Using Photoshop CS3+ To Generate Random Maps

[Psientist]

For those of you that liked the look for my Antilarium map, I'm sharing how I made it. It was generated randomly in Photoshop, and then touched up (and of course map elements were overlayed).

To start with, you need Photoshop CS3 or higher (you can try earlier versions, no guarantees).

1. download the MapMaker action set I created from this post.
2. Install it in your Photoshop. Go to your "actions" palette, and in the flyout menu (the little triangle top right) there is a "load actions" selection.
3. Create a new document, at least 24" wide by 72 dpi.
4. Click on the two actions - be sure to "Set Map Colors" first, then "Make Map".

The action will create a random map that looks something like what I've attached. You can then play with hues/saturations and other photoshop tools to change the colors to what you like. This method uses difference clouds, so the nice thing about it is it creates a nice topographical effect.

To modify the land/sea ratio, just edit the foreground color. By adding more white, it will create more "sea"; more black = "larger landmasses".

If you don't like the look of the map you generated... just click the "Make Map" action again until you get something you find interesting. It's quite fast.

If you use it, and turn it into a map, drop me a note!

[Psientist]

Here's another map I generated this afternoon using this tool. I touched it up a little and added some border lines. I think it shows off how nice this method can look a lot better than the last unaltered image I attached to the previous post. Still lacking map element overlays, of course (mountains, trees, grass, swamp, etc.) which is the part that takes the most time for me.

If somebody wants to collaborate and work with this map, go to town! I can give the full-resolution file (with layers) if needed.

Oh, by the way, this one is wraparound.

[lch]

Re-inventing the wheel, take #122. :P No, don't take this as criticism. It's just that an alternative way to generate random maps for Dom3 tends to show up somewhere and boils for some time, until it grows stale and another attempt takes its place at a later time. Unfortunately there's no concerted effort to get somewhere. Although this tutorial doesn't contain any new concepts (generate perlin noise / heightfield, colorize) it's good that you're giving explicit instructions how to achieve the effect.

[Gandalf Parker]

Thanks for the instructions. I sincerely hope other people follow up on it and create some new maps that people like.

These are some images I created with the random generation scripts in GIMP (which is free). I never bothered to make anything with them but maybe someone else will be interested.
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/projects/GIMP/

Also, people might consider some tools such as posterizing, or sepia, which can give an image an old parchment map appearance which some people find very appealing.

Gandalf Parker
--
What can I say? Im just a G.I.V.E.R.
Generator of Ideas in Virtually Endless Randoms

[Psientist]

Ich - no criticism taken! I participated in some of the previous #121 attempts; I merely had created a shortcut toolset for myself, and thought it would be nice to share it with the D3 modders.

Gandalf - good suggestion. These could be added as additional actions to the photoshop toolset I started! Sepia should be very easy, actually... a simple hue/saturation change.

[Aezeal]

I think the basis looks nice, wouldn't mind some worked out maps based on this when I play dom 3 vanilla (ish) again.

Of course for my purposes I can't use it at all for my mod.. but you are welcome to look at my new map and test it , and if you can find a way to generate maps I could use that it would be nice...