[Map Script] SmartMap

I have scoured this script for some indication of how "smartmap random" is implemented. My goal was to specify which selections "smartmap random" chose from. However, I have had no luck. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

I used SmartMap as a starting point when trying to figure out how to write my own map script (which is linked to in my signature).

All the columns of green text (assuming your using the editor IDLE) about three quarters way down the SmartMap code govern the menu options. The first column lists the names of each menu option. All subsequent columns list the available choices for each menu option. Each menu option choice is assigned three variables:
1) Choice name,
2) Choice value,
3) True or false.

It's the true or false value that determines whether SmartMap Random can pick the option choice. The actual code which covers the use of true and false is found much further down among the assorted helper functions.

 

Greetings.
Can someone post a fixed version of this awesome map generator? I think the fixes for MULTIPLAYER WARLORDS would be easy enough... The three main problems I'm aware of is that:

1) After launch, everyone starts Out Of Sync. All players besides teh host see nothing but bare grass and mountains, without resources or terrain features. However, if they rejoin the game this is fixed.

2) The override features for the map size are broken. Sometimes you get the size of map you specify, sometimes you get an insanely larger map.

3) With more than 4 players in multiplayer the map usually hangs on initiation

4) Sometimes the resource distribution goes whacky, with certain settings.

The author has been gone for months. Just post a corrected version in a new thread, or here with a sticky, if you fix it!! Thanks.

Bigben34

 

I'm fairly certain that none of SmartMap's code is dependent on single player being selected.

 

I don't know, all I know is that it's extremely hard to get it to work for more than 4 players in mp. Regardless of how many players, I have to have everyone besides me rejoin after launch, to correct the OOS. Also, if more than 4 players want to play I have to tell them to hotjoin once I've launched, which sucks because their capital is then allready founded and this map generator doesn't do a good job with the territory around your capital site... you could have snow/tundra/desert, and a fish is just as likely to be 1 hex too far away to use, as it is to be within range.

Bigben34

 

Regarding 2) and 4), would you care to give more details?

Can't really comment on this since I don't use multiplayer. The problems don't sound like anything related to the SmartMap code - do you have these problems when hosting multiplayer games that use other map scripts?

That stuff happens with single player but it's worth pointing out that the appearance of snow/tundra/desert around your starting position was only introduced in later versions of the SmartMap. Try using an older version (SmartMap v8.5 was the version I always used). Alternatively, try using 'standard' civ starting placement rather than 'SmartMap' civ starting placement. Do you use the Blake AI? As I recall this has a positive affect on civ starting positions.

 

Hello Again:
In multiplayer warlords 2.08 games, any map script works fine except smartmap. After the game initializes, all players are listed OOS with values of 0. All players beside the host have a map with just grass and mountains, no resources or terrain features.... just the correct shapes of the continents. However, if the exit the game and hotjoin, then they have the correct map, and we can play.
Also, on multiplayer sometimes the map will generate a huge unmaneabeable file, and sometimes make a map much bigger than the override size i chose.
Also, once in a while it hangs during initialization.


I think I did use standard starting positions, but I'll keep an eye out for that. I dont' use blake AI.

Bigben34

 

This thread fell off the bottom of the page (or it did on my settings) so *bump*.

 

Yes, I have trouble with generating a normally-sized map. I get really wide and really tall maps usually, even though I have both "Overide X" and "Override Y" to "Do Not Override". In my mind, this should force it to remain at the chosen size of map (Standard in my case).

The other thing that irks me is that I can't seem to get rid of the crablike coast. I select "very round; no fragments" but I get crablegs on all the coasts. Am I missing something?

Even with those, I love this map generator usually, though I either get a "great map" or "WTF? reroll" -- no middle ground.

 

It doesn't.

SmartMap takes the map size you have selected and uses it to define an area, a minimum dimension, and a maximum dimension. The area is always roughly the same but with each map generation SmartMap obtains new values for the x and y lengths which are greater than the minimum dimension and less than the maximum dimension.

If you want consistent map shapes you must make use of the 'Override X' and 'Override Y' options so that the x and y lengths are exact.

 

Thanks. I took a peek at the code after posting and what I understand jibes with what you just said. I'll start doing that. The reason I find it so annoying is that the circumnavigation race is either over really early or wrapping around the world takes forever.

 

If anyone's wondering, I've tried SmartMap in BTS, and it seems to work just fine.

 

Just came on to check.

 

So... is anyone still working on this or is there any chance someone will pick up the project? It is a great script... my favourite in fact, but still could use some tweaking... so .. any takers?

 

The LandMasses map script began as a variant on SmartMap's continent generator. It doesn't include SmartMap's fragments generator and is designed to remove inland lakes, but otherwise playing LandMasses maps with 'one continent per land mass' and 'standard' coastlines can produce similarly (though not identically) shaped continents to SmartMap.

 

Having tried both with Warlords I found LandMasses much better once I got used to the custom settings. The variety of maps that can be generated from one group of settings (once I got them right) was impressive; the starting locations are superior also.

However, it doesn't work with BtS....yet. Thedrin, have you finished Potter yet and picked up a copy?

 

i also can not get Smart map to work with bts
yes , i did put smart map.py in the custom map folder
every start ended up being 1897 ?
no i did not check advanced start
any suggestion ?

 

Can you post your landmasses cfg file you've uses? I am having a terrible time getting the settings right for Landmasses.

 

I'm rushing off to work at the moment, and it seems my landmasses cfg file is no longer there (I haven't tried it in BTS yet), but I may be able to remember the main settings:

Size: because of my system something between small and standard but with no variation
Land Masses: 1 - 4
Continents: 5-20
Randomly distributed continents
Normal continent placement
Sea Level 40-80%
Land buffer: 4 to 10 (or maybe 12)
Rougher edges to the land masses
less desert more plains
All other terrain options standard
all the resource options to standard

Try setting aside 30 minutes or so to just generating maps and see if you like what you get. I think you'll be surprised at the variety of maps and thus the different strategies you'll have to use.

 

Hehe, I spent 3 hours doing that last night That's why I came here for help. Almost all my maps look like giant landmasses with a slice of fat river going through them. Even when I'd up the ocean content to 70% it still wasn't adjusting the amount of water. And some adjustments caused the whole and to be just trees. So I've got one or two things I set wrong and its messing up all the other varriables.