I can't seem to generate a decent map. Pictures inside

OK, feel free to laugh. This map I drew up was done in Paint with the spray can tool. So yes, it does look horrible. But it was the only way I could illustrate what I'm looking for - and no maps have made something like this yet. I already spent 5 hours just generating maps in-game and basically got nowhere.

White = Arctic
Dark Brown = Tundra
Light Green = Grassland, Plains, and forest
Dark Green = Jungle
Yellow = Desert



What I'm trying to show is I want a map with the following traits:

* An icy North/South that's not just a giant white rectangle across the poles (like most maps). I also want more tundra regions (hence the brown).

* Two main continents that have sifnificant borders with the tundra. But the continents shouldn't just be two rectacgle. Also, I'd like to have a real desert and a real jungle that occupies the mid-zone. Not the two desert tile mix I seem to see a lot.

* 2 or 3 medium-small islands. Big enough for a medium city to prosper.

* I want more land-mass than ocean volume.

More often than not, I open up the world editor on the first turn of a game to shape the world exactly as I see fit. You could give this a try, then play on the resulting map.

Is there a way to randomly generate "parts" of a map? I don't think I'm up for wiping out whole areas and slowly plunking down resources. Or is there resource scrambling option?

I've actually noticed that the maps i'm getting on fractal have far more interesting landmasses than I used to get on warlords, which usually spat out almost a pangea. I could be imagining it, but I think some of the map settings have definitely changed.

vilemerchant said:

I've actually noticed that the maps i'm getting on fractal have far more interesting landmasses than I used to get on warlords, which usually spat out almost a pangea. I could be imagining it, but I think some of the map settings have definitely changed.

Click to expand...

Dang... you just nailed it. Everyone has been talking about Hempisheres, Big & Small, and Medium & Small - and those all look like crap to me thus far. Did a couple of fractal and was surprised they looked decent. The only problem is there's always too much ocean.

Note: The picture in the first post wasn't to show "how" the land had to look - it was just an idea for how land could be that I'd enjoy.


Also - What's toroidal mean?

*Sigh* The Fractal script is identical to the Warlords version - in fact it's the very same file.

Toroidal means torus-shaped, like a doughnut.

jpinard said:

What's toroidal mean?

Click to expand...

Toroidal means that there are no poles. So all the way north ends you up in the south, and same for east to west.

Lars_Domus said:

*Sigh* The Fractal script is identical to the Warlords version - in fact it's the very same file.

Toroidal means torus-shaped, like a doughnut.

Click to expand...

I didn't play Warlords so I was comparing it to the oooold version. Any suggestions though Lars?

i like worlds liek that too.. Last game i had was almsot exactly like that, I did it ona Terra. But I didn't like the fact that 12 other civs started on my continent and none on the other, and SOME HOW 3 AMERICAS?! Ok I was gonna be roosevelt, and I decided 3 people I'd like to kill Stalin, Hitler, and Lincoln. Put Lincoln in load up the game.. I'm WASHINGTON? worst As i went on expanding I found my borders to lay against America and America. lol

I thout Terra was gonna be Earth I actually wanted that. or atleats some kind of world where I'mm either on my own continent or pennisula.

Terra always makes an "old" world with all the civs on and a "new" world which ends up populated by Barbarians.


Personally, I've found exactly what I have always been looking for in civ with the new map scripts of big and small / medium and small...... nothing else looks so natural as these scripts.

Anyway jpinard.... try using "Hemispheres" set to have 2 continents.... that will make something very close to what you want.

jpinard said:

Any suggestions though Lars?

Click to expand...

I don't know of anything that would generate a map exactly as you're describing, but it sounds like you could enjoy LDiCesare's Tectonics script:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=149278
I never really could get into that one myself, though.

Is there anywhere that gives a description of the new map types in BtS?

Frimlin, there is a thread titled: "New BtS Map Scripts" or something like that. It lists all the new scripts and there options.

JP: You could always set the map to Low Sea Level to decrease the amount of Ocean, while increasing the amount of land.

Lars - I really like tha script a lot. Thanks! It's really close to what I was looking for.

Steiner - I've been playing with Sea Level quite a bit. Often it doesn't "appear" to make a big difference. I don't know why?