Reply With QuoteWelcome Aboard!
Introduction / my efforts
Hi all,
This is my first post here.
My main interest is random/procedural generation of maps for roleplaying games. So far, I've written some programs to generate classic-style D&D cave and wilderness maps and Traveller subsector maps; these can be used online here (note that the cave and wilderness maps tend to look better at larger sizes).
They're nothing like the maps made by some of the wonderful artists here, but feedback is most welcome anyway
Last edited by isomage; 12-03-2008 at 07:06 AM.
Welcome Aboard!
My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Those map generators are really excellent. I ran the cave one many times and it gave great results every time. If I were programming that I would randomize a height map and then just slice it through the middle but that would give blobs. Yours seem well connected with nice chutes and passages.
The traveller one is cool too. Two seconds and you have an entry for last months space map contest. I was looking for a planet name creator only last month to try to make them with. I just stole arabic nouns in the end but your planets have good names. The most impressive thing is that you output in PDF. Do you use a converter like GhostScript or do you draw in postscript directly.
The only suggestion I would say is to have a checkbox for not having a grid on the cave generator. Many people import these things into stuff and play with them from there - like texture them etc, before making them a final map. RobA has a great Gimp script around here that converts black and white into dungeon textured map.
Robs script
http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=2759
welcome. yeah I had a play about with the cave one too.great stuff!
Originally Posted by jezelf
Thanks
I was initially playing around with Markov chains (see, for example, here), seeding them with Latin or Greek names or real star names, but I wasn't very happy with the results. In the end I just reimplemented the planet name generator from Elite (there's source code floating around on the web somewhere).I was looking for a planet name creator only last month to try to make them with. I just stole arabic nouns in the end but your planets have good names.
It generates PostScript which is then filtered through GhostScript to produce the PDF.The most impressive thing is that you output in PDF. Do you use a converter like GhostScript or do you draw in postscript directly.
Done!The only suggestion I would say is to have a checkbox for not having a grid on the cave generator.
Last edited by isomage; 12-03-2008 at 08:58 PM.
My random map generators and GIMP scripts: http://axiscity.hexamon.net/users/isomage/
@isomage -
Really sweet!
I took one of your the random caves (now without grids) and scaled it 200% then ran my "dungeon map prettier" script in gimp that Redrobes mentioned.
randomtest.png
Are you using a random walk algorithm to generate the caves?
-Rob A>
My tutorials: Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional Map ~ All My Tutorials
My GIMP Scripts: Rotating Brush ~ Gradient from Image ~ Mosaic Tile Helper ~ Random Density Map ~ Subterranean Map Prettier ~ Tapered Stroke Path ~ Random Rotate Floating Layer ~ Batch Image to Pattern ~ Better Seamless Tiles ~ Tile Shuffle ~ Scale Pattern ~ Grid of Guides ~ Fractalize path ~ Label Points
My Maps: Finished Maps ~ Challenge Entries ~ My Portfolio: www.cartocopia.com
That looks awesomeI took one of your the random caves (now without grids
Yep. Random walks for the caves, fractal height fields for the hex maps, and by-the-book rules (Little Black Book 3, Worlds and Adventures) for the Traveller subsectors.Are you using a random walk algorithm to generate the caves?
Last edited by isomage; 12-04-2008 at 03:23 AM.
My random map generators and GIMP scripts: http://axiscity.hexamon.net/users/isomage/
Dang, I searched for that and mentioned it in my thread but I couldn't find the code. I remember it being cool so no wonder your names were pretty good. Now I know its out there ill try again. Wikipedia mentioned it but didnt have any link to it.
I had a friend once that used to program in postscript on the printer - as in use the printers CPU to generate patterns, fractal and other itterative ones, which it then printed. So you must be running your cgi script as a full exe not a perl/PHP thing then unless there is some nice interface to Ghostscript from a script. I am pretty sure I could not do that with my web provider as they only install a certain limited set of perl modules. Well, if your able to tell us more about the process that would be interesting. I thought it was quite impressive - what you have done is a bit harder than people might realize.
Cool and I see Robs already provided the demo
http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/bbc/index.htm#src
Bryan Ray, visual effects artist
http://www.bryanray.name
This is superb stuff. I love the way that the images produced by Iso's maps are perfect to be run on RobA's script.
Welcome to the Guild, Iso - the traveller maps really rock!
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