WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

OK I know there are a few wrapped maps but people apparently want more.

What Im about to offer is NOT a "final product" so hold off on any flaming insulting comments please. I have whipped off a directory of playable wrapped maps. That means that they have no "edges" or "corners" for people to abuse.
To view the maps and decide which one you want, go here..
http://www.Dom3Minions.com/RandomMap...ll_Wrapped.htm
and then to download the one you want, go here and look for the zip file.
http://www.Dom3Minions.com/RandomMaps/Small_Wrapped/

Take note that this is also NOT saying that I have provided you with all of these wrapped maps. They are from ParadoxHarbingers MapGen which is available in this forum. They have been available for awhile now. But his project needs more eyes and attention on it so feel free to grab his program and do your own. Or generate and then improve on them.

Gandalf Parker

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Eventually I will get up a page where clicking the view will lead you to the zip file like I had in the Dom2Minions pages.
http://www.dom3minions.com/~dominion...andomMaps.html
Which by the way, still work but they arent as pretty as Dom3 generated ones, and they dont even have the plus of wrapping.

Eventually ParadoxHarbinger will fix a few things that will make the job easier. Such as.... I had to write a script to change the name of map showing in Dom3's menu to match the file name. PH's generate had them all showing up as PHMAP so I had to sed 's/PHMAP/'"$fyle"'/'

I also sed'd the descriptions from "Generated by ParadoxHarbinger's MapGen" to "Wrapped map. 180 land and 20 water. Generated by ParadoxHarbinger's MapGen".

The command in PH's MapGen to mark off the NoStarts doesnt seem to be working for me. I should eventually dig up one of the many wonderful routines for that and include it in. Or maybe one of the people already on the system? (lch? ballbarian? alneyan? arralen? xietor? pvk? psitticine? nerfix? nagot? zen? or others?)

If anyone wants to grab one of those maps, improve it, upload it as their own work.. that is PERFECTLY OK with me. I have NO problem with using one of these quickies as a base for your hard work.
PLEASE DO.

Eventually I hope to get this auto-generating a new batch each day the way the Dom2Minions site did (and actually still does since Ive never bothered to turn it off). Along with other map sizes, variations, quirks such as NI or SemiRand or Chaos or Scenario. Also have it auto-create the zips, the thumbnail view, the webpage updates. (have you gotten a clue as to how lazy I am yet? the only way its going to happen is if I can completely automate it then forget how I did it)

Eventually, way eventually, I might bother to make this page pretty. And link it properly to my website. And do lots of other no-hack grunt work that a proper domain should do. But dont hold your breath for it. (any wannabe webmasters looking for a /home?)

Gandalf Parker

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

For those who have trouble reaching my site (does China still have problems reaching Dom3minions.com?) I will attach a couple that I think came out pretty good. Im still trying to figure out the settings for the generator but these arent too choppy I guess.

Gandalf Parker

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

And another one as an attachment..

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Eventually I may also offer these for games I host. Im thinking about fixing one of them up for the next MID's game I have (8-15 players).

OK I have done my usual bit. Sparked the subject and hoping that someone runs further with it. Here is the MapGen script I used in case someone wants to play with the color settings or any of the other parameters. Maybe figure out how to get continents and oceans out of it.

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
border: yes ;
filename: Small ;
batch: 45 ;
pthresh: 5 ;
verbose: yes ;
pixel: 50 70 50 * * ;
pixel: 130 130 250 water water ;
pixel: 0 0 205 water ;
pixel: 255 250 205 waste ;
pixel: 124 252 0 farm ;
pixel: 139 90 43 mountain ;
pixel: 162 205 90 swamp ;
pixel: 102 205 0 plain ;
pixel: 34 139 34 forest ;
tchance: plain 50 ;
tchance: mountain 40 ;
tchance: forest 30 ;
tchance: water 40 ;
tchance: farm 10 ;
tchance: swamp 4 ;
tchance: waste 4 ;
tlevel: mountain 145 ;
tlevel: sea 100 ;
nbdist: 5 ;
tsize: 40 50 ;
psize: 35 45 ;
zoom: 1.25 ;
wraparound: xy ;
pcount: 180 20 ;
dimension: 1000 800 ;
</pre><hr />

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Thank you Gandalf.

Jazzepi

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Ahhh. A small payment but gratefully accepted. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Thanks Gandolf! I downloaded 4 and will most likely be back for the rest. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Heehee. I suppose I could make a zip with all of them in it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
But to be truthful, I dont think they all turned out to be worthwhile. I was just happy to stop messing with the script when I got about half to be something I considered "not too bad"

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Here is a batch of max-sized wrapped maps.
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMap...ax_Wrapped.htm
For people who dont know, notice that the right side matches up to the left side, and the top matches up to the bottom. The game will allow you to scroll right-left and up-down forever by rolling the map.

Most of these are 1500 provinces. Its hard to get things quite right using the generator Im using (ParadoxHarbinger's MapGen). Especially mountain ranges but I will continue working on it. I also might script in some changes to the files.
If you grab one of these (go here and grab the appropriate zip file)
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/Max_Wrapped/
then I would recommend the following changes.
A) rename the tga and map file to something more interesting than Max_###
B) edit the #dom2title in the .map file to match (all of these are presently called PHMAP when you look at them in the game creation menu)
C) edit the #imagefile to use the renamed tga file
D) edit the #description. At least add the land and water counts (is there an awk script or something around here that will spit those numbers out from a .map file?)
E) add a #defaultzoom
F) if one of the maps is good but the mountains arent right then you might take it into a paint program and "drop" brown into more provices, then use the map editor in Dom3 to change them to mountain terrain

If you want changes (colors, amount of xxxx terrain, etc) let me know and I will see about running a new batch with that change.

I think now I will mess with the "sprites" thing and see if I can generate new maps with little pictures of trees, mountains, etc. Eventually (maybe) I will get around to automating it so that it generates new maps each day, makes all of the above changes, zips them up, and refreshes the catalog

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Hey G!
Your server is dead man! Nobody plays those stupid little blitzes of yours anymore. We are tired of it.
Why don't you start using these wrapped maps? Maybe then people will start playing on your server again in case you care about that. Or some different sized games? Something interesting! You keep talking about other game types. Cough up something.

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Wikd, you are astonishingly rude and unpleasant. Talking like that is completely out of order. Gandalf does a lot for the community entirely out of goodwill and generosity, it's not like it's his job or something. If I was in his position and someone talked to me like that I would be extremely offended, and not exactly inclined to make more effort in future. If you want something done, just go and do it yourself rather than demanding someone else does it for you. Why should Gandalf do something you could do yourself?

As for the blitzes - I haven't looked lately so couldn't comment, but those games are amongst the ones I have enjoyed most, and theyare an excellent facility. I suspect the decline in their usage is a consequence of the increasing number of other servers available and the recent organisation of lots of larger games on the MP forum.

Actually, I am speechless at your rudeness. Gandalf, I hope you know this guy is on his own in his opinions.

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

&gt; Actually, I am speechless at your rudeness. Gandalf, I hope you know this guy is on his own in his opinions.

Seconded!

Edit: On the other hand, not too surprising with hobbies listed as trolling and debating.

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Damn. I was just prodding him. Nobody has signed up for his games for awhile. The ones running all finished. And the open ones have been empty for awhile. It's a waste of a server. Hell Im nicer on him than some of the IRC channel experts.

But it's his fault. He waves ideas at us and then does nothing. Why ask if I can do it? That is what I'm asking HIM. He says he can then he doesn't do it.
Check back on the Sitting on the Fence posts.
Sitting on the Fence (game ideas)

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

OK ok settle down.
I admit that I held off of answering immeadiately (while I bit my toungue). Thanks Llammabeast and Kristoffer for the support.

But... (big sigh, deep breath) I guess there are points here.

I do tend to need encouragement (not quite the please and thank you approach I usually recommend but Wikd has his own "style").

Use of the blitz server has been slowing lately. Ive even had to restart the "open" games because their log was getting full (yes Wikd I do roll logs but Dom3 logs roll when the host processes so open games just fill and fill and fill)

There are some good ideas in that thread (thanks for reminding me). I was considering a mega game but someone else already is getting it. I should re-read that list.

Ive also noticed a steady log of my "Poke in the Eye" chaos map getting downloaded alot. Since the Mid-sized game on my server also finished I was thinking of re-randomizing that map or another and doing a Mid-sized (8-10 players) game in a chaotic world. After all, with so many servers running now there is no need for ME to fill in the usual game needs.

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

@ wikd
i think the idea of coming up with ideas is so that the community as a whole can work on them. just because someone comes up with an idea does not mean that they have any idea of how to implement it or whether there is even an audience to make the work worthwhile. gandalf does a crapload for the community. i imagine that if he were to do anymore he would have to quit his day job and give up his personal life. he is under absolutely no obligation to do anything for you or anyone on this board (that i am aware of) let alone fulfill your requests/demands.

@ gandalf
glad to see someone is getting some use out of the mapgen, like the look of some of the 'maxsize' maps. i'm working on the next iteration of mapgen now, hopefully it will be a lot more flexible for everyone's needs. i think i am closing in on getting the core features implemented, i'll start a comprehensive todo list in the mapgen thread soon, so if you have any sweet features or suggestions you would especially like to see, post them over there.

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Oooh now I feel bad.
I dont actually have a life. Or a day job. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
I guess I need to do more.

I will definetly join in on the discussion. The biggest problem I have is the interlinking. Im used to being able to raise or lower a number and get a result. Having 3 or 4 variables so interconnected is too much thinking for my random old brain.

I might also get some map sprites done and tested for your next release (maybe)

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

SemiRandom is entirely the result of my reading one of Gandalf's idea pages on his site and MANY of the features of that project are directly inspired by Gandalf's input. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

(btw: The mapgen wraparound maps are really looking promising. Thanks for all you do Gandalf!)

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Thanks for the credit. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
Really though, Im am basically lazy. And I hate to "spearhead" a project (lead it, upload it, be the maintainer, sole credit and responsibility, etc)

In actuality, Im doing here what I always have done. Im used to brainstorming the project, hacking on any piece of it that seems "impossible" at the moment. Then when the kinks are worked out Ive turned it over to someone else (or a group) to flesh it out, pretty it up, deliver it, maintain it. High school, college, military, civilian jobs. All like that. Now Im over 50 and retired. Dont expect me to suddenly become a soloist http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Well no one has commented badly on the color choices. And I have finally gotten it to do oceans and nicely wrapped maps.

Now if I can get it to do smaller mountain ranges we will be sailing. So far I seem to get tons of mountains, or not enough. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Then Im thinking I will automate some finer features (if PH doesnt beat me to it). Maybe ImageMagick some things like softens, blurs, pattern fills, etc.

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

any whoo gandalf, i'm looking at the old mapgen to see exactly how zoom affects things

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Quoting you from before (I hope you understand because I didnt really follow)
That does seem to be the problem Im running into though. When I find settings that work for one map size, I cant change to doing a different size map without having to start over trying to find the right settings on all of them. You do list a couple of formulas on your help page (foreign language to me). That just drove me to write a program that randomized the settings, did a map, randomized, did a map.. hoping to accidentally hit the right numbers.

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

okay, so looking back at things, zoom only directly affects the heightmap, i.e. how far your face is from the surface of the map, not how big terrains or provinces could potentially be, the exception being mountains and water, which are part of the heightmap.

so letting x and y be the dimensions of the map and z being your zoom factor, and d1 and d2 be the arguments for tsize:

d1 = sqrt(x * y) / (10 * z)
d2 = d1 / 3

leave tchance alone.

i think that you probably ought to follow a similar procedure for psize. using pcount was always sort of tricky because there was no way to guarantee what the land-to-water ratio was. so if you want 5 water provinces and got a map that was nearly all water, the map sucked.

hopefully that'll help out a bit gandalf

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Not really. Im thrilled that you can do things like that but for me.. well.. thats what programs are for. I guess Im going to have to write a program to help me use your program

test.bas
x=2000
y=1800
z=.25
d1 = sqrt(x * y) / (10 * z)
d2 = d1 / 3

print d1, d2


so the answer is 758.947 252.982?

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

On the above formula;
for some reason it seems to work better for me if I divide them by 10. So the final answer was..
print int(d1/10), int(d2/10)

Well Im back to trying to make some useful maps for everyone with this program. But it takes a long time for someone whose methodology is "random until it looks right". Here are some I consider usable in the 300 to 400 province range. All are fully wrapped maps. More should be on the way as I fiddle with the program some more.
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/Mid_Wrapped/
Feel free to snag one and use it as a template. Fix the colors, add icons, etc.

Feel free to also comment on things like colors and map sizes. What is needed and wanted?

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Is the mapgen utility mentioned in this thread available anywhere? It doesn't seem to be available at the wiki site by Paradoxharbinger that's in his .sig (at least, it's not in the downloads section or anywhere that seems reasonable by doing a "show all pages" list.)

Also, does it do the kinds of terrain sprites that are in the examples at that wiki, vs. the rather "political map" looking examples in this thread?

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

The MapGen thread is here.
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=30337

Pro:
It has nice extra features such as offering to heavily annotate the .map file. And it does great wrappable maps. And the layouts are very different than any other mapgen Ive seen which makes for a nice change. The strange shapes can create strategically important provinces which are great for solo play.

Con:
It almost impossible to generate a map acceptable for multiplay due to those strange province shapes. At the moment it only does those "political" looking maps so I would consider it mostly useful to create a map template for anyone who is more into graphic programs than word programs. It does much of the hard work if someone wants to fill them in with some nice eye-candy.

I have generated some batches at my site.
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps
and if anyone wants to snag one to modify then just let me know which one you grab. I will remove it from the server to give you exclusive rights to it.

This is WAY different than any other mapgen Ive used. Even the generators in GIMP were easier to figure out. So many of the commands in this program interact with other commands using formulas I cant understand.
Here is a fairly decent result.
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/Cor/Cor_059.jpg
I was asked to generate 900 province maps. After much effort I found the right sets of commands to get decent results but I still had to generate a hundred maps and hope for a few good ones.

But changing one thing, such as size or prov number, throws it all off and you have to start over tweaking all of the commands. It will take someone far more analytical than I to learn how to use this progam well at this stage of its development IMHO. I offer my crappy notes and scripts to anyone who wants to take a stab at it.

The screenshots with sprites are his next stage. The program which includes the sprite-fill commands are not in the program version we can get.

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

Biggest con of the map generator: Development has stopped one and a half years ago and the source code isn't available for others to pick up where paradoxharbinger left. Did the last release that was made available have support for textures, from the last page?

Re: WRAPPED MAPS AVAILABLE
 

It says it is.
But I havent gotten it to work yet. Ive tried many ways of doing the command. I will keep trying variations.