Utility RanDom v2.03 - Map gen & Semirandomizer... Updated

Ballbarian · #1 May 24th, 2007, 10:56 PM

RanDom v2 is a simple program written in visual basic 6.0 which serves two purposes:

1. It can be used to tweak the various settings for random map generation via the command line options provided by Dominions3, generate the map, and then save those settings for future use, or to load settings from previous sessions.

2. It can also be used to tweak the settings for and run the SemiRandomizer on the specified map.

There are several features I would still like to add, and changes I would like to make, but it can be quite entertaining in it's current state. I have included a few sample saved settings (.stg files) and hope to see some interesting setting files from others.

Since it is a VB program, it will require the VB runtime dll which you probably already have on your system. If not, it is widely available on the net.

************************************************** *************************
2/10/2009 GAN and GOD Compilation is now available HERE!
************************************************** *************************

************************************************** *************************
das123's RanDom Help Guide is now viewable online HERE!
************************************************** *************************

If you receive errors about missing controls see the following posts:
COMDLG32.OCX
MSCOMCTL.OCX
TABCTL32.OCX

For more help on using these controls see:
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showp...&postcount=117

For sample map images and previous discussions on RanDom (v1) you can view previous postings HERE.

Feel free to share your favorite settings here if you would like. The stg files can be opened with any text editor. Just copy the contents and paste them here along with a title for the file and maybe a small sample thumbnail image if you are so inclined.

Basically, the same with some tweaks and upgraded to support SemiRandom version 101 which is where the majority of the work was done.

Ok, I re-uploaded the file and the attachment link appears to be working now.

5/25/07 - Replaced v200 with v201: Fixed a minor problem with the anti aliasing & normal mount check boxes when turning them on via a stg file.

6/24/07 - Replaced v201 with v202: Fixed a major bug in SemiRandom where custom provinces could sometimes be placed on the incorrect terrain and a minor bug involving start placements for water nations. Also, added a check box to the "Starts" tab titled "Lock Player Counts to Nat Cfg". When checked, RanDom will automatically adjust several player count settings in SemiRandom. Very helpful when setting up a quick game. BACKUP YOUR OLD RANDOM/SEMIRANDOM FILES BEFORE INSTALLING THE NEW VERSION OR RISK LOSING YOUR OWN CUSTOM ADDITIONS.

7/08/07 - Replaced v202 with v203: Updated SemiRandom to version 106. Now supports the new "_OR_" tag which will allow placement of a single province file across a wide variety of terrain types. Also added a new option "fiddleXP" which will block #xp (experience point) lines from being written into the map file. This is for folks who would like to keep the Hall of Fame clear of independent commanders. In RanDom, this is a new check box located on the "General" tab. The update also includes some drastic changes to many of the existing GAN province files as well as many new ones. I HIGHLY recommend moving or renaming the old SemiRandom folder prior to installing this new version. And finally, the Province Editor has been updated from version 1.00 to 1.01 to support the new features. The editor's discussion thread can be found HERE.

NOTE: If you are installing over an old version of RanDom some files will be overwritten. I recommend backing up your old RanDom settings folder and SemiRandom folder prior to install. As a general rule, I include any GAN/GOD files that I have received in the latest release so if you have added files from the SemiRandom web site, you should not have to add them again. Additionally, some of the existing GAN files may have been updated as well. You WILL need to add any custom files that you had that were not submitted to me prior to this release.

QUICK PATCH:
HERE is a quick patch for SemiRandom. Upgrades SemiRandom v106 to v107.
To apply:
Replace SemiRandom.exe in your dominions3/SemiRandom folder with the one included in SemiRandom107patch.zip.
Fixes:
Start placement code will no longer ignore "nostart" flags in custom maps.

3/5/08 - Four new GAN province files!
Download from the following link:
Valley of the Sisters
To apply:
Paste the four ".gan" files into your SemiRandom/GAN_BIN directory and add the following four lines to GanList.txt (located in your SemiRandom/LIST_CRATE directory):

SISTERSET1_VL_U_R_OR_EMT_S_N_L_
SISTERSET2_VL_U_R_OR_FST_S_N_L_
SISTERSET3_VL_U_R_OR_WST_S_N_L_
SISTERSET4_VL_U_R_OR_PLN_S_N_L_

These are new and were not included in RanDom version 203.

3/26/08 - 32 new GOD pretender files!
Download from the following link:
NewGods.zip
To apply:
Paste the new Nations.cfg file in your SemiRandom directory. (This updates SemiRandom/RanDom2 to include the new Dominions3 v3.15 nations.)
Paste the 32 ".god" files into your SemiRandom/GOD_BIN directory and add the following lines to GodList.txt (located in your SemiRandom/LIST_CRATE directory):

BARIAN1_13_A_EA_
BARIAN2_13_A_EA_
BARIAN3_13_A_EA_
BARIAN4_27_A_MA_
BARIAN5_28_A_MA_
BARIAN6_29_A_MA_
BARIAN7_30_A_MA_
BARIAN8_31_A_MA_
BARIAN9_14_A_EA_
BARIAN10_32_A_MA_
BARIAN11_33_A_MA_
BARIAN12_34_A_MA_
BARIAN13_35_A_MA_
BARIAN14_36_A_MA_
BARIAN15_37_A_MA_
BARIAN16_38_A_MA_
BARIAN17_39_A_MA_
BARIAN18_40_A_MA_
BARIAN19_41_A_MA_
BARIAN20_42_A_MA_
BARIAN21_43_A_MA_
BARIAN22_44_A_MA_
BARIAN23_46_A_MA_SEA_
BARIAN24_47_A_MA_SEA_
BARIAN25_48_A_MA_SEA_
BARIAN26_69_A_MA_
BARIAN27_27_A_MA_
BARIAN28_29_A_MA_
BARIAN29_30_A_MA_
BARIAN30_31_A_MA_
BARIAN31_32_A_MA_
GANDALF1_40_A_MA_

These are new and were not included in RanDom version 203.

3/27/08 - 66 new GAN province files created and contributed by Foodstamp.!
Download from the following link:
JasonGanSet.zip
To apply:
Paste the 66 ".gan" files into your SemiRandom/GAN_BIN directory and add the following lines to GanList.txt (located in your SemiRandom/LIST_CRATE directory):

JASON1_U_R_OR_FST_S_N_L_
JASON2_U_A_OR_PLN_EMT_MNT_WST_SWP_FST_FRM_S_
JASON3_U_R_WST_L_
JASON4_U_A_OR_PLN_MNT_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON5_U_A_OR_SEA_DEP_S_N_L_
JASON6_U_A_OR_PLN_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON8_U_A_OR_PLN_MNT_WST_SWP_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON9_U_A_OR_PLN_SEA_DEP_EMT_MNT_WST_SWP_FST_FRM_ S_N_L_
JASON10_U_A_OR_MNT_S_N_L_
JASON11_M_A_OR_PLN_EMT_MNT_WST_SWP_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON12_U_A_OR_PLN_FST_S_N_L_
JASON13_U_A_OR_SEA_DEP_S_N_L_
JASON14_U_A_OR_FST_S_N_L_
JASON15_U_A_OR_MNT_SWP_FST_S_N_L_
JASON16_LK_U_R_OR_SEA_DEP_S_N_L_
JASON17_U_A_OR_FST_S_N_L_
JASON18_U_A_OR_FST_S_N_L_
JASON19_U_R_OR_SWP_S_N_L_
JASON20_M_A_DS_
JASON21_IS_U_R_
JASON22_U_A_OR_FST_S_N_L_
JASON23_CLD_U_A_N_
JASON24_CLD_U_A_N_
JASON25_CLD_U_R_WST_N_
JASON26_U_A_OR_PLN_MNT_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON27_U_A_OR_PLN_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON28_U_A_OR_FST_S_N_L_
JASON29_U_A_OR_EMT_MNT_FST_S_N_L_
JASON30_CLD_U_A_OR_S_N_L_
JASON31_U_A_OR_FST_S_N_L_
JASON32_U_A_OR_PLN_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON33_U_A_OR_EMT_MNT_S_N_L_
JASON34_U_A_OR_SEA_DEP_WST_S_N_L_
JASON35_U_A_OR_SEA_DEP_S_N_L_
JASON36_TMP_U_A_OR_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON37_TMP_U_A_OR_FST_S_N_L_
JASON38_HOT_U_R_OR_EMT_MNT_S_N_L_DS_
JASON39_U_A_OR_PLN_L_
JASON40_TMP_U_A_OR_PLN_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON41_TMP_U_A_OR_PLN_SWP_FST_FRM_S_N_L_
JASON42_TMP_U_R_OR_PLN_N_L_
JASON43_CLD_U_A_MNT_S_
JASON44_TMP_U_A_FST_N_
JASON45_TMP_U_A_SWP_N_
JASON46_U_A_S_
JASON47_CO_U_A_OR_S_N_L_
JASON48_HOT_VC_U_A_OR_S_N_L_
JASON49_VL_U_A_OR_S_N_L_
JASON50_U_A_OR_SEA_WTR_S_N_L_
JASON51_CLD_U_A_CAV_N_
JASON52_TMP_U_A_FST_N_
JASON53_U_A_WTR_S_
JASON54_M_A_OR_EMT_S_N_L_
JASON55_U_A_WST_WTR_S_
JASON56_U_A_OR_EMT_FST_WTR_S_N_L_
JASON57_M_A_OR_SEA_DEP_S_N_L_
JASON58_M_A_OR_DEP_S_N_L_
JASON59_M_A_OR_CAV_S_N_L_
JASON60_M_A_OR_EMT_S_N_L_FS_
JASON61_VC_U_A_OR_S_N_L_
JASON62_CO_U_A_L_ES_
JASON63_U_A_EMT_FST_L_WS_NS_
JASON64_PN_M_A_OR_S_N_L_
JASON65_U_A_EMT_FST_S_
JASON66_U_A_OR_S_N_L_DS_
JASON67_U_A_OR_S_N_L_BS_

These are new and were not included in RanDom version 203.

Foodstamp has done a great job with this set. It has a nice mix of beefy, hard to tackle provinces and nice thematic additions to the standard fare. Very cool.

6/9/08 - Updated Nations.cfg file which brings nation selections up to dominions version 3.17
Download from the following link:
NationsCfg317.zip
To apply:
Paste the Nations.cfg file into your dominions3\SemiRandom folder. This replaces the Nations.cfg that was included in RanDom v203.

7/30/08 - 14 new GAN province files submitted by Gandalf!
Download from the following link:
GandalfContributions1.zip
To apply:
Paste the 14 ".gan" files into your SemiRandom/GAN_BIN directory and add the following lines to GanList.txt (located in your SemiRandom/LIST_CRATE directory):

GAN10_VL_U_A_OR_PLN_WST_FST_FRM_S_N_
GAN4_PN_U_R_OR_S_N_
GAN5_TMP_LO_U_R_OR_PLN_FST_S_
GAN6_U_A_WST_S_
GAN7_VL_U_A_OR_PLN_EMT_WST_S_
GAN8_U_A_S_MST_
GAN9_VL_M_R_OR_PLN_WST_FST_FRM_N_
Jutetrea1_U_R_L_CO_FST_
Jutetrea3_CLD_U_A_N_EMT_FS_
Jutetrea3_CLD_U_A_N_MNT_FS_
Jutetrea6_TMP_VL_U_A_S_FS_AS_WS_ES_
quantum_mechani1_U_A_OR_EMT_MNT_S_N_L_
quantum_mechani2_U_A_PLN_
quantum_mechani3_CO_M_R_SWP_N_

These are new and were not included in RanDom version 203.

8/8/08 - 9 new GAN province files submitted by Gandalf!
Download from the following link:
GandalfContributions2.zip
To apply:
Paste the 9 ".gan" files into your SemiRandom/GAN_BIN directory and add the following lines to GanList.txt (located in your SemiRandom/LIST_CRATE directory):

CelestialGoblyn1_U_R_OR_EMT_MNT_
CelestialGoblyn2_LK_U_R_OR_SEA_S_N_
Cor1_U_R_FST_L_
GAN11_U_A_OR_PLN_EMT_MNT_WST_SWP_FST_
GAN12_U_A_OR_PLN_EMT_MNT_WST_SWP_FST_
Stryke1_TMP_U_A_FST_N_
Taqwus1_CO_U_R_PLN_EMT_WST_SWP_FRM_
Turin1_U_A_FRM_N_
Turin2_U_A_N_

These are new and were not included in RanDom version 203.

2/8/09 - 46 new GOD files & 38 new GAN province files submitted by Stavis_L!
Download & details can be found HERE.

2/8/09 - 37 new GAN province files submitted by Happyfungi!
Download & details can be found HERE.

11/22/10 - 89 new GOD files & 81 new GAN province files submitted by Stavis_L!
Download & details can be found HERE.

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:

Ballbarian · #2 May 25th, 2007, 12:35 AM

Below is a screen shot of the new RanDom interface:

Gandalf Parker · #3 May 25th, 2007, 12:20 PM

Great program. Here are my favorite settings.
100,30,50,30,20,10,10,#TRUE#,1600,1200,150,#FALSE# ,50,100,50,255,20,30,110,200,100,200,20,100,40,120 ,200,100,100,15

Growing up in the plains Im abit bugged by dirt-colored plains.

Ballbarian · #4 May 26th, 2007, 12:30 AM

Replaced v200 with v201: Fixed a minor problem with the anti aliasing & normal mount check boxes when turning them on via a stg file.

Thanks Gandalf!
Trying out your settings brought a bug to my attention which is now fixed. (Why on earth VB wants to turn a boolean TRUE into "-1" instead of "1" is beyond me.

)

Here is a thumb of Gandalf's settings:

Ballbarian · #5 May 26th, 2007, 01:15 AM

Since I have a little more time tonight, thought I would highlight some of what was added to the SemiRandom portion.

1. Map text color can now be set.
2. Random start distributions can be set.
3. God files can be added similar to the methods used for adding province files. At this point, I have only created 1-2 gods for each nation in EA with the exception of Tir na n'Og. Over time, I hope to have a variety for all nations of all eras, but I would really enjoy playing games with a variety of gods designed by other players.

Steps for setting up a game using custom gods:
1. Use RanDom to generate desired map (if one not already available).
2. Set SemiRand options within RanDom.
3. Hit "Semi Randomize" to execute the SemiRand settings.
4. Copy yourMapsName_SR.map from the SemiRandom directory to your dominions3/maps directory.
5. Start a new game in dom3, select the SR map. The only age available will be the one that was set in RanDom.
6. On the participants screen, hit <add new player> until it greys out. This is how many nations were "allowed" when start positions were generated. Note that this number may be less than numPlayers!
7. Select the human player's nation(s) from the available nations. (the others are AI nations). Do not select a nation that was set to AI in RanDom or you will crash Dominions!
8. Set or load human gods.
9. Adjust dom3 game settings.
10. Start game and boom. All set.

Sample GAN file:
BALL17_LK_M_A_N_SEA_.gan
Code:



@RANDOM landname LAKE

-- Landlocked Sea Populations

@3 poptype

65 --Ichtyids

72 --Mermen

85 --Kappa

Sample GOD file:
BALL1_11_A_EA_.god
Code:



#god 11 138 -- PANGAEA GORGON

@RANDOM comname COMMANDER

#clearmagic

#mag_earth 9

#mag_nature 4

#additem "Shield of Gleaming Gold" 	-- hand slot

#additem "Sword of Sharpness"		-- hand slot

#additem "Black Steel Helmet"		-- head slot

#additem "Robe of Invulnerability" 	-- body slot

#additem "Boots of the Messenger" 	-- feet slot

#additem "Amulet of Antimagic" 		-- misc slot

#additem "Amulet of Missile Protection" -- misc slot

#dominionstr 11 10

#scale_chaos 11 3

#scale_lazy 11 1

#scale_cold 11 -1

#scale_death 11 -3

#scale_unluck 11 -2

#scale_unmagic 11 2

-- 6 points left if we were dormant...

Endoperez · #6 May 26th, 2007, 03:16 AM

Wait - is the .god file something that gives AI nations intelligently designed pretenders? If it is, this must be one of the GREATEST tools available for a friend of single-player Dominions.

Why do you use a '@random #comname COMMANDER' for the Gorgon, when the game already has huge namelists defined for the various monsters, and uses a list that's probably more fitting than your general one?

Also, I think you can't have too many special provinces. It can be tedious to learn how to make new ones, so I'll start an idea thread and actualize some of the better ones myself. I don't think I'll have time to do any this weekend, but I should have time next week, so I'll go and start the tread now.

Ballbarian · #7 June 14th, 2007, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Gandalf Parker said:
Great program. Here are my favorite settings.
100,30,50,30,20,10,10,#TRUE#,1600,1200,150,#FALSE# ,50,100,50,255,20,30,110,200,100,200,20,100,40,120 ,200,100,100,15

Growing up in the plains Im abit bugged by dirt-colored plains.

Thanks for sharing this Gandalf. I am currently enjoying a challenging game on a map generated with these settings. It worked out perfectly. Playing EA Rlyeh and the map generated included two large, bodies of water (north & south) with an isthmus separating them. A serious mountain range runs through the center of the strip with many chokepoints and one-neighbor provinces that SemiRandom turned into caves. Perfect for my darkvision hordes. Trying desperately to cross the land to get to Atlantis so that I can lay claim to their body of water. (Even found a nice lake to slosh around in along the way.

)

On another subject, I have found and squished a bug in SemiRandom that crept up. It involved start placements for water nations under some circumstances. Also am in the process of adding a check box that will apply changes in the RanDom nation sliders to the SemiRandom settings player counts. This appears to be working great, but I want to fiddle with it for a while longer to look for any problems it could introduce. Seems to really simplify setting up a game. For my current game, I just set all of the early era nations to AI except for Tir na n'Og which I disabled, and Rlyeh which I set to human. Then I just hit SemiRandomize and baboom, off and playing.

I should be able to release an updated version by this coming weekend.

Ballbarian · #8 June 24th, 2007, 04:32 AM

6/24/07 - Replaced v201 with v202: Fixed a major bug in SemiRandom where custom provinces could sometimes be placed on the incorrect terrain and a minor bug involving start placements for water nations. Also, added a check box to the "Starts" tab titled "Lock Player Counts to Nat Cfg". When checked, RanDom will automatically adjust several player count settings in SemiRandom. Very helpful when setting up a quick game. BACKUP YOUR OLD RANDOM/SEMIRANDOM FILES BEFORE INSTALLING THE NEW VERSION OR RISK LOSING YOUR OWN CUSTOM ADDITIONS.

NOTE: If you are installing over an old version of RanDom some files will be overwritten. I recommend backing up your old RanDom settings folder and SemiRandom folder prior to install. As a general rule, I include any GAN/GOD files that I have received in the latest release so if you have added files from the SemiRandom web site, you should not have to add them again. Additionally, some of the existing GAN files may have been updated as well. You WILL need to add any custom files that you had that were not submitted to me prior to this release.

Valandil · #9 June 24th, 2007, 02:33 PM

Ahem* Sorry for the delay.
"Componet TABCTL32.OCX or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid"

I'm guessing htis is a fairly straightforward missing file, probably at my end. The registry part botheres me though.

Ballbarian · #10 June 24th, 2007, 04:35 PM

My guess is that you are right. I did a little research and found a support statement from MS. Basic controls are reported to have shipped with Vista, but TABCTL32 was not one of them. It is however in their "tested" list so it should work once it is downloaded and registered.

If you are comfortable with it, you might try the vb library files installer that Gooles found:
http://www.ascentive.com/support/new/libraryfiles.exe

By using the installer, you shouldn't have to manually register the file. If you decide to try it, let us know if it works for you.

(I assume that Vista is like XP and will allow you to set a system restore point prior to running the installer. That way you can undo the process if anything goes wrong.)