Province Editor v101 - Updated
 

Attached to this post is a tool to make creating custom provinces for RanDom a whole lot easier.

7/08/07 - Replaced v100 with v101: Now supports RanDom ver 2.03 (SemiRandom ver 1.06) and the new "_OR_" tag which will allow placement of a single province file across a wide variety of terrain types.


From the included ReadMe.txt:
-


Province Editor v1.01
Author: Ballbarian
Email: semirand AT dom3minions DOT com
Web: http://www.dom3minions.com/~semirand/


About:
*****************
The Province Editor is a tool for creating province files (.gan)
for SemiRandom. It may also be useful as an aid in the development
of custom provinces for non-SemiRandom scenario type maps as well with
some slight modification of the output.


Requirements:
*****************
The Province Editor was developed in VB6 and will therefore requires
the VB runtime dll which you probably already have on your system.
If not, it is widely available on the net. (If you are having problems
with the vb libraries, Gooles and Gandalf reported having some luck
with this link: http://www.ascentive.com/support/new/libraryfiles.exe

The Province Editor will also require SemiRandom. If you are using
the RanDom map generator, then you will already have SemiRandom.


To Install:
*****************
Place the D3PEv100 folder in your dominions3 directory (you should
have a SemiRandom folder here as well). I would recommend taking
a moment to create a shortcut to ProvinceEdit.exe and place the
shortcut on your desktop, or somewhere convenient for you.


Getting Started:
*****************
The first time that you run ProvinceEdit.exe, you will see an open
dialog. Use this to locate SemiRandom\SemiRandom.exe.

Once the program is loaded, you should see a window split into two
distinct sections...

The top section contains four tabs. In theory, you should be able
to walk through the process of creating a province file somewhat like
reading a book. Work from the top left corner to the bottom right
and then move on to the next page and continue. In practice, you
will likely find yourself skipping back and forth as the theme for
the province develops.

The bottom section contains the "Unit Finder". Use the controls at
the left to set various filters and remember to hit the [Apply Filters]
button to uhh... apply them. Use the right dropdown box to browse
units by name. Tip: Use the up/down arrow keys to browse the list
and the description box will update as you browse. Tip2: If you
select a unit, notice that the grey box will fill with a blue unit
number. This is a link to that unit in the Online Unit List and
clicking it will open that units information page in your default web
browser. The user name and password are provided at the bottom of the
window for your convenience. These blue unit links also appear in the
poptype and magic site selectors.

Take note of the 2 green [?] buttons. Pressing these will open
and close a help window which will update with information as your
mouse moves over various control sections.

The first time you create a province, remember to change the
author name from the default to something original to you! This
will help to prevent conflicts with other users provinces. The
index number will auto increment when you save your province,
but you can change it manually as well if needed.


Simple as 1,2,3:
*****************
Step 1 - > This tab is where you build the gan file name. This step
is very important as it will tell SemiRandom where your province might
appear when it modifies a map file. Careless settings might make it
impossible to place the province at all!

Step 2 - > This tab is where you can set some key attributes of the
province. The province name, population and type, features, structures
and victory points may all be set here.

Step 3 - > This tab is where you can build a garrison for the province.
Set commanders and their attributes, magic, items, bodyguards, units, etc.
There is also a [Begin Siege] button which is enabled when there is a fort
in the province. Use this to enable defenders outside of the castle walls.
As you work through the sub tabs, use the [Submit] bottom to add commands
to the code box at the left. You can also edit this manually.

Step 4 - > This tab is where you can preview your creation and save it if
it is ready. You may return to previous steps at any time and your changes
will be updated when you return. Use the [Save As] button to select a location
to save the gan file without adding it to SemiRandom's gan list. Use the
[Save and Add] button to automatically save the gan file to your SemiRandom
gan directory and add it to your gan list so that it is available for use
the next time you SemiRandomize a map. Use the [Clear Garrison] button to
clear the code box containing units and commanders from Step 3. Use the
[Clear All] button to reset every control back to a fresh start. Do not hit
these buttons accidentally, because there will be no warning box asking you
if you are sure that you want to!


Sharing is good:
*****************
Remember to share your best thematic creations with the community! You may
submit gan files, name lists, and RanDom settings to: semirand AT dom3minions DOT com


Forum Discussions:
*****************
RanDom version 2
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...;Number=523661

RanDom version 1 (OLD)
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...;Number=496176

SemiRandom version 0.95 (OLD)
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...;Number=496171

Online Unit Reference
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...;Number=497152


Since the dom3minions server is deceased, the semirandom email address is no longer working. If you wish to submit semirandom files, for now just use:

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/pictu...7&pictureid=50

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Attachments on the fritz so updated post to link to an alternate download on Gandalf's server. I will really be counting on your feedback as I will not be able to use download counts as encouragement. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Province Editor v100
 

The link to the alternate download seems to be having a bit of trouble too, but I'll keep trying and tell you when I test it.

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Hmmm I have had others comment on that also. I had an internist security guy for awhile who tended to put entire countries into the firewall blockage. I think now that he is gone I will go back and start deleting those.

Re: Province Editor v100
 

If you are having trouble downloading, here is an alternate location on MediaFire.

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Sorry to be such a problem, but thanks for the alternate download anyways http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Odd, the MediaFire download isn't working either. It gives me a message that says the data isn't available on any server or something like that.

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Believe it or not, it would appear that MediaFire is having issues this morning. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

It was definitely working shortly after I uploaded. Just confirmed that other MediaFire links (posted by others) are giving the same error. Note that the message says to try again later.

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Haha, the province editor really must have some sorta beef with me, if it goes to these lengths http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Province Editor v100
 

lol, Hang in there DigitalSin. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Did you try the Dom3minions link again? I made some changes which might have helped

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Nope, the Dom3Minions link still hates me. MediaFire works though.

Re: Province Editor v100
 

I've done a little test, just to see what its like, and its very easy to use, very well laid out and comprehensive. I'd make some actual provinces, but I'm afraid you'd just end up with 100+gem income after hacking your way through a 9f9a or somesuch monstrosity.

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Thank you for the feedback DigitalSin. It really is appreciated. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Well. Seeing the flaw is a huge step to overcoming it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif
Design some provinces that are intended to be interesting but not the greatest battle in the history of dominions. Try things that you think would be thematic for a given location. Sometimes in my games I think it is a simple thing that draws my attention the most. In my current game, there is a cave province called "Nether Chasm" which contains simple cavemen, a few dogs with dark vision and a cave drake. No special magic sites or anything super powerful, but it was an interesting encounter nonetheless. Sometimes the province files only change the name of the province and it's population (some of the Faerun provinces come to mind). Every once in a while, it is nice to find a powerful location (like Eden).

Might as well give it a go since you went to so much trouble to download it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Province Editor v100
 

Go ahead and do any provinces you want. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
I suspect that eventually the offers will get broken into different sets. Those are are only slightly changed to be more themed (suitable for MP games), and those which are more like SURPRISE! (for rarely scattered into SP games). And also theme sets such as Leif used to do (era of Vampires and Werewolves, The Horse Age, Aftermath)

Re: Province Editor v100
 

For anyone who had problems with the alternate download links, attachments appear to be working again. (Thanks Mindi!)

Bellisima the Enchantress
 

Changes from ver. 1 already posted: Name, made defenders tougher, unrandomized the items (thanks Ball and Gandalf!) and gave her more nature-y bodyguards in the vine ogres.

Stryke11-2_U_A_N_FST_.gan

--Description:
--First try at a unique province. Basically the idea is a powerfull enchantress has used her magic and beauty to lull a bunch of guys into her servitude so she can live like a queen. I don't know if the Ancient Oaks is the right place, but since she's so "enchanting" I wanted there to be an enchantment bonus there.

#lab
#population 5000
#poptype 50 --Militia, Lt Inf, Hvy Inf, Scout
#feature "Hall of Ancient Oaks"
#feature "Forest of Delights"

#commander 485 --Great Enchantress
#comname "Bellisima"
#additem "Thistle Mace"
#additem "Vine Shield"
#additem "Ivy Crown"
#additem "Robe of Missile Protection"
#additem "Birch Boots"
#additem "Cat Charm"
#additem "Barkskin Amulet"
#mag_nature 3
#mag_astral 1
#xp 500
#bodyguards 2 362 --Vine Ogre
#units 20 29 --Light Infantry
#units 20 39 --Heavy Infantry
#units 20 33 --Archer
#units 10 22 --Knight

Questions
 

Hey Ballbarian:

Can a terrain only be listed as one thing? I want a gan that can work in mountains, plains, forests, farm...pretty much everywhere but the sea, swamp, waster, and likely cave.

Also, while I get terrain, I'm not quite sure what the terrain/site box does. Also, pattern and climate confuse me...I wasn't aware each province had a climate...I thought that was based on dominion.

Re: Questions
 

The next release supports an additional flag (_OR_) which will allow your province to appear in a province with any of the selected terrain types. I have already updated SemiRandom and the Province Editor to support this, and will likely have the new versions posted by this weekend.

In Dom3, terrain values in a map file can contain flags for site types. This just means that the selected province has a greater chance of magic sites of the given type. The "many sites" flag in a province means just a higher chance of a magic site appearing in the province.

It is also of note that the Dom3 random map generator places these flags and will sometimes include an icon in the map image indicating (for example) a volcano for a fire site.

In SemiRandom, you can tell it to place your province only in provinces that contain the given site flag.

Patterns are just geographical locations that SemiRandom is able to detect in a map. So if you want your province to appear only next to large bodies of water, you would choose "Coast", if you wanted it to appear only in an isolated water province surrounded by land, you would choose "Lake".

A general description of patterns follows:
Island - land completely surrounded by water.
Lake - water completely surrounded by land.
Volcano - mountain with no mountain neighbors OR firesite.
Peninsula - land surrounded by water with only one land neighbor.
Valley - land surrounded by edgemount or mount with at least two being mountain and at least two being non-mountain.
Coast - land which borders at least one water neighbor.
Lost - land with no neighbors.


Climates are just a SemiRandom thing. The default settings in SemiRandom/RanDom are for the southern 25% of the map to be treated as Hot or tropical climate, and the northern 25% of the map to be treated as Cold or arctic climate provinces. All remaining provinces (in the middle of the map) are considered Mild or temperate.

You can also define climate bands, where there are arctic north & south poles and a central tropical equator with 2 temperate bands separating them.

The climates only affect provinces which have a climate requirement defined. So cold provinces can only be placed in cold climates, hot in hot and mild in mild. If no climate preference is selected, then the province can be placed in any of the climates.


Wow, I just gave a really long answer to a couple of simple questions. Pardon my rambling. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Questions
 

Oh, and btw, I will include your province in the next release. Perfect addition. Not too hard, but still an interesting location.

I agree that is more difficult to resist the temptation to create nightmare provinces with huge rewards. I am guilty of that more often than not. Many times I start with a simple idea, and then as I am browsing the units and sites, I think, "Wow, that would be cool if I just added this & that, and oh, now the defenders need beefed up, I'll just add this guy." http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: Questions
 

I foresaw that at the beginning of the project but I thought it was a great stepping stone to getting some scenario maps made. Hook people into "just design one simple province" and let them find out that their ideas are more geared toward a complete map fitting that theme. I would like to see "the World of Vampires" or "When Dinosaurs Ruled" done as themed maps.

Re: Questions
 

I'm interested in making "exile" or "counterfaction" provinces where using Pythium for example it could be a rogue Empress (cousin of the Emperor) in a province with some kind of fortification and some nation specific guardians (in this case maybe some emerald guard and serpent cataphracts, with a theurg or two for fun).

I need to wait until the next release though because I don't want these to be terrain specific...I want them to crop up anywhere...well, they would need to be age specific.

This can be done with Ulm (Black Lord), Marignon (Rogue Inquisitor), well, honestly, pretty much any nation that has a power structure with leaders and nobility. (Pangaea being kind of chaotic might not be suited for this idea).

It would be cool if you could then recruit a small amount of the basic, everyday troops of that nation in that province, but I know that's coded into the game that it can't be done.

Re: Questions
 

Maybe a small outbreak of Pangaean vine creatures. We already have a party province with Pans and maenads and lots of wine.

There are some magic sites which can grant units such as the Centaur Chariots.

Re: Questions
 

The 'Gateward Valley' which allows the recruitment of Centaur Chariots would work pretty well as a renegade Pangaea province. Enslaved Centaurs, Tyrant the Dryad (descriptive, but also a pun on "treant" - I really like this idea already), satyrs hoplites, revelers, etc.

Black Lord, Rogue Inquisitor etc sound a bit like modded units. New units can't be created in map files, which the province editor and SemiRandom work with, and descriptions can't be changed either. This means that while it's possible to set an Inquisitor with H2, B2 and perhaps some suitable LA Marignon commanders as a renegade Marignonese province, you can't change the Inquisitor's description or name to imply that he's renegade.

BTW, splinter nations would work well for small provinces. An inquisitor, 10 crossbows, 10 halberdiers would make for a nice, small addition to an indy province. All nations could have several such splinter provinces with varying commanders, national units and fitting non-national units. Abysians and Salamanders (and a fire site?); Mictlan Priest, Slaves and Jaguar Warriors; a Vanhere, few bodyguard Vanir and a Gnome; an Atlantian Consort, or perhaps a Traitor Prince helping a Toad Trinbe (i.e. toad tribe troops and the commander replace swamp defenders and poptype)...

Re: Questions
 

I have to chime in that I very much like the idea of fragment/splinter nations/provinces, and hope to see more.

Best way to submit?
 

What's the best way to submit? via attachment or text+attach. Personally I like to see the whole province + attachment, but it can get lengthly. I'll do both and if its too long i'll edit and delete.

--Description:
--A Discovery! A Ruined city, dark and foreboding. A dense fog that smells faintly of decay hovers over the entire city. As you explore you hear faint creaks and rhythmic moans. You hope its just the wind, yet a faint chill crawls up your spine. Suddenly you hear screaming from your rearguard! To Battle!

@1 landname
"City of the Dead"
#fort 14 --Dark Citadel
#population 100
#poptype 88 --NO RECRUITABLES
#knownfeature "Windswept Catacombs"
#knownfeature "Well of Darkness"
#knownfeature "Tomb of the Ancients"
#knownfeature "The Mausoleum of the Great Sarlah"
@4 commander
1438 --Ktonian Necromancer
#additem "Skull Staff"
1468 --Oracle of the Dead
#additem "Skull Staff"
181 --Wraith Lord
#additem "Wraith Sword"
#additem "Horror Helmet"
#additem "Winged Shoes"
1442 --Attendant of the Dead

@6 units
40 1363 --Ancestral Spirit
40 534 --Corpse Construct
40 192 --Longdead
40 535 --Longdead Archer
40 189 --Longdead Horseman
20 396 --Revenant

| OUTSIDE THE CASTLE |
----------------------------------
#owner 23 -- after this, units are owned by special monsters
----------------------------------
| INSIDE THE CASTLE |

#commander 644 --Dracolich
#comname "Urkolymotryx"
#additem "Wraith Crown"
#additem "Ring of Sorcery"
#additem "Ring of Regeneration"
#clearmagic
#mag_fire 2
#mag_death 4
#mag_nature 3
#xp 400

@6 commander
1442 --Attendant of the Dead
#additem "Skull Staff"
1442 --Attendant of the Dead
1708 --Consort of the Dead
#additem "Skullface"
178 --Demilich
#additem "Skullface"
#additem "Skull Staff"
#additem "Ring of Sorcery"
178 --Demilich
#additem "Skullface"
#additem "Skull Staff"
1438 --Ktonian Necromancer
#additem "Skull Staff"
#randomequip 4

@5 units
40 1363 --Ancestral Spirit
40 534 --Corpse Construct
40 191 --Longdead
40 535 --Longdead Archer
20 315 --Soulless Giant

Re: Best way to submit?
 

--Description:
--You stumble upon a cheery village, a bit primitive, but everyone seems

happy. They welcome you with open arms, showering you and your troops

with food and drink. As the festivities continue a soldier stumbles to a

stop in front of you. With a panicked look to his eyes, he points at

the platter in front of you heaped with meat "People! They eat PEOPLE!"

At his cry the entire villages rise up to secure their next meal!

@1 landname
"A Peaceful Village"
#population 4000
#poptype 80 --Tribals, Lion
#knownfeature "The Great Cauldron"
#knownfeature "Hall of Flayed Skins"

#commander 122 --Blood Henge Druid
#additem "Blood Thorn"
#additem "Boots of Youth"
#additem "The Heart of Life"
#additem "Brazen Vessel"
#clearmagic
#mag_nature 4
#mag_blood 4
#xp 400
#bodyguards 15 727 --Jaguar Warrior

@3 commander
122 --Blood Henge Druid
122 --Blood Henge Druid
122 --Blood Henge Druid

#commander 1296 --Erinya

@4 commander
1602 --Lion Tribe Witch Doctor
1602 --Lion Tribe Witch Doctor
1600 --Lion Tribe Warrior
1600 --Lion Tribe Warrior
@2 units
40 1601 --Lion Tribe Archer
40 1600 --Lion Tribe Warrior

Re: Best way to submit?
 

--Description:
--Your troops stumble upon a peaceful glade where there appears to be a

temple to some sort of nature god. Everything seems a bit more alive,

the trees and grass are shining with vitality, the small animals running

underfoot look sleek with health. You can feel the effects yourself,

even the ankle you twisted in yesterday's battle feels a bit better. The

priestesses of the temple come to meet with you while their followers

tend to your wounded. All is well until a shout is heard from the back

of the camp, your soldiers have violated some of the camp followers! The

high priestess is beside herself, declaring your entire force unclean and

unwelcome. As your soldiers get more out of hand the priestesses

withdraw and start a summoning. Suddenly the followers return with

weapons of war and a Great White Bull suddenly appears, summoned by the

priestesses. To Battle!

@1 landname
"Secluded Temple"
#temple
#population 2000
#poptype 42 --Amazon, Jade
#knownfeature "Lyfjaberg"
#knownfeature "The Sacred Glen"
#knownfeature "Hidden Forest"
#knownfeature "Pool of Sanctity"

#commander 1773 --Tuatha Sorceress
#additem "Thistle Mace"
#additem "Vine Shield"
#additem "Boots of the Messenger"
#additem "Amulet of Resilience"
#additem "Moonvine Bracelet"
#additem "Ivy Crown"
#clearmagic
#mag_nature 5
#mag_astral 1

#commander 979 --Great White Bull
#additem "Ring of Regeneration"
#additem "Amulet of Resilience"

@12 commander
1433 --Kitsune
1433 --Kitsune
151 --Daughter of Avalon
364 --Enchantress
364 --Enchantress
1773 --Tuatha Sorceress
1773 --Tuatha Sorceress
242 --Priestess
242 --Priestess
242 --Priestess
353 --Jade Priestess
353 --Jade Priestess
@2 units
20 370 --Jade Maiden
40 354 --Amazon

Re: Best way to submit?
 

I really like the idea of splinter provinces. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

For the moment, just doing a quick scan of the posted provinces, and a few comments...

City of the Dead:
@4 commander
1438 --Ktonian Necromancer
#additem "Skull Staff"
1468 --Oracle of the Dead
#additem "Skull Staff"
181 --Wraith Lord
#additem "Wraith Sword"
#additem "Horror Helmet"
#additem "Winged Shoes"
1442 --Attendant of the Dead

Won't work.

Should be something like:
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
@4 commander
1438 --Ktonian Necromancer
1468 --Oracle of the Dead
181 --Wraith Lord
1442 --Attendant of the Dead

@3 additem
"Skull Staff"
"Skull Staff"
"Wraith Sword"

#additem "Horror Helmet"
#additem "Winged Shoes"
</pre><hr />

I think you were trying to say something like, "If Ktonian Necromancer, then give him a "Skull Staff", If an Oracle, give him a "Skull Staff", If a Wratih Lord, then give him a "Wraith Sword" &amp; a "Horror Helmet" &amp; "Winged Shoes", If an Attendant of the Dead, then don't give him anything. But instead you would get some weird map code like [#commander #additem "Wraith Sword"] which would (best case) cause the line to be ignored by Dom3, or (worst case) crash the game.

The solution that I proposed, would select one of the four commanders (randomly) and then select one of the three items listed (randomly) and then add the "Horror Helmet" &amp; "Winged Shoes" for a result in the map file like:
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
#commander 181 --Wraith Lord
#additem "Skull Staff"
#additem "Horror Helmet"
#additem "Winged Shoes"
</pre><hr />

Btw, I really, really like the fact that you have taken advantage of the description field in the editor. Nice. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
I am secretly crossing my fingers that the mighty Illwinter gods will bestow the gift of allowing descriptions as an option for provinces viewable in game prior to an assault upon the given province. Would be a fantastic addition for scenario type maps. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Best way to submit?
 

I'm glad people seem to like the splinter nation idea. No, I didn't mean edited characters...we'd have to pretend that they're rogue, but to anyone that looks they'd just seem like a small mini outpost of the faction they represent...except they will also fight against their own faction!

Yes, we have to use our imagination a bit, until we can create our own characters.

I should be able to have a bunch done in a weekend once the new version comes out.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Jutetrea, I think you're doing the same thing I did before...did you intend your Tuatha Sorceress to have ALL the items you list, or just one of them, randomly? I believe the @ sign makes it random. Same with the magic. So she only gets either nature 5 or astral 1, not both. Each item has to have their own # line if you want more than one.

Ball can explain it better than I can.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Hmm,

So if I want a commander to have specific items I should separate him out via the program.. i.e. do my "main" commander, name, items, magic, bodyguards if any. Then my "thug" separately (by double clicking to remove "main" from the addition box) name, items, magic, bodyguards. Then my miscellaneous commanders as a group?

If I add items under the miscellaneous commanders (those i don't want to bother with magic, names, bodyguards) they will always be random on who gets it?

So, in the above case, If I want everyone (3 commanders) to have a skull staff, do I need to add @1 additem skullstaff or @3 additem skullstaff?

Also, say i have 1 commander. I want to add random items for all slots. leave everything blank, have it be dom select and hit submit? or have to hit submit for each item slot?

How about if I want him to just have 1 random item total?

I'm assuming the levels under the dom select are the various construction levels needed for the item? Or # of items?

On the left of the item screen:
I'm assuming =artifact filters to only show artifacts, -artifact subtracts them; but

what is considered special? the wish only items? (or event npc items?)

what are the P1, L1, P2, L2
I'm assuming P1 = path needed to create item
L1 = levels in a magic path? levels in const school?
p2 = second path to simulate a specific unit? a la E/B for blood stone?
L2 = ??

Yes, I would love the ability for an after battle report for special provinces only to show the description above the unit counts. We know they're going to do battle, as its the nature of the game, so all descriptions would need to be cheesy in that regard.

I like the splinter nation as well, but it would be much more powerful if the "kingdom" idea were ever implemented.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

hmm, bugger.. I always wondered what the @ sign meant, I thought it was just simulating 6 lines of #additem. Yeah, generally when i put an item in there I want the unit to have it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

For the future i like the idea of essentially "item lists" for increased replayability ... but baby steps http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Best way to submit?
 

It would be nice if there was a way to test our creations by simulating a battle (using the dom3 program) and watch how our creations come up on the battle screen.

That way we'd easily notice flaws in the code. Like noticing they only have one of the items you wanted rather than all.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Wow. I think that is the most questions that I have seen in one post. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I will try to answer them all, but for those who haven't stumbled upon it, there is a detailed help file in the "RanDom/SemiRandom/" directory called ReadMe.txt. It is overall, geared more towards using SemiRandom by itself, without the frontend tools, but it might save you some confusion to browse through it.

It is also very helpful to become familiar with the Dom3 map editing document from Illwinter. Of course one of the best tools is to study a couple of existing gan files that come with the program to get a general feel for the structure.



That is pretty much the approach that I take.
A simple structure that I use in my own provinces is:
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
Boss Commander
Name
Items
Magic
Bodyguards
Units

Generic Commander
Bodyguards
Units

Thug
Name
Items

Sub/Support Commander
Sub/Support Commander
Sub/Support Commander
</pre><hr />

Not 100% sure that I understand the question, but if you have...
Sub/Support Commander 1
Sub/Support Commander 2
Sub/Support Commander 3
#additem "Stuff"
...then Commander number 3 will receive the "Stuff".


For each of the 3 commanders to get a skull staff:
Sub/Support Commander 1
#additem "Skull Staff"
Sub/Support Commander 2
#additem "Skull Staff"
Sub/Support Commander 3
#additem "Skull Staff"

Also I want to be clear here...
If you add 1 and only 1 specific item, then the line will be:
#additem &lt;item name&gt;

If you want to have a chance of 1 OF 3 items, you would use:
@3 additem
&lt;item name&gt;
&lt;item name&gt;
&lt;item name&gt;

If you want 1 and only 1 random item from one of the item lists you would use:
@RANDOM additem &lt;item list name&gt;

If you want Dom3 to assign random items:
#randomequip &lt;0-4&gt;


Yes. Basically. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
If you want to let Dom3 handle the random items, make sure that the item list is blank, select "Let Dom3 generate" from the drop down box, and select the level (0-4) from the drop down box beneath it. 0=small chance/weak items, 4=largest chance/strong items. This does not guarantee that Dom3 will fill all slots however.

If you really want to have all slots filled with a random item then you would need to submit a random item list for each slot, or use one of the @RANDOM item lists for each slot.

Note that there is a small glitch that will sometimes cause the 0-4 drop down box to not re-enable itself after an item has been removed from the the list. To kick start it, just reselect "Let Dom3 generate" again and it will reset itself.


For just 1 random item you could use:
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
@3 additem
"Fire Sword"
"Ice Sword"
"Sword of Sharpness"

OR

@RANDOM additem 1HANDWEAPON
</pre><hr />


I think that I covered this in the previous answer. If it is still not clear, be sure to let me know and I will try to expand on it.


You are correct on the =/- artifacts filter.
Specials are items that are not available through construction research, but are found on some special monsters, like Bogus's "Greenstone Armor", and "Precious".
(USE ARTIFACTS &amp; SPECIAL ITEMS SPARINGLY OR THEY WON'T BE SPECIAL ANYMORE! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif )


You are very close.
P1 = the 1rst path needed for a mage to craft an item.
L1 = the level in that 1rst path required.
P2 = the 2nd path needed for a mage to craft an item.
L2 = the level in that 2nd path required.


I hope that helps some. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

(If you make corrections to your provinces, be sure to edit the existing posts &amp; replace the attachments. Then I can add them to the next release!)

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Actually the thought had crossed my mind...
Considered just making a very simple 6 province map with 1 central starting point for a human nation and 5 neighbors. Then you could edit the map file and just paste in your test batch, create the game, attack a province, and view the results.

I am stretched thin... Stryke11? How are your map making skills? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Something like the mini-map battle simulator?
Battle Sim

Re: Best way to submit?
 

THANKS! That helped lots.

With the quick support I can't help but add a couple more:

Is there an undead tag in the unit finder? Lifeless works, but picks up elementals and such. Am I just being blind?

Is there a way to open and edit a previous GAN file?

Sites: Killfeatures remove all previous sites, correct? If I do not add killfeatures, will manually added sites supersede randomly placed? If I manually add 2, is there still a possibility for 2 randoms to show up?

Would it be possible to add a "all" selection under Lead in the unit finder? So I can sort just by commanding ability?

What does "clear garrison" do? Remove the province population starting troops? Is that something I should have been doing with my other gans?

Going back to your previous examples if I enter 10 commanders and hit submit, it then shows up as @10 commanders. Does that mean only certain ones will show up randomly or will all 10? Same with troops?

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Yep. Something very much like that Gandalf. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Hmmm... But that means that I need to create a mini-SemiRandom that will read a gan file's contents and perform the random functions to generate the sample map code...

I will have to think on this more after this round of updates is complete.





Look under "CType" (Creature Type).
This includes:
Normal (not one of the other 4 types)
Undead
Demon
Magic Being
Animal


You can't see it, but there is a "Load" button in place, however, that feature is still several versions away from being enabled at the moment. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

For now, if you have already saved and then find a minor error, or something that you would like to change, just open the GAN file in a text editor and make the corrections from there. Or, when it involves something a little more complex, just pop into the province editor and create the code that you want, select it from the preview or garrison text box, use right click + copy, or CNTRL+C to copy the code and paste it into your open GAN file where appropriate.


Correct.


I believe that if you do not use killfeatures Dom3 gets first dibs on filling those 4 slots. That means that there is a risk of your manually placed sites not having a spot to fill and they will just be ignored.


That is my understanding of how it works. Except a better way to look at it is that it is possible that 2 random sites will be placed by Dom3 and (if you are lucky) 2 slots will remain for your 2 manually added sites.


As it is now, the "all" is implicit. Just uncheck the "Lead" filter, and all units will be listed. There are very few units that have 0 leadership if made into a commander. (Correct me if I am mistaken on this point!)


The "Clear Garrison" button is just a quick way to clean out the Commander/Units section in Step 3, as opposed to the "Clear All" button which resets EVERYTHING. "Clear All" is essentially like closing the program and restarting it again.

Usually I will create my province, preview it in Step 4, and then hit "Save and Add" when I am happy with it, and finally hit "Clear All" to start the next province project. The exception being when I have another province in mind that is very similar to the one that I just finished, and then I might just hit "Clear Garrison" and then make changes from there.



If you enter 10 commanders &amp; hit submit, you are telling the province editor to generate code that will tell SemiRandom that you want 1 of these 10 commanders (selected at random) to appear in the province when the final map file is generated.

Same with troops.
Same with ANY list in the province editor. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif
The key thing to look for is the "@" symbol in the generated code, which is your signal that ONE of the things in the subsequent list will appear at that spot in the final map file.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Are there lists of fire, death etc sites of varying power yet? That'd help all special provinces a lot. As an example, the great city of the undead could have two minor death sites, one major death site and one fixed death site. The names might not quite suit the city theme, but it'd allow for varying rewards.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Ballbarian said:
If you're asking if I have any graphic design skills, then no, not at all. If you just want me to make a random six province map using SemiRandom, then sure, I could do that http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Best way to submit?
 

I saw thet Jutetrea had the site lyfjaberg in his secluded temple. Does it work? It is intended to heal troops, but I don't thik it does.

Hmm, I should gather myself and finish all those old maps I started on.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

hmm, no idea. just saw there was a site with a heal bonus, wanted to build a temple around it... mid-difficulty stationary chalice type thing.

Did not know there was a bug associated with it.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Excellent idea Endoperez! It is not supported at the moment, but I glanced at the code and it looks like a simple one line change to allow it. I will try to squeak something in before the weekend release.


@Stryke11
I was really hoping that in your professional life, you were a world renowned artist capable of producing a visually stunning masterpiece that we could use. But, any old stretch of pixels with six white dots would suffice. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif



@KO
Hmmm... I don't recall actually seeing that site in game so far. Can anyone else confirm whether it works or not?

More KO maps? Yes please do finish them! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif
Were you working on scenario style maps, or good ol' fashioned general strategic maps? And, have you considered creating a couple (or a dozen) SemiRandom provinces for the collection? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Best way to submit?
 

The question about choosing two sites and would there be a chance to get 2 other random sites made me think..
Since we have something for random equip armor and such, can we create a list for random site in order to pad provinces out to the full 4 slots?

Re: Best way to submit?
 

I'm pretty sure that's how Ballbarian read my request. I think the "one line change" would be in allowing #knownfeature to be along the commands that can read queues, along with #additem and such.

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Sadly enough, I don't even know how to do that at this point...maybe if someone can point me to a mapmaking tutorial.

Since KO brought it up, more maps would be very nice. That is, designed maps. Random maps are great, but Aram, the Eye, Dawn of Dominions, those things are just super awesome. So if you're still reading this thread KO, I squarely put my vote towards more maps http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: Best way to submit?
 

Ok...Finally got some time this evening and made some quick changes. Whipped up three simple sample site lists (say that three times fast http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif ), and created a test province.

The following GAN file...:
--Description:
--The very threads of existence must be torn asunder, then burned, then the
--ashes scattered, until all is nothing and no one exists to remember existence.
--Tharizdun is the god of Eternal Darkness, Destruction, Decay, Entropy,
--Malign Knowledge, and Insanity. He was imprisoned ages ago by a coalition
--of deities to prevent the destruction of existence itself. Tharizdun is known as
--the Dark God, and He of Eternal Darkness. Although imprisoned, Tharizdun
--still has a degree of his original multiverse-threatening power...

@1 landname
"Tharizdun's Lair"
#temple
#poptype 27 --Militia, Archers, Hvy Inf
#killfeatures
#knownfeature "Temple of Darkness"
<font color="brown">@RANDOM knownfeature WIZARDDEATHSITE</font>
<font color="brown">@RANDOM feature SUMMONDEATHSITE</font>
<font color="brown">@RANDOM feature MINORDEATHSITE</font>

#comname "Tharizdun"
#additem "Horror Helmet"
#additem "Boots of Stone"
#additem "Lifelong Protection"
#additem "Amulet of Antimagic"
#clearmagic
#mag_death 6
#mag_fire 6
#mag_blood 6
#bodyguards 3 467 --Foul Beast
#units 1 1000 --Demon Jester
#units 7 88 --Fiend of Darkness
#units 33 303 --Imp
#units 66 638 --Spine Devil

#commander 1564 --Mad Cultist
#commander 1564 --Mad Cultist
#commander 1564 --Mad Cultist
#commander 1564 --Mad Cultist

#commander 963 --Mad Priest
#commander 963 --Mad Priest
#commander 963 --Mad Priest
#commander 963 --Mad Priest

...Generated the following province:
-- GAN FILE: GREYBALL19_TMP_U_R_OR_EMT_MNT_S_
#nostart 86
#land 86

--Description:
--The very threads of existence must be torn asunder, then burned, then the
--ashes scattered, until all is nothing and no one exists to remember existence.
--Tharizdun is the god of Eternal Darkness, Destruction, Decay, Entropy,
--Malign Knowledge, and Insanity. He was imprisoned ages ago by a coalition
--of deities to prevent the destruction of existence itself. Tharizdun is known as
--the Dark God, and He of Eternal Darkness. Although imprisoned, Tharizdun
--still has a degree of his original multiverse-threatening power...
#landname 86 "Tharizdun's Lair"
#temple
#poptype 27 --Militia, Archers, Hvy Inf
#killfeatures
#knownfeature "Temple of Darkness"
<font color="brown">#knownfeature "Grayshade Forest"</font>
<font color="brown">#feature "The Shaded Lands"</font>
<font color="brown">#feature "Windswept Catacombs"</font>
#comname "Tharizdun"
#additem "Horror Helmet"
#additem "Boots of Stone"
#additem "Lifelong Protection"
#additem "Amulet of Antimagic"
#clearmagic
#mag_death 6
#mag_fire 6
#mag_blood 6
#bodyguards 3 467 --Foul Beast
#units 1 1000 --Demon Jester
#units 7 88 --Fiend of Darkness
#units 33 303 --Imp
#units 66 638 --Spine Devil
#commander 1564 --Mad Cultist
#commander 1564 --Mad Cultist
#commander 1564 --Mad Cultist
#commander 1564 --Mad Cultist
#commander 963 --Mad Priest
#commander 963 --Mad Priest
#commander 963 --Mad Priest
#commander 963 --Mad Priest


The catch is that the province editor is not going to directly support this. If you will be using the province editor, you will have to manually insert the @RANDOM feature/knownfeature lines, and then remember to not switch tabs before saving or else the changes will be lost. An easy workaround to that is to add the @RANDOM feature/knownfeature lines to the Garrison box on tab 3. This way the changes will remain intact regardless of how many tabs you flip back and forth through. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Re: New additions on the way!
 

Sites added to the next release as of this post:
ZIGGY9_LO_U_A_OR_EMT_MNT_S_N_L_
GREYBALL1_HOT_CO_U_R_OR_FST_N_L_
GREYBALL2_HOT_CO_U_R_OR_FST_N_L_
GREYBALL3_TMP_VL_U_R_WST_L_
GREYBALL4_TMP_CO_U_R_OR_FST_S_N_
GREYBALL5_TMP_U_R_OR_EMT_MNT_L_
GREYBALL6_TMP_U_R_PLN_WTR_L_
GREYBALL7_TMP_U_R_PLN_WTR_N_
GREYBALL8_TMP_CO_U_R_FRM_WTR_L_
GREYBALL9_HOT_VC_U_R_OR_PLN_EMT_MNT_FST_S_N_
GREYBALL11_CLD_U_R_OR_PLN_EMT_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
GREYBALL12_CLD_U_R_EMT_WST_S_
GREYBALL13_CLD_U_R_EMT_WST_S_
GREYBALL14_HOT_U_R_OR_EMT_MNT_N_L_
GREYBALL15_CLD_U_R_OR_SWP_N_L_
GREYBALL16_CLD_U_R_WST_L_
GREYBALL17_CLD_U_R_WST_N_
GREYBALL18_TMP_U_A_OR_EMT_S_N_
GREYBALL19_TMP_U_R_OR_EMT_MNT_S_
ENDO2_U_A_OR_PLN_EMT_MNT_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
ENDO3_U_A_OR_PLN_EMT_MNT_WST_SWP_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
ENDO4_U_R_OR_PLN_SEA_EMT_MNT_WST_SWP_FST_S_N_L_
ENDO5_M_A_PLN_N_
ENDO6_U_R_OR_SEA_DEP_S_N_L_
ENDO7_CO_U_A_OR_PLN_S_N_L_
ENDO8_U_R_OR_FST_S_N_L_
ENDO9_TMP_U_R_FST_L_
ENDO10_TMP_M_A_FST_L_
ENDO11_U_A_OR_FST_S_N_L_
ENDO12_CLD_U_A_FST_N_
ENDO13_U_R_SEA_DEP_N_
MAGESET1_M_A_OR_SEA_DEP_S_N_L_
Stryke11-2_U_R_N_FST_
Jutetrea6_U_R_S_City_of_the_dead
Jutetrea7_HOT_U_R_N_FST_A_Peaceful_Village
Jutetrea8_VL_U_R_N_FST_A_Secluded_Temple

That is 36 additional gan files. Thank you to everyone for your contributions to the project so far! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

It will probably be late tomorrow before I will be able to upload the updated versions of RanDom &amp; the Province Editor.

Re: updated - took out \"lists\"
 

Peaceful village updated - took out lists