Map overlays put a real street map on top of your terrain so you can trace the roads exactly. Take screenshots from any map service at one zoom level, note the scaling factor, stitch them into one image matching your heightmap area, export it and load it in the Map Editor with the Overlayer 2 mod.
準備 · What you need
- A map service ↗ — Google Maps in the video — Bing, Apple or OpenStreetMap work the same way
- Adobe Photoshop — the file from the heightmap tutorial
- Overlayer 2 ↗
Map overlays are how you rebuild an existing city or area with the roads in the right places. This follow-up to the heightmaps tutorial covers stitching a street map and loading it in the game. It’s one of the most-watched videos on the channel.
What you need first
A finished heightmap and the image-editor file from the previous step. The overlay has to cover exactly the same area.
Take screenshots at one scale
- Open your map service and choose a clean map style.
- Take screenshots of the whole area at one zoom level — don’t change zoom halfway.
- Note the scaling factor (4:24): how much you have to scale the screenshots to match the heightmap. Every screenshot gets the same factor.
Stitch, export, overlay
- Mount the screenshots in the image editor, aligned with each other and with the terrain (7:00).
- Prepare the final file at the size the overlay mod expects and export it.
- Save it where Cities: Skylines and Overlayer 2 can read it.
- In the Map Editor, turn on the overlay and start tracing roads.
A faster way
Three weeks later the channel published a quicker method that avoids most of the stitching: faster map overlays with Google Map Customizer.
Video chapters
- 0:00Intro
- 0:22Initial requirements
- 1:24Using the existing Photoshop file
- 2:40Taking screenshots in Google Maps
- 3:00Important recommendations
- 4:24Remember the scaling factor
- 7:00Mounting the map
- 7:23Finished map
- 7:46Preparing the final file
- 8:30Exporting the image
- 9:08Saving the file for Cities: Skylines
- 10:27Overlaying your map
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
Related videos
- Realistic Heightmaps and How to improve these - JAPAN Series (18:49)
- Faster Map Overlays - Use realistic Street Maps - JAPAN Series (17:18)
- Realistic Maps and Street Map Overlays (40:22)
FAQ
Which map service works best for overlays?
Any service works. What matters is a clean style with visible roads and water and the same zoom level for every screenshot.
Why doesn't my overlay line up with the terrain?
The scale is off. Every screenshot must use the same zoom, and the stitched map must cover exactly the area of your heightmap. Use rivers and coastlines to check.
Where does the overlay file go?
Into the folder the Overlayer 2 mod reads from — the mod's Workshop page names the file and folder it expects.
