I have never had to change my keyboard mapping to make it work btw (I use norwegian mapping.. and UK mapping should be the same as US one anyway)

Did you create the C:\Civ3Map\ directory where you want the results to go?

Edit: Nevermind.. didnt see the last line in your post

Hmm... I'm having some difficulties.
Aside from taking ages to work out how to change my keyboard layout to US (thanks Windows for making is sooooooooo easy, NOT!), I now keep getting an odd error:

"Cannot create C:\Civ3Map\<long string of strange characters>.jpg"

with MapFinder closing down. This always happens on the first game I start up. I'm not 100% convinced I'm running it correctly... but anyway, here's what I do:

Start C3C, New Game, pick settings, go to 4000BC, get the "You are etc. etc.", and close that dialog.
Start up MapFinder, confirm my rules, then start it.

Am I missing something?

This is WinXP Pro, SP1, with C3C 1.22. The C:\Civ3Map directory exists and is not read-only.

Which version of MapFinder are you using? What is the speed of your system? In the directory where you installed MapFinder, there is a "MapFinder.INI" file; would you post a copy of it here. All the config/setup values for running MapFinder is inside that file, I would like to take a look at what you have told it so far. Thanks!

PS: Please note that the MapFinder version from last year may not work with a none US keyboard. MapFinder version 6.5 is the latest one (the link for it is at the beginning of the second post of this thread). I have a feeling that you may be using one of the very old version.

@denyd, gmaharriet, Tzar Sasha: Thank you for your kind words!:) That's very encouraging. I'm glad it works out for you guys.:)

And Gyathaar and EMan: Thanks for sticking around to help out the newbies.:)

Okay - I have MapFinder 6.3 (according to the Zip file in my C:\mapfinder directory).

Contents of my mapfinder.ini file:

[Config]
Delay4NewGame=5000
Delay4SaveGame=5000
Delay4RestartC3C=15000
OutputDir=c:\Civ3Map
AutoSaveDir=C:\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III\Saves\Auto
Counter=10
Delay4Keystrokes=500
Delay4CivDialogs=5000
MaxAcceptGame=25
QuickStartGame=1
NoRun2RestartC3C=50
JPGCompressionQuality=70
DisableRuleSetWarning=1

I'm running a P4 2.4Ghz machine with 1Gb of 266 DDR RAM.

...and I see the answer immediately (also reading back a page helped!)

I have the wrong auto-save directory set for C3C map-finding! :wallbash:

...and I see the answer immediately (also reading back a page helped!)

I have the wrong auto-save directory set for C3C map-finding! :wallbash:

I'm just about to say that.;) Btw, version 6.5 is a big jump from version 6.3, you may want to consider upgrading it to 6.5.

//Edit: Your "NoRun2RestartC3C=50" (number of iterations before restarting C3C) is too high! May want to set it down to 30.

Thanks - I have 6.5 running nicely :) Though in the end I went with the random map I generated to kick it off - a cow, a grassland wheat, a plains wheat, a river and a few hills was a perfectly acceptable start!

Am I missing something? I've DL'ed the mapfinder utility and have gotten it to run after setting it up.... but all it does is keep loading and reloading the last savegame I have... The ottomans @ around 310BC. Am I doing something wrong here?

Am I missing something? I've DL'ed the mapfinder utility and have gotten it to run after setting it up.... but all it does is keep loading and reloading the last savegame I have... The ottomans @ around 310BC. Am I doing something wrong here?
Start a new game with the 'New Game' option before you start mapfinder.. if you use quickstart to create a new game, it will sometimes pick the next game option on the list to attempt quickstarting game.. and the next option is 'load game' instead of 'quick start' (which is below 'new game')

Am I missing something? I've DL'ed the mapfinder utility and have gotten it to run after setting it up.... but all it does is keep loading and reloading the last savegame I have... The ottomans @ around 310BC. Am I doing something wrong here?

In addition to what Gyathaar said, also don't forget to point it to the correct autosave directory! There are three different autosave directories for Civ3 (vanilla, PTW, or C3C). Unless you tell it correctly which version you are playing, it won't work!

In addition to what Gyathaar said, also don't forget to point it to the correct autosave directory! There are three different autosave directories for Civ3 (vanilla, PTW, or C3C). Unless you tell it correctly which version you are playing, it won't work!Make that 6!................ Civ 3 Complete uses C:\Program Files\Atari..... :)

Start a new game with the 'New Game' option before you start mapfinder.. if you use quickstart to create a new game, it will sometimes pick the next game option on the list to attempt quickstarting game.. and the next option is 'load game' instead of 'quick start' (which is below 'new game')

I figured that problem out when it told me the path/filename for the ini file. I have quite a few atari games and all of them are put in the programfiles/atari/ directroy...

I started a new game with the ottomans and that is the game that it continues to load... should I delet all my old saves with the ottomans or put them in a separate directory? I usually use separate directories for each civ I play but I've only played ottomans a couple of times now.

Thanks for the quick response.... Much appreciated... :thanx:

I started a new game with the ottomans and that is the game that it continues to load... should I delet all my old saves with the ottomans or put them in a separate directory? I usually use separate directories for each civ I play but I've only played ottomans a couple of times now.

You don't have to delete anything! Just have to point it to the correct AUTOSAVE folder for the game version that you are finding maps for.

//Edit: If you have given it the correct AUTOSAVE and it still doesn't work, may be your timing is off. Like the problem in this thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=2731580#post2731580

Thanks for the help... sorry to be such a hassle... I'll try to set the timing like in the thread you posted...

ok.... I've gotten it to run but it sems to hang up on the save process when it tries to save to the MapFinderTMP file and the game asks it to overwrite yes/no.... it then goes through 2 more iterations b4 it starts another game and performs the logic test on the map.... I've tried bumping the wait time at save up quite a bit but it doen't seem to help.... Is 6.2 the latest version? I seem to recall a ref to 6.5 somewhere in this thread when I was looking for a related thread that might cover my problem....

Sorry... don't mean to beat a dead horse..... :(

But thanks for the help :thanx:

ok.... I think it is just the settings that are messing me up....I shortened the list of food/resources to look for and I let it run. It went through 160+ iterations & 84 maps of which it found 24 acceptable and 26 rejects..... it generated a report but the report had nothing in it and there were no saves except for the MapFinderTmp save file....

I have the save game directory set to my C3C save directory in the Program Files/atari/civilization/conquests/saves.... All the other timing settings are set to the ones suggested in the thread you directed me to for a 1.7 GHz machin (mine is 1.6 GHz which should work fine from what I found in the beginning of this thread).... Am I missing something really obvious here or what?

I've set two sets of parameters for the map I am looking for.... One thing I forgot to mention is that each time I run MapFinder I have to manually override the first instance when it goes to Load game instead of New game or Quickstart.... As soon as I close the load screen it starts up a new game/map just fine.... I think it is having problems saving the maps it finds. Is it supposed to save all the acceptable maps that it finds? Because it tries to save almost every map that loads in the MapFinderTemp save file.... :confused:

Is 6.2 the latest version? I seem to recall a ref to 6.5 somewhere in this thread when I was looking for a related thread that might cover my problem....

6.5 is the lastest version.. and you can find the link to it on the 1st page..
Is it supposed to save all the acceptable maps that it finds? Because it tries to save almost every map that loads in the MapFinderTemp save file....
It is only supposed to save the maps that match one of your searches

It went through 160+ iterations & 84 maps of which it found 24 acceptable and 26 rejects..... it generated a report but the report had nothing in it and there were no saves except for the MapFinderTmp save file....
This sounds weird.. number of iterations and number of maps generated should be the same.. and acceptable+rehected = iterations

One thing I forgot to mention is that each time I run MapFinder I have to manually override the first instance when it goes to Load game instead of New game or Quickstart.... As soon as I close the load screen it starts up a new game/map just fine....
Are you starting a new game with 'new game' option (and not quit that game) before you start up mapfinder like you are supposed to?

:rolleyes: Sorry.... I think I just figured out what my problem was..... I didin't realize the saves directory needed to be in the C:/.../saves/auto directory..... I just had mine set to C:/.../conquest/saves

I must be blind.... If I had read the text above the directory name in the setup I would have realized a lot sooner that it says "Auto save directory" not save directory.... Thanks for bearing with me while I kick started my brain/eyes/entire nervous system....

Critical error detected... (A)bort, (R)etry, (S)elf Destruct..... :suicide:

Duh... Don't I feel stupid now.... :wallbash:

6.5 is the lastest version.. and you can find the link to it on the 1st page..

I thought I was running 6.2 but no... it's 6.3 I DL'ed it 2 nights ago from the link on the first page of this thread.

It is only supposed to save the maps that match one of your searches

I have yet to have it save anything except for the MapFinderTemp.sav

This sounds weird.. number of iterations and number of maps generated should be the same.. and acceptable+rehected = iterations

Yeah... you're telling me.... B4 I discovered that it needed to be in the "auto" save directory I was beginning to wonder what kind of math the computer was doing. (what do you mean 160 = 84 = 24+26???)

Are you starting a new game with 'new game' option (and not quit that game) before you start up mapfinder like you are supposed to?
Yes.... I was using New Game only.... I don't think I've ever started a new game with the Quick Start yet....

I thought I was running 6.2 but no... it's 6.3 I DL'ed it 2 nights ago from the link on the first page of this thread.

6.5 is latest.. not 6.3 :)


I have yet to have it save anything except for the MapFinderTemp.sav

That is what you will see it save games as (I think it then renames that file to something else in the background to get around the limitation for how long filenames can be used in civ3


Yes.... I was using New Game only.... I don't think I've ever started a new game with the Quick Start yet....
But Mapfinder will use quick start, so if you stop mapfinder, you will sometimes (not always) have to use start new game again before you start mapfinder again - atleast this happens for me from time to time, else I get stuck in a loop where it tries to load last saved game instead of starting new ones.

This sounds weird.. number of iterations and number of maps generated should be the same.. and acceptable+rehected = iterations

You are right! The end result will be very weird when the delay timming is out of sync (similar to BlackBetsy's problem here (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=117776) where he tried to make MapFinder running as quick as possible); it's possible to get maps, but the total number of iterations isn't the same as the number of acceptable+rejected (that proven how stable MapFinder is ..... even when it's configured wrong, it may still work partially!:) ). Here is how that may happen:

Let's say that it takes Civ3 14 seconds to Quick Start a brand new game on a P3 1.GHz system. So far so good, no problem there! Now, let say that we told MapFinder that the Time Delay for Loanding New Game is 7 seconds. What does this mean? It means that the delay timer is out of sync (way too fast)! In this example, MapFinder will be running twice as fast - 7 seconds per iteration while Civ3 actually handle only 1 new game per every 14 seconds . Therefore, the problem become ... 1 actual map for every two iterations - which means the total number of iterations probably will be twice the total number of reject+accept (in this example). The solution for this example, simply tell MapFinder that it will take 15 seconds for Civ3 to make a map, not 7 or any number less than the speed that Civ3 can actually handle.

Btw, if anyone not sure how to calculate those Time Delay, here is how:

Take Delay4NewGame as an example:
#1. From the main menu of Civ3, click on Quick Start a new game then immediately counting 1001, 1002, .... Note: the time it take to say 1001 out loud is usually equal to 1 second. If you use a stop watch instead, you don't have to count out loud.

#2. It will take Civ3 sometimes to setup a new game. In the mean time, keep counting. If you are tired of counting, use your watch.

#3. Eventually, Civ3 will finish setting up a new game and when it comes to the 4000BC screen, now stop counting!

#4. The Delay4NewGame is really equal to the time elapse between step #1 and step #3 plus a few extra seconds to be on the safe side. Of course, on faster system, Civ3 will start faster; therefore, the time deday will be shorter and so on. Use the same techique to calculate other Time Delay and so on.

thanks for the help.... I have to admit it is easier for me to set the timing on a car than it is on the mapfinder utility.... (I'm used to cars...)

I did get everything to work fine :) :thanx:

However I bumped up the map settings to huge/panganea instead of large/continents and map finder started to use the new game instead of the quickstart.... I fixed this by interupting the automation and manually selecting the quickstart option after the second iteration.... no big problem but I thought I might be able to pick your brain to see if there is something I can tweak to get this to correct itself... If not... is ok... I'm just being lazy.... I like to start the utill and walk away... Just takes a couple of seconds extra to exit and hit the quickstart to get the utility to use quickstart on the huge/panganea map settings...

BTW.... I wanted to say good job to you and Dianthus for your awesome utility! :goodjob: :hatsoff: :clap: :worship:
Sure does save a LOT of usless :wallbash: doing it myself....

We are not worthy... :worship: We are not worthy... :worship: We are not worthy... :worship:

Thanks to your utility I feel that I might bee shooting for a HOF game soon.... B4 I just didin't see the point of playing for months to try and find a good start... find I'm missing critical resources early and then go through the process again until I found a good map that didn't turn sour on me shortly there after....

Hopefully I can now complete my delusions of gr8ness by getting a game on the HOF lists.... Thanks again! :thanx:

Just one more quick Q for anyone out there who knows more about the mapfinder util.... What is the Get Food/Get Shield/ Get Gold do in the rules section?.... and what is the difference from that and the -Base option that goes with?

However I bumped up the map settings to huge/panganea instead of large/continents and map finder started to use the new game instead of the quickstart.... I fixed this by interupting the automation and manually selecting the quickstart option after the second iteration.... no big problem but I thought I might be able to pick your brain to see if there is something I can tweak to get this to correct itself... If not... is ok... I'm just being lazy.... I like to start the utill and walk away... Just takes a couple of seconds extra to exit and hit the quickstart to get the utility to use quickstart on the huge/panganea map settings...

There are two ways to start a new epic game: (1) "Start New Game" or (2) "Quick Start" base on the previous game selection. There is a checkbox/switch in MapFinder setup screen for you to specify which option you want to work with. If you check the "QuickStart" check box, it will use the quick start option. Otherwise, it will use the "Start New Game" option. Btw, the QuickStart option is broken in PTW (it does't remember your previous AI selection...so QuickStart in PTW will give you random AIs; therefore, you must use normal start for PTW). Please note that this is the bug in PTW, not in MapFinder. If you want PTW to remember your selection for the "Quick Start", please ask Firaxis to correct their bugs!

Just one more quick Q for anyone out there who knows more about the mapfinder util.... What is the Get Food/Get Shield/ Get Gold do in the rules section?.... and what is the difference from that and the -Base option that goes with?
Since I have never used that option ever in my life, I will not attempt to explain it. Unless someone publicly acknowlege that they are using those Get Food/Get Shield/Get Gold things, I probably will deactivate in the next version.

Now I'm confused. The starts generated don't seem to add up to what my rules say - or indeed what the report hints. E.g. the reports says there are two cows... and there are none?

Also having a bit of bother with the screenshots. They all have the save dialog plastered over the top of them, so I can't see a thing anyway!

Rules were:
Dom Limit < 1250 (large 80% pan)
River > 0
5Food > 0

Ini file:

[Config]
Delay4NewGame=9000
Delay4SaveGame=9000
Delay4RestartC3C=15000
OutputDir=c:\Civ3Maps
AutoSaveDir=C:\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III\Conquests\Saves\Auto
Counter=186
Delay4Keystrokes=400
Delay4CivDialogs=4000
MaxAcceptGame=250
QuickStartGame=1
NoRun2RestartC3C=30
JPGCompressionQuality=70
DisableRuleSetWarning=1


System P4 2.4GHz, 1Gb RAM, XP Pro SP1.

Since you couldn't even launch your spaceship, my feeling is that something else was comsuming your CPU and drained all your system resources. You may want to run a virus check on your system first - figuring out why your system is so slow.

Anyway, the config you just posted should work well on a P4 2.4GHz. Try to increase it as the following to see what happen:

Delay4NewGame=15000
Delay4SaveGame=15000
Delay4RestartC3C=25000
Delay4Keystrokes=500
Delay4CivDialogs=5000

Note: Those values I just gave you is based on a P3 1GHz machine. If that work on your system, it means that my original assumption is correct - your system isn't running at 2.4 GHz. You definitely must figure out what process currently consuming all of your CPU and/or system resources. Good luck!

Hmm :( Well Task Manager doesn't indicate anything running beyond the expected background tasks. SpyBot has shown up nothing. I run a virus scan (AVG) every night. I've also rebooted recently.

Nothing to indicate a problem.

There are two ways to start a new epic game: (1) "Start New Game" or (2) "Quick Start" base on the previous game selection. There is a checkbox/switch in MapFinder setup screen for you to specify which option you want to work with. If you check the "QuickStart" check box, it will use the quick start option. Otherwise, it will use the "Start New Game" option. Btw, the QuickStart option is broken in PTW (it does't remember your previous AI selection...so QuickStart in PTW will give you random AIs; therefore, you must use normal start for PTW). Please note that this is the bug in PTW, not in MapFinder. If you want PTW to remember your selection for the "Quick Start", please ask Firaxis to correct their bugs!


Yes I still had quickstart selected from the previous run of the util.... I even tried to deselect it run and then select it again.... It's no big deal though.... I just start a new game with the options I want.... then I exit and start with Qstart and run the util....

Since I have never used that option ever in my life, I will not attempt to explain it. Unless someone publicly acknowlege that they are using those Get Food/Get Shield/Get Gold things, I probably will deactivate in the next version.

ok.... I guess I won't bother.... I was just wondering if this is how you look for certain resources in the outer ring of tiles from your capital...
Thanks for the info :thanx:

Hmm :( Well Task Manager doesn't indicate anything running beyond the expected background tasks. SpyBot has shown up nothing. I run a virus scan (AVG) every night. I've also rebooted recently.

Nothing to indicate a problem.

Also check to see if there any space left on your hard drive. There are some free system benchmark software out there that could give you an idea on the actual speed of your system. Before you are doing to to all that, let run a little test first with MapFinder at the slow speed (baseline for the P3 1GHz machine) to see what happen.

Delay4NewGame=15000
Delay4SaveGame=15000
Delay4RestartC3C=25000
Delay4Keystrokes=500
Delay4CivDialogs=5000

Don't forgot to create a rule where most maps will be accepted. Just run this test for like 20 iterations to see what happens. Btw, the total number of accept+reject map should be equal to the total number of iterations.

ok.... I guess I won't bother.... I was just wondering if this is how you look for certain resources in the outer ring of tiles from your capital...

Well, if you must know. It's the total number of shield/food/gold for those visible tiles at the starting position. Of course, if you minus the baseline, you would get the total bonus of shield/food/gold. It's really very general; you would be much better off looking for specific bonus like cows, deers, or whatever that you like. That was what we were experimenting in the older version of MapFinder. Since Dianthus took the time to code it, I really hate to throw it away; hopefully, we will figure out how to put it to good use in the future.

Also check to see if there any space left on your hard drive. There are some free system benchmark software out there that could give you an idea on the actual speed of your system. Before you are doing to to all that, let run a little test first with MapFinder at the slow speed (baseline for the P3 1GHz machine) to see what happen.

Delay4NewGame=15000
Delay4SaveGame=15000
Delay4RestartC3C=25000
Delay4Keystrokes=500
Delay4CivDialogs=5000

Don't forgot to create a rule where most maps will be accepted. Just run this test for like 20 iterations to see what happens. Btw, the total number of accept+reject map should be equal to the total number of iterations.

Given it a go with those settings. I'm still getting the save dialog plastered on top of the screen shots. Also I'm getting #Generated = (2 * #Accepted + #Rejected). It seems to be trying to go through a whole cycle of restart/new game/verify/etc. whenever it finds an acceptable map.

I have 27.8Gb free disk space btw - so I'm assuming no problems there!

Given it a go with those settings. I'm still getting the save dialog plastered on top of the screen shots. Also I'm getting #Generated = (2 * #Accepted + #Rejected).

That's pretty weird...I have never heard of this problem before. What version of MapFinder are you using again?

It seems to be trying to go through a whole cycle of restart/new game/verify/etc. whenever it finds an acceptable map.

May be that's just a co-incident...it happens to find the acceptable map just a moment before it's suppose to restart C3C.

That's pretty weird...I have never heard of this problem before. What version of MapFinder are you using again?

6.5.

May be that's just a co-incident...it happens to find the acceptable map just a moment before it's suppose to restart C3C.

No, it did this for every acceptable map (restart was set to every 30 iterations - it was getting an acceptable map for about 2/3 of them).

No, it did this for every acceptable map (restart was set to every 30 iterations - it was getting an acceptable map for about 2/3 of them).

I'm not going to speculate anymore, but don't you think it's odd that your P4 2.4 GHz machine with 1 Gig of RAM couldn't able to launch the spaceship movie on the standard and bigger map? Let wait until you figure out why Civ3 won't display your spaceship movie first. I have a funny feeling that when you figure out what causes Civ3 to crack when you try to launch the spaceship, MapFinder will work too. The bottom line, I really think something is weird with your system.

So do I... I'm just at a loss as to what's going on. I'll go see what benchmark s/w is out there, but I'm beginning to suspect memory problems.

So do I... I'm just at a loss as to what's going on. I'll go see what benchmark s/w is out there, but I'm beginning to suspect memory problems.

Me too! Let's review the evidence so far.

#1. Spaceship movie won't launch and cause Civ3 to crack.
#2. When MapFinder find an acceptable map, it has trouble ordering Civ3 to save, and Civ3 crack and MapFinder has to restart it (note: becuase MapFinder is pretty smart to restart C3C whenever C3C goes down, it seems that MapFinder is restarting it as schedule).

So, my best guess is that once you figure out what cause Civ3 to crack during the spaceship launch (launching the spaceship does take extra memory and system resources), MapFinder will work fine after that.

Btw, the total number of accept+reject map should be equal to the total number of iterations.

MapFinder is not resetting the iteration counter on my system.... It starts out at zero when I first start the program but jumps to the last number of iterations from previous run after it analyzes the first map and updates the GUI. This isn't going to hurt anything down the line is it? I don't think it will from what I know of programming but it has been a while since I coded anything and my memory is starting to develop worm holes...

I've run your util around 5-6 times and it works gr8... Where do I find v6.5? I'm running 6.3 that I DL'ed from the second or third post in this thread.

@GorfTheWanderer: Look again at Post #2! ;)

The inability to launch the spaceship is reported occasionally in the tech-support forums - workaround is to copy the intro.bik file and rename it over the top of the spacerace.bik movie - not really ideal!

You could try checking that the bink video dll is the latest - http://www.radgametools.com/#Bink

Not sure if it will help mapfinder though....

I also get exactly 2 iterations for each map generated...I thought this was normal. ;) I'll try increasing my "Delay New Game" time to see if it makes a difference.

In any event, I still get plenty of maps to play, so it isn't a material problem for me. If I get about 200 saved maps in 15 hours run time, I'm not sure what I'd even do with twice that many. My inconsiderate boss actually expects me to show up for work. :p

@GorfTheWanderer: Look again at Post #2! ;)

I don't understand... What did I miss (other than the little "this post" sticker about timing) in post #2? :confused: I'm wondering about version 6.5... I have gotten Mapfinder to work perfectly (ie... 1 iteration, 1 map viewed, 1 good or bad map)... And I love the utility and wish I had the time to get back into Visual C++ to start doing similar utils with ideas I've had... Finding the time in life is the real problem (which Mapfinder is saving a LOT of for me... Thankyou Moonsinge & Dianthus :worship: )
I have read (and re-read the beginning first 5-10 pages or so of posts looking for solutions to my problems (and the link to version 6.5 I read about)...and when I didn't find answers to my Qs I asked them here.... I know I've asked a lot of Qs lately and if I should stop please let me know... I don't want to flood the forum with "junk".
The only question I have/had is why MapFinder is not resetting the iteration value (or even if it is supposed to reset) when I start a new search for a good map on another game/difficulty level/civilization.... But as I said... It really isn't important because the utility works wonders and saves me lots of time.... so with that I bid you farewell...

MapFinder is not resetting the iteration counter on my system....

Think of the iteration counter as a unique serial number for each map. By giving each map a unique serial number, it's easier to track them down the road. Of course, if you really really want to reset your counter, you could do it by editting the MapFinder.ini file, but I do not recommend resetting the iteration counter.

I've run your util around 5-6 times and it works gr8... Where do I find v6.5? I'm running 6.3 that I DL'ed from the second or third post in this thread.
The link to version 6.5 is at the top of the second post of this thread. Note: it's the seond post on the first page of this thread.

The inability to launch the spaceship is reported occasionally in the tech-support forums - workaround is to copy the intro.bik file and rename it over the top of the spacerace.bik movie - not really ideal!

You could try checking that the bink video dll is the latest - http://www.radgametools.com/#Bink

Ainwood, for more information on Eldar's spaceship problem, please take a look at this thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=117919

ok... I must be blind.... :blush: I can't tell you the number of times I've looked at that post.... I guess I need to go get my vision checked.... I didn't even see the link the firts time I DL'ed Mapfinder and I try to always find the most current version b4 I DL....(Where I live in Alaska we only have 56K dial up and that doesn't run even close to 56K)

Sorry for being blind.... :blush: And thanks for clearing up the iteration Q.....

Moonsinger, could you make a couple small changes to the Map report?

1. have the save-as dialog remember the last folder used. It doesn't have to be across multiple sessions. I like to save maps I like as I step through them.

2. have the save-as dialog copy all 3 files or at least the JPG in addition to the save file. Often, I lose track of which is which when I save them. (I delete them right after saving so I don't make a mistake later.)

Thanks

Moonsinger, could you make a couple small changes to the Map report?

1. have the save-as dialog remember the last folder used. It doesn't have to be across multiple sessions. I like to save maps I like as I step through them.

2. have the save-as dialog copy all 3 files or at least the JPG in addition to the save file. Often, I lose track of which is which when I save them. (I delete them right after saving so I don't make a mistake later.)

Thanks

No problem! Those are extremely easily .... I will do them tonight.

Denniz,

Here is the link to the two features that you have requested:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/MapReport2005-05-05.zip

It will now remember your last "Save As..." folder and also copy the *.jpg screenshot to go along with the *.sav file.

Denniz,

Here is the link to the two features that you have requested:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/MapReport2005-05-05.zip

It will now remember your last "Save As..." folder and also copy the *.jpg screenshot to go along with the *.sav file.
Moonsinger, that sounds like a WONDERFUL feature!!! :goodjob: Do I need to UNinstall the old version, or can this upgrade just be added to the last version?

Moonsinger, that sounds like a WONDERFUL feature!!! :goodjob: Do I need to UNinstall the old version, or can this upgrade just be added to the last version?

There is no need to uninstall, just simply replace the old MapReport.Exe with the new one.

Sorry if this has been answered before:
What exactly do the variables "GetFood", "GetFood-Base" (etc...) search for and which operator/value should I use with them in a rule set?

Denniz,

Here is the link to the two features that you have requested:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/MapReport2005-05-05.zip

It will now remember your last "Save As..." folder and also copy the *.jpg screenshot to go along with the *.sav file.

It just gets better and better. Thanks very much! :thanx:

I have a quickl Q about Map Finder.... In the Report it generates I can tell exactly what everything listed is except for the second column from the right hand side.... What is "SG"? Many of my maps have values from 0-3 and I have no clue as to what this is refering to.... Thanks for satisfying my curiousity....

Sorry if this has been answered before:
What exactly do the variables "GetFood", "GetFood-Base" (etc...) search for and which operator/value should I use with them in a rule set?

See post 780-781.... Same question I had....

I have a quickl Q about Map Finder.... In the Report it generates I can tell exactly what everything listed is except for the second column from the right hand side.... What is "SG"? Many of my maps have values from 0-3 and I have no clue as to what this is refering to.... Thanks for satisfying my curiousity....

SG = Shield Bonus Grassland.

See post 780-781.... Same question I had....

Sorry, but I don't see the connection to my question in these posts.

Sorry, but I don't see the connection to my question in these posts.

My answer is in these two posts:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=2734175&postcount=775
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=2735603&postcount=781

Basically, if you have gotten all the maps you want without touching those GetFood/Gold/Shield tokens, then don't worry about them. I hope that would answer your questions.

This proggie kicks ass!!! VERY NICE
Thanks a bunch! I had 400 games with a cow, river amd coast when I woke up just now :)

This is a great tool! I'm starting a quarter master run (more like filling in holes in the HOF, nothing spectacular), but it certainly makes finding a good start so much easier.

Thank you! :thanx: Thank you!

I was going to start my HoF carreer now. The first thing to do: spend a day on finding maps.

Now, it all seems easy. Thank you!

I was going to start my HoF carreer now. The first thing to do: spend a day on finding maps.
Now, it all seems easy. Thank you!

More like spending 2-3 nights finding maps... Then you can pick and choose the really good ones and make sure the game you are about to play for the next month is going to be worth it.... (well,ok, only if you plan carefully....)

Hi,
I love the idea of this utilty but for some reason it doesn't work for me. :cry:

It seems to work for as long as it rejects the maps (meaning it quits and restarts, even exits Civ and starts it again after the given amount of iterations), but as soon as it finds an acceptable map with the given specs it asks me where to save it (it goes on either with or without my interaction) but then retires and is stuck in the retirement screen (and says it's waiting for Civ to start, eventually the messages act like the circle goes on (iteration # goes up as well), but nothing more actally HAPPENS). :sad:

Furthermore, the map is only saved when I actually do it manually (meaning clicking when the save-screen appears), otherwise Civ just stays in the retirement-screen until I exit it and there I see the save-screen for a sec.

Yes, I have given it the right location of the Autosave dir. But it's on D.
However I don't think you expect Civ to always be installed in the default dir, otherwise you'd have the Autosave-dir as a constant. :confused:

There is also a (minor?) issue with the rules. When I have a "A and B or C" rule and A=TRUE and B=TRUE are true but is C=FALSE it still rejects the map.

Any ideas what could be the problem?

Thanks
Markstar

Hi,
I love the idea of this utilty but for some reason it doesn't work for me. :cry:

It seems to work for as long as it rejects the maps (meaning it quits and restarts, even exits Civ and starts it again after the given amount of iterations), but as soon as it finds an acceptable map with the given specs it asks me where to save it (it goes on either with or without my interaction) but then retires and is stuck in the retirement screen (and says it's waiting for Civ to start, eventually the messages act like the circle goes on (iteration # goes up as well), but nothing more actally HAPPENS). :sad:

Furthermore, the map is only saved when I actually do it manually (meaning clicking when the save-screen appears), otherwise Civ just stays in the retirement-screen until I exit it and there I see the save-screen for a sec.

Yes, I have given it the right location of the Autosave dir. But it's on D.
However I don't think you expect Civ to always be installed in the default dir, otherwise you'd have the Autosave-dir as a constant. :confused:

There is also a (minor?) issue with the rules. When I have a "A and B or C" rule and A=TRUE and B=TRUE are true but is C=FALSE it still rejects the map.

Any ideas what could be the problem?

Thanks
Markstar


Does the directory where you told mapfinder to save accepted maps exist?
(Output dir.. default c:\civ3maps unless you change it)

to specify a A AND (B OR C) rule you need:
AND A
OR B
OR C

Does the directory where you told mapfinder to save accepted maps exist?
(Output dir.. default c:\civ3maps unless you change it)
Yes, all directories exist.

to specify a A AND (B OR C) rule you need:
AND A
OR B
OR CMmh, o.k., but that doesn't make sense. I am pretty close to graduating in computer science and one of my specialties is boolean logic.

What would (A AND B) OR C be then? Or (A OR B) AND (C OR D)?
Is it prefix notation so that means the last operator doesn't count? :confused:

Anyways, the rule problem is a minor one when I can't even get it to work at all.

Regards
Markstar

Yes, all directories exist.
I have no clue what the problem is then.. perhaps you use the windows filebox?

Mmh, o.k., but that doesn't make sense. I am pretty close to graduating in computer science and one of my specialties is boolean logic.

What would (A AND B) OR C be then? Or (A OR B) AND (C OR D)?
Is it prefix notation so that means the last operator doesn't count? :confused:

(A AND B) OR C:
requires 2 rule sets:
AND A
AND B

and
AND C

(A OR B) AND (C OR D):
requires 2 rule sets:
AND A
OR C
OR D

and

AND B
OR C
OR D

this rewrites to:
(A AND (C OR D)) OR (B AND (C OR D))

it uses prefix notation instead of infix.. but doesnt take account for order of precedence and doesnt support parantheses

[party]

Yeah, it was the Windows Filebox! :mischief:

Alright, so my rule
(A OR (B AND C)) AND D
translates to two rules

A AND D and
B AND C AND D. :scan:

Luckily there is no OR after the D, otherwise I'd need 4 rules.

Just out of curiosity, what would
OR A
AND B
AND C
make? Shouldn't that be C OR (A AND B) = (A AND B) OR C (especially since you said there is no oop)? That would mean at least for a simple example you could avoid splitting the rule up in two rulesets.

Oh, I forgot:
Am I right to assume that the ruleset
AND (bonus grassland > 2)
AND (grassland > 1)
doesn't make sense since a bonus grassland is also grassland?

So in order to insure that I have at least 5 grassland tiles I'd need:
AND (bonus grassland > 2)
AND (grassland > 4)
Is that correct?

Another (stupid?) question that I couldn't find anywhere: Where is the difference between "Normal Start" and "Quick Start"? Afaik "Quick Start" randomly chooses the parameters (like map size, land mass, etc), right?

Just a single OR line:

OR A

is the same as (A OR False)

which is the same as AND A

so:
OR A
AND B
AND C

== (A AND B AND C)

Edit: I havent actually tested a single OR line.. I just think this is what will happen :)


and yes, you would need the grassland > 4

Thank you very much Gyathaar for taking the time, I really appreciate it!!! :)

Very interesting that
AND A
AND B
AND C

is the same as

OR A
AND B
AND C

I wonder what the source code for that looks like since seems to be some weired logic behind that. :crazyeye:

Anyways, since luckily we don't need all that difficult boolean formulas to get a nice starting position I'll leave it at that and be happy that my computer has something to do tonight. :p

(I had a long post asking for help, but just after posting, noticed my error.)

Your autosave dir is pointing to the save dir, not the autosave dir

With version 6.5b of MapFinder, I'm doing small maps with 3 fixed opponents. If I do these with C3c, every new map has those same 3 opponents. With PTW, the opponents seem to be random after the first generated map.

Have other people found this problem? If not, what could be causing that?

I had trouble with the rule sets, so I just use all "ands" for what's most important to me in a single rule set:

AND foodbonus > 0
AND freshwater > 1
AND jungle < 1
AND marsh < 1

Overnight I'll get over 100 maps and just delete the ones I know I'd never play, ending up with maybe a dozen really good ones, often better than my minimum requirements...just playing those would take me at least a month.

I've run Mapfinder every night for the past 6 weeks, and I think I have close to a lifetime supply. :p LOVE this program!!! Thanks, Moonsinger!!!!! :goodjob:

With version 6.5b of MapFinder, I'm doing small maps with 3 fixed opponents. If I do these with C3c, every new map has those same 3 opponents. With PTW, the opponents seem to be random after the first generated map.

Have other people found this problem? If not, what could be causing that?Yes, this is a Firaxis problem.......You need to UNcheck the Quick Start box for PTW. ;)

Yes, this is a Firaxis problem.......You need to UNcheck the Quick Start box for PTW. ;)

Thanks. I just noticed the check box for Quick Start in v6.5b. There isn't any text visible next to the check box, but the box is in the same place that the earlier versions had the Quick Start check box. Do other people see text there?

I wonder what the source code for that looks like since seems to be some weired logic behind that. :crazyeye:

I came up with that weird logic you are refering to and I'm really proud of it.:) Just follow the definition of the rule I display in the warning box and you will be fine!;)

I just noticed the check box for Quick Start in v6.5b. There isn't any text visible next to the check box, but the box is in the same place that the earlier versions had the Quick Start check box. Do other people see text there?

The text should be visible next to the check box. It has always been since version 1. If not, please post a screen shot...may be you are missing a certain font on your system.

I had trouble with the rule sets

What type of trouble? May be I can help. If you just tell me (in English) exactly what type of map you are looking for, I will help you with the rule sets. If I'm not here, I'm sure Gyathaar or Eman will help you out.

I alway thought that Moonsingers logic rules were very simple & straight forward.

** All ANDs and at least one OR must be true! **

This means that you need to have at least two or more ORs for a traditional booleean OR type choice.

Personnally, I just keep it simple and create a new rule when I want an OR condition. That way I can see which condition got the hit and I never have to figure out how to mix ANDs and ORs without parentheses. It is a win-win solution. :D

I alway thought that Moonsingers logic rules were very simple & straight forward.

I didn't mean it as a reflection on her. Unfortunately, I'm the one who's very "simple". :p I barely made it through a year each of high school algebra and geometry. I'm better with language skills, where there are 25 ways to "say" the same thing...even with foreign languages. Logic isn't my strong suit.

Anyway, I'm extremely pleased with the program. I even enjoy watching it run. And I change my mind too often about what I want in a start to know what to ask for, so getting lots of maps gives me lots of fun choices to look at.

Thanks for the offer of help, Moonsinger. If I need something really special, I'll be sure to ask. You're very generous to offer.

I do have a question. After a map has been accepted or rejected, the gray box has an area that says, "despotic f,s,g" and then the numbers for each, like 4,7,3. I've noticed that sometimes the "s", or shields, is a negative number...like -1 or -3. How can there be less than 0 shields?

Moonsinger: Here is the screen shot showing no text beside the Quick Start checkbox.

Thanks for the offer of help, Moonsinger. If I need something really special, I'll be sure to ask. You're very generous to offer.

You're welcome!:)

I do have a question. After a map has been accepted or rejected, the gray box has an area that says, "despotic f,s,g" and then the numbers for each, like 4,7,3. I've noticed that sometimes the "s", or shields, is a negative number...like -1 or -3. How can there be less than 0 shields?

I believe it has something to do with forestry. For example, in despotism and unimproved land, the forest in a tundra would yield 1 shield, but once you chop off the tree, it would yield 1 food and no shield. I'm not really sure at the moment because it has been awhile since I work on it.

Moonsinger: Here is the screen shot showing no text beside the Quick Start checkbox.

Thanks for the screenshot, Bluejay!:) What's up with those color codes on the window controls (such as maximize, minimize, close, etc)? Are you using some kind of graphic mod for Windows?;) I suspect that mod pack may not have a compatible graphic for the type of check box that I'm using. I'm going to correct that this weekend.

Thanks for the screenshot, Bluejay!:) What's up with those color codes on the window controls (such as maximize, minimize, close, etc)? Are you using some kind of graphic mod for Windows?;) I suspect that mod pack may not have a compatible graphic for the type of check box that I'm using. I'm going to correct that this weekend.

That's an old version of WindowBlinds. The "Quick Start Game?" text shows up in MF v2.5, but not in v6.2 or v6.5b (those are the only ones I still have on my computer.) The check box itself always shows up.

If I tell WindowBlinds to ignore MapFinder, the "Quick Start Game?" text does show up, so your suspicion is correct.

That's an old version of WindowBlinds. The "Quick Start Game?" text shows up in MF v2.5, but not in v6.2 or v6.5b (those are the only ones I still have on my computer.) The check box itself always shows up.

Since I switched to fancier window controls in v6.x (I gave it a cooler look; that's all), that may explain why it showed up in the older version (less cool).

If I tell WindowBlinds to ignore MapFinder, the "Quick Start Game?" text does show up, so your suspicion is correct.If you have time to talk, please tell me more about this WindowBlinds technology. What does it do? I didn't know of its existence until you mentioned it.

PS: I will recompile MapFinder to use the classic Window control and not the fancy 3D mumble jumble (since the purpose of MapFinder is to find maps, not to look cool).

If you have time to talk, please tell me more about this WindowBlinds technology. What does it do? I didn't know of its existence until you mentioned it.

WindowBlinds is a product of Stardock, and is used to give a different look & feel to Windows; "skins" is the common name these days.
http://www.stardock.com/products/windowblinds/
There are hundreds of these skins available. They commonly change the borders and top bars of windows, the minimize/maximize/quit buttons, and the horizontal and vertical scroll bars. One nice possibility is to assign a function to a right click in the top bar of the window; I like it to "roll up" the window so that only the top bar is visible.

Much more is possible--check out the website.

If there are applications that don't work quite right (as MFv6.5b), it's easy to tell WB not to do anything with them.

There's a free version and a $19.95 registered/enhanced version. They are currently at 4.5.1. I'm still using my 2.2 registered version. Maybe I'll try the new one.

Thanks for the info, Bluejay.:) Basically, it's another "cool" skin for Windows.

PS: I will recompile MapFinder to use the classic Window control and not the fancy 3D mumble jumble (since the purpose of MapFinder is to find maps, not to look cool).

@Bluejay, I was going to do that this weekend, but since you can easily tell WindowBlinds to leave MF alone, I think I will sleep on this for awhile (because you don't really need it at the moment).

@Bluejay, I was going to do that this weekend, but since you can easily tell WindowBlinds to leave MF alone, I think I will sleep on this for awhile (because you don't really need it at the moment).

Yes, it's not a problem now that I've told WindowBlinds not to skin MF.

Sorry if this question has been answered, but 800 posts is a lot to try to wade though.

I used to use MapFinder on my old computer (with an slightly older version)

I have just recently switched to a new one and last night I downloaded MapFinder and attempted to fire it up.

I cannot get it to run smoothly though.
It never seems to hit the right button.
If I click Start when on the main Civ screen, it usually clicks either "Load Game" or "New Scenario" and if I try to stop it, it often hangs on the "Are you sure you want to quit" dialog that you get when you issue a "New Game" from an existing game.

The only way for me to get control back is to use the Task Manager to kill the MapFinder program.

I am running Windows XP Media Edition. (If that might make a difference)

Has anyone seen this behavior, and if so, did you find a work-around.

Thanks

Jeff, I run into that problem from time to time, usually when I haven't rebooted my computer for a few days. Although, it never does it to me twice in a row, so I'm not sure what's going on for you.

Have you tried slowing down your timers?

Jeff, I run into that problem from time to time, usually when I haven't rebooted my computer for a few days. Although, it never does it to me twice in a row, so I'm not sure what's going on for you.

Have you tried slowing down your timers?
I tried them on the default values, and this computer is far faster than the old one.

I also rebooted in between a couple of the tries to see if something was hosed up in memory.

I'll try again when I get home tonight and I'll try messing with the timers too.

It might be worth making absolutely certain that the autosave directory is pointing to the correct place (I.e. the C3C dir rather than PTW when switching from PTW to C3C). I've seen this cause some strange things.

What's an iteration? It says that it will restart C3C after so many iterations, but will in continue to generate maps overnight?

An iteration is each map it generates. There's a memory leak bug in C3C that "grows" every time a new map is generated and eventually it hogs so much ram that C3C won't work with Mapfinder. So, that's why Mapfinder has to restart the program every so many iterations.

Mapfinder can continue to generate maps overnight, there's actually been instances where a computer ran Mapfinder for several consecutive days without assistance.

There's a memory leak bug in C3C that "grows" every time a new map is generated and eventually it hogs so much ram ...
I looked some into this, and it's not a memory leak.. I first thought it was a filehandler problem, but its not that either.. it has to be a stack overflow, a heap overflow or a buffer overflow most likely.

When I was running mapfinder, it stopped for 5 minutes, so I had to "bump" it and then it loaded my sid game instead of quick starting :confused: .

I looked some into this, and it's not a memory leak.. I first thought it was a filehandler problem, but its not that either.. it has to be a stack overflow, a heap overflow or a buffer overflow most likely.
Gyathaar, are you talking about the clipboard problem that Moonsinger found/fixed a while back? That was different from the C3C one. The C3C one occurs even without mapfinder running, if you can be bothered to create enough maps by hand.

Gyathaar, are you talking about the clipboard problem that Moonsinger found/fixed a while back? That was different from the C3C one. The C3C one occurs even without mapfinder running, if you can be bothered to create enough maps by hand.
No.. I am talking about the one inside game :)
It does use a small amount of extra memory every restart, but only a few kb.. not enough to make the machine run out of memory

No.. I am talking about the one inside game :)
It does use a small amount of extra memory every restart, but only a few kb.. not enough to make the machine run out of memory

Are you talking about the one where after creating a lot of maps (not using MapFinder but normally) where everything is named 'Nil'? I've never had it happen to me but read of others coming across it.

Are you talking about the one where after creating a lot of maps (not using MapFinder but normally) where everything is named 'Nil'? I've never had it happen to me but read of others coming across it.
Yes.. you will get it after creating a certain number of maps without restarting C3C.. if I remember correctly the nil problem will happen at the 116th map on all my PCs

Yeah, it was about 102 for me.

When I was running mapfinder, it stopped for 5 minutes, so I had to "bump" it and then it loaded my sid game instead of quick starting :confused: .

Sound like you are not pointing MF to the correct AUTO save directory of Civ3/PTW/C3C. If you are 100% sure that you have told MapFinder the correct autosave directory of Civ3, please post the content of MapFinder.INI file. Since MapFinder does remember almost everything you told it, I can pretty much tell why it doesn't work just by viewing what inside the MapFinder.INI file.

I tried them on the default values, and this computer is far faster than the old one.

I also rebooted in between a couple of the tries to see if something was hosed up in memory.

I'll try again when I get home tonight and I'll try messing with the timers too.
For what it's worth, this turned out to be pilot error. I had noticed that it was pointed to the vanilla autosave folder, but when I changed it I changed it to the c3c saves folder instead of the autosave :wallbash:

Now things work great except the MapReport program. The screenshots on the mapreport page are all messed up with the save game dialogs completely covering the start area. Would this be a factor of timing?

2 questions:

1. In the Map Report, how do I save a game - or - how do I play the save games that are acceptable? I don't see one in the folder where the screenshot and .set file is. (I set it to put all saves in C:/HoF/Histographic/)

2. I have it set to restart after 33 iterations. However, after 33 iterations, it does not reload C3C. It just keeps saying "Waiting for Civ to launch...". Should I change the timings?

1. In the Map Report, how do I save a game - or - how do I play the save games that are acceptable? I don't see one in the folder where the screenshot and .set file is. (I set it to put all saves in C:/HoF/Histographic/)
All 3 files...jpg, .set and .sav...should be in the folder you're saving the maps to from MapFinder. What I do is first go through the map report jpg's and delete any I know I'd never play. Then I shut it down and use Windows Explorer to take another look and give the jpg files names, like 0025734China.jpg. I have separate folders for sizes, map types and difficulty levels, like RegStdC7-8civ...for Regent, standard map, continents 70% water with 8 civs...and I move all of the same type to its own folder. Then when I want to play one, I name the .sav file also and copy it to my Conquests/Saves folder, where I often have a dozen or so I want to play soon.

2. I have it set to restart after 33 iterations. However, after 33 iterations, it does not reload C3C. It just keeps saying "Waiting for Civ to launch...". Should I change the timings?
Mine is set to restart after 25 iterations. I have a P4,1.9ghz, 512megs RAM, and it runs all night with no problems. It actually shuts down C3C each time and then reloads it to run another 25.

I just LOVE it!!! Many thanks, Moonsinger!!! :goodjob:

2 questions:

1. In the Map Report, how do I save a game - or - how do I play the save games that are acceptable? I don't see one in the folder where the screenshot and .set file is. (I set it to put all saves in C:/HoF/Histographic/)

2. I have it set to restart after 33 iterations. However, after 33 iterations, it does not reload C3C. It just keeps saying "Waiting for Civ to launch...". Should I change the timings?1. Are you sure you have ANY Acceptable Maps? ........because of the "2. Problem"! (If you only looked at 33 Maps!!)

2. Try increasing the timing of "ms delay before restarting C3C" to say, 60,000+. :)

1. Yes, I did get 1 acceptable map. I found that MF made a file called "MapFinderTmp" or similar in my /Saves/ folder.

2. Ok, thanks.

FYI G_A, the accepted map filenames will take the format "IterationNumber.SAV" ......so the one you are referring to is some kind of intermediate or temporary file that is not a final "Acceptable File".

When Moonsinger shows up here, she can give you a full explanation. :)

I don't know if this will help or not, but I'm going to try an abbreviated version of what my HD (drive C) looks like from Windows Explorer:

Local disk (C: )
-[ ] Civ3Map
|
|-Maps
|
+Regent
|
-Warlord
|-WLStdC7-8civs
|-WLSmP6-3civs
+Documents and Settings
+Mapfinder_v65
+Program Files
|
-Infogrames Interactive
|
-Conquests
+ Art
+Saves
+Scenarios

Obviously, it's not complete, but notice that there are 3 separate areas involved. Civ3Map has the subfolder "Maps" where the program sends the .jpg, .sav and .set files when they are first generated. The Mapfinder program is in a separate folder. Then the game is under Program Files and the maps you want to play can be moved to the appropriate "save" subfolder.

As Eman pointed out, the acceptable files show the iteration number with the extensions .sav, .jpg and .set as 3 separate files.

I noticed that your system has almost the same specs as mine, so what works on my computer should work on yours. I hope I'm not confusing the issue even more. And as Eman also said, Moonsinger can probably explain it best. :)

Edited for typo.

I've NEVER seen anyone help out Ginger_Ale before.........Never!! :)

He's (she's?) ALWAYS so Prompt, Knowledgeable and Patient at the Civ 3 Quick Answers thread.........helping out the less-experienced players............Good on you Ginger_Ale........and Gold Star to you too, Ms. gmaharriet! :goodjob: :goodjob:

Thanks, Eman! :blush: I've gotten much help from Ginger Ale as well, whether he knows it or not, and would love to return a favor to him (as well as all the other folks I've learned so much from). :)

Hehe, I require help once in a while. :) (And I'm a he, yes!).

That is exactly like mine gmaharriet - except there was no save in the folder where the .jpg and .set one was. I think this was because MapFinder wasn't "done" yet - it still had yet to find 99 more acceptable maps, but it was stuck with my 2nd problem, where it wouldn't launch again. If it had found all the saves and stopped by itself (I manually stopped it when it wasn't doing anything), I bet it would work. Thanks again.

Heya, I don't wish to sound completely stupid, but I can't for the life of me firgure out how this works, I dl'd the file unzipped it, run the game clicked on the exe, and now what lol? Any help would be marvelous!

Check the second post of the thread. You should find what you need there, and if not, you can always ask more specific questions.

that helped a bit, but I'm still lost, how do I create new rulesets? it asks for those when I click 'start map generator' and I can't figure out where to make them/get them from

Go to File then Setup, and you will get a new window with three little tabs. One is general, one is rule set, and one is extra.

Thanks Eman, GmaHarriet, and Bed_Head for helping out while I was gone.:)

To Ginger_Ale: Are you still having problem with MF? If yes, please post the spec of your system (CPU speed, # of RAM, and # of video RAM). I also need a to see what inside your MapFinder.INI file (it can be located at where you installed MF; please post a copy of it). If you provide me with those information, I'm pretty sure I can help your MF running smoothly with 100% satisfaction.

To GmaHarriet: There are some very nice features in the MapReport program that you may have missed. May be you already know about them, may be not, but I'm just going to list them down here just in case:

#1. By clicking on the column header (any column header), the report will be sorted by that column. For example, if you want to sort all maps by the cows column, click on the cow column (now you can move on to #2 below to select mass move, mass save, mass delete, etc.)

#2. If you right hand click on any row in the report, a popup menu with some very nice feature (like mass delete maps, mass move, etc) will appear. For example, first select a range of rows by clicking on one row then drag the mouse cursor to include other rows, then right-hand mouse click to activate the popup menu, then select "save as..." (it will prompt you for folder destination, etc...it also remembers the location of your last selected file folder ...isn't that nice?). Of course, for those maps that you don't ever want to play, just select delete and MapFinder will delete them (all three *.JPG, *.SAV, and *.DAT files). Please note that MF would delete only maps for those selected rows and nothing else.

Thank you SO much, Moonsinger!!! :goodjob: I wasn't aware of the "mass" possibilities directly in your program. That should save me having to do it in Windows Explorer, since I file them by playing level, map size and type.

I may never get listed in the Hall of Fame, but I sure get some terrific starts to have fun playing with. :)

No problem, gmaharriet!:)

Does this mean that I have to leave this on overnight or somehting?

Does this mean that I have to leave this on overnight or somehting? :confused:
I'm not entirely sure which post or person you're addressing, but yes, the general idea behind Mapfinder is to let it run while you're not using your computer.

I guess sitting and watching it run could be somewhat meditative, I'm not really sure, I only do that a few times a week. I guess what really defines me as hard core is that I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night because my CD drive hasn't spun recently and I know that Mapfinder needs restarting.

I often watch it running when I'm having a problem with insomnia. The sorta regular routine of clicks and thumps and staring at the screens changing requires no effort on my part and I get drowsy...a TERRIFIC added benefit that I'll bet Moonsinger never intended. ;) :p

You're right, gmaharriet. I sometimes don't turn my speakers off when I go to bed. It's almost like mellow tribal percussion.

To Ginger_Ale: Are you still having problem with MF? If yes, please post the spec of your system (CPU speed, # of RAM, and # of video RAM). I also need a to see what inside your MapFinder.INI file (it can be located at where you installed MF; please post a copy of it). If you provide me with those information, I'm pretty sure I can help your MF running smoothly with 100% satisfaction.


When I get burned out of regular Civ like now I turn to the HoF for fun, so this would be a great help!!

Sys. Specs: P4, 1.8GHz, 256 MB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 400 video card, 64 MB for it.


[Config]
Delay4NewGame=18000
Delay4SaveGame=18000
Delay4RestartC3C=24000
MinDomLimit=100
MaxDomLimit=1000
OutputDir=C:\HoF\Histographic\
AutoSaveDir=C:\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III\Conquests\Saves\Auto\
Counter=407
Delay4Keystrokes=1500
Delay4CivDialogs=12000
MaxAcceptGame=100
QuickStartGame=1
NoRun2RestartC3C=33
JPGCompressionQuality=70
MinCattle=2
MinFish=-1
MinGame=-1
MinGold=-1
MinOasis=-1
MinSugar=-1
MinTobacco=-1
MinFruit=-1
MinWheat=-1
MinDyes=-1
MinFurs=-1
MinGems=-1
MinIncense=-1
MinIvory=-1
MinSilks=-1
MinSpices=-1
MinWines=-1
MinGrassland=4
MinFloodplain=-1
MinPlain=-1
MinForest=-1
MinHill=-1
MinJungle=-1
MinDesert=-1
MinTundra=-1
MinMountain=-1
MinCoastal=-1
MinMarsh=-1
MinFreshWater=1
MaxGrassland=-1
MaxFloodplain=-1
MaxPlain=-1
MaxForest=-1
MaxHill=-1
MaxJungle=1
MaxDesert=1
MaxTundra=1
MaxMountain=-1
MaxCoastal=-1
MaxMarsh=1
MaxRiver=-1
MinFoodBonus=-1
MinLuxury=-1
MinShieldGrass=2
MinGoodyHut=-1
MinLimit4ForceSave=-1
MinCow4ForceSave=3
DisableRuleSetWarning=0

According to other people who have similar specs, these seem OK... I'll be gone until the 16th, so take your time...

Hi Ginger_Ale,

I'm back. Your configuration looks ok, except these two values as follows:

Delay4Keystrokes=500
Delay4CivDialogs=5000

Make you turn off all automatic scheduler! Make sure your virus protection isn't schedule to do a complete system sweep while you are running Civ3 (because that would cause MapFinder out of sync with Civ3). Other than that, it should work. If it runs for day without giving you any maps, may want to check your rule sets to make sure that you aren't asking for the impossible (like give me a map with a domination limit of 4700 or something).

PS: If you like, you can remove all those MinXXXXX keys from your MapFinder.INI file. Those keys left over from the previous version, the current version use the rule set and doesn't need those values.

I've got a problem with this utility. Whenever I generate a map, it says, "Highest Dom limit: 0" and lowest "Lowest: 9999999." I have made sure autosave is on and the autosave directory is the conquests one, not vanilla or ptw. It's worked before.

Edit: Also, I saw it generate a kind of map I wanted, but it wasn't considered acceptable! I had

Cow on grassland
And River > 0

Cow on grassland
And River > 0

That is an invalid rule! That would explain why it doesn't work. How many cows on grassland are you looking for? Please be more specific. For example, you could correct that rule as follows:

And Cow on grassland > 0
And River > 0

Now, it will work!

Will that fix the domination limit thing too?

Will that fix the domination limit thing too?
Yes, it will! Btw, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the domination limit counter. Mininum=999999 and maxinum = -1 is exactly the initial values that I had programmed it to begin with.

Here is how the program really work:

Step #1: intialize the "lowest limit counter so far" with 999999 and the "highest limit counter so far" with -1.

Step #2: start the map evalution subrountine

Step #3: if the limit of the current map is less than the "highest counter so far" or if is greater then the "lowest counter so far", update the counter.

Setp #4: Loop back to Step #2 for next iteration.

As you see, because you gave it an invalid set of rule, step #3 has never get a chance to do its job; therefore, the program evaluate nothing; therefore, you end up seeing the initial value as stated in step #1.

Thanks Moonsinger :thanx: .

I've found 2cp and I bought a new brain. I found myself what I was looking for.

This tool is great :)

This may have been answered before, but this thread is just TOOOOO long for me to go through the entire thing :( , but can someone tell me EXACTLY how to set the rule so that I store games with at least 1 wheat/cow next to a river with a dom limit >4000?

Thanks :D

AND Dom Limit > 4000
AND River > 0
OR Cow > 0
OR Wheat > 0

ALL "AND" conditions and at least ONE "OR" condition must be true for the Map to be accepted.

(See Post #551 on Page 28.)

I don't believe you can guarantee the Cow/Wheat is next to a River but there will be at least one river-adjacent square in the visible starting position. :)

Hmmm.... I set mine up like this, but I'm seeing all maps with wheat/cow and next to river skipped :confused: . Do you see anything wrong here?

The only thing I can see of significance is that you are limiting your Acceptable Maps to those containing EXACTLY One River square.

AND River > 0............ might yield more Maps. :)

(viz. Currently you will reject Maps with 2 or more River squares!)

Hey Moonsinger, would you mind publishing the file layout of the "Set" file created by Mapfinder. I would like to try something with all those map statistics.

Of course, if you wanted to add a "copy to clipboard" option to MapReport, I wouldn't object. :mischief:

Hey Moonsinger, would you mind publishing the file layout of the "Set" file created by Mapfinder. I would like to try something with all those map statistics.

No problem! Here is the delphi data structure of the *.set file:


TRunData = record
CurShieldGrass: Integer; //total number of bonus grasslands for current map
CurGoodyHut : Integer; //total number of visible goodyhut found for current map

CurCattle : Integer;
CurFish : Integer;
CurGame : Integer;
CurGold : Integer;
CurOasis : Integer;
CurSugar : Integer;
CurTobacco : Integer;
CurFruit : Integer;
CurWheat : Integer;

CurDyes : Integer;
CurFurs : Integer;
CurGems : Integer;
CurIncense : Integer;
CurIvory : Integer;
CurSilks : Integer;
CurSpices : Integer;
CurWines : Integer;

CurGrassland : Integer;
CurFloodplain : Integer;
CurPlain : Integer;
CurForest : Integer;
CurHill : Integer;
CurJungle : Integer;
CurDesert : Integer;
CurTundra : Integer;
CurMountain : Integer;
CurCoastal : Integer;
CurMarsh : Integer;

CurFreshWater : Integer;
CurRiver : Integer;
CurDomLimit : Integer;
VisbleTile : Integer; //number of visible tile

CurFoodBonus : Integer;
CurLuxury : Integer;

CurGetFood : Integer;
CurGetGold : Integer;
CurGetShield : Integer;
CurGetFoodBase : Integer;
CurGetGoldBase : Integer;
CurGetShieldBase : Integer;

CurCattleOnGrass: Integer;
CurCattleOnPlain: Integer;
CurWheatOnFloodPlain : Integer;
CurDeerOnForest : Integer;
Cur5FoodCount : Integer;

CurWineOnHill : Integer;
CurDeerOnMarsh : Integer;
CurFishOnMarsh : Integer;
CurForestOnGrassland : Integer;
CurForestOnPlain : Integer;

IterationId : Integer; //current iteration id
dDateGenerated : TDateTime; //actual date time when this map is generated

ListOfRule : array[0..1023] of char; //list of rules apply for current map
end;


For example, CurCattle is really the total number of visible cattles for the current map. At the moment, each *.set file contents exactly one TRunData record.

Of course, if you wanted to add a "copy to clipboard" option to MapReport, I wouldn't object. :mischief:
Well, that really depends on how often are you planning to use the clipboard?:mischief:

Hmmm.... I set mine up like this, but I'm seeing all maps with wheat/cow and next to river skipped :confused: . Do you see anything wrong here?

Exactly like what Eman has explained! Thanks Eman!:) Also according to your rule, you were looking also for maps with a domination limit of at least 4000; therefore, MapFinder would skip any map with a domination limit of 4000 or less no matter how many wheats/cows/river were visible on the map.

A further comment on what Eman and Moonsinger said...

If you use river=1, remember that a river usually has 2 sides on most maps. The "1" means number of tiles bordering a river...not the number of separate rivers.

I set mine at river >2, because I want a longer river, and a river that runs a distance of 3 tiles most likely means river=6, 4 tiles =8, etc. :)

Good Point gma! :goodjob:

Multiple River Squares are very useful in the Early Game. (viz. Extra Commerce & River-Adjacent Cities can grow to size 12 without needing an Aqueduct.)

I've set my rules this way:
AND River > 2
AND Coast > 0
AND Bonus on grassland > 2
AND cattle > 0
AND Ivory > 0


I know it can be a difficult question but how many days or weeks do you think I'll need to wait for at least get one elligible map?

I've set my rules this way:
AND River > 2
AND Coast > 0
AND Bonus on grassland > 2
AND cattle > 0
AND Ivory > 0


I now it can be a difficult question but how many days or week do you think I'll need to wait for at least get one elligible map?

I would recommend River > 0. Keep in mind that a river run may run through many non-visible tiles. Just because it ends at the starting position, that doesn't mean that it's a short river. The chance for getting ivory and a cow with visible coast line at the starting position is very rare; I have never run into such a map, but may be you will get luckly, who know.

I was trying to use Mapfinder for C3C but it wouldn't work. I started a game and then started Mapfinder at 4000 BC, and it created a new map but then abruptly displayed the following error message:

Access violation at address OOCF345E in module 'SAVUtils.DLL'. Write of address 03DDA26C.

Could anyone please help me or tell me what I'm doing wrong? Thanks.

Did you create a shortcut somewhere for mapfinder and use that? I had that problem.

Yes, I did actually. Do you think that would be the problem?

Yes, go to the original link

DLL is domination limit, and near the original mapfinder thing is something that has to do with that, and it will tell you that when you start it. Does the domination limit always say highes 0 and lowest 999999?

When I start Mapfinder from the explorer it doesn't make a difference, I get the same error message.

@Ciceronian: Are you using the latest patch of C3C (1.22)? SAVUtils.dll *should* cope with older versions OK, but it's been used mostly with the latest version as that's what's required for the HOF. EMail me a .sav file or post one here and I'll take a look.

Is this a valid rule?

Domination Limit > 4300
And River > 0
And Cow on Grassland > 0

Or do I need an "And" in front of domination limit?

Is this a valid rule?

Domination Limit > 4300
And River > 0
And Cow on Grassland > 0

Or do I need an "And" in front of domination limit?

Wherever there is dropdown picklist, please pick something from the picklist. Therefore, to be on the safe side, there should always be an "and" or an "or" in front of every line.

Access violation at address OOCF345E in module 'SAVUtils.DLL'. Write of address 03DDA26C.

What Dianthus said! Also check the property of the "SAVUtils.DLL" file to see which version do you have. If your version isn't 2.3 (see attachment), please upgrade.

Sorry guys, you can kill me for being really stupid now... I hadn't enabled autosave in my preferences!!! How could I be so dumb!!! Now MapFinder works without problems.
Btw, my savutils.dll is version 2.7 for some strange reason.

OK, I know I'm doing something really stupid. I just got a new computer with Windows XP (instead of my old Win 2000), and I tried to download Mapfinder. I thought I knew what I was doing, BUT when I'd get an acceptable map, it would ask me if I wanted to overwrite the previous file. :confused:

I looked in the file where I usually save new maps, and it had only 1 .jpeg and 1 .set file and no .sav at all. Here is a pic
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/180352/MapfinderFiles.JPG

This thread is very long, but I recall there were some very specific instructions about where to put the file after downloading, and I'm too lazy to read from page 1 up to here to find it. :blush:

Also, it reset the iterations to zero, which may be causing the "overwrite" error. I was up to almost 200,000 iterations before. Is there any way to reset it to that number and go from there?

Golly, I was looking forward to a new speedy computer with a better graphics card, but I've been working for about 10 hours on trying to get everything I used to have downloaded so I can have some fun, and getting very cranky and frustrated. :cry: I LOVE Mapfinder!!! but I think I did something wrong this time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and BTW, if you see that Save Folder lower in the pic, that was just where I had my IT guy put my old saves temporarily until I could reinstall Civ...not where they will actually be when I finish fixing things (if I ever finish).

Edit to add: For testing purposes I changed the rule set to nothing except AND Rivers > 2, so that I'd get lots of acceptable maps and be able to watch what was happening. Well, I'm getting about 95% maps with rivers and not 1 of them is even trying to save now. I think I'm losing my mind. :crazyeye:

OK, I deleted and reinstalled. Now it's saving, but it keeps trying to overwrite and the screenies of each of the maps it saved look like this.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/180352/MapfinderOverwrites.JPG

Argh!!! What am I doing wrong?

OK, I got it to work now. I went back looking for the original install instructions and found the pic of my drive C directory that I made for Ginger Ale...and it looked different from what I had recently done. I changed the locations of some things to match what I used to have and it's working fine now and runs much faster than it did on my old computer.

Somewhere there is another copy of the program on my HD that I can't locate, but it doesn't seem to interfere. I just got XP and everything looks different :crazyeye: , so I have trouble locating files. Ah, the joys of upgrading. :rolleyes:

first i just want to say what an excellent program! i have been using it for many months perfectly but, today i used it before work and when i got home it had only tried to generate around 30 maps. so, i tried it again. same thing. civ seemed to crash and then mapfinder keeps checking for a few more iterations before it stops. so i deleted mapfinder and downloaded it again. now whenever i run it the first attempt doesn't do a quick start but actually tries to load a conquest or a saved game. i can think of nothing that i changed to cause the first problem and now it is performing like it never has. i was able to use it perfectly the first time i got it and then just today i have had those problems. i rebooted my computer and still having problems. i liked this program so much and just 2 days ago i went through 3,000 iterations. any help please?

EDIT- read post #760. had the wrong autosave file. now it does a quick start. so late right now. i will let it run tonight and see if i am still having problems with civ crashing.

it works again. don't know what the initial problem was. i reinstalled conquests, i had added some stuff that seemed to be making things run different, so that is cleared. deleted and downloaded another mapfinder. got the right auto save. rebooted my computer and went through 2000+ iterations last night finding 21 maps.

thanks for such a useful utility! i love being able to sleep, go to work, and come home with excellent maps to play! :goodjob:

I'm having an inconsistant problem with Map Finder halting. Sometimes I get 1000+ iterations before it halts at the waiting for Civ to launch step other times it halts within the first 10 map generations.

Any ideas what settings I need to modify?

[Edit: Just thought that I should check the release to see how current my install is]

Ok, now it's an official cry for help

I deleted my old MapFinder version (6.1 I think), rebooted my machine and loaded the newest version and rebooted again (just in case). I then opened MapFinder and created a rule set looking for >1 Cow and > 0 river.

I then start up conquests and go through my selections:
Chieftain - Huge - Max dirt on Pangaea - normal - temperate - old world
Select Iroquois and 8 opponents and generate a map next I closed the opening pop up

Then I switch to MapFinder and tell it to start, it closes the current game and goes to the main menu and procedes to step down 2 prompts to try to load a game. When I click on stop to end MapFinder I get the attached error

Not sure what to do now.

Edit: Nevermind, found the problem :blush: . Can someone get a mod to delete this?

When I use the mapfinder, it seems to stall when trying to save the temp map.

My only requirement is AND Ivory > 0

Tell me if I'm doing this right:

1. Start Mapfinder
2. Start Conquests
3. Go to new game
4. Press the circle to accept the terrain
5. Decide my civ, etc, but do not hit the circle
6. Press the start button in map finder

It seems to go okay, the game starts, waits a minute (verifying?), then opens up the save menu. The the little overwrite prompt comes up, and it waits. Then the save window disappears (same map), a bit of a delay, then the save window comes back up, then the overwrite prompt, etc.

Can anyone help?

I only did superficial searching in this thread fior a similar problem, its 40+ pages :(.

EDIT: My bad, a little more searching, and I realised I didn't set the save directory.

I just downloaded this,

I'm getting an error message when I try to run it. I have the rule set saved and running too...

It looks like it's looking in the wrong folder (should be ...\Civilization III\Conquests\conquests.ini, I assume). Since I haven't used Map Finder in about a year, I wouldn't know what to change.

I don't think you want your saves to write directly to your Program Files directory. I use Mapfinder all the time, and the saved maps are written to a completely separate subdirectory off the C drive. Here is a pic taken of my directories from Windows explorer. The maps save to where the dark blue highlight is on "Maps" and I move only the ones I want to play to the Program Files area.

If you look down farther, you'll see the Program Files and it's sub-directories completely separately.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/180352/MapFinderDirTree.JPG

Ok, now it's an official cry for help

Sorry, I have been gone for while and forgot to check this thread. Since the last version of MapFinder was very stable and problem free, I didn't think anyone would need my help anymore. If you don't see me around, please send me a private message. If you are still having problem, please let me know.

I just downloaded this,

I'm getting an error message when I try to run it. I have the rule set saved and running too...

Just like TimBentley said! Thanks Tim!:) Since there are at least three different versions of Civ3 (vanilla, PTW, and C3C), you need to tell MapFinder which version of Civ you are playing. From the General Setup tab in MapFinder, you need to specify the correct "AUTOSAVE" folder for Civ3; otherwise, it cann't locate the civ3 *.ini file. The screen shot for this is in post #1 of this thread. Here is a picture of that setup screen: http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85118&d=1111315775

Not sure what to do now.

Ok, first thing first, access the file properities of the SAVUtils.DLL to see which version you have. I think you are still using a much older version of the SAVUtils.DLL. The complete download for the latest version of MapFinder is at the beginning of the second post of this thread. Here is a link to that post:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=1531227&postcount=2

And here is the link to the latest package (it's the same one on post #2 of this thread): http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/MapFinder_v65b.zip

Due to a system re-build, I no longer have MapFinder installed and with playing two XOTMs per month, it might be a while before I get back to playing HOF games. When I do, I'll be downloading and installing the most current version. If anything goes wrong then I'll let you know.

In case I never said it before, thanks for all the hard work on this :thumbsup:

OK, I'm going to try this again, I'll let you know the results

my problem with mapmaker is a doozy... the program apparently uses the crtl+alt+q hotkey to initiate a new game after evaluating the current map, however, instead of bringing up the new game menu, crtl+alt+q brings up the dialer for my ISP! (netscape) i have tried to find a deactivation for this hotkey as related to the dialer, but to no avail... any ideas, short of uninstalling netscpae (ergo, no internet...) i really would like to use this utility, it seems like it would be so useful, and i keep reading raves about it in this thread, and wish i could be raving too...:(

Moonsinger and Dianthus, I just use your Map Finder and it is REALLY wonderful! Saving me a looooooo...ooot of time. :) Thank you so much for your work!!! //hug

Well, you can just color me confused! :confused:

I've dled MapFinder, 'unpacked' it, and followed the Instructions on page 1 of this thread to use it. (Start C3C, New Game, and all that). Once at 4000 BC, I hit my 'Windows' button to bring up the Start Menu. I go to 'Run', and Browse to the .exe file of this Utility.

The Utility starts up, but there are no instructions on how to program it. I know that 'Rules Set' means what you want the MapFinder to look for in a start, but it's all very confusing to me.

I'm sorry for being such a nOOb, but could someone please give me a detailed step-by-step guide on how to get MapFinder to generate a Settler Factory location for my first city?

Much thanks and appreciation! :thumbsup:

The Utility starts up, but there are no instructions on how to program it. I know that 'Rules Set' means what you want the MapFinder to look for in a start, but it's all very confusing to me.

I'm sorry for being such a nOOb, but could someone please give me a detailed step-by-step guide on how to get MapFinder to generate a Settler Factory location for my first city?
I don't think you can tell it to "generate an SF location", but you can tell it so "save" only maps that include the items needed for an SF, such as a food bonus, a bonus grass, river, etc. If you leave it running overnight, it may generate 500 various maps and only save 25 or 50 as meeting your needs.

Here is a screenie of my current ruleset (though I change it from time to time):
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/180352/MapfinderRuleset.jpg
This shows that I want a river running through more than 3 tiles (not more than 3 separate rivers ;) )
I don't want ANY jungle, marsh, floodplains, tundra or desert.
I definitely want a food bonus.
I don't want too many mountains or coastal tiles (not looking for seafaring civ).

None of the "OR" options show in this particular setup, but sometimes I'll use that to tell MapFinder that I also want EITHER bonus grass OR a lux OR a cow on grass, in addition to the other requirements. You have to experiment to see what conditions give you what you're looking for.

Hope this helps. :)

Originally posted by gmaharriet:

Hope this helps. :)

I'll give it a try. (No wonder it didn't work. I didn't have anything in the Operator or Value columns.)

Thanks, gmaharriet. :thanx:


Edit:

Every time that I try to run this Utility, I get this Error message:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f370/Civ3er/MapFinderError.jpg

Also, I've read on this thread that there is an 'M' icon to click to exit the Utility. I have never seen this icon. Is there something that I'm doing wrong?

:help:

I nearly forgot: The Utility will generate the first map, and then get stuck 'Verifying . . .'. I started the Utility. It generated the first map. I then took a shower (roughly 15 minutes). When I came back, it was still 'Verifying' the first map.

:help:

ehm this may sound dumb but what is the Domination Limit for?

The higher domination limit the more land you can control before gaining a domination win. In the case where you're going for a 100K, Histographic or Spaceship win, you want as much space as possible as that means more cities and more people, science & culture, all good things in those games.

In the case where you want a domination limit, you want a small number to achieve a quicker win.

Every time that I try to run this Utility, I get this Error message:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f370/Civ3er/MapFinderError.jpg
I've never seen that error message. You might have to contact Moonsinger for technical help.

Also, I've read on this thread that there is an 'M' icon to click to exit the Utility. I have never seen this icon. Is there something that I'm doing wrong?
I've never noticed an "M" icon either. I just click the "x" in the upper right-hand corner to exit and it works fine.

I nearly forgot: The Utility will generate the first map, and then get stuck 'Verifying . . .'. I started the Utility. It generated the first map. I then took a shower (roughly 15 minutes). When I came back, it was still 'Verifying' the first map.

:help:
You might try increasing some of the times on the "General&q