HoF Map Finder/Generator Utility 2016-10-05

[Moonsinger]

Update: New Version (6.3)

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/MapFinder_v63.zip

I have added the following items:

fish on marsh (not something I care for, but since you ask)
deer on marsh
furs
wines
wines on hill (just in case you want both the food and the shield)
forest on grassland
forest on plain
bonus resources (the sum of any of the bonus resources: fish, game, wheat, gold, tobacco, cattle, etc)

And of course, an option to disable that rule warning message everytime you view the rule set. This option is in the "Extra" tab. If disable, the warning message will never show up no matter what. If it's not disable (the default), it will show up only once per session.

That's it! Is there anything else that need to be done on this project? I have a feeling that I'm forgetting something but can't remember what it is at the moment. Please remind me if there is something else you want me to do. If not, see you when Civ4 come out. I think I'm going to retire from Civ3 and will focus on real life issue for awhile. If you need me, you can contact me via email or PM. Good bye for now!

 

[EMan]

Looks Great Moonsinger!

MapFinder is now truly a Masterpiece!

There must be some things you're forgetting....'cos we don't want you to go! ( )

I've asked this before.....So, I'll ask again:
Would it be possible to indicate which tiles will be considered, before applying the logical tests?
I.e.:
1. ALL seen (including the Settler's)
2. 9, including Settler
3. 8, excluding Settler

I assume at the moment it's only Option 1?

Final Request: At least promise you'll lurk?

BTW, what time zone are you on?......are you only awake when the Moon's up?

Real Life?............This IS Real Life!

 

[Dianthus]

I've asked this before.....So, I'll ask again:
Would it be possible to indicate which tiles will be considered, before applying the logical tests?
I.e.:
1. ALL seen
2. 9, including Settler
3. 8, excluding Settler

I assume at the moment it's only Option 1?

None of the above . MapFinder considers all tiles visible from the start position, including the one the Settler is standing on. This can be quite a bit more than 9 tiles depending on the number of hills/mountains/coast.

 

[EMan]

That's a very clever answer, Dianthus!......Too bad I wasn't asking a trick question!

And, of course, you are to be congratulated on all your work with MF et al!

However, my question still stands!

 

[Dianthus]

I think maybe I'm not understanding your question then as I thought I had answered it. Are you really requesting a feature rather than asking how it currently works? I'm wondering if you're really asking "Would it be possible to choose which tiles..."?

 

[EMan]

Yes, choose, is a better word.

viz. Yes, I'm asking for an option to choose which tiles are to be considered before applying the tests.

For example, in a Fast Finish HOF attempt, you might only be interested in the 8 tiles surrounding the Settler!......because they would be immediately available in your capital city, which you would like to settle "on the spot" to save "time"!

 

[Moonsinger]

Yes, choose, is a better word.

viz. Yes, I'm asking for an option to choose which tiles are to be considered before applying the tests.

For example, in a Fast Finish HOF attempt, you might only be interested in the 8 tiles surrounding the Settler!......because they would be immediately available in your capital city, which you would like to settle "on the spot" to save "time"!

Anything is possible! However, do you really really want it to do that? For example, the starting postion isn't perfect to settle on the spot, but by moving by one tile away, it will be perfect! Therefore, if you check just the 8 surrounding tiles (not all the visual tiles), you may miss out a lot of good maps.

My feeling has always been that one or two turns delay won't make much of a different (yes, I'm thinking about the fast finish game, not a milk one). If we are a little behide, Civ3 would normally compensate us with gold or a settler from the hut. There are times that I intentionally fall a little bit behide on purpose so that I could get free goodies from the game itself or from the AIs (depending on the stage of the game).

In any case, if you really really want it, I can include that option for you. I just have to talk this over with my co-designer Dianthus. If Dianthus says yes to my next question, you can have this feature by tonight. If Dianthus says no, then it's Dianthus that you need to convince, not me. This is my question to Dianthus:

______


To Dianthus,

In the list of all visible tiles [0..n] that your DLL passing over, does the settler stand on tile index 0? If yes, EMan will get his wish tonight. If no, well...I'm going back to my enjoy my retirement.

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your wonderful work on this project. I couldn't have done it without your help. Well, technically we both know that I could, but it would take a zillion or more years for me to do so on my own. I probably will die of old age before I even start on this project. Thanks again! I hope our paths will cross again some days; if not, have a wonderful life and please dont work too hard. Try to get away from this forum for a little while. I wish you great success in life.



PS: I will be out of town next week...so you probably won't hear from me for awhile after tonight.

PPS: Btw, I live in the central time zone and in the heartland of the US. There isn't much anything else here but cattles, corns, and beans. Well, that's just a feeling of where I live (not the actual statistic of my state).

 

[EMan]

Anything is possible! However, do you really really want it to do that? For example, the starting postion isn't perfect to settle on the spot, but by moving by one tile away, it will be perfect! Therefore, if you check just the 8 surrounding tiles (not all the visual tiles), you may miss out a lot of good maps.

Yes....well, in an ideal CFC Civ world, I'd like 4 choices:
1. ALL seen tiles, INcluding Settler's
2. ALL seen tiles, EXcluding Settler's
3. 8 tiles surrounding Settler
4. 9 tiles including Settler's

I think you must be Playing on a different level from me.....'cos I just can't see the advantage in moving the Settler and wasting 50 years (viz. 1 turn), if you don't have to!

Backpedalling (quickly!): This is obviously just a Wish List (or Druthers as we say in Texas).....if there are NO choices, then the way MF is NOW would still be Great!

To Dianthus,

...I also would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your wonderful work on this project.

Hear, Hear!

PS: I will be out of town next week...so you probably won't hear from me for awhile after tonight.

Enjoy Texas....Houston's gonna be warm next week.

PPS: Btw, I live in the central time zone and in the heartland of the US. There isn't much anything else here but cattles, corns, and beans.

Spoken like a True Dairy Farming Queen!

Long Live The Queen!

P.s. BTW, you know Queen's can't Retire!

 

[Moonsinger]

Ok, when I get back, I'm going to take MapFinder to the next level. There shall be multiple set of rules and multiple output directories that go along with each set of rules. MapFinder shall verify all these different set of rules at the same....this was one of the things that I forgot to do last night. So basically, you can have a set of rule to check for suitable map for a 20K game, another one for a milk game, and another one for whatever fast finish, etc. There shall be no limit to the number of rule sets (you can have as many sets as you like). This way, you won't have to sort out your map much because each output directory (according to each separate rule set) will give you exactly what you are looking for. It's going to be great! Trust me...I know what I'm doing.

 

[Smirk]

Anything is possible! However, do you really really want it to do that? For example, the starting postion isn't perfect to settle on the spot, but by moving by one tile away, it will be perfect! Therefore, if you check just the 8 surrounding tiles (not all the visual tiles), you may miss out a lot of good maps.

I think part of the problem is (at least for me) I get a lot of false positives, that is maps are saved which satisfy my criteria but only satisfy it because the settler is on a hill, and with 2 cows on opposite sides they can't be in one city for instance.

 

[EMan]

Ok, when I get back, I'm going to take MapFinder to the next level.....It's going to be great! Trust me...I know what I'm doing.

No doubt about that!

I guess one of the things I like about the game of Civ is that you think you've got it figured out and then you play a few more turns or another game and you LEARN more about the game and find ways to improve.....and thanks to MapFinder, HOF players like boogaboo, LulThyme, Smirk, DaveMcW, SirPleb, Moonsinger and many others have taken the game to even higher levels.....the single biggest tool, IMHO, is the MapFinder program.

So Civ is fun, constantly surprises you and you never quite know what to expect next.

Just like Moonsinger!!

P.s. @Moonsinger: Don't get too attached to Texas.......Y'all come back, ya hear! (To Iowa and your MF computer, that is. )

 

[Dianthus]

To Dianthus,

In the list of all visible tiles [0..n] that your DLL passing over, does the settler stand on tile index 0? If yes, EMan will get his wish tonight. If no, well...I'm going back to my enjoy my retirement.

No, index 0 is the top left tile. I'm not sure I included anything in the API to allow you to know which tile the settler is on! (I haven't got the code here, but I'm pretty sure I didn't).

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your wonderful work on this project.

Thanks Moonsinger. I originally did this just because it was you that was asking, but it turns out that I've been using it quite a bit myself recently .

 

[Moonsinger]

I have done another version that support multiple set of rules. At the moment, I'm not sure if I should post it or not...because it's a little bits more advance and more complicate now. For example, if you have 3 different rule sets active at the same times, three separate output directories will be automatically created (as subdirectories based on your given root-output directory). Of course, separate reports will be generated as well. Since there is no rule that say your rule sets have to be mutual exclusive, there will be some duplicate outputs as well...and that won't be cool.

For example, if you happen to setup your rule as follows:

Rule set #1: Accept all maps with at least one cow.
Rule set #2: Accept all maps with at least two cows.
Rule set #3: Accept all maps with at least three cows.
...
Rule set #n: Accept all maps with at least n cows.

In this case, any map with n cows will also be saved in the 1, 2, 3, ... cows' output directories (why? because 1 cow is a subset of n cows). Since diskspace is so cheap these days, redundant files won't be a problem; however, I'm sure it will be just a matter of time before someone accidentally playing the same maps more than once. When this happen, I think they will blame me. Even though, there is a unique serial number for each map, I doubt anyone would pay attention to it (I know I don't). Therefore, I really don't want to post the new version until we can figure out how to avoid accidentally playing the same map more than once.

 

[denyd]

Moonsinger: What you could do is have a librarian program that would allow people to view games and parameters for each ruleset. Then if they selected that game for play, you could move the game from the MapFinder directory to the Active Games/Saves directory and delete the duplicate copies from the other directories. (just a thought)

 

[Dianthus]

however, I'm sure it will be just a matter of time before someone accidentally playing the same maps more than once. When this happen, I think they will blame me. Even though, there is a unique serial number for each map, I doubt anyone would pay attention to it (I know I don't). Therefore, I really don't want to post the new version until we can figure out how to avoid accidentally playing the same map more than once.

There's already a way. Just check every map using the 4000BC option on the HOF website. It checks if the map has already been played:

I would especially recommend doing this if you're planning to spend 200 hours on a game!

 

[EMan]

Glad you're back, Moonsinger.

I DO use the "unique serial number" in 4000BC and interim saves filenames! I don't think it would be difficult to check the other directories for duplicates when you've finished a game. However, would it be possible to save a game in ONLY the first rule set that was applicable?

BTW, it would still be great, since you're into multiple rule sets, to be able to specify the tiles to be checked!? (Remember the 4 different sets? [viz. All, All except Settler, 9, 8])

EMan in Dallas.

 

[Moonsinger]

Moonsinger: What you could do is have a librarian program that would allow people to view games and parameters for each ruleset. Then if they selected that game for play, you could move the game from the MapFinder directory to the Active Games/Saves directory and delete the duplicate copies from the other directories. (just a thought)

That sound like a good idea, but that would mean more works for me. I think I'm going to release it "as is" tomorrow's night (can't do it tonight because I have a date).

 

[Moonsinger]

Glad you're back, Moonsinger.

Glad to be home!

However, would it be possible to save a game in ONLY the first rule set that was applicable?

What if the first rule set isn't as good as the second rule set? Base on the example from my previous post, 1 cow for the first rule set, and more than 1 cows for the second rule set; if we just save a game ONLY in the first rule set (1 cow), we may not see it if we set out to play what in the 3 cows directory first.

BTW, it would still be great, since you're into multiple rule sets, to be able to specify the tiles to be checked!? (Remember the 4 different sets? [viz. All, All except Settler, 9, 8])

Yup! I have implemented these rule sets with that idea in mind. When the time is right (when Dianthus let me know which tile the settler sitting on), you shall have your 9 tiles output, 8 tiles output, all visible tiles, or whatever rule sets into their own directories.

 

[Moonsinger]

There's already a way. Just check every map using the 4000BC option on the HOF website. It checks if the map has already been played:

I would especially recommend doing this if you're planning to spend 200 hours on a game!

That's nice feature! I didn't realize you have already setup something like that for the HoF.

PS: What do you think about the location of the settler? Would it be easy and quick to do? Should we give EMan his wish?

 

[Dianthus]

That's nice feature! I didn't realize you have already setup something like that for the HoF.

Hmmm, I just noticed that screenshot shows some "special" options, options that only "special" people get to use . The 4000BC option is there for everyone once logged in though.

PS: What do you think about the location of the settler? Would it be easy and quick to do? Should we give EMan his wish?

Shouldn't be hard to do. I'm playing with SavUtils.dll at the moment for MikeZang. I'll stick this change in at the same time and send it to you.