Random map generation

Elemental supposes a barren world that needs the Sovereigns to bring it back to life. Although we get a campaign, each sandbox game is going to be based in the same rules (if no mods). Considering that, each random game we start is supposed to start with Barren Lands as default with Sovereigns divided between Plains and Lava as favored terrains.

I wonder if it's really going to be like that or if Stardock considers having an option to customize that part of the experience. You know, with some list that lets you select the type of default terrain.

I'm also curious about if random map generation would allow different types of terrain. Right now I can see swamp for the spider nests or plains for the fountains. I can see also that blueish terrain for crystals. But will the random map generator be able to create maps with chunks of plans and lava terrain too or will it be limited to always create maps with a default type (with those exceptions of special terrains that we have now)?

Changing the default terrain type should be easy while my last paragraph might suppose too much extra work. But I'd like to know which the plans currently are.

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One thing about starting the game with a 'dead' world is that it makes map generation easy peasy. For mods and such that require a living and active world at game start, I'm hoping that they will let us code our own map generator in Python like in Civ4. I have alot of fun with that sort of thing.

EDIT: If you think about it, not being able to mod the map generator would greatly limit the kind of mods that could be made. I'm sure they will give us access. Theres no way around it.

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Philocthetes

Join Date 10/2003

+153

Wintersong, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "default terrain."

Are you talking about the turn 0 map conditions or maybe somehow being able to pick lava vs. plains independent of whether you're playing an empire or a kingdom? The map generator in its current state already seems to produce a quite varied mix of terrain types, and there are already three 'terrain' options in the game-start UI.

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The default terrain is the barren lands, which is a type not favored by humans or fallens. That terrain appears with some spots of other terrains (fountains, spiderwebs, crystals) but it's not a varied ecosystem like Earth. The current options don't allow to change that default terrain from barren lands to any other. I know it could have balance issues (selecting plains as default terrain and playing as a human Kingdom) but I want to know. And it's not like in single player someone can have a orc race whose favored terrain is the barren lands.

And the current options are only about mountains, forests, size and land mass. (not counting the quests, dungeons...)

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Philocthetes

Join Date 10/2003

+153

I'm still not sure I'm quite following you, partly because forests, mountains, and land-mass styles are all terrain parameters to me. Also, the only way I've thought of "default" is what the map options are for a freshly-installed game. What you typed above sorta makes me think of those big-flat LEGO foundation pieces. I'm not a coder, so it all looks like 'map' to me when I get a game started.

Could it be that you want something like a slider for Devastation, with one pole generating maps with no habitable land on turn 0 and the other eliminating the imbuing-lands thing from the game?

I haven't played tons of games, but 0.264 seems to have a lot of what looks like ecosystem variety to me. The swamps are now distinctly different from the mysterious color-change around some (water?) shards, and there are deserts. I'm pretty sure that tundra is at least being considered for the mix as well, and it would be nice to see a couple of forest types (tropical, boreal) rather than just generic forest.

Anywho, I'm not trying to be annoying, just persistently thick at the worst...

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