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In order to distribute your own maps or use maps distributed by other people, you will need to learn how to use ZIP compression tools. This tutorial provides links to free software and has a step-by-step guide for some popular products...

Submitted by Earl_Listibald, Aubergine, Prince-Reubenian, Brave Sir Robin and Dragonheart Killer.

Note: Have you read our "Downloading for Beginners" tutorial?

What are ZIP files?

ZIP is a very popular and widely used system that has the following key features:

• It allows you to put several files in to a single "zip archive" and then later extract those files back to their original form.
• The single zip archive is much easier to distribute than lots of smaller files.
• When files are added to the zip archive, they are compressed making them smaller. This makes it easier for modem users to upload and download the archive as there is less data to transfer. When files are extracted from the zip archive they are un-compressed, returning them to their original file size.

Historically, maps for Stronghold and other games are uploaded to websites such as www.stronghold-knights.com in the form of zip archives. It saves space o­n our server and makes the files that little bit faster to download and easier to use.

We'll start by showing you how to extract files from downloaded zip archives and then go o­n to show the map makers amongst you how to create your own zip archives.

Installing ZIP software

There are literally dozens (if not hundreds) of ZIP compression tools available from the Internet. Some are free, others are shareware (you pay for them if you like them) and others are commercial (you have to pay for them to get them).

For the purposes of this tutorial, we have chosen two free products:

JustZIPit

This is a free ZIP tool that's really easy to use and is ideal for the requirements of this tutorial. A side-effect of it's simplicity is that it does not have as many features as many other tools, but if all you want to do is create and use simple archives then it will be fine for your needs.

To install it, follow the instructions o­n the this web page:

http://free-backup-software.net/download.htm

If you click the "Open" button when the download starts, the software will automatically be installed o­n your computer - just follow the instructions o­n-screen to complete the installation process.

FilZip

This free ZIP tool has far more features allowing you to gain greater control over your zip archives. o­ne key advantage over JustZIPit is that it allows you to add and remove files form the archive o­ne by o­ne using drag and drop. It displays your archive as if it were a folder o­n your computer so it's user interface will be familiar to most of you.

To install it, follow the instructions o­n this web page:

http://www.filzip.com/en/index.html

The latest version appears near the top of the page and there are several download locations (called "mirrors") that you can use. As with JustZIPit, you can click the "Open" button when the download starts to automatically install it o­nce it has finished downloading.

There are some other optional files near the bottom of the download page that are required for people running older versions of Windows - please check those downloads to see if you will need them.

Other Software

While doing research for this tutorial, we found a page that listed quite a few other packages that you might like to try:

http://www.thefreesite.com/Free_Software/Unzipping_compression_freeware/

You can find two pages of comparison charts between various free ZIP software packages (along with links to download them), provided by the author of JustZIPit, at the following URL:

http://free-backup-software.net/free-zip-program.htm

If you are thinking that the author of JustZIPit is trying to prove why you should use his software, think again! It's a very honest and un-biased comarison chart of free ZIP software and well worth a look if you want to find your perfect tools.

There are also two popular Shareware programs called WinZIP and PowerArchiver that are very popular and easy to use but will keep asking you to pay for them. We have included details o­n using WinZIP (which is very similar to PowerArchiver) in this tutorial.

Un-Zipping a Downloaded Map or Saved Game

Note: Different web browsers and operating systems will result in variations o­n the example pictures shown in this section.

When you download a map or saved game from our downloads area, you will usually be asked where to save the file - choose somewhere that's easy to find such as your windows desktop:

The file will then start downloading to your computer:

When the download is complete, you will need to go to that archive o­n your desktop and extract the files it contains. Usually this can be done by using the right-click menu. Depending o­n what software you are using (and even the version of that software), you will get slightly different options. Some examples are shown below (the option to use is highlighted):

JustZIPit menu:

FilZip menu:

WinZIP menu:

The contents of the zip archive will then be placed o­n to your desktop as shown below:

Sometimes they will be all neatly placed in to a folder o­n your desktop. If they are in a folder, open that folder now by double-clicking it so you can see the files inside it as shown below:

Note: If you prefer the files to be extracted to a folder you can easily do this with FilZip and WinZIP by choosing the appropriate menu option. With JustZIPit you need to create a folder, move your ZIP archive to that folder and then JustUnZIPit.

The archive might also contain other files such as pictures and documents that accompany the map or saved game - just double click any of those to view them.

Now we have extracted the files from the ZIP archive, there is o­ne final step - we need to move the files to the correct location!

For reference, here is an explorer tree showing the default folders for Stronghold and Stronghold Crusader (usually located in your "C:\Program Files" folder):

Map Files

The vast majority of our downloads are maps. A map file always has the file extension of ".map" as shown in the pictures above and should be placed in your "maps" folder.

Once your map is in the right place, load the game and use it as you would any other map of that type.

Siege-That Templates

Siege-That maps o­nly appear in the original version of stronghold and their editable templates have a file extension of ".tmp". To install a downloaded siege-that template, simply copy the .tmp file to your "maps" folder and then use the "Load Map" feature within the siege-that map editor to bring in the template. Remember to always save your siege-that maps under a different name so as not to lose the template when you lock the map.

Saved Games

Our downloads area also contains some saved games that help you get started o­n difficult missions in the Military Campaign (original Stronghold) or Skirmish Trials (Stronghold Crusader).

Saved games always have the file extension ".sav" and need to go in to your "saves" folder.

To load a saved game in the original version of Stronghold click the "Gold Key" button o­n the main menu (the rightmost button), as shown below, then select the relevant file.

To load a saved game in Stronghold Crusader, first click the "Gold Key" button (at the bottom of the main menu screen) as shown below:

A menu will then appear - click the first option to load a game:

If you do not plan to distribute any of your own maps, you can stop reading here as the rest of this tutorial is aimed at map makers wishing to send their maps to friends of upload them to this website.

Distributing Your Maps or Saved Games

It's usually a good idea to start by making a new folder o­n the Windows desktop so that you can gather all your files in to o­ne place.

To create a new folder o­n your desktop, right-click the desktop and then choose "New", then choose "Folder":

You will see a new folder appear o­n your desktop with it's caption of "New Folder" (or something similar) already selected for you to edit:

You should name the folder based o­n your map or saved game:

This naming is important - you need to use a name that nobody else will have used otherwise you won't be able to upload it. For example, let's say you have made a map called "Helm's Deep" - there will already be several maps by other people with the same or similar name. To avoid problems, it's a good idea to include your name (the login name you use o­n this website) as part of the folder name. For example, I log in as "Admin" so that's what I add to the folder name:

Now, open that folder by double clicking the yellow folder icon. A new window should appear as shown below:

This new window is where you will put all the files that you want in your archive.

What files should be in the archive?

If you want to distribute your map, there are several possible files that can go in your zip archive:

• The map file from your maps folder (required if you are distributing a map)
• The sav file from your saves folder (required if you are distributing a saved game)
• The tmp file from your maps folder (required if you are distributing a Siege-That template)
• The png mini-map file (this image file should be included so that people can see what you map looks like before they download it)
• Any accompanying documentation such as hints and tips, historical information, stories, pictures, etc (these add to the overall experience of your distributed package)

How to Copy Files

The remainder of this tutorial will require you to know how to copy files rather than move them.

When you drag a file (such as a .map file) from o­ne folder to another, Windows will usually move that file meaning that you will no longer be able to edit it or play it in the game so we need to copy it instead.

There are several ways to copy files from o­ne place to another but we'll just look at the most common (and reliable) o­nes...

Using Edit Menus

First select the file (or files) you wan to copy and then choose "Copy" from the Edit menu:

If you do not have an edit menu, try right-clicking o­n the file as there will usually be a "Copy" option o­n the menu that pops up.

Next, go in to the destination folder and choose "Paste" from the Edit menu - this will paste a copy of the files in to that folder:

Dragging with Right Mouse Button

Normally, you drag a file from o­ne place to another using the left mouse button. But when you drag a file with the right mouse button a little pop-up menu will appear when you "drop" the file:

Simply choose the copy option as shown above and a new copy of the file will appear at that location.

Map Files

Map files always have the file extension ".map" and live in the "maps" folder (see earlier in this tutorial for how to locate this).

Copy (don't move!) the map file to the folder you made earlier.

Siege-That Templates

Siege-That templates (for the original Stronghold) have a file extension of ".tmp" and they also live in your maps folder.

Copy (don't move!) the tmp file to the folder you made earlier.

Saved Game Files

Saved games always have the file exension ".sav" and can be found in your "saves" folder (see earlier in this tutorial for how to locate this).

Copy (don't move!) the file to the folder you made earlier.

Mini-Map Pictures

Including a mini-map picture in your archive is always a nice touch and is a mandatory requirement for any map or saved game archives uploaded to this website.

To create a mini-map picture, please use the Stronghold PNGer tool.

Copy or move the .png file to the folder you made earlier.

Other Files

If you have any hints and tips, extended storylines, pictures, historical information or indeed anything else that you want to include in your distributed package, just copy the relevant files to the folder you made earlier.

Zipping the Folder

Simply right-click the folder o­n your desktop and choose the relevant option below depending o­n which archiving software you are using...

JustZIPit menu:

FilZip menu:

WinZIP menu:

Other ZIP Tools

Most other ZIP tools will allow you to create a zip archive based o­n the files in the folder using similar methods to those shown above. If in doubt, please refer to the help files and documentation that came with your ZIP software for further details.

What to do Next?

Now that you have your zip archive you can either email it to a friend (as shown above) or upload it to our website.

Before uploading your maps or saved games to this website, please ensure that it is playtested by other people to make sure everything is working. Even though the site administrators playtest every map before making it available in our downloads area, we do take offence to any sub-standard or broken maps that are sent to us (because we are usually very busy and it hurts when we are given broken archives or sub-standard maps).

Happy Archiving!