So I went and programmed a basic RMG for Dom3 (you can see I posted about it in
Map Editing Question), and now I have to make a choice:
1) Improve it so that it will be usable (right now it only makes an ugly image, but with some work it would be able to make provinces, draw borders and output a .map file)
2) Abandon it. It was fun programming what I already did, but now it's time to entertain myself with other stuff (like playing dom3
). I might pick it up again in the future for some more fun, but that's unlikely and in the distant future.
So to make my decision, I'm asking you guys what to do.
Here's what I'll have if I finish it:
* You can control the frequency of different terrain features.
* You can export maps to it's own map format. (Which is basically a gigantic table that lists the terrain flags for each pixel)
* You can define colors for each terrain type.
* You can define textures for each terrain type.
* You can define images for each terrain type, and their frequency/density. (For example, have 5 different images for trees and have the program throw them around in forests at different frequencies.)
* You can allow it to place random provinces on the map (though they'll probably be somewhat gridlike)
* You can place your own provinces and let it draw the borders and connect the provinces (or let it randomize and then connect 'em). Though I'm not good enough to make it guess connections based on drawn borders, so you'd have to make do with it making it's own borders.
* You can ask me to add features
It will probably be segmented into different programs, so it will be easy to only use certain features.
1) Generator - which will generate a terrain map and show you what it basically looks like (and will be able to export an image), this will probably be a pretty fast (though not amazingly fast) program, so you could regenerate the map several times until you find a shape you like.
2) Imager - which will turn that map into a more interesting map (add tree and mountain images, etc.)
I don't really plan on adding all sorts of filters to it (like anti aliasing or blurring to make it look better and less pixelated) as those could much more easily be applied with Photoshop/GIMP. Unless people really want them.
3) Random Province Placer - which will be a supremely basic program that places provinces in a somewhat gridlike fashion.
4) Border Drawer and .map maker - which will take the map from the generator, the image from imager (after having provinces added to it via the random province placer or by hand), and will draw borders and make a .map file. (or optionally, not do one of the two.)
So would you be interested in such a thing? Would you really use it?
I'm looking for honest answers, so "nah, the built-in RMG is good enough for me" is just fine, "I will use it if you add feature X" is good too. And don't be shy in posting negative answers, I won't mind, it would just save me some effort
(Thanks for any answers, and sorry for that long and somewhat presumptuous wall of text)