[Map Script] Tectonics

[Sine Nomen]

This is a wonderful script and you've made many good improvements, but there are two things that still really bother me. One is the way deserts abruptly turn into grassland - generally I think they should border plains and not run perfectly horizontal along the map - some (slight) variation would be nice. The other problem is that land masses too often run off the top and bottom edges of the map. In fact, most maps the script generates don't seem to have free-floating continents of any real size. It makes the dynamics of the game odd and it's just strange to have tundra run off into nothingness. Continents also tend to stretch the Y-length of the map, making it rather difficult to circumnavigate. I hope these aren't hard to address! Keep up the good work

 

[Larklight]

You'd want a progression somewhat like this?
(pole) ice-tundra-plains-grass-plains-desert-plains-grass (equator)?
Or a mix of plains and grass right below tundra?
The current progression is more like ice/tundra-tundra-grass-plains-desert-plains-plains/grass.

I think he meant a more mixed progression: so no sudden bands, but blured lines. Say (G-grassland, P-plains)

GGGPGGPGGGGGPGGGP
GGPPGGGPGGGPGGGPG
GPPGPPGGPPPGPPGPPP
GPGPPGPPGPPGPPPPGP
GPPGPPPPGPGPPPPGPP
GPPPGPPPPPPPPPPGPP

for a slower transition (sorry no screenshot)

Awsome mod though! Running this and the real quotes one, first one's beyond FfHII I'm using and they work like a charm. Brings back memories of Civ II, where continents didn't mean two poo-shaped slugs.

 

[LDiCesare]

I'm trying to find an algorithm to generate deserts that are not in stripes. The current one definitely is too east-west oriented. I think I'll have to take hills/mountains into account to curve the winds, which could give some nice results, but if not, I can either use more randomness or use patterns to put blocks of 4 or 9 squares in which I'd scramble the terrain.

 

[LDiCesare]

I think I've got something for desert edges. Must test a bit more since it may be a bit too rough on smaller maps.

Sine nomem, on which settings do you generate yor maps? Small, huge, 60% water?
With 60% water, it is quite common to be unable to circumnavigate. Much rarer with 70%. I don't think continents run off into nothingness. When you zoom out, you see that there's a big polar cap just above. I did try to generate continents in less extreme latitudes in the version I'm currently working on.

 

[jkp1187]

Have any of our brothers from Oceania tried Tectonics on Beyond the Sword yet?

 

[jkp1187]

I think I've got something for desert edges. Must test a bit more since it may be a bit too rough on smaller maps.

Sine nomem, on which settings do you generate yor maps? Small, huge, 60% water?
With 60% water, it is quite common to be unable to circumnavigate. Much rarer with 70%. I don't think continents run off into nothingness. When you zoom out, you see that there's a big polar cap just above. I did try to generate continents in less extreme latitudes in the version I'm currently working on.

Good to hear. I was going to mention this as one of the issues (actually, the only issue, I wasn't too worried about the E/W deserts,) I had with the script. I stopped playing the 60% maps because I like to be able to circumnavigate....and, aesthetically, it just seems a bit odd for some of the continents to be anchored against the polar ice caps (esp. because you can't transit the poles.) Still, it makes exploration (and the race for the circumnavigation bonus) a bit more interesting, since you can't always be assured that there'll be a "northwest passage" around a continent.

I haven't had any issues with circumnavigation on the 70% maps -- I usually play standard, 70%, around 10-12 civs (if # of civs makes a difference.) In fact, in the last few games I've been playing, I HAVE had a couple of continents that had a "northwest passage" around them to the north. (Others did not, though.) Maybe this could be an option -- "No anchoring of continents against ice caps" or something?

Where do we send our PayPal donations to for all of your work?

 

[lumpthing]

I took plains to mean territory that is more suitable for strip mining than farming.
Essentially the difference was natural soil fertility.

That's more or less my interpretation too. I just see plains as less fertile than grassland.

 

[LDiCesare]

I uploaded v3.12, which smoothes desert-grass transitions and breaks a bit the too linear limits between climate zones.

 

[rev'en]

Would it be hard to create it as a spherical map? Would be great!

 

[LDiCesare]

What do you mean by spherical map? Civ IV doesn't support these, only flat and cylindric.

 

[Larklight]

What do you mean by spherical map? Civ IV doesn't support these, only flat and cylindric.

Civ didn't support cool continents either before you: HAVE FAITH!

 

[TheLastOne36]

I like the map. But is it compatable with BTS?

 

[kristopherb]

I like the map. But is it compatable with BTS?

yes it does which im surpised at

 

[lumpthing]

Currently playing on my first tectonics map (70% water, immense, normal aridity). I really love it! The map feels much more real and gives all the different regions a strong atmosphere and sense of place. Thanks very much!

There was one minor problem whereby a river ended one tile before it reached the sea, but this was easily fixed with a world editor. I think the problem might have been that it would have ended at the same point as another river, so maybe it got confused or something.

Contrary to previous poster I like the way landmasses are often anchored to the poles. It always seem very artificial the way on normal maps there was a guaranteed seaway along the poles. Until very recently ice has made Arctic water impassable in the real world so why should a realistic map script make this impossible?

One thing that would be cool would be a tectonics 'terra' option - i.e. make sure there is at least one continent that is uninhabited, so that the civs have a 'New World' to colonize when astronomy is discovered.

I've been playing on BtS by the way so can also confirm it works fine with this xp.

 

[rev'en]

What do you mean by spherical map? Civ IV doesn't support these, only flat and cylindric.

With BTS I can choose "toroidal" as world wrap with a terra map. Makes it wrap the top and bottom too. Sorry about being unclear at first.

 

[jpinard]

WOW! I was referred here from another thread I'd started... frustrated with the fact I could NOT generate the kind of map I wanted to play on: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=234604

This looks fantastic! I have one question... are there enough resources and rivers? I haven't played yet... so I'm just asking as a general question - not a complaint.

Thanks for the work on this!

 

[lumpthing]

on the game I've just given up (was being mercilessly ganged up upon ) there were loads of rivers and resources.

 

[jpinard]

on the game I've just given up (was being mercilessly ganged up upon ) there were loads of rivers and resources.

Sweet What do people use for Python editing anyways? Just a standard text editor?

 

[jpinard]

How do I change the Huge map setting? I need to have the world be just a little bit larger than it is (greater width x height).

Thanks!

 

[LDiCesare]

Add this in the .py file:

def getGridSize(argsList):
	"Enlarge the grids! According to Soren, Earth-type maps are usually huge anyway."
	grid_sizes = {
		WorldSizeTypes.WORLDSIZE_DUEL:		(13,8),
		WorldSizeTypes.WORLDSIZE_TINY:		(16,10),
		WorldSizeTypes.WORLDSIZE_SMALL:		(21,13),
		WorldSizeTypes.WORLDSIZE_STANDARD:	(26,16),
		WorldSizeTypes.WORLDSIZE_LARGE:		(32,20),
		WorldSizeTypes.WORLDSIZE_HUGE:		(38,24)
	}

The map sizes here are those of Terra, which is bigger than regular map sizes. Just change x/y to what you want.
The script itself should do fine if you change the size.