Utility: SemiRandom project beta release / announcement...

[Ballbarian]

SemiRandom ver 0.89
Author: Ballbarian
Home Page: http://www.dom3minions.com/~semirand/
Submit Files: semirand -AT- dom3minions.com
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Should run on Windows & Unix systems. -- I have not tested it on Unix!
Written in YABASIC, but it is not required to run this program.
It will be needed if you want to fiddle with the source code.
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What it is:
===========
SemiRandomizer is a project inspired by Gandalf Parker's "Semi-Random maps"
article at: http://www.dom2minions.com/~minion/SemiRandom.shtml

This is my take on his fine idea.
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What it does:
=============
SemiRandomizer (SR) takes an existing map file that you specify and appends
pieces of map code to it. These pieces are stored in what I have named "GAN"
files in honor of Gandalf's inspiration. You specify what percentage of the
provinces to modify and SR will select that many random locations on the map
and try to match them up with existing gan files. Several factors influence
what constitutes a match: terrain, terrain patterns, climate, province size,
and uniqueness.
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What it still needs:
====================
I have a base of around 90 province files built up, 50 of which are converts from Edi's Faerun map (with his permission), and a handful are exaggerated scripts just to show some of what is possible. So it needs more province files with original ideas and more name lists (there are over 30 now) to support a few terrains that I have not gotten to yet. Gandalf has already contributed some great name lists which are now included in the download. He has also been kind enough to donate server space for maintaining a library of province, data and set files.

To submit files to be added to the server, simply email individual text files to the address above, or zipped sets of the files and I will add them to the library.

If you have any problems figuring it out, or getting it to run on your system, feel free to post here, or drop me a line and I will try to help.

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For more information see the ReadMe included in the zip, or view it online at:
http://www.dom3minions.com/~semirand...ges/ReadMe.txt

Edit:
The attached zip file now also has the missing NameList.txt.

[Ighalli]

The NameList file seems to be missing from the archive.

[Ballbarian]

Thank you Ighalli.
When will I learn to never upload anything after midnight.

I have corrected the attachment so that it now contains the missing text file. So that you don't have to downoad the zip again, here are the contents of NameList.txt:

CAVE_DATA1
CAVE_DATA2
COMMANDER_DATA1
COAST_DATA1
COAST_DATA2
FARM_DATA1
FARM_DATA2
FOREST_DATA1
FOREST_DATA2
LAKE_DATA1
LAKE_DATA2
MOUNTAIN_DATA1
MOUNTAIN_DATA2
OCEAN_DATA1
OCEAN_DATA2
PLAINS_DATA1
PLAINS_DATA2
SWAMP_DATA1
SWAMP_DATA2
HDNAME_DATA1
HDBLEND_DATA1
1HANDWEAPON_DATA1
2HANDWEAPON_DATA1
ARMORHVY_DATA1
ARMORLT_DATA1
BOOTS_DATA1
HELMET_DATA1
MISCITEM_DATA1
SHIELD_DATA1
JUNGLE_DATA1
JUNGLE_DATA2

[Ballbarian]

I had a simple distribution map that I used to get a better picture of how the province distribution was working, so tonight I played around in Gimp and thought I would share it here to hopefully give folks an rough idea of what this utility does.



This distribution is on a 103 province medium random map using border mountains. The fiddle count in the config was set at 100 and SR placed 31 provinces out of it's current minimal library. As you can see, some of the random name generation leaves a lot to be desired, but it has a pretty fair average of getting something that sounds right. In future versions I will likely spend a little more time adding more rules to avoid names like Ngap & Dsch.

Take note of "Neverben Caverns" in the northwest. It is a border mountain province with only 1 neighbor and has had it's terrain crudely modified to CAVE and placed a Bakemono tribe there. Even if it would not have added a special there, it would still have changed the terrain. (I want caves in my random maps!). Also note that I used the default option of a cold north & a hot south, so Calimport (Hot) was placed in the south, and Citadel Adbar (Cold) was placed in the north. The configuration also allows defining province ranges as "climate bands" with a real world style of arctic poles at north & south edges of the map, and a hot central equator with temperate climates in between:

Default:
Cold
Temperate
Hot
5 Band option:
Cold
Temperate
Hot
Temperate
Cold

Right now the configuration file is crude, but it works. In the future I hope that I or someone knowledgeable in a friendly cross platform language can write a simple front end for SR.

[Gandalf Parker]

Cool. The temp zones thing will work well with an idea I had. Just for variation I can run random generation in "module" sizes like 100 or 200 or 500 provinces. If I choose one of the white-ground ones, and a light green one, and a dark green one; then paste them together. That will give me a map that would fit your default scheme of cold tundra, then temperate forest, then hot-tropical jungle.

[Agrajag]

If you are really lazy I can send over some C code I wrote that randomly generates words that sound right, are pronounceable, and best of all, it uses adjusted probabilities of the letter appearing in the alphabet (for example, the chance of getting an "f" is much greater than the chance of getting an "x").
Its downside is that it uses only 3 word templates to generate words in order to be sure you are getting a word that sounds right. Though adding more templates should be easy.

If you want it send a PM.

[Ballbarian]

Thanks Agrajab, I have sent you a pm.

@Gandalf,
When you get a set put together let me know. That sounds like it would be a neat map to play on.

[Gandalf Parker]

Agrajag said:
If you are really lazy I can send over some C code I wrote that randomly generates words that sound right

I might be interested in that. I might use it as it is, or convert it to the languages we are using.

[Agrajag]

Don't get your hopes up too high, its a very simple program I wrote a long long time ago (the original version I can find is 27/03/2005).
The really cool part is that it generates letters according to adjusted probability of appearing in the english language, and that it is seperated into a/e/i/o/u and the rest of the letters, so it is easy to ensure you get a pronounceable word.
To generate words from those letters it just selects randomly from 3 word templates (aba,bab,abb), though more templates should be simple to add (baabaa and baabbaab are possible, but dangerous, but you could also go bababbabbabababbbaa etc.)

Everyone can view it over Here.
Also, I'd like to hear what people think about this ancient piece of code, even if its just saying it sucks or just isn't useful. If people like it I might make some cool improvements for fun (more templates, perhaps the ability to add templates, maybe generating into .txt files, maybe some sort of filtering etc.)

[Ballbarian]

Working on a simple VB front end. It is now able to run the dom3 random map generator with user defined options supported by dom3's command line switches. After that is complete, SR can be executed on the generated map file and will then exit.