Creating maps from fictional heightmaps?
 

Howdy! Recently I stumbled upon some heightmaps I want to use. The problem is that, well, they're fictional. I can't use the old-fashioned MicroDEM -> WWII pipeline I used to use before the wonderful map tool came out. Is there any way to do this by hand? Perhaps load the heightmap up in paintshop pro and convert the pallet or something?

Update: I was futzing around with painting up a BMP using the official colors given by the oh-so-ancient WWIIMap program. https://puu.sh/JJQyo/642c1371a4.png

Despite everything looking good on my end every time I attempt to load the map Steel Panthers crashes and burns horrifically. While I don't have the time to troubleshoot tonight I think I've narrowed it down to several options.
1)WWIIMap is so ancient that it's no longer compatible with SPWWII
2)I started 'halfway' with the heightmap pallet and that's bugging it out
3)The map is 130x130, not 160x200 so the game's throwing a temper-tantrum
4)I'm a moron and some color might actually be wrong due to how I saved the file (24 bit bmp file, same as an SHP)
5)A mixture of the above

As a final note yes, I know 'first' in the program is set to 0. That was me messing around with it. All it seems to do is change the terrain and scream at me in binary. Lovely

Another update to cap off the night: Messed around with the colors and used the blank map provided. The map 'worked' in the sense that it booted up the map, yet at 120x200 I'm afraid it ain't exactly the map size I'm looking for.

Re: Creating maps from fictional heightmaps?
 

You know I think that we need something like Veholla program but written in C++ and working also offline which will make the same job and also accepting an DEM, BMP high-maps from files. My dream will be to add code which will detect water, buildings, trees, fields based on GIS data.