random map generator

[apeloverage]

I've been working on this:

www.apolitical.info/webgame/map

It creates a hex-map based on factors you put in (how much forest, how much water etc).

It's still under construction, but let me know what you think.

[Fenris]

I only have a moment to play with it, but it was fun and cool so far... I don't know if/when I'll use it for making a world setting, but I'm having a blast randomly generating whole worlds (or at least whole continents) with the push of a few buttons!

QUESTION: Should the total of each hex-type (excluding "randomness" of course) equal up to 100, i.e. 100% of the map is made up of 40/30/20/10, or does the generator create the map from the percentages relative to each other?

I tried both way, and the "totalling up to 100" seemed to give the best maps, although it still worked with higher totals, also.

EDIT: I went back and, as an experiment, put "25" in all categories (including randomness... a lower randomness factor seems to give more "realistic" maps) , and the resultant map was truly exceptional!

[apeloverage]

Cool, glad you liked it...I'm on holidays now, so hopefully I can add some more features.

The percentages don't have to add up to 100%. The 'water' score is a percentage of the total, 'hills and mountains' is a percentage of land, 'forests' is a percentage of land that isn't hills or mountains. It's fairly random, so the actual percentages on the map could be quite different.

'Settlements' is what percentage of 'places that are eligible to have a settlement' will actually have one. It works out whether a hex is eligible for a settlement based on the hex itself and its neighbours (eg wasteland makes it less likely, water makes it more likely).

I've also found that a low 'randomness' makes it look more like a map of a real place (and also more like its on a smaller scale).

[Fenris]

apeloverage said:

Cool, glad you liked it...I'm on holidays now, so hopefully I can add some more features.

You know, when I was looking at one of the maps it created, I saw the low hills and mistook them for "underground caverns" and thought, "Well that's cool! I could create a Phantasy Star/Greyhawk/Lunar-type world with just a few button presses!"

Of course, I took another look and saw it was actually "low hills" I was seeing, but, you know, dotting the landscape with caverns for adventurers to go exploring in could be cool. Whaddaya think?

PS I assume the map is printable?

[rlotze]

VERY Cool!

[mahrundl]

A very nice piece of work, apeloverage! Consider yourself Exalted!

Some suggestions for future changes (and I don't doubt that you've thought of at least some of them yourself):

• Coloured tiles - I find it a bit hard to pick out features in the current size in black and white. But that may just be me...
  
• Variable map sizes - a range of preset height and width combinations, or allow the user to set their own values (within reason).
  
• Variable tile sizes - if you can scale the individual tiles to 3/4 or 1/2 of their current size, the maps will be great as an overview. Ideally, this would be something that you can toggle on the map page itself, so that you can change the view without losing the specific map details.
  
• A Re-Generate function - provide an option to enter a 'seed' value to recreate a previously generated map.
  
• Preset layout 'types' - the ability to select the general style of the map. Options such as Island, Valley, Archipelago, Straits, Peninsula, Plateau, Bay and Mountain Range are the sort of things I mean here.
  
• Roads and rivers - unsure how feasible this is under the 'set of tiles' paradigm.
  

I don't know if these are on your list, impossible without totally redesigning your generator, or what. They are just some ideas I had - and I deliberately left out some of the really ambitious ones!

[mahrundl]

Forgot to mention: a bit of text on the start page, explaining how the numbers work, wouldn't go astray. Something like your initial reply to Fenris would be fine.

[apeloverage]

fenriswulf said:

I assume the map is printable?

Yes - one of the things I haven't done yet is make the map fit on a single page (which will mean the hexes have to be smaller).

[khaydhaik]

apeloverage said:

fenriswulf said:

I assume the map is printable?

Yes - one of the things I haven't done yet is make the map fit on a single page (which will mean the hexes have to be smaller).

For printing purposes, one can do Print Preview and rescale the map to fit the page.

[Fenris]

khaydhaik said:

For printing purposes, one can do Print Preview and rescale the map to fit the page.

Ohho! Smart! Very smart!

[apeloverage]

mahrundl said:

Preset layout 'types' - the ability to select the general style of the map. Options such as Island, Valley, Archipelago, Straits, Peninsula, Plateau, Bay and Mountain Range are the sort of things I mean here.

Thanks for this idea. I've added the option to force it to be islands (ie all edge hexes are water). I'll try and add the option to do a mountain range next.

[zanshin]

Very nice, thanks for sharing this

[apeloverage]

zanshin said:

Very nice, thanks for sharing this

No worries.

[apeloverage]

I've just added the option to create a mountain range.

[mahrundl]

Looks nice, apeloverage! I shall have to play with it some more.