Altering in-game map generation?

[PlutonianEmpire]

Getting back into Civving kinda out of necessity, since my gaming laptop for the 3d-intense games (civ 4, sims 3) is dead. I was messing with MGE for a while and I made a scenario featuring a sci-fi planet I made up. For that, I replaced the deserts and plains with extra jungles, since my planet is mainly single-biome (dual-biome if you count the oceans). I already have rulesets and icons/units from previous MGE-ToT conversions a few years ago that work fine and should have no problem mixing in with my new mods.

My question is, since I'm considering replacing either the original or the extended original game's rulesets with the ones for my new planet, what do I need to do so the game generates a second map layer appropriate to the climate of my planet, rather than the one for the alien world in the extended original game? Granted, I'll still need to let it generate just enough grasslands for valid location finding for the game's internal civ-placer.

 

[Catfish]

I guess that would be determined by a combination of settings for the Customise World option on launch and the Secondary Maps section in the Rules file. Here's a summary of the @SECONDARY_MAPS section from the Prima Strategy Guide for Civilization II: Test of Time that was posted many years ago on Apolyton:

@Secondary Maps:
... The special characteristics of the "secondary" maps (Maps 1 through 3) randomly generated by the game are hard-coded, but this code is to a large extent controlled by the values in this section. Using this, you can turn your extra maps into worlds similar to those in the Fantasy and Science Fiction Games.
Each of the three entries (There must be three, no matter how many maps you actually have in your scenario) controls the overall layout of the terrain in one of the secondary maps - in order. (That is, the first line controls Map 1, the second Map 2, and the last Map3.) We'll briefly go over the uses of each field in the following list and you can discover the rest for yourself....

0. Map Type: This value puts the map into one of the predefined categories that define the overall character of the world.

The possible map categories are

1. Submerged (merfolk)
2. Subterranean (Underworld)
3. Floating (Clouds, Orbit)
4. Land Dominant (Naumachia)
5. Gas Giant (Nona)
6. Standard Civ II (Earth)

1. Blob Size: For maps of type 3 and five, which are normally mostly ocean, this defines the average size of the "blobs" of land. This value has no other effect on other types of maps.

2. Blobs: For maps of type 3 and 5, this defines the average number of blobs of land. Each time a map of this type is generated, a random factor is introduced to determine the actual number. This value has no effect on other types of maps.

3. Bridge Length: For maps of type 3 and 5, this defines the average length of the land "bridges" that stick out near the corners of the land blobs. A 0 (zero) prevents bridges from appearing at all. This value has no effect on other types of maps.

4. Bridges/Blobs: For maps of type 3 and 5, this defines the average number (1 to 4) of bridges attached to each land blob. A 0 (zero) prevents any bridges from appearing at all. This value has no effect on other types of maps.

5. Blue Rooms: Roughly defines the number of Blue Rooms that appear on subterranean maps. No effect on other types of maps.

6. Ice Rooms: Roughly controls the number of Ice Rooms that appear on subterranean maps. No effect on other types of maps.

7. Fire Chambers: This number roughly determines the number of fire chambers that appear on subterrainean maps. No effect on other types of maps.

8. Storms. This number controls the average number of storms that appear on Gas Giant maps. It has no effect on other types of maps.

9-11 Desired Length: This set, and the next two sets, of valueshave varying effects depending on the type of map they're applied to. In very general terms, this first set defines the optimum length of the chains of multi-tiled terrain types (Hil, Mou, For) that are appropriate to the type of map being defined.

12-14. Maximum Length: In very general terms, this group of values sets the maximum length of the "chains" of multi-tiled terrain types (Hil, Mou, For) that are appropriate to the type of map being defined. See Desired Length.

15-17. Frequency: In very general terms, this last set controls how often "chains" of multi-tiled terrain types (Hil, Mou, For) that are appropriate to the type of map being defined appear. See Desired Length.

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From Prima's Strategy Guide for Civilization II: Test of Time by John Possidente and Dave Ellis. Copyright Prima Publishing and Hasbro Interactive 1999.
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[PlutonianEmpire]

Cool, thanks.

New question. Is it possible, either in-game or with utilities, to generate terrain for maps with existing ocean/continent arrangements without sacrificing the coastlines? (Eg, analogous to applying coastline protect restrictions to generation of new terrain?) It's kinda frustrating having to paint terrain on continents in civ2map on new map conversions from MapUtility completely by hand.

 

[Catfish]

Not that I can recall. CivMapGen can generate new terrain while preserving land masses, but only, it seems, for newly generated maps (Generate New Map → Same Layout). The Same Layout option doesn't appear to work for loaded map files.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Shoot. Was afraid of that.

Thanks.

 

[Catfish]

CivMapGen can generate new terrain while preserving land masses, but only, it seems, for newly generated maps (Generate New Map → Same Layout).

I don't know if that made a lot of sense. CivMapGen allows you to generate a map and then alter its parameters multiple times using the Same Layout option. For example, you could use the program to create a map and then make multiple changes to the age, climate, mountains and rivers, while preserving the land masses and coastlines.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

I know, been using it for years. I had been wondering if there were other utilities that were better at preserving coastlines, so to speak.