Custom map generation programs

[Phoenix-D]

quote:

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Originally posted by zircher:
Bingo! A very high density map with a dozen solar systems per system map. Basically the scale would be one light year or more per square. For example, Sol and all of its planets would just be a single square on the system map. Any mobile unit would be an FTL unit. (Fighters might be tricky since I want them to be agile, but non-FTL. Still too new to the game to know if they will be a problem or not.)

The question/request about the .MAP file spec still stands. Given the map editor, I could eventually figure out the file spec. But, I'd rather be working on utilities than reverse engineering a file layout.
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TAZ

[This message has been edited by zircher (edited 28 September 2001).]

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I think the best route for you would be email MM or Shrapnel and ask directly. They may or may not see it here.

Phoenix-D

[zircher]

Kadste:
> Would every system connect to all adjacent
> systems, so you could freely around?

The current mapping idea is to connect each system map via six evenly space warp points so that each system map would be like a hexagon on a large wargamer's map.

If figure the AIs should be able to handle the simple map layout and deal with the high planet densities.
--
TAZ

[See the attached image for a better (if incomplete) example.]


[This message has been edited by zircher (edited 28 September 2001).]

[zircher]

quote:

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Originally posted by chewy027:
What would the combat be like? Wouldn't the tactical screen be full of planets all clustered around the middle? That might prove to have some interesting battles. Imagine attacking a "system" with say 9 planets. How would you even be able to get at the planets toward the center? All the ones on the periphery with platforms or fighters could easily defend a planet in the middle. It would take a huge fleet to wipe out a "system" like that.

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Cool... Honest answer is that I have no idea what will happen. But, I'm looking forward to finding out.
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Todd "How many times can we crash SE4 this weekend?" Zircher

[zircher]

quote:

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Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
I think the best route for you would be email MM or Shrapnel and ask directly. They may or may not see it here.

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I fired off a note to [email protected] and [email protected]. Even mentioned that I'm willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement, if needed. So, the technical part of the equation is in a wait and see mode.

Much of the mapping part may be solved by editting the quadrant.txt file, but I'm still learning how far I can push SE4. :-)
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TAZ

[zircher]

Cyrien's modifications are interesting. They generate the dense systems that I want. But, due to the nature of the beast, there is a randomness to the ordering. I can see the need to go 'low level' and write to the map file directly to ensure what I want.
--
TAZ

[Cyrien]

I am going to try for something a little more complex later... let you know if I get anything outa it.

The warp points with six points at even distribution would have to be modded by hand... unless you can get MM to hard code in an option for that.

Hrmm... still interesting.

As for combat. No worries there. I have found in my own experiments (trying to give Gas Giants a number of moons consistent with what we humans have seen in our own system) that the combat simulator can easily do about 16-20 planets at once in combat without it getting to crowded for ships to find their way. I only play with strategic for the most part and its worked pretty well.

Gives new value to the weapon platforms... each moon might be easy to take out but taken as a whole...

[This message has been edited by Cyrien (edited 28 September 2001).]

[zircher]

Cyrien:
> I am going to try for something a little
> more complex later... let you know if I
> get anything outa it.

Grand.

> The warp points with six points at even
> distribution would have to be modded by
> hand... unless you can get MM to hard code
> in an option for that.

One reason why I hope to be able to write .MAP files in the future. It would be very tedious to have to do several hundred systems by hand to get the layout that I want. I'd like to be able to write a utility to spawn other layouts like dense grids, triangluar battle fields for a three player arena, or other regular geometric arrangements.

> As for combat. No worries there. I have
> found in my own experiments (trying to
> give Gas Giants a number of moons consistent
> with what we humans have seen in our own
> system) that the combat simulator can
> easily do about 16-20 planets at once in
> combat without it getting to crowded for
> ships to find their way. I only play with
> strategic for the most part and its worked
> pretty well.

That's good to hear.
--
TAZ

[Lemmy]

quote:

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Originally posted by zircher:

...Given the map editor, I could eventually figure out the file spec...

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well, i tried that yesterday, i made a simple map with one system, saved it in two files, test.map and test2.map, and then compared them, guess what, they weren't the same

[geoschmo]

Cyrien,

The error you were getting was no big deal. A simple typo between object 7 and 8 in the Systemtypes.txt. Here's the correction.

Geoschmo

[Cyrien]

Yah I picked it up myself going back through (don't you hate it when your brain goes too far ahead of your typing speed).

Then I made several more and had to redo those. Makes things more interesting.

So far though my biggest triumph is in finding different ways of generating range check errors.

Looks like this is a job that needs to be painstakingly done by hand or accept the naturual failures in the system. Or get MM to code something new in.

I'll look for a little more as I have a few more ideas but I don't think anything is really going to come of it. We shall see though.

[This message has been edited by Cyrien (edited 29 September 2001).]