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

[Gandalf Parker]

FANTASTIC! Stavis_L is the champ of AI work.

I will immediately update for both the daily downloadable SemiRand play map
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=45702
and for the multiplayer (or solo game) open SRAND games on the server
http://www.dom3minions.com/HostedGames.htm

hmmm... question. Does it matter to the program if the new files are at the beginning or end of the list? Will it change their chances of appearing?

[DeadlyShoe]

Though I am having problem where LA Marignon insta-domkills. Dunno why - Their entry in the map file looks fine. I even tried giving them a Juggernaught. :|

[Gandalf Parker]

if you use the -dd switch you can see the debug logs of the game, or the --comptrn switch to see the trn files of the AI

[Stavis_L]

Originally Posted by DeadlyShoe

Though I am having problem where LA Marignon insta-domkills. Dunno why - Their entry in the map file looks fine. I even tried giving them a Juggernaught. :|

I find that occasionally the game doesn't actually place the province, even though it appears valid in the map file. Not sure why, but (since it's for single player) I've never bothered investigating too deeply. Usually I just RanDom up another instance of the map, and the 2nd time through it works...one more factor that may be an issue is that I think LA Mari requires a coastal start, and I'm not positive that Semi-RanDom respects this when placing them.

Also, make sure that the nation for your LA Mari province is actually 53 - it's possible that either there's a typo or that SemiRandom pulled in a different pretender (.GOD) file (I think it uses one at random if it can't find a .GOD file that matches the nation in question for whatever reason.)

I'm assuming that LA Mari is an AI opponent, and not your player nation?

If you want to get another perspective, you can also try starting as the AI nation by removing the #computerplayer line - for LA Mari it's #computerplayer 53 (you'll need to disable cheat detection too.) It doesn't matter what pretender/scale settings you choose if you do this, the map file will overwrite them. Sometimes this lets you see something that's not obvious from looking at the map code.

[Gandalf Parker]

INTERESTING
This is probably one of those things I knew, but forgot. But I was messing around with SemiRandom and discovered that if it picks a province to put a surprise in, and cant find a matching file, then it lists it in the map as a note for a NEED.

Running one of my megamaps thru it (which should provide as many tries as possible) came up with this list of needs.....

-- Need: EDGEMOUNT ASTRAL-SITE NORMAL
-- Need: ASTRAL-SITE LARGE
-- Need: PRIEST-SITE LARGE
-- Need: DEATH-SITE NORMAL VALLEY
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT AIR-SITE SMALL
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT DEATH-SITE NORMAL
-- Need: FIRE-SITE SMALL VOLCANO
-- Need: BLOOD-SITE SEA NORMAL
-- Need: AIR-SITE WASTE NORMAL
-- Need: AIR-SITE SMALL
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT EARTH-SITE NORMAL
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT PRIEST-SITE SMALL
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT EARTH-SITE NORMAL CAVE
-- Need: DEATH-SITE FOREST NORMAL
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT EARTH-SITE NORMAL
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT NATURE-SITE FOREST NORMAL
-- Need: AIR-SITE NORMAL
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT PRIEST-SITE NORMAL
-- Need: EDGEMOUNT DEATH-SITE LARGE

Of course we want multiple choices for every possible location
for SemiRandom to be able to properly fill its mission.
But there are still HOLES? Those need filled now.
Surely we can come up with something interesting to run across in a
DEATH-SITE and VALLEY province.

[DeadlyShoe]

@Stavis - I did a few more trial runs and though I havent confirmed it explicitly the coastal placement seems to be the most likely reason. I'm running middle age games for now though, I'll check into it later.

@Gandalf - I think a few nations are still lacking gods as well. I ran into some problems with some nations just using other nations godfiles instead and insta-exploding because of it. I think MA Atlantis? Will need to confirm.

[Stavis_L]

Originally Posted by DeadlyShoe

@Gandalf - I think a few nations are still lacking gods as well. I ran into some problems with some nations just using other nations godfiles instead and insta-exploding because of it. I think MA Atlantis? Will need to confirm.

There should be .GOD files for all nations now, but you'll need to add:
1) The main Semi-RanDom archive (bottom of the first post of this thread)
2) The "rollup" archive from 2/10/2009 (In a post linked near the top of the first post of this thread.)

These two should be enough to have at least 1 ".GOD" file per nation. Not sure if you need to hand update the GODLIST and GANLIST files though.

If you like, you can also add the latest archive of things I contributed, which is linked near the bottom of the first post in this thread; that archive adds a great many more ".GOD" files, although doesn't cover *every* nation. I think there are now >1 per nation with that set, though (I was shooting for that, but I haven't checked to make sure I got there.) Again, you'll need to update your GODLIST and GANLIST files to make sure those additional files are "pulled in".

[DeadlyShoe]

well, as it turned out, I managed to import the STAVIS list into the compilation i uploaded, but not into the copy i actually use in game. Woops. ^_^ Sorry

I am curious why 6, 23, 24, and 25 are unused nation numbers...hadnt noticed before checking in excel for missing nation #s in the godlists.

[Gandalf Parker]

6 was set aside for later use. I think for an Early Machaka? It just never got used and now trying to turn it on gets an error if its not done carefully.

23, 24, 25 arent actually unused.
23 and 24 are the "Special Monsters" AI's and are the "nation" controlling some random events and random summons
25 is the AI of the Independent's

You can actually turn them on in a game, give them a capital, sites, a god. I do that in my Chaos games. SURPRISE!
http://www.dom3minions.com/HostedGames.htm

[DakaSha]

I have been trying to use the GOD setups but i cant do it.. no matter what i do it crashes after setting up my god with the "Nation not in play" message.

I am making sure to setup AI's and a human player and I am choosing the human player as mine.. No matter what I do it crashes though.. ive tried maybe about 50 times with different setups..

What could i be doing wrong?