MapGeneratorWML

[generator]

The [generator] tag replaces a scenario's map data; in fact its whole purpose is to generate the map data given a set of configuration parameters.

The map generator function is not very well documented. The data on this page are inferred from scenarios/multiplayer/Random_Map.cfg and scenarios/Heir_To_The_Throne/Sceptre.cfg. An example for a random underground map that is less complex can be found in campaigns\Sceptre_of_Fire\scenarios\4_Gathering_Materials.cfg.

Excerpt from mapgenerator comments:

• Basically we generate alot of hills, each hill being centered at a certain point, with a certain radius - being a half sphere. Hills are combined additively to form a bumpy surface. The size of each hill varies randomly from 1-hill_size. We generate 'iterations' hills in total. The range of heights is normalized to 0-1000. 'island_size' controls whether or not the map should tend toward an island shape, and if so, how large the island should be. Hills with centers that are more than 'island_size' away from the center of the map will be inverted (i.e. be valleys). 'island_size' as 0 indicates no island.

Updated with some more info and the changes with the new terrain system

The following keys are recognized for [scenario]/[multiplayer] (Use one of them.)

• scenario_generation: (This is used is the cave examples mentioned above.)
• map_generation: (This is used in the multiplayer Random Map.)

"empty" or "default" will use the default generator, "cave" used the cave generator. Other values are not valid.

The following key/tags are recognized for [generator]:

• [scenario]/[settings]: See ScenarioWML
• name
  • default'
• map_width,map_height: size of the map to generate
• iterations: the number of times an attempt is being made to generate a hill (default only)
• hill_size: hills will have a random size between 1 and hill_size (default only)
• max_lakes: the number of times an attempt is being made to generate a lake (default only)
• min_lake_height: lakes are the starting point of rivers and need to start above a certain height (default only)
• lake_size: the size of a lake still randomly generated (default only)
• river_frequency: determine how much a river can run uphill and thus generate more rivers (default only)
• flipx_chance: Chance to flip x coordinates, that meens the map is mirrored at the vertical axis in its midth. (cave only)
• villages: villages per 1,000 hexes (default only)
• village_density: influences number of villages (cave only)
• players
• castle_size: Number of castle tiles (including the keep), per player.
• temperature_iterations: Same as iterations, but for the temperature map.
• temperature_size: Same as hill_size, but for the temperature map.

(Temperature map is generated the same way as a hill map, but is hard coded with a island_size of 0.)

• roads
• road_windiness
• island_size: Use 1-5 for coastal maps and 6-10 for island maps. Bigger values may crash map generation process. Bigger numbers makes more water (and less land)
• default_flatland: If not specified, is Grassland. If your height tags don't go down to 0, the default_flatland will be used (possibly in other cases as well).
• [height]: list of common terrain types

which come in at different heights, from highest to lowest (default only) Good WML will have the range of 1000-0 covered.

• • height: the terrain specified below will appear at this height and up.
  • terrain: 1 terrain code
• [convert]: used to make terrain conversions (default only).

For example water becomes ice at low temperatures, grass snow, etc. If the terrain is between the min_x and max_x it will be converted if min_x is not defined it will default to a large negative number if max_x is not defined it will default to a large positive number

• • min_height
  • max_height
  • min_temperature
  • max_temperature
  • from: a comma separated terrains to convert from
  • to: The terrain to convert these terrains to
• [road_cost]
  • terrain 1 terrain code
  • cost: how expensive it is the create a road on this terrain, this influences the odds of this terrain getting a road
  • convert_to_bridge: a comma separated list of terrains; N/S, then NE/SW, then NW/SE.
  • convert_to: 1 terrain code (note using both convert_to_bridge and convert_to might result in unwanted results)
• [village]: The conversion of terrains to villages (default only)
  • terrain: 1 terrain code which will be converted to a village
  • convert_to: 1 terrain code for the village
  • adjacent_liked: a comma separated terrain list. This list increases the rating for a certain location, every tile around the location will be tested against this list and for every match the rating of the location is increased. The same terrain twice in the list will double the rating increase for that location.
  • rating: chance of appearing
• [castle]: the conversion of castles (default only)
  • valid_terrain: a comma-separated terrain list with terrains which are allowed to be converted to a castle.
  • min_distance
• [naming]
  • male_names
• [village_naming]
  • male_names
• [chamber]: for underground maps
  • id: a name used to identify where the passages lead. See the [passage] tag, below.
  • x,y: approximate location of the center hex of the chamber. Unfortunately it isn't always exact. Can be a single number (x=5) or a range (x=10-20)
  • size: circular radius of the chamber, including the center hex
  • jagged: a good value is probably between 0-50 (not sure exactly)
  • [items]: See ScenarioWML. This can contain tags normally found under [scenario] like [side], [item], and [event]. Moveto events definitely work here (using the same_location_as_previous key instead of a location filter). Other events can be placed in the [settings] tag, above. Locations of items will be generated randomly. The attribute same_location_as_previous=yes means that the filter for a moveto event (see EventWML) is the same as the location of the previous item.
  • [passage]: defines a pathway between chambers
    • destination: the id key of the destination chamber
    • windiness: a good value is probably between 1-10
    • width: number of hexes
    • jagged: a good value is probably between 1-10
    • chance: chance for the passage to be generated, between 0 and 100, 100 if key not present

See Also

• ScenarioWML
• ReferenceWML