HoF Map Finder/Generator Utility 2016-10-05

[EMan]

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.....

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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...

 

[Moonsinger]

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

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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....

 

[Gyathaar]

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?

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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....

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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....

 

[Gyathaar]

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.

 

[Moonsinger]

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 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.

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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

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!
Sure does save a LOT of usless doing it myself....

We are not worthy... We are not worthy... We are not worthy...

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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!

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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?

 

[Moonsinger]

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.

 

[eldar]

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.

 

[Moonsinger]

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!

 

[eldar]

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.

 

[GorfTheWanderer]

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

 

[Moonsinger]

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.