The Map Compressor compresses the BMP images that DF writes out (when you export fortress images) into a very small fdf-map file which you can upload to Markavian's Map Archive. The resulting fdf-map file's filesize is much, much smaller than you could obtain either from converting the images to other image types, or from using other compression tools (winzip, winrar, 7zip, etc), as they were not built specifically for this task. Using the Map Archive, other people can view your map and comment on it.

It requires either .NET 2.0 or newer (If you have Windows Vista, you already have this, if not, you might need to get it), or if you're on Linux or a Mac or other non-Windows OS, requires Mono.

.NET 2.0: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5
Mono: http://www.mono-project.com/


WARNING: The DF Map Compressor will very like die from running out of memory if you attempt to compress an extremely large image. Also, changing the image to a PNG first will not help. And even if you have ridiculous amounts of RAM and do manage to compress an extremely large map, and if the map archive allows you to upload it, will anyone else be able to view it without their computer grinding to a halt because of how huge it is? Be mindful. By "extremely large image," I mean max-size fortress maps, for example. A 6x6 map is just fine for a computer with 1 GB of RAM, and you can probably go above that size, but remember that the dimensions multiply, they don't add.