Map Designing Thread.
 

People I have a challenge for you.

The PBW site http://seiv.pbw.cc
needs maps.

I would like to start this tread for map designers to share their maps with players and post them on the pbw site.

What my goal is to standardize the descriptions of maps ( key words ) such as type of map, max players, size of map, number of systems etc....

And fill pbw up with maps that game admins and players can download to play.

Lets face it Random maps do some strange things with player placement and a well desinged map can be a pleasure to play.

I have posted 5 maps up there.

I will reword the descriptions to match what we come up with on the description standards...

Join please if your interested and post some maps for players to play.

The other reason for this topic.

I miss designing and playing designed maps..

I used to play Total Annhilation. And the map designers were just plain crazy. Posting map after map.. I have over a gig of T.A. Maps...

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Nomenclature?
I use:
FQM = Fyron's Quad Mod
Clus = Cluseter
LG = Large
SM = Small
MD = Medium
DNC = Dence
and then a note or two

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I have posted a few maps here and on the PBW site. My maps didn't have defined starting positions for players since I wasn't sure that other players wanted me to define them.
So - do most players want defined starting positions? what do YOU want? Inquiring Map Makers want to know! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I would imagine that the starting points should be defined, so that you get more balanced starting locations. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

A little off topic but I would love to play on a Star Trek map or Star wars and thought about making one myself but found the map editor a bit crude. If MM could add for example a feature to drag and drop planets and systems around or add warp points by clicking on 2 systems it would be so much easier to use.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I've been creating maps geared for fast games. Games that shouldn't Last more than a week or so.

Someday I'll get around to posting them...

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Predefined starting points are always good. Helps create balance in the game with equal spacing between empires... or not !

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I want a map built for an epic battle. Two great forces fighting a war. I have played this game since it came out. And have not had that great battle yet. Last great battle fought to virtualy a stalemate was in seIII.

Sorry if it a little off topic.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Ugg... custom made maps are great...but awfully tedious to make...particularly warp points. there isn't an easier way or better map editor than the standard-on-the-cd editor is there? something with more keyboard shortcuts or more copy paste potential?

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Is there an easier way? No.

But it's not that difficult to just generate a bunch of maps and then assign common starting poinst that aren't too close together. The maps don't have to be manufactured from scratch. The idea is just to get around the games unfortunate tendancy to clump empires toghether at game start.

Geoschmo

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

We've been requesting additions to the map editor to make manual creation easier. A simple menu command to create one 'random' system of a type selected from your available system types would be a big help, for example. MM hasn't gotten to it yet. Lots of things need to be done. Send him email about it if you're really anxious for it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">As fate would have it, I'm in need of a 8-player medium mid-life galaxy for a game I'd like to start this week. If someone could make me this map (using Geoschmo's quick technique), I'd gladly return the favor by producing several like maps for PBW. Again, the maps don't need to be balanced except for making the starting positions evenly distributed. (though if you want to make sure no one is shut in by a black hole, that'd be nice too...)

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Which Version Spoon? 1.49, or Gold?

Geoschmo

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

drag and drop would be good... Have tiles on floating pallets and drag and drop them on the map... Would be cool... and to create warp points... Right click select warp point... drag mouse to destination release mouse button and warp point...
I have created another map... all on pbw

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Spoon I will make the map... post what you want and what game Version... I will create... this week... and email it to you or place it on the pbw site

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That would be great. Medium Galaxy. Mid-life. Gold Version (patch 2, if that matters). Everything else default.

When I was playing around with the 1.49 map editor, I noticed that when you use the autogenerator, it cycled through the same sets of maps. Does the gold Version do that too? If so, can you click the Regenerate Map for a while, so I'm less likely to come across the same map when I play around in the editor? Thanks!

-Spoon

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Something I'd like to see in a multiplayer map would be moons for homeworlds. Would make taking a homeworld lots o' fun! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

In the very first game of SEIV I ever played, back in Version 1.00, I had a moon around my homeworld. Haven't ever seen it since. I guess that possibility got patched out. It could probably be modded though...

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I think Fyron's quad mod has that as a posibility. Although I am not sure. The game I played on it could have been a maufactured map. I came in as a replacment player so I am not sure.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Both Fyron' and Proportions system_types.txt sometimes produce homeworlds with moons. Standard systemtypes can easily be moded to include this feature.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

IT will be done today or tomorrow... Where do you want the map....??????

And when you say med---- do you want around 75 systems....

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

or you could just set the starting points on planets with moons....

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Great, you can post it to the PBW site so others can use it as well. Just post here when it's done, or email me. By medium size, I mean however many systems the game will make when you choose a medium galaxy. Around 70, I think.
Thanks again,
-Spoon

[ August 15, 2002, 18:32: Message edited by: spoon ]

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Interesting game map I made recently was one that I was messing around with and found in one or two systems I didn't put the incoming warp points. This made for some interesting missions since my fleets would 'appear' near an enemy planet and get promptly destroyed.

I'm building a multiplayer map called "hide and go seek" where the warp points are all one-way and confusing.

Anyways, it has always been my experiance that if enough people demand the same thing, MM will do it.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's because in the normal game, only Huge planets can have moons. Before the "All Players Planets Same Size" feature came about, you could start on Huge planets. Turn that option off, and start a bunch of games. Eventually, you will have a HW with a moon. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I have your email address on file now... Can you remove it or can an forum admin remove the email address.....

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

heh yeah -- like the WP Ability Requirement.. We need our hyperspace, LOL, it adds a lotta validity to the Warp Point approach.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

The map is complete and sent...

My first map for some one in the game...

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Another map completed for shapeshifter.

If there are any more requests out there...

Post them here... Others can start to design maps as well

Also please post comments about the maps here as well...

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

just an question Tesco,since I have not seen inside the map and I dont know what air evry race in the game will breath I hope there will be no problem with the startpositions right, or is the map without any startposition and the game itself will chose tham ?

My map was for
10 players
Mid-Life
Large
Starting planets: 1
Home planet value: Good
all warp points connected
all player plantes same size at startup

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

If an Oxygen race gets a starting position on a Hydrogen planet, the planet is cahnged to Oxygen for them.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I understand,thanks Fyron

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

the only time that is a problem is with sphere and ring world starts...

I usually place the starting point off a planet... so it will add one to the system for you to start on http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Kind of like a bonus planet...

And I followed your instructions with every system connected and the other ones you requested

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I usually place the starting point off a planet... so it will add one to the system for you to start on Kind of like a bonus planet...
-----------------------------------------------

That sounds very good,in that way our map will be also larger,and we have more to explore.
Good work Tesco http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

I just hope some pbw players would upsign for it I still need 6 players

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I've started designing a team map...in the vein of FPS maps. Two sides with various ways to move between them.

I'm doing 50 systems for team red and 50 for team blue, and I've left a field 20 across between them. This field I have filled with 20 neutral systems called Green.

I plan on giving 4 starting positions for either side, and 2 for the neutral Green, if two people want to play a neutral role.

Question is, which someone just asked, do the type and atmosphere change if a different type is selected for that slot. I assume it does.

I sort of imagine it to be used for CTF or some manner of team play.

Just wanted to see if someone is interested in such a map, and has it been done before?

EDIT: Never mind about the type change question. I though IF asked a question, but he really was stating it was so. Damned punctuation gets you every time.

[ August 30, 2002, 14:59: Message edited by: Jmenschenfresser ]

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I've been trying to create a system that won't allow warp points to be opened or closed but the editor won't let me do it. Anybody know a work-around?

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

The workaround is to create a modded SystemTypes.txt (back it up first!!!) with a system type that includes your desired abilities. If you want a lot of these systems, then you should probably get rid of all the other system types, too. Enter the map editor and generate a map. Look for systems which have the abilities you added. Change the coordinates to get them where you want, add stars, planets, asteroids, etc. Delete any extra systems. Add other systems by hand, rinse, repeat.

Not exactly the easy way, but I don't think there is one.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I've always been disappointed with the way maps are created in SEIV.

The 256 system limit is way too small for single-player games with lots of AI (team mode).

I've tried (not too successfully) to compensate for this with the following SystemTypes.txt mods:
Create systems with a large number of planets.
Create planet objects with a large number of co-located moon objects.

This makes it more attractive to colonize locally and, therefore, makes the universe seem bigger.

Having more moons per planet is more realistic and makes planetary defense more possible.
However, each moon must be defined as a separate Tiny planet with a 'Same as X' position.
The work necessary to create a Jupiter-like planet with 10 moons is complicated and very error prone.

Has anyone successfully created a SystemTypes.txt file with these attributes?

Also, these multi-moon planet sectors look terrible on a combat map because the graphics are not designed for elegant moon placement.

Has anyone successfully created smaller Tiny planet graphics that would be more suitable for display as moons?

Warning - Futile wishful thinking follows:
It would be nice if moons were specified as a parameter in the planet specifications.
Moons could then be created at map generation time with random characteristics.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx,
skigrinder

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Yes skigrinder, I like that idea. It's unfortunatly imposible without hard code changes. But it would be very nice if moons were simply an attribute of the planet, not a separate map element. You could have an entry for planets called moons and it could accept variables. 0, 1, etc. Or maybe zero, few, medium, many, and somewhere else you define a range of moons to fit each of those variables. Then you could have a truely random number.

This wouldn't allow for moons with atmospheres, without a bunch more variables, but if you want moons with atmospheres you could simply do those the old way, same as position.

Geoschmo

[ September 02, 2002, 00:20: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Check out Fyron's Quadrant Mod (linked in my signature).

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Hello Tesco samoa

I have just an question about the map that you maked for us.
I let the players voting if we use it or not,its seems we will,but one player has posted this reply
downstairs,what do you think is the map ok for him ?

That is the reply of the player:
As long as it's large and filled with lots of terrain features, planet types, warp lines and nexes, then it is fine by me. However, it is important that the designer follow the games basic percentage of planet types, and atmospheres, because the choice of empire design often takes that into account as one of the factors when the player creates it

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Shapeshifter...

Please inform the player that the map was designed along the lines as follows

1. New game...
2.Generate map on what you wished for settings.
3. Save Map
4. Open map in editor... and add starting points and surprises..
5. No planets were harmed in any way

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Thanks Tesco I do as you say,and sorry for the trouble http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Speaking of creating maps and stuff...

My pet project has been to make a map of the solar system and the surrounding stars. Except I can't find a star chart that shows the surrounding stars, their distance, and their relative orientation.

I know Alpha Centauri is our closest neighbor and I can find the distance to sweat. But where it is in relation to us? Rimward? Coreward?

What about the next star?

Anyone know who has a map like that or where I can find one? I've tried looking through NASA's site but I can't find what I'm looking for.

Of course since there have been a few planets discovered in these other systems I have to include them as well. What else is in the system and the planetary stats are up to me to decide but I still think it is a cool idea.

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Tesco Samoa
Two questions

I have started the game with your map,now I get Messages from players that they can not see the warpoints are they all hidden behind the planets in the entire game map ?

In my case I have found at my startposition warpoints behind some plantes,when I would build a ship and give it the order to warp and click on the planet where behind the warpoint lies can the ship warp or not ?

[ September 03, 2002, 18:23: Message edited by: Shapeshifter ]

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Shapeshifter these planets are only in the homeworld systems...

They are a bonus for each start position. Tell the players they make really good defensive planets for defending their homeworlds...

Such wonders in a universe should not be treated with disdain.

Think what those planets can do with large weaponplatforms.... and the mounts.

And yes the ships can warp though the warp point.

I can the set up Heavy defended homeworld system..

[ September 03, 2002, 19:15: Message edited by: tesco samoa ]

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Thanks for you help Tesco,I just was worried but now it is al clear http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

Is this not a good idea ??? I was wondering .

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I think it is a good idea Tesco when,the warpoints are hidden under the planets ONLY in the homeworld sector this gives a realy good defence positions for all players,but in the other unexplored sectors I prefer
to see the warpoints not hidden behind the planets

Re: Map Designing Thread.
 

I had good response from players,they like your map Tesco