Has any one been able to create any thing with the map editor?

Atrocities · #1 May 3rd, 2001, 04:27 AM

I have to admit, I have given up on it. I keep getting RE's and Access Violation errors, and quite frankly, I have become to frustrated with it to deal with it any more. One thing that WOULD really help it is a RANDOM PLANET Generation function. This way, you could just click where you want a planet, and then click RANDOM PLANET, ASTERIOD, STAR, etc, and voila, there it is.

------------------
"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

CaptSpoogy · #2 May 3rd, 2001, 04:55 AM

I'm still working on my Spoogy Universe Map - it's around 60% done. But I must admit that I'm getting frustrated by the errors as well and it's really down my progress!

I would also like to see the random planet, or system feature as well!

It's hard making over 600 individual planets!

------------------
Visit the Spoogy Federation at:
http://spoogyfederation.tripod.com

Possum · #3 May 3rd, 2001, 05:37 AM

Yup, I sure have. Played a game on it that went over 200 turns, too.

And just because I'm such a hell of a nice guy, I'm going to share it with you

Baron Munchausen · #4 May 3rd, 2001, 06:10 AM

uh... You know what, I've been accused of being anal before. And honestly, on the map of anal retentiveness I think I'm getting close to the event horizon. That's why I like detail 'saturation' games like SE IV!

But it never, EVER occured to me that anyone would be crazy enough to want to build an entire map from scratch with the editor!

Even a small map of 75-100 systems can have over 1,000 seperate objects! Do you REALLY need that much control? Just generate a random map and use the editing function to tweak it a bit. You'll still have fun playing on it, trust me.

Half of the fun of the game is dealing with the random distribution of planets and resources, after all! Just add a few good planets in the AI starting systems to give them a boost, or move some warp lines around to make some interesting strategic situations. Besides, the more time you spend in the map editor, the less time you've got for testing weapon mods in the combat simulator!

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 03 May 2001).]

CaptSpoogy · #5 May 3rd, 2001, 06:52 AM

Valid point.

I'm making my Spoogy Universe from scratch as it is the basis for developing my Spoogy franchise farther and it's good to know how everything fits together - especially important planets and systems for each empire - plus you get so many errors from deleting planets or moving them that it takes longer - really...

------------------
Visit the Spoogy Federation at:
http://spoogyfederation.tripod.com

Atrocities · #6 May 3rd, 2001, 07:08 AM

quote:
Just generate a random map and use the editing function to tweak it a bit.

Thats what I have been trying too do and all I get is RE's and access violations errors.

------------------
"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

Jourin · #7 May 3rd, 2001, 05:26 PM

I used a random map and then edited it, but I only got a RCE once which crashed the entire map. Maybe the cause was the same problem with the saved game bug, reloading another map without firt quiting the editor. Or maybe you have a corrupted patch - that happened to me once. Maybe downloading a new patch Version and doing a complete reinstall will help. I hope you figure out the bug, I KNOW how frustrating it is to want to play and can't because of an unexplained bug that nobody else seems to have.

Suicide Junkie · #8 May 3rd, 2001, 06:45 PM

For those who want a B5 style "Hyperspace" or any type of FTL drives, try adding one more system, called Hyperspace. Fill it with a nebula, and build a grid of warp points inside it that correspond to the locations of systems on the galaxy map.

For most maps, chain together a few hyperspace systems by pasting the connected walls together with a line of WPs.

Thus, you get a map where it takes 1 movement to enter FTL hyperspace, plus one movement per galaxy map square, plus one movement to return to normal space. If you disable Wormhole manipulation technology, then your FTL system will be stable.

You can have a ring of warp points at the edge of each system which go directly to one square in hyperspace, which gives a "No FTL near a gravity well" rule.

The lev 5 cloaking nebula in hyperspace prevents combat while FTL, and if you place a 1-square-pull black hole effect, you can have the occasional ship drift off and be lost in hyperspace while at the same time, prevent players from building bases in Hyperspace.

This works with normal, system-to-system warppoints, since you could spend a turn to travel 5 squares through hyperspace, or use a WP to go directly to the system. With WPs, FTL is just a "back-door" way to sneak past minefields & skip past dangerous systems (eg. black hole or nasty aliens).

dmm · #9 May 3rd, 2001, 07:02 PM

Cool idea, SJ.

capnq · #10 May 3rd, 2001, 11:24 PM

quote:
it never, EVER occured to me that anyone would be crazy enough to want to build an entire map from scratch with the editor!

I've started working on a map that way. First I just placed all the empty systems I wanted on the galaxy map; now I'm filling in details for a few systems at a sitting and "connecting the dots" with warplines as I go. Playing with the Map Editor is something I can do when I'm a little too fried to think clearly enough to play the game.

I roll dice to make a lot of the decisions on individual placements and attributes.

quote:
Just generate a random map and use the editing function to tweak it a bit.

That was what I did for this first map. I generated a random map, then moved a few systems, added a couple more, erased some warp lines, and added some random start points. One of the first three players will start off isolated "in the hole". I haven't actually tested this map by playing a game on it yet, but I decided to post it anyway since you asked.

------------------
Cap'n Q

[This message has been edited by capnq (edited 03 May 2001).]