A Map making aid for D&D please

[Devilin]

Okay... how do I word this.

First off I made an account here because I saw this link.

http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=4550

But Isomage's site with his stuff seems dead. And I really wanted this random map maker. I wanted it because I really, really like using random map stuff to give me something to make my own maps on.

 

This map for instance I made using the AD&D random wilderness rules. One square at a time. It was time consuming, but I literally cannot make maps of any kind unless I use some sort of random generator to seed it for me first. So I made it then looked at the general pattern resulting and went using 'tile' to make a more proper map over the randomly generated map.

So if anyone has a link to that Ad&D random style random wilderness generator, it would be appreciated. Or perhaps some alternative way for me to generate a random map of a single area would suffice as well. I looked around using google for a long, long while. But all I found were complete world generators on sites like Donjon or these complex fractal generators that created terrain I couldn't easily identify.

I know this request is a long shot. And I'll probably have to just groan and spend hours rolling squares, one randomly generated square at a time.

[Durakken]

What are the rules? The reason that hasn't been made is likely how easy it is to do/do with JavaScript. I could probably write a JS generator in a few mins, but if I can I won't till I get home around the 9th likely.

Edit: Actually I looked more at what you linked to and thought about it more... I'll probably make something like this however more than random rules are needed for what I'd like out of it. But if you just want a generator that uses a 100x100 square grid with a randomly selected terrain with no other rules that's easy...heck I even might make it so can flip the tile on the page, but can't guarantee that.

[Devilin]

These are the rules. Though when I roll it myself, I often just pick one terrain to be dominant. And roll from that single table. Like if I know an area will be forest, I'll just keep rolling from the forest table to spice up the features within that terrain.

[Durakken]

I guess that is one way to handle not doing this while playing, but I'm fairly certain those numbers are based on how likely you are to statistically run into one of those terrains from the one you're in within 1km so doing that sorta defeats the point.

But really, if that's what you want that is extremely easy. If you wanted to learn JavaScript I'd suggest it as a learning project.

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[Devilin]

I'm not sure what you just said.

[Durakken]

The concept of the random generator that in those rules is based on that you're currently playing and need to come up with something on the fly, not a map gen in general. The idea is that your party is on x terrain and moving to another terrain within 1 mile. So all you need to know which that is how likely is it that a given terrain will be reached by travelling 1km from your given position on a terrain. That's fine for something like that, but for a region ends up breaking it due to not taking into consideration things like if you travel a straight line you're likely not going to run into mountain, desert, forest, plains, desert, mountain... In that pattern, but that is possible with this generator...

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[arsheesh]

Have you tried Hexographer? I've not worked with it myself but from what I gather it can generate randomized hex maps, as well as allow you to customize them. I know it's pretty popular in some circles.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Devilin]

@Durakken

I understand thats a problem here, but for what I need its still pretty solid. As you can see by the example map in the image I linked, it still gets stuff pretty well grouped together. If I were to take and actually paint out that example map, as long as i ignored some of the weird outliers, it would come out looking very nice. What makes this system useful for map generation aid is that its simple, (I don't want something 'too' detailed, makes it hard and time consuming to adjust for my needs) uses easily defined symbols(Realistic map textures and all, are graet, but not if just using it as a pattern) and is context influenced (Different weights depending on whats nearby). If Javascript wasn't harder then learning a second language (which I'm still struggling to do) I would try to learn Javascript and make it. (I'm capable of learning things in only 2 ways, Clear step by step directions or sink then swim.)

@Arsheesh, no I have not. I'll try it.

[Durakken]

If Javascript wasn't harder then learning a second language (which I'm still struggling to do) I would try to learn Javascript and make it.

It isn't harder. It's easy. In fact all you need to know is basic logic and have the internet to reference. Here's the logic you need...

--------------------------
i = 0
total = 1000

while i < 1000 do

Die roll = Random Function

If die Roll = number then set image to some url
(repeat for all possibilities)

print image

if i = a factor of 100 then print line break (or start new table row) (also minus 1 cuz programmers start with 0)

add 1 to i

loop

----------------------

Just convert that to Javascript and HTML and you have what you want, Like I said, I'll do it when I get home, but that's it, right there.
I'd even write it in Javascript here, but I don't know some of the code off hand and also i don't know how this forum deals with html and JS posted ^.^

[Devilin]

Well if its really that simple maybe I'll find an hour here and there to try it myself.