Announcement: This map generator has been updated. Go here for the new version.
Hi all,
I have here probably the first random map generator for Elemental! Follow the link below to download.
Elementerra random map generator - mirror
This application requires the .NET framework runtime version 3.5 to run. Most people have this already, but if you don't you can get it through Windows Update.
To use the map generator, just play with all the funny sliders until you have something you like, then press one of the 'Publish' buttons. The 'Publish Random Map' button will publish a map with the current settings, but scrambles the map and does not show it to you. When asked for a location to save the file, usually you want to save it in the 'Documents/My Games/Elemental/Maps' directory. If you have mods turned on in the game options, you should then be able to load the map in game.
Most of the controls are self explanatory, but there are three noise fields that might need some explanation. For the landforms, there is a noise field and a turbulence field that are weighted against each other with their weight sliders. The climate uses a separate noise field. The 'Frequency' control adjusts the size of the noise features. High frequency makes small features and low frequency makes large features. The roughness slider controls the 'bumpyness' of the noise field. Low roughness makes very smooth transitions, high roughness increases the randomness and gives a grainy appearance.
The 'Calculate Start Positions' button shows you the start locations, but it is not necessary to press it. Start locations are always calculated on publish, but since it takes some time to calculate them, I didn't do real time updates. The button is there just for early feedback.
Let me know if you have any problems or bugs. Enjoy!
The maps generated by this application are somewhat different than the normal Elemental maps, as the following screenshots will show. For one thing, I eliminated the coastal cliffs altogether. The map looks better without them and they aren't required for gameplay. For swamps I added some props from the campaign map and also lowered their altitude so that they are slightly under the water level so you can see the ripple effect. Characters can still walk on it and use it as normal, and it looks very swampy! I also punched up the mountains a bit to make them big and dramatic. Fantasy worlds need big, big mountains!
One thing that still needs to be done is the placement of resources. I expect that the rules will be changing a great deal in the near future, so I'm holding off on that. Currently they will be placed randomly at game start, sometimes in huge clusters, and considering their enormous importance that is obviously not ideal. I'll tackle that issue once I learn more about it. If anyone has any opinions on how resources ought to be placed, please post them. I've noticed that I've never seen an Elementium resource in any game I've played, not sure why.
One difficulty here is that I do not know that it's possible to turn off the random resource spawns. If I place resources on the map in the cartography room, they end up randomized anyway. If anyone knows how to turn that off I'd like to hear it.
Take a look...
Version History
1.2 - Wrote floating point numbers correctly for non-US operating systems.
1.1 - Matched the XML encoding from Elementerra to the one that Elemental uses.
Uh oh, it seems that an investigation is in order.
There was a bug in 1.09E but they just hotfixed it. The bug prevented any custom map from loading. I've updated to the very latest version through impulse, and I can successfully load elementerra maps.
Ok great. Still waiting on the ability to place shards and resources.
I love this thing - never play a map without it.
One question: Is it possible to add some way to save the default settings? I use the same settings almost every time, but they are about 5% below all the current defaults, and one map size larger. It would be nice to be able to save my preferred settings.
Thanks again for this tool cephalo!
Simply awesome
I don't know why I have never tried this, it looks great. Really want to check it out. Are the links still working? I can't get them to work.
They seem to be working for me. Anyone else having trouble?
I was able to download it. The connection I was using at that time was having trouble with the link or it was just down when I tried.
Seems easy to use but my maps still have cliffs. Dug through the thread and didn't see anyone else having this problem. I'm using the latest version of Elemental and Elementerra.
If there are cliffs then you're probably using the wrong map. (I may put some cliffs back in once I'm done tagging Civ5.) Make sure you having the 'use mods' option turned on so you can see the map you made in the game.
Beautiful work on this Cephalo!
Is there some type of instructions anywhere save the opening post? I LOVE this, excellent work, but myself I have made some maps that I love, and some that stunk!
I feel like everytime I am going to do a new one, it is just a guessing game. I think the ones I got that I liked were high frequency and low roughness...but am having trouble tracking it.
Are there detailed instructions anywhere? (besides the first post)
If not, trial and error, I suppose.
Do not let this take away from this great program, though. Absolutely fantastic!
Nope...trust me, I'm using the right map and I have mods turned on. I'm doing quite a bit of my own modding, and my own work is showing up just fine. I just recetnly did a fresh install of Elemental to the latest version, and updated Windows, .net, etc. to make sure there wasn't something silly going on. No luck though...
I'll keep playing with it because I may be doing something stupid on my end, or maybe there is a bug we don't know about with the mod.
Thanks.
goontrooper, do you have elemental 1.09e.49?
the reason for the 49 hotfix WAS for the maps not working issue.
harpo
Thanks Kael! Very exciting to see you join the team!
And.... for my super easy wish list... I would like to be able to place resources and shards on the map, without any additional random placement. Leave it to the map designer what is to be placed, and leave it to them to do it properly. This goes for maps made in the cartography room also.
I was thinking doing some weather generation based on the shards, beyond simply having circles of some terrain type around them, but if other shards are randomly placed when the game starts it kinda messes that up.
Just to verify, you create your map and choose a name for it, such as 'MyMap.xml'. Then when you start the game, you select 'MyMap' from the load map screen. It really is impossible to have cliffs at this time, I haven't put them in yet. I take no credit for any maps that have cliffs.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
I think this would be pure awesome, but I would not like it implemented in such a manner. To be compatible with other mods, for example the Elementium Churners (lol blatant advertising: https://www.wincustomize.com/explore/elemental_war_of_magic/7/ ) it would be better if you were able to exclude SOME resources from spawning, rather than a tag to exclude ALL resources from spawning. Otherwise a mod that adds a new type of resource will not function with a map with the "exclude ALL" tag.
This request was also presented here: https://forums.elementalgame.com/397444
I would like a world (or worlds) that has smooth changes, not a lot of forest, some Mt., but not too high, small forests, etc. One map I created had this very much, the lower left of the world was like a Mesa that extended for a long time, in the world there weren't jagged elevation changes, though it did change in places, very explorable, but not eccentric in the least. I just wish I knew how I made it so I could make more.
Without trying to be a real pain, is it possible for you to say what each thing controls?
What exactly does % below sand change from 0 to 100
What exactly does % below open land change from 0 to 100
What exactly does % below forest change from 0 to 100 (I'd like some forest, but not choked like I often get (ie, too much)
Same for:
% below water (though I think that one shows visually quite nicely)
% below hills
% below Mts.
Noise, Turbulance & Climate Noise Control
Weight (I think I understand this, but is it weighted only as Noise vs. Turbulance sliders?)
Frequency
Roughness
I can see on the top-down 2-D map, but sometimes I am not sure what the different colors are showing (Mts. and water are easy, the others I am guessing at), and when I try and open any of these maps in the editor, the whole thing freezes and I have to reboot the system (yes, evertime, I've done it probably at least 20, so I am never able to see a 3-D rendition, only the 2-D version until I explore a whole map).
* Awesome program;
* not meaning to be a pain (just don't understand WHAT specific setting control;
* HELP!!!;
* it seems so hit and miss for me;
* can you turn off fog-of-war in the game? I just cannot get the editor to show any of these maps, though it does load others well;
* if this post is a bother to answer, don't sweat it...though it would do wonders for my sanity.
THANKS!
I need to think about how I should address these questions in the OP. I'm sure you aren't the only one with these questions. As a quick attempt at making sense of it, each set of three 'percent below' sliders are linked. For example, the elevation sliders, (sea level etc.) are functions of altitude (kinda...), so if the 'percent below mountain' slider is equal to the 'percent below hills' slider, then you will have no hills. Hills exist in the 'gap' between these two sliders. So the three sliders together control four different things by being the threshold where one changes to the other. Ocean is the lowest level, flat land is the next level, hills after that and then finally mountains.
So in the screenshot in the OP, you would have 10% mountains, 15% hills, %35 flat land and %40 ocean, for a total of %100 percent of the map.
The other set of three sliders controls four mutually exclusive things also: Desert, open land, forest and finally swamp.
I have to finally say, great job. I finally got around to downloading this, and it's great. It makes the maps feel more interesting. Bravo!
to see the ENTIRE map you need to put ' cheat' at the end of the properties for the elemental.ex's shortcut, then start a game with the shortcut and when in the game press ctrl & 'u' to clear the FOG of War
From and editing standpoint, this is so good to know, and now I can actually see what I make in 3D.
Is the in-game map editor supposed to be able to load these? I would think YES, but everytime I've tried it locks my whole system up and I must reboot.
Thanks you for your help. Yes, it would be great to have a small, detailed write-up of what each slider actually does. I think I am starting to understand parts of what things do, but then yesterday I tried to make a world with not a lot of mountains, but some chains, and I got these incredibly tall mountains that peaked and then almost immediately went to ground level and then peaked again next to it (so they were very-tall, skinny mounts, which was kind of the opposite of what I wanted.
Hopefully the "cheat" *.exe thing from above will help me be able to see them to know what is going on. I am sure a quick, line-by-line write up would help clear some confusion though. Thanks for all your hard work so far!
The actual height of mountains and hills and flatland is kinda set. If I know that a tile is considered a 'mountain' it will have a minimum height that is outrageously tall, plus the random amount from the original elevation map.
Hmm, I wonder if that is what I am doing; having the mountain, but then telling underneath the mountain to be way too high?
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