Random Map Generator

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by Targa:
Wow, did you see the way the land province borders look on that (where they're "squiggly")? Quite an eye-catcher, I like it!

Yeah I like it too. Makes the map a comfortable background for play. Its real easy to do in GIMP. But Im not going to do it to 100 maps a night. Im trying to find a way to automate it.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by Targa:
It would be easier for me (if it's at all possible) for you to use whatever settings gave you those maps that were totally brown colored. Since I have to "select by color" and delete, the more different colors there are, the more work it is.

OK I did a run into your directory.
http://www.techno-mage.com/~targa/blanks/
No web pages yet. No automated run though it is a script so I can rerun it anytime. Each map has the .sh script that dommap used to make it. We can tweak the randoms to get it closer to what you want or more extreme for better shopping.
Its a start.

[NTJedi]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
Please do because that map will be gone tomorrow. Any paint program will do.

Any suggestions??... any paint programs which may have sample pictures I can use??

The best I can offer is that Im trying to get a way to "blur" the images. I think that makes them alittle more enjoyable.
http://www.techno-mage.com/~dominion...s/WEvsTHEM.jpg

Yes the blurred images are better... I'll have to find some time to improve one of these existing maps.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by NTJedi:

quote:

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Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
Please do because that map will be gone tomorrow. Any paint program will do.

Any suggestions??... any paint programs which may have sample pictures I can use??

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Even the free program with Windows can be used. Get Irfanview or some other program that can take images in/out of the TGA format.

GIMP is a free paint program but more powerful than most people can get used to (kindof like Dominions). The Devs use it and the iconic images (trees mountains etc) are easier to get from them for use in gimp. It also can generate beautiful random maps if you want to go thru the work of adding provinces and such to it.

If any of the random maps from my site catch your eye be sure to download the zip. A fresh 30 are made every day so the one that sparks a thought like "that sea looks like a dragon" will be gone tomorrow.

[PhilD]

I haven't totally given up on the random map generator... just on helping Targa run it on his Windows box

By playing with the -d switch, you can easily have more "uniform" provinces; that is, the brown/green/etc dots won't be so isolated. Easier on the eyes, if you ask me, though the result is still quite bland - anything nicer would clearly need some image processing, which can be done with the Gimp, but I don't have the courage to go through the Gimp documentation to learn how to do this.

I should add a switch to make the random generator output a single color for land, like it does for sea; that would probably make life easier on the "hand" creators, and would not be too much work. But then, I wonder - should I leave terrain in the .map file, or not?

[Targa]

Any maps done by hand will require using the map editor from the game, so you don't even need a .map file at all.

[Gandalf Parker]

Ive been trying to get the maps blurred to be easier on the eye. But I cant get any way to blur while avoiding the white dots and borders. Is there any chance to...
A) write the targa, shell out to a blur command (imagemagick makes blur easy), then re-write the white dots?

or
B) write two copies of each map. The normal one, and then another of JUST the borders and capitals? I could blur the first then merge opague the second one.

In fact Im thinking that a black map with borders and capitals might be desired by some so they can decide what is water and what is land.