I love the mod but I hate the maps

[BSPollux]

I tried the RI planet generator and the version of PW that comes with it. Both create maps that are so bad that I cant play them.

I have tried diffrent settings and all of that but they allways create maps that look like spaghetti! Either its a long twisted continent, looking like a dead snake or if you get a compact landmass then its full of holes (fresh water lakes) like it was repeatedly hit by a shotgun.

Is there any mapscript that creates all the terrain features needed for RI, that created solid landmasses and that doesnt turn 20% of the continent into fresh water lakes?

I want to play this mod but the earth map runs to slow and all random maps are too ugly. Soon I'll start to cry

 

[Walter Hawkwood]

Don't cry.

You can use almost any random map generator, including those bundled with vanilla civ 4. Some of them will not place new terrain features, but that in no way breaks RI, since we designed it in a way that none of those have anything like strategic resources. They enhance the experience, but are not critical for it. Still, even classical Fractal places those.

BTW, there is A LOT of different settings in the Planet Generator, including the ability to tweak the shape of the continents.

 

[HannibalBarka]

Don't cry.

You can use almost any random map generator, including those bundled with vanilla civ 4. Some of them will not place new terrain features, but that in no way breaks RI, since we designed it in a way that none of those have anything like strategic resources. They enhance the experience, but are not critical for it. Still, even classical Fractal places those.

BTW, there is A LOT of different settings in the Planet Generator, including the ability to tweak the shape of the continents.

I definetly concur with that. Planet Generator is really a good mapscript that one can configure to give the right kind of maps.
PM are very interesting as well (though very weird some time). the only problem I have with them is resource and starting position placement: some civs start really close to each other or very remote from everyone (without being on an isolated island) and resources are some time weirdly placed: you can start with no food bonus, or 10 fishes or 10 wines, etc

 

[BSPollux]

Don't cry.

You can use almost any random map generator, including those bundled with vanilla civ 4. Some of them will not place new terrain features, but that in no way breaks RI, since we designed it in a way that none of those have anything like strategic resources. They enhance the experience, but are not critical for it. Still, even classical Fractal places those.

BTW, there is A LOT of different settings in the Planet Generator, including the ability to tweak the shape of the continents.

Thanks for answering

So a mapscript like lets say... continents will place things like hemp and coffee?

And about the PG settings: I realy tried, believe me. And sometimes it generates a map is not ugly. But the problem is that the chances are way higher to get an ugly map. And as I dont want to spoil it for myself I cant check if the map is good. And if I just start a game the chances are very high that I'll quit very dissappointed after playing several hours because I realize I hate the map. A bad map is a definate game breaker for me.

i want a planet that has several continents ("continents 3"), clearly seperated by big oceans ("seperation distance 6", "coverage 60%", "smart placement"). I want to have a reason to construct and maintain a fleet before renaissance ("common islands") but I want to reduce the fuzzyness of the continents ("no 1 tile islands", "landmass"). I like to know theres the possibility for late game expanding ("lonely islands 3", "medium").

These settings place a huge ammount of water tiles into the continents, either forming bays so big that the basicaly change the layout of the continent to something 'snakelike', or they stay as huge areas of fresh water lakes next to each other, totaly destroying any real shape the landmass could have had.

There would be a possible fix that sounds easy to me: There should be an option thats called 'reduce fresh water lakes'. It would, after the mapscript has finished its work so far, as a last step, take every tile of fresh water, roll for it and have it stay fresh water in 40% of all cases, turn it into plains in 30% of all cases or turn it into grassland in the remaining 30%.

Now that I typed it out, it seems so easy... Is there a map script tutorial somewhere? Or something else that could help me to learn it? It seems like it would be just a few lines of code...

 

[Walter Hawkwood]

All map scripts are coded in python. I don't think there is any tutorial available, but python is quite easy to understand, so with enough determination one can at least modify existing scripts (like I learned to, despite not programming in python myself).

And yes, the resources will be placed by almost all scripts, because no resource is exclusive to custom terrain features. We add no new terrain types, and thus even a map without new features will have all the resources you need to play RI.

 

[BSPollux]

All map scripts are coded in python. I don't think there is any tutorial available, but python is quite easy to understand, so with enough determination one can at least modify existing scripts (like I learned to, despite not programming in python myself).

And yes, the resources will be placed by almost all scripts, because no resource is exclusive to custom terrain features. We add no new terrain types, and thus even a map without new features will have all the resources you need to play RI.

Thank you again!