map making questions

ff03k64

@ff03k64
Hi ff welcome to the site. You can do the negative bonus with "supportAttachment". Use a - in the bonus.

<option name="bonus" value="-2"/>

I think I remember that @Black_Elk had made a global baseline type map and encouraged others to use it. I could be wrong though.

Probably be a good idea to look at a map that has similar things that you want to do and use it as a guide for those things.

Thanks! I am not sure what you mean with what Black_Elk did. Did he make the Arda map? Is there a map that you are referring to?

I plan on looking at lots of maps for various things. Need some objectives and triggers eventually. But that is a long way off.

Cernel

@redrum Does the repository have another map of our whole globle with territory effects? I think TWW is the only one.

Can anyone point me to a current decent quality map with terrain

redrum

@ff03k64 Yeah, @alkexr created BofA and created his own script to generate the XML. But since then in the pre-release there are now shortcuts (foreach, variables) to do essentially what he did:
https://github.com/triplea-maps/the_pact_of_steel/blob/master/map/games/pact_of_steel_2.xml#L18
https://github.com/triplea-maps/the_pact_of_steel/blob/master/map/games/pact_of_steel_2.xml#L1560

Those are really only needed if you are creating a fairly complex map with many similar attachments.

You probably want to take a look at Total World War. It is pretty complex but shows how to use territory effects on a good sized map. You'll want to talk to @Hepps if you actually want to use it as the base for your map.

So for number of unit types it depends if you need them per nation (each nation has unique set of units or you need separate unit types for each nation due to wanting certain custom techs) or most units are shared across nations.

ff03k64

@redrum Well, xcom is an alien invasion, so both primary sides will have very different units! I might try to incorporate neutrals/minors in some way as well.

beelee

@ff03k64 ahh...I misunderstood. Just a base map of earth that he made. I'm not familiar with Arda

Hepps

@ff03k64 Hi, and welcome to the Triple A world.

As others have indicated, downloading as many games as possible and looking at the existing repository of world maps is a great place to start your adventure.

If you are looking to get a really good shot of earth from which to build a map... NASA's satellite image is probably one of the best...

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2011/10/land_shallow_topo_2011_8192.jpg

ff03k64

@Hepps I am not looking to build a map from the ground up. At least not yet. Maybe when i get a better framework for what i want to do. I am looking for a decent world map to build from. I know that TripleA is open source, but i don't know if that necessarily means the maps as well, and even if it does, i would rather get the authors permission to use their creations.

That said, by what redrum said, TWW is a good one and yours, so do you care if i do use it?

Hepps

@ff03k64 I have no issue if you use the base map. Meaning the base tiles.

I would prefer it if you created the reliefs and decorations for your own map as TWW has a very distinctive look and I'd like to see it remain its own unique piece of work.

Cernel

On this regard, TripleA lacks a set of territory effects in assets, either for bottom bar and board display (it used to have them, for board display, back in 1.8.0.9, but I'm not against that removal, as those were of very low quality). If TripleA would have one, covering the main kind of terrains, mapmakers could just use those with the integrated placement or by pasting them on the relief or populating them as decorations.

ff03k64

@Hepps Okay, thanks. Can I assume that the reliefs are just how the map displays the terrain effects? And hence are just visual and not actually affecting game play themselves, as the part that affects the play is the label of mountainous, hill, etc.?

I don't know if i worded that well.

Hepps

@ff03k64 You are correct. And yes you worded it well.

The visuals on the map themselves I did purely as reliefs.

The actual gameplay effects are derived from territory attachments inside the xml.

ff03k64

@Hepps @beelee @redrum @Cernel

Thanks for all your responses so far!

Looking at TWW some more, I think it is a little bigger than I want to go with. Any suggestions for other whole world maps that are smaller? I looked at WWIIv3, but i think slightly bigger would be nice. Or at least splitting India and Germany into 2-3 territories each. Maybe Brazil as well. Would that be very difficult/possible?

And then using the currently impassable terrain. I assume making them passable is an XML edit?

Thanks again!

Hepps

@ff03k64 Splitting a territory isn't necessarily hard... there just a series of things you need to do.

And yes the impassable territories is a matter of removing that from the terr. attachment in the xml.

ff03k64

@Hepps Is there a guide or wiki or anything? I can figure out xml stuff by going through it. But that seems like it wouldn't be in the POS xml.

Cernel

@ff03k64 The mapmaking tutorials used to be here:
https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/tree/master/docs/map_making

Now I cannot find them anymore...

@redrum etc. Am I missing them or have they been moved. Where are they now?

Panther

@ff03k64

@Cernel said in map making questions:

@ff03k64 The mapmaking tutorials used to be here:
https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/tree/master/docs/map_making

Now I cannot find them anymore...

@redrum etc. Am I missing them or have they been moved. Where are they now?

Now the documents are part of the "Wiki":
https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/wiki

Cernel

@Panther I see. Maybe I should check nothing is missing... I guess this way they are easier to find, though I'm pretty sure we'll have to endlessly redirect people to them.

@ff03k64 What @Panther linked should give you full basic info about how to mapmake (and if it doesn't, that should be fixed).

prastle

@Panther they moved everything to wiki a day or two ago. It is a recent GitHub thing.

ff03k64

Does one of those pages say how to edit a map? I see how to create one, though i would need the outline of a map to do that.

Cernel

@ff03k64 Well, in the moment they tell you how to make a map, they also tell you how to remake it. For the specific question, I could link you every single one of them, as editing a map means everything. The main division is depending if you want to edit the skin only or you want to edit the game (xml) only. Basically, if you want to change how it looks or you want to change how it plays.