Seeking map or need advice on making it

Targa · #1 February 1st, 2004, 07:58 PM

To reply w/o quoting (too lazy):

Thanks for the comment on how good it's looking!

Actually, I was thinking of making several Versions, since I'm putting so much time and effort into it. I can make one where sea-races can "swim upriver" (ie: all water provinces border each other), I can make one non-wraparound, another wraparound, etc... I decided on the wraparound because being on or near an edge gives a player an unfair advantage over those who start somewhere in the middle. Though even with a non-wrap Version I'll likely be using the #nostart option.

As for random map generators...that's what created the base map that I'm using.

Yes, I'm also trying to collect cut-and-paste map icons. My goal is to eventually be able to provide the community with:

1) A wide variety of pastable map icons.
2) A "coastline" random map generator. (well, not myself, but Phil and Gandalf).
3) A tutorial + Photoshop tutorial explaining the whole process from start to finish.

What I did was to run DomMap until I saw a landmass/watermass shape I liked, then saved the random seed number from it. Changed the command-line switches to slightly alter the appearance until I got what I wanted. Used Photoshop to delete all the color information, province borders, and capitol dots (just saving the outlines of land/water). I have 1600x1200 "beige cloth" and "blue cloth" files that I use for the backgrounds. Working with layers in Photoshop makes it relatively easy.

Oh, and as far as province size goes...I would like to keep them small enough to make a map suitable for a large number of players, but may also make a Version with larger provinces for fewer players. If anyone has any requests (as far as how many players) I'd be happy to add them to my to-do list. Are alot of people still playing Aran map? Need more 2-4 player maps? Smaller maps would, of course, be faster to make. Hmm...that's an idea...

[ February 01, 2004, 18:40: Message edited by: Targa ]

diamondspider · #2 February 2nd, 2004, 12:25 AM

Yes, I'm a big fan of smaller maps.

Why?

1) it is a pain in the neck finding many people who will actually stay around for a game requiring 10+ hours of time,

2) after about turn 40, the micromanagement can get pretty painful in this game, how much more fun is it really to have a few huge spells but spend so much time twiddling with troops?

3) this game, I find, can be very exciting when played on small maps with fewer players, so why hassle with 1 and 2 above when a few players, faster cycles, and less micromanagement is not only possible, but very fun in its own right.

So, long story short, yes, I request a smaller Version (or simply larger territory areas) of your excellent map!

P.S. as a little aside, I just got done playing a 1v1 game on a 39 province map. On turn 18 I got near the enemy capital (played by another human in a network game) and we managed to crash the game due to him having about 20 skeleton summoning C'tis mages. In my mind, this shows that smaller maps are more reasonable since it is currently so easy to exceed the army max and crash the game.

[ February 01, 2004, 22:41: Message edited by: diamondspider ]

Gandalf Parker · #3 February 2nd, 2004, 01:41 AM

Just add to the discussion..
Here are some examples of the 3 map-making scripts in GIMP
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp1.jpg
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp2.jpg
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp3.jpg

GIMP is a powerful free paint program used by many programmers (including the developers of Dom2). These scripts generate random maps. Changing the settings is easy. Changing the color pattern is possible but it involves playing with the palette. Creating a gradient palette which it does make fairly easy after you play with it abit. I could switch to automatically creating these instead of the DomMap stuff except these dont fill my needs. Im not patient enough to add the rest.

GIMP does have layers capability and edging tools which I think could be used to trace borders around major color areas. Then it would just be dividing the areas that are still too big, and adding the white pixel to each. I offer this option to you people to play with because its heading in the wrong direction for me at the moment.

[ February 01, 2004, 23:41: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

diamondspider · #4 February 2nd, 2004, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
Just add to the discussion..
Here are some examples of the 3 map-making scripts in GIMP
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp1.jpg
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp2.jpg
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp3.jpg

GIMP is a powerful free paint program used by many programmers (including the developers of Dom2). These scripts generate random maps. Changing the settings is easy. Changing the color pattern is possible but it involves playing with the palette. Creating a gradient palette which it does make fairly easy after you play with it abit. I could switch to automatically creating these instead of the DomMap stuff except these dont fill my needs. Im not patient enough to add the rest.

GIMP does have layers capability and edging tools which I think could be used to trace borders around major color areas. Then it would just be dividing the areas that are still too big, and adding the white pixel to each. I offer this option to you people to play with because its heading in the wrong direction for me at the moment.

Wow, that is really impressive. Particularly the first two.

Certainly a lot easier than hand drawing all of that coastline! (I've done it so I know!).

Anyway, yes, I have GIMP and might just try that stuff out

Thanks Gandalf!

Targa · #5 February 2nd, 2004, 02:35 AM

Wow, very interesting fractal on this one:
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp2.jpg

I love the way it came out looking like a topo map. With enough experimentation....who knows how good they might be "right out of the box", so-to-speak.

Gandalf Parker · #6 February 2nd, 2004, 04:44 AM

OK I played with that generator abit. Made a new Version of its palette adding some mountain colors on the end. Played with the numbers. Anyway it didnt take long to get this...
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp4.jpg

PhilD · #7 February 2nd, 2004, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
OK I played with that generator abit. Made a new Version of its palette adding some mountain colors on the end. Played with the numbers. Anyway it didnt take long to get this...
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...ects/gimp4.jpg

Not bad... I'd change the sea portion of the palette so that it moved quickly to a deep blue, so as to leave mostly light blue/white along the shores, then move to a deeper blue that would be mostly uniform in the seas.