Landscape/Map Creators - PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[LazzaH]

Hi there,

Being extremely dissatisfied with the LoMo scenario editor, I would like to try out either of the two scenario editors that are mentioned in the stickies above.

However, I am frustrated by a lack of clear and precise instructions on how to use these programs once one has downloaded them. Please remember that we are not all computer wizkids, I am 51 years old and not a mind reader!

A simple text document outlining what one must do to get these programs up and running would be most appreciated.

Many thanks in anticipation

Larry

[ampz]

There are instructions on how to use them in the stickied threads.

First you need a 384*384 pixel greyscale image (heightmap) of the landscape you want to generate. Image must be in BMP format.

How to use the landsape generator:
0: Run mapgen.exe
1: Select a 384x384 pixel greyscale BMP file.
2: Select desired world region. (For example, press "A" and then "Enter" to choose Alpine world region)
3: Select desired sea level. (For example, press "4" and then "Enter" to choose sea level 4)
4: Done! (Scenario file will be stored at the location where the bmp file is)

Just run locomotion's scenario editor, choose "open" and go to the directory where your image and the newly created scenario is stored. Select the scenario file.
Now you can add trees, cities, and factories in locomotion's scenario editor.

Some more in depth specifications:
There are 40 valid heights in locomotion, and a greyscale image has 256 shades. The greyscale shades are rounded to the closest valid locomotion height. (256/40=6.4 shades per locomotion height.)

The sea level is in "locomotion heights".

If your terrain becomes too high, then just decrease the brightness of the greyscale image in a photo editor.
If there is no water, decrease brightness of the BMP image or increase the sea level. (sea level 4 is standard locomotion sea level)

You can adjust your landscape in a photo editor. Try playing around with bluring the image, adjusting brightness, contrast and gamma correction.
(Of course, you need to run mapgen.exe again after you have adjusted the greyscale image)

[LazzaH]

Thanks for that, ampz, but in the long run, I would still have to use the LoMo scenario editor.

Maybe I should`ve elaborated as regards my dissatisfaction with the editor. What I don`t like about it is the way it distributes the industries, they end up being sited right next to each other or to towns. Very often there are clusters of three or more coal mines in a group...although I suppose in real life this wouldn`t be inaccurate! I much prefer the TTD editor which gave you complete control on siting industries.

I would love to know how some of the scenarios available for download in this forum have been created.

L

[ampz]

You don't have to let the lomo editor place your industries and cities if you don't want to. You can place them all manually.
(And if you use the landscape generator, then you HAVE to place them manually in the lomo editor)

[Overlord1191]

Lazzah, Ampz's mapgen is the only program or mod that's going to let you make maps that look like anything other than box-shaped mountiains and dead flat land. But his mapgen program is only for topography.

When you want to place specific cities, industries and roads you have to do it manually. There is no other way.

When I did the Georgia and Florida scenarios they took me about 3 hours each. 1 for getting the topography map adjusted to fit the location and scale. 2 for setting up the cities, industries and roads. It's a hell of a lot of work and to be brutally honest. Unless I get a good amount of feedback from the community, I'm probobly not going to make more than a handful of specific maps because it's so much work.

I come from a computer graphics background so I can use dos based tools and command line mods but I know this is a lot to chew on for a person that doesn't come from a geek background.

The best thing I can tell you is, if you post a great idea and want help with it. I'll help you build it.

[ampz]

Well, I think the latest version of mapgen should not be too hard to use even for people not used to DOS command line tools.
You just dubbleclick the .exe like any other program, and you get a standard "open file" dialog box (like in any other program) asking for a BMP file. After that you just have to enter region and sea level and you are done.

I do however understand that people not used to DOS command line tools might have had some problems with the first versions of mapgen where everything was entered as command line arguments.

[ChrisCF]

Slightly OT question? Does it at least still support command-line operation? Something interactive would likely break the Makefile I'm considering writing for it.

[ampz]

Sorry. I threw that out to improve userfriendlyness.
(download it and see how it works yourself)

[ChrisCF]

Any chance you can put it back in? I don't much like being stuck with an old version for the sake of coddling newbies.

[ampz]

There is really not much functional difference between the older command line versions and the latest version.

[neko128]

The functional difference is that if you have an EXE which, when given appropriate command-line inputs, just does its stuff without user interaction, it can be automated into other things - batch files or system calls from other programs, for example.

[ChrisCF]

So I can still pass the old arguments to it and not get annoynig interactive propmts appearing?

[ampz]

Not the latest one.

[ChrisCF]

Would it be too much trouble to put it back?

[ampz]

It would make the code rather ugly. I prefer to only have one userinterface. (besides, the command line argument code is deleted).
If you downloaded an older version of mapgen, why not use it instead?