or you will be prompted to provide a save location.

Image Loading

If you wish to load an external or previously generated image into the application background you can select the "Load Image" from the "File" drop down menu. A list of the five most recent images is saved under the "Recent Images" option for quick access to previous images.

The necessary files have been zipped for your convince. Simply unzip all contents into a single directory and run the .EXE file. If anyone has knowledge or interest in converting the software to Linux please contact me as this is an ongoing goal of the project.

Beta 0.4.1 | Performance Update 2.0 but I fixed everything again

This is the fourth official pre-release version. There's only one more feature I want to add before full release. (Excluding the things I broke) (I fixed them)

I managed another massive speed boost by implementing multiprocessing. Now it should use 100% of the CPU instead of just one core. Doing this required a complete rewrite of the function for converting the files and I have now got the merging and extras working again.

At the moment this is a windows only release because I have no idea how Linux works. If anyone who does would like to help please contact me

Make sure to keep the Settings.txt, Icon.png and Sprites.png in the same file location as the main EXE file
(Color.txt has been temporarily depreciated)

I have zipped all necessary files together for convince.

Beta 0.4.0 | Performance Update 2.0 but I also broke everything instead

This is the fourth official pre-release version. There's only one more feature I want to add before full release. (Excluding the things I broke)

I managed another massive speed boost by implementing multiprocessing. Now it should use 100% of the CPU instead of just one core. Doing this required a complete rewrite of the function for converting the files and I have yet to get the merging and extras working again.

At the moment this is a windows only release because I have no idea how Linux works. If anyone who does would like to help please contact me

Make sure to keep the Settings.txt, Icon.png and Sprites.png in the same file location as the main EXE file
(Color.txt and merging and extras :(] have been temporarily depreciated)

I have zipped all necessary files together for convince.

Beta 0.3.0 | Map Extras

This is the third official release version. I think a 1.0 release should come by around in 2-3 more betas

This update aims to add the extra icons that can appear on maps. For now this is only for banners and item frame locations but in the future i hope to add the other locator items for treasure and explorer maps.

At the moment this is a windows only release because I have no idea how Linux works. If anyone who does would like to help please contact me

Make sure to keep the Settings.txt and Sprites.png are in the same file location as the main EXE file

(Color.txt has been temporarily depreciated)

Beta 0.2.1 | Performance Update Bug Fixes

This is the second official release version and is not indicative of a final product

This update dramatically increases performance to better handle large data sets. If images are failing to save or other issues arise a restart of the software will usually fix it.

At the moment this is a windows only release because I have no idea how Linux works. If anyone who does would like to help please contact me

Make sure to keep the Settings.txt are in the same file location as the main EXE file

(Color.txt has been temporarily depreciated)

Beta 0.2.0 | Performance Update Bug Fixes

This is the second official release and is not indicative of a final product

This update dramatically increases performance to better handle large data sets. This version is much buggier than the last so be warned. If images are failing to save or other issues arise a restart of the software will usually fix it.

At the moment this is a windows only release because I have no idea how Linux works. If anyone who does would like to help please contact me

Make sure to keep the Settings.txt are in the same file location as the main EXE file

(Color.txt has been temporarily depreciated)