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

[Ballbarian]

Attached to this post is an updated Nations.cfg file which brings nation selections up to dominions version 3.17.

NationsCfg317.zip

To apply:
Paste the Nations.cfg file into your dominions3\SemiRandom folder.

This replaces the Nations.cfg that was included in RanDom v203.

[Ming]

Hi, this is my first visit to this thread. Could someone tell me what GAN province files are? Do I need it for using RanDom? Any instructions for using RanDom would also be appreciated although I can probably figure out how to use it on my own eventually.

[Panpiper]

I've gone through two previous generations of much enjoying Dominions. The first was a couple years back with Dominions2, then again last year with Dominions3, both times spending months playing nothing but. Now I am again with a game computer and am back at it. The previous couple of times I used SemiRandom extensively to generate more interesting content for the maps I was playing on (single player). Faerun was my favorate, SemiRandom having created a very interesting and extensive set of improved provinces, SemiRandom having added 122 'gan' files to it. This was with version 0.95. I've attached it here just in case anyone wants it.

Now however I just tried it with Thrall's really amazing map, Latus. SemiRandom version 1.06 adds all of four gan files! I tried with with the old unmodified Faerun map just to see what would happen and with that old file it now adds also only 4 gan files. Setting fiddlePercent from 100 to 100000 doesn't change anything. Dropping it to just one will result in three gan files.

Obviously I am a clueless sort. Could you give me one?

[Endoperez]

Ming said:
Hi, this is my first visit to this thread. Could someone tell me what GAN province files are? Do I need it for using RanDom? Any instructions for using RanDom would also be appreciated although I can probably figure out how to use it on my own eventually.

They are like the special provinces you sometimes meet in maps. Cyclops, hammer and a special site, or a sorceress and a robe, or couple of Wind Mages. Because they're player-made, and have to be mod-free, they won't use unique units or items or sites.

I did some. Others were quite powerful, and others were simpler. I think I did something Camelot-like, and probably a Robin Hood province with a Longbowman and a Monk and perhaps some Rangers and Woodsmen and other fun stuff.

[Ballbarian]

Could someone tell me what GAN province files are? Do I need it for using RanDom?

GAN province files are simple text files with the extension changed in honor of good 'ol Gandalf Parker. SemiRandom (a separate program written in yabasic that RanDom uses), was inspired by many of his ideas and random thoughts.

The GAN files contain map code for custom provinces and the file name itself acts as a filter that SemiRandom uses to determine where to place the province in the modified map file. SemiRandom and the GAN files only come into play if you use the 'Semi Randomize' button in RanDom. SemiRandom and the base GAN files are included in the RanDom zip. Additional files and patches can be found in the first post.

Any instructions for using RanDom would also be appreciated although I can probably figure out how to use it on my own eventually.

From the ReadMe document:

[Execute] to run the Dominions3 random map generator with the settings that you have specified.

[Semi Randomize] to run the SemiRandomizer. The modified map file will have '_SR' appended to the file name and can be found in your dominions3\SemiRandom directory. Just copy/paste this '.map' file into your dominions3\maps directory to make it available for play. (In the future I hope to fix this so that it will be moved automatically.)

[Save Settings] to save your favorite map settings for future use, or to share with others.

[Load Settings] to load map settings from previous sessions, or those of other users.

As you may have noticed, the documentation is not very extensive. Unless someone beats me to it, I will try to post a little more in depth instructions when I get home from work tonight. It is pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it. Be prepared for a little trial and error to get the map that you want. I recommend defining some very small map sizes with mid level province counts in the beginning so that map generation times are low until you get the colors and settings like you want them.

[Ballbarian]

Thanks Endo!

This will be a hurried post because I need to be leaving!

@Panpiper:
I suspect that Latus may have many #nostart's set in the map (may be included in the terrain mask) or something that for some reason SemiRandom is thinking that it can't mess with. I don't have time to look right now, but I will check it tonight.

Thank you very much for sharing your province files!

[Panpiper]

Ballbarian said:
@Panpiper:
I suspect that Latus may have many #nostart's set in the map (may be included in the terrain mask) or something that for some reason SemiRandom is thinking that it can't mess with. I don't have time to look right now, but I will check it tonight.

Thank you very much for sharing your province files!

Technically they were 'your' province files Ballbarian, and those who contributed. I just used your program to put them into the Faerun map. They probably would have been better placed by doing it by hand, but I am too lazy for such an andevour and not enough of a Faerun scholar.

By the way, I used the same original Faerun file both the first time and this subsequent time to do a test run. The first time through got the attached map with 122 improved provinces. The second time through it got only four, essentially the same problem as the Latus map. So I doubt the problem is encoded nostarts. On the other hand, it may be two problems, nostarts on the the Latus map and some other issue working with the Faerun map.

[Gandalf Parker]

On the subject of Documentation...
As I often said (and was finally proven out with the manual for the 3rd version of Dominions) waiting for the programmer to document is not the best idea. By the time a programmer (or mapper, or modder, scripter, etc) gets their love-child to work they tend to be beyond writing for a brand-new user. They dont think like a newbie and dont come up with newbie questions. And any answers tend to not be newbie answers. They are too deep into the subject. And we dont really WANT them to back out of that deep spot since they are hopefully thinking on the next version. (a very general stereotype of course and not true of every programmer)

The BEST documentation IMHO is when a new user, with abit of writing skill, takes good notes while they are learning the program. Write down the questions that came up and the answers you got. Translate the programmers short answers into new-user full english. Maybe even add charts and screenshots. Etc, etc, etc. Not only is it great for the community but its a nice way to thank a developer by offering them "just a quick little thing I did that you can use for documentation". Most of them will appreciate it.

[Ballbarian]

Technically they were 'your' province files Ballbarian, and those who contributed. I just used your program to put them into the Faerun map.

Ah! Sorry for my confusion. I was running in high gear today and did more skimming than reading and completely misunderstood what you were trying to say. Work was insane today.

I downloaded the Faerunmod.map map that was attached to your post and removed all of the provinces from the map file that had been placed by SemiRandom ver095, then ran it through ver107 a few minutes ago and it modified 349 provinces with 'Fiddle Prov%' set to 100.

It could be that the map file you were using was already modified and SemiRandom just could not find very many new locations to populate.

On the other hand, it may be two problems, nostarts on the the Latus map and some other issue working with the Faerun map.

Very prophetic Panpiper!

The Latus map has 64 #specstart & 25 #land provinces. SemiRandom sees these provinces and all of their neighbors as being off limits for modification. Many of those provinces have 6+ neighbors with 7 and 8 neighbors not being uncommon. This quickly blocks 100's of provinces from modification. But it doesn't stop there. There are many provinces marked with terrain flags like FIRE-SITE, ASTRAL-SITE, EARTH-SITE, etc, and many of these are showing up as having no matching GAN file that is not unique and that has not already been placed. Again, this adds up to many provinces. (You can see when a province is skipped because of no matching GAN file by checking the 'Show Need' box on the 'General' settings tab.

Also note that when I ran a test run on Latus, SemiRandom v107 placed 38 provinces. Since you were only getting 3 or 4, I suspect that you have 'Desired Num Players' value on the 'Starts' tab set to some value other than zero. Every start location that SemiRandom places is going to mark that province and all of it's neighbors as off limits as well, further reducing the available clear locations.

Out of curiosity, I removed all of Latus's #specstart commands and ran it through SemiRandom which yielded 131 provinces modified. There were around 100 provinces with no matching GAN file and around 200 or more that were excluded because of the #land provinces and their neighbors. (Ideally, SemiRandom should only ignore the #land and not it's neighbors, but the initial idea was not to clutter areas around special provinces that were placed by map designers with a theme in mind.)

In summary:
When a map designer has used commands that set start locations and special provinces with custom content, SemiRandom will preserve them and all of their neighboring provinces.

If custom starts already exist in a map, be sure to set 'Desired Num Players' to zero.

If you happen to use the 'Show Need' option, and see an entry in the map file like:
----------------------------------------------------------
-- No match exists for province #71, terrain value:
-- Need: ASTRAL-SITE NORMAL COAST
----------------------------------------------------------

...then design a GAN file for it (the Province Editor tool can help with this) and submit it to this thread or email it to me and we will add it to the library.

Thank you for pointing out the issues you were having as I will bet there were other folks having similar troubles and hopefully some of this might help in understanding how this creature works.

[Ballbarian]

Gandalf,
That was such an absolutely fantastic post that it deserves to be repeated with a full quote.

On the subject of Documentation...
As I often said (and was finally proven out with the manual for the 3rd version of Dominions) waiting for the programmer to document is not the best idea. By the time a programmer (or mapper, or modder, scripter, etc) gets their love-child to work they tend to be beyond writing for a brand-new user. They dont think like a newbie and dont come up with newbie questions. And any answers tend to not be newbie answers. They are too deep into the subject. And we dont really WANT them to back out of that deep spot since they are hopefully thinking on the next version. (a very general stereotype of course and not true of every programmer)

The BEST documentation IMHO is when a new user, with abit of writing skill, takes good notes while they are learning the program. Write down the questions that came up and the answers you got. Translate the programmers short answers into new-user full english. Maybe even add charts and screenshots. Etc, etc, etc. Not only is it great for the community but its a nice way to thank a developer by offering them "just a quick little thing I did that you can use for documentation". Most of them will appreciate it.

I know that I would appreciate someone taking something like that upon themselves.

Not that I am begging or anything.

(Please, oh please won't somebody save me!!!)

...uh...I mean, well, yeah.