Wondering if someone would help me out

[Beamup]

OK, here's my situation. A friend of mine has asked me to make a special map for them (they want one that gives them a big advantage in order to easily gain some experience with the game). I have designed such a map, and came up with a design that would also have some interesting possibilities for more advanced players. However, unlike some people here, I cannot make the Windoze editor work under VPC (possibly because I only have VPC 3.0). Thus, I was hoping someone who can might be willing to give me a hand implementing my design. It shouldn't be all that difficult, entailing the following:

1. Create a random map with specified characteristics.
2. Make 1 simple rules change.
3. Put into that map a geographical formation, already designed in COMPLETE detail as an Excel spreadsheet. This formation is largish (37x55) but not terribly complex.
4. Adjust the # of starting positions and tradable resources outside of that formation.

Oh, and when I say complete, I mean I've got it down to where the bonus resources and goody huts should go. Nothing at all involved in that step other than copying the design into the map.

Once the map is done, and I've playtested it extensively, I'll probably want to release it publicly - anyone who helps me out would of course be appropriately credited.

[Trabpukcip]

Well I would give it a try. Just post your exel spreadsheet with the apropriate specifications and I'll give it a try.

[Beamup]

Thanks - I'd actually planned on emailing it, but I guess posting would work as well. Anyway, here's what I need:

Map specs: huge map, large land mass Pangaea, normal climate, temperate, 4 billion years old, with Raging barbarians.

Rules: 16 civs playable

The formation specified in BeamupMap.zip (the forum won't take a spreadsheet, so I zipped it) should be constructed somewhere on the map - location and orientation don't much matter, but the land bridges on either side should connect to the main Pangaea. Outside of this formation there should be 14 starting locations and 8 of each tradeable resource (if convenient, another version with only 4 of each tradable resource but otherwise identical would be useful).

I tried to make the encoding of the spreadsheet as intuitive as possible, but here's a detailed explanation of the meaning of each cell:
- Possibly starts with symbols for rivers. - means a river above the tile (relative to the spreadsheet), _ is below, ! is to the left.
- One letter for the terrain type: d is desert, m is mountain, g is grassland (with shield), f is forest (on top of grassland - with shield if that can be specified), h is hill, w is water (coast/sea/ocean as appropriate).
- Possibly more letters for special resources. a=aluminum, c=cattle/coal as appropriate, d=dye, f=fish/furs as appropriate, g=gems on mountains/gold on hills, h=horses, in=incense, i=iron/ivory as appropriate, r=rubber, s=saltpeter, si=silk, sp=spice, u=uranium, w=wine
- Possibly symbols for inhabitants. ! is a starting location, : a goody hut.
Thus !fi: would be a forest, with a river to its left, containing ivory and a goody hut.

[Trabpukcip]

For a reason I don't understand I can't open your attachement... so try emailing it to me at leecherfaction@hotmail.com

[Beamup]

It seems the file type gets lost in the zipping - I could get it to work by dragging the unzipped file (which looked like a text file) onto Excel. But, I have emailed you the original version (unzipped) as well.

[Trabpukcip]

The file you sent me by email works well... I'll start doing it soon...

[Trabpukcip]

Hemmmmmmmmmmm

I can't change the rules for "no cities on desert or tundra" in the version of the editor that I have. Is it absolutly necesary?

[Sid]

Wow! Collaboration twixt Boston and Montreal--I just love the web.

[Daelda]

Originally posted by Trabpukcip
Hemmmmmmmmmmm

I can't change the rules for "no cities on desert or tundra" in the version of the editor that I have. Is it absolutly necesary?

How about altering the food and shield production in tundra and deserts? That would make it more unlikely that anyone will build there.

[Beamup]

Hmmm, I thought I remembered people doing that with the very first versions of the editor. It's not terribly critical, I suppose. Mainly I'm concerned about the AI founding cities on those deserts in the mountain ring - that shouldn't be critical, though. Don't worry about it. If it turns out to be a problem in playtesting I'll think about solutions then.

Update - a bit of further research reveals that this was one of the changes in 1.29. Not sure what I was remembering but hopefully it won't be a problem. Playtesting will tell, I suppose.

[Trabpukcip]

I tried to update my editor to 1.29 just in case it would have worked, but it doesn't (as expected). The mac civ3 can't open the bic file because the versions are not compatible... so I make the map and worry about this later...

[Trabpukcip]

I've got a problem... agrrrrrrrrrr

My win 98 in vpc had some crash I didn't understand, I was forced to restart and now the editor say it miss some file... I tried to reinstall my PC civ3, but my cd of civ3 now don't want to install the game properly... AGRRRRRRR

So I'm waiting for a PC freind of mine to come help me... sorry but it's going to take me a bit longer then I originaly thought...

ps: now my signature take all it's meaning...

[Beamup]

Not a problem. That's the problem with VPC, isn't it? Emulating a piece of junk doesn't work much better than the original piece of junk. Thanks for the update, though.

[Beamup]

So, how's it going? My friend is pestering me - she wants to know when she can expect the map.

[Trabpukcip]

well I haven't get it to work yet... I sugest you try to find out someone else to help you because the thing really don't want to work... I'm sorry, but if I get it back to work you'll be the first to know...

[Beamup]

Well, it happens, I suppose. Anyone else care to volunteer to be a very nice person?

[Beamup]

Anyone? Please?