are there any good tutorials on making my own map/game

Windrunner21

Thanks, how would I begin that process?

beelee

@Windrunner21 well do you have triplea downloaded so you can check out all the maps ? If not, you can do that here:

Then search through the maps and pick one you like. Also dl "Pact of Steel2" as that tells you how the game works. Once downloaded go to your triplea folder, downloaded maps. Open up POS2 and keep opening until you see "games".

Open that and then open the POS2 xml with whatever editor you like. Most people use notepad++ if on windows. I don't know much about the graphics part.

pact_of_steel_2.xml

Here it is for easy access. It will probably take several readings to get the general idea. Once you pick a map to mod, start small with changing a unit cost or a game note and just kinda go from there.

There's a lot more to it, but if you enjoy learning and are patient, you'll figure it out. Most likely a lengthy process unless you end up as some sort of triplea savant.

Windrunner21

@beelee Thank you. I do have triplea downloaded. I'll get started!

beelee

@Windrunner21 right on ! There are a lot of helpful people here. What type of map do you have in mind ?

Windrunner21

I'm trying to make a more balanced/historically accurate version of the Domination 1914 No Mans Land map. I like the game its just not all that accurate in my opinion or it could be better. The goal is to eventually make my own WWI game.

Windrunner21

@beelee So do I run the map creator with this downloaded map or what do I do if the map is downloaded to start modding it?

redrum

Just to let you know, a few of us are working on a new ww1 map (based on the domination map): https://forums.triplea-game.org/topic/1063/power-of-politics-1914-a-wwi-scenario

As mentioned, updating an existing map first is the easiest way to learn.

Here is a guide on how do to it: https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/wiki/Map-and-Map-Skin-Making

And POS2 XML is kind of a reference for all the XML parameters: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/triplea-maps/the_pact_of_steel/master/map/games/pact_of_steel_2.xml

Cernel

@Windrunner21 said in are there any good tutorials on making my own map/game:

I'm trying to make a more balanced/historically accurate version of the Domination 1914 No Mans Land map. I like the game its just not all that accurate in my opinion or it could be better. The goal is to eventually make my own WWI game.

Did you take a look at Weltpolitik? What are your historicity issues with that?

Windrunner21

@Cernel I like the game, its just way to complex. I don't get how to do all the political actions. I tried to find the rules but no luck.

Cernel

@Windrunner21 So, is your aim historicity? For WW1, starting in 1914, I don't think you can get much simpler than Weltpolitik, if you care about realism. Or you just mean something not really historical, but just correcting the most disheartening items of Imbaked's? Maybe you should specify what you want, like you want some delays in going at war, Global 1940 style, or just everyone at war with everyone else since the start (and Communists somewhere in Siberia since 1914)?

redrum

@Cernel IMO, weltpolitik is way too scripted and event driven. I think a good map should provide the base conditions that can evolve into what it did historically or deviate in realistic ways from that.

Cernel

@redrum I would agree in principle, but wouldn't that imply even more complexity, at least for the mapmaker (and surely for the playtester)?

Hepps

@Windrunner21 Hi windrunner. Welcome to our little world.

Unfortunately there have never been any really good resources for the map making process. Most of it comes down to looking at some of the stuff already mentioned above.

Really it comes down to a few things...

Learning what is in an XML and and what all of its components do. When you look at it at first it might seem rather confusing but as you get more familiar it starts to make a lot more sense. Depending on how complex you intend to make your map... some stuff gets increasingly more challenging to understand.

If you are planning on making a game where you are going to be making it with a new map... you are going to need to become familiar with the Map Creator program as well. I highly recommend playing around with it as some of the steps will be valuable to you at some point on your journey. Also running through the initial parts of the Map Creator program really helped me to see how the XML comes together and what all the folders inside a Map do and how they relate back to the XML and the engine itself.

Lastly, if you are making your own map then you are likely going to have to get comfortable using one of the many drawing programs.

Other than that most of it is just persistence and patience.

I will say that over the years the greatest recourse has always been this forum. Asking questions from the people here allowed me to grow my knowledge immensely.

Good luck and have fun.

Schulz

It would be enough modding or drawing additinal territories on the current maps. I am sure most of players will care balance more rather than realism and they naturally contradict with each other because WW1 was heavily favoured of Entente. With such a realistic concept only very few people would play it.

redrum

I've tried to collect all the relevant links and information for creating/updating a map here: https://forums.triplea-game.org/topic/918/map-maker-resources

LaFayette

@redrum Can we update the header post there to align with the latest to host sample assets here? https://github.com/triplea-game/map-maker-assets

I wonder as well if it would be more consolidated to add links to the wiki documentation title pages, in this case the forum post could instead link to those relevant pages; it seems like the documentation is becoming more consolidated but is straddling multiple locations.

redrum

@LaFayette I already added a link to the new map maker asset repo. Honestly the wiki is starting to consolidate the documentation but they aren't really titled or organized in a very meaningful way so I think its better to point to the most complete guide there. Also as a heads up, moving the documentation broke the currently stable in-game map maker documentation link.

Windrunner21

@Cernel I like domination 1914 no mans land, however, I want it to be a little more accurate in the sense that certain countries can declare war at certain times, not everyone starts off at war, I also dislike the neutral farming and how France can and usually does invade Switzerland, which adds another element entirely. I like the technologies.
my issues with Weltpolitik is that the units just to expensive, there is no trench option either. Also I don't really understand the political dynamic and how to influence/change them, I really like how Mexico/china are apart of that game. Is there a rulebook for Weltpolitik? Maybe that will help me understand it more.

Windrunner21

I do like the Domination 1914 blood and steel option, however, one thing I don't get is why infantry is an option as a unit but why Austria for example can only buy conscripts.

Cernel

@Windrunner21 Blood And Steel is a spin-off of the intermediate version of what would eventually become Weltpolitik, albeit passing through several hands, so I don't even know if that should be regarded as superseded entirely. From what you are saying, you are definitely aiming at doing complex stuff, and I still think that, in this case, you are rather better off starting for Weltpolitik, trying to understand that by reading its xml, etc., while learning from what @redrum linked, especially pos2, then modifying Weltpolitik in your direction. It won't be easy, but I think starting from NML, then trying to achieve what you said, would be harder.