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

capnq · #1 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.

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Cap'n Q

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

Dr Strangelove · #2 May 3rd, 2001, 11:50 PM

I've run into the "access violation" error a couple of times, but it didn't shut me down, so I just bypassed the system where I was having the problem and worked on other systems. After saving the map I went back to that system and didn't have a problem.

Puke · #3 May 4th, 2001, 01:01 AM

quote:
Originally posted by suicide_junkie:

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

good idea, but it would work best with small quads. 10 WP limit per system. figure a single WP per border instead of a line, that leave 6 connections per hyperspace system. still a good idea.

Suicide Junkie · #4 May 4th, 2001, 01:17 AM

I am currently working on a map that will include Hyperspace.

Warping to hyperspace increases your ship's speed by 13 times. This means that on FTL, your ship uses 1 movement to cross a solar system.

I really wish I could copy-paste wormholes; this will take a while

quote:
good idea, but it would work best with small quads. 10 WP limit per system. figure a single WP per border instead of a line, that leave 6 connections per hyperspace system. still a good idea

You can't SM more than 10WP per system, but the map can have as many natural ones as you want (255, I suspect)
It's just like the "only one star per system" thing. Trinaries are OK, but you can't make them with SM.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 04 May 2001).]

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 04 May 2001).]

Noble713 · #5 May 4th, 2001, 03:46 AM

I've started a Starfire map from scratch. I have lists of every planet and warp connection in every major system for ISW1, ISW2, the Gorm-Khanate War, ISW3, ISW4, and the Terran Civil War (basically every official conflict in the Starfire universe except the Theban War).

Right now I've got about 20 systems done. These are core Terran systems and a few of the Orion colonies from ISW1.

Warlord Adamus · #6 May 4th, 2001, 08:03 AM

I had a campaign completed and released it the day the editor came out. Unfortunately I don't think anyone tried it, because I haven't gotten any feedback. Oh well, there goes my motivation.

CaptSpoogy · #7 May 4th, 2001, 09:09 AM

I don't really like having lots of warp points into a system. I think it takes away from the strategy of the game - for example how hard would it be to protect a few star systems with dozens of connecting systems with numerous empires all at the same time? You wouldn't be able to do anything else but build mines and fight all the time - but I guess some people enjoy that.

I like systems of importance - for example a single system that connects to three hostile systems, where you form your first line of defense or buffer zones like nebulae. It gives you more time to develop the infrastructure of your empire (and the AI's empires) and I think that makes for a better game - like having large fleets of ships engaging each other over important planets and systems.

The Spoogy Universe Map is set up in a similiar fashion. While there are enough warp points to easily navigate to various star systems - there are also some chokepoints between each empire's starting points - which also helps for developing natural territories for each empire as well.

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