Let's get to work: MP maps

[Iluvatar]

Here is a question that someone may be able to answer for me.

In editing maps I have not found a way to allow choice of units in MP. Perhaps someone can help me. The only thing I have been able to do is to create aklliances and pre-choose the units.

How do you go about allowing uncensored unit selection? And is there a way yto eliminate the need for alliances, so that any faction can play with another in MP?

Did I miss something obvious somewhere?

Sry if this is a stupid question.

[Iluvatar]

I am trying to create unique maps, not the ones available in SP.

[Iluvatar]

If you can help, please see my 2 previous posts. :)

[Louis de la Ferte Ste Colombe]

To allow "real custom maps" for MP, you need to press F1, and tick allow maps for MP.

Unrelated note, although it would be a good topic for custom map: if in the custom location I pick a square located on a wonder, the wonder is not present on the battle map.

So, for a battles next to the Pyramid, custom maps seem to be the way to go.

Louis,

[Iluvatar]

Thx Louis I will give that a try.

Hail FF!!!

[Cheetah]

Brilliant! Bloody brilliant!!!! Nice found Ael!

I suggest a system where we use the existing maps as seeds for new maps.

For example we take Gaellic countryside and add or substract one from its coordinates. This way you have a set of new maps (8) that are very similar but not identical to the original one.

Advantages of the system:

• Easy to use, no need to struggle with new names, just call them „Gaellic countryside+1+0”, „Gaellic countryside+0+1”, „Gaellic countryside+1+1”, „Gaellic countryside-1+0”etc according to the coordinates you have changed.

• Intuitve: everyone familiar with Gaellic countryside, so everyone will know what to expect if you host one of these maps.

• Easy to expand: if you need more maps, just add the next circle „Gaellic countryside+0+2”, „Gaellic countryside+1+2”, etc.

The interesting task IMO would be to find new seeds. For example one finds that the maps of Pannonia are perfect for MP, then he picks a central tile and names it „Pannonian countryside” (or whatever) and can create a new set of maps using the above method. What he needs to do is to post the coordinates and the name here, in order to avoid confusion. So, lets say „I named tile with coordinates x,y as Pannonian countryside”.

This can be awesome for tourneis as well, tourney organisers need not specify the exact map, just say that the battle has to be fought on one of the Gaellic countryside maps, etc.

[Cheetah]

I just did what I described above, created a set of Gallic countryside maps. It works fine! You can see the "old" Gallic countryside to the north, south, ect depending on your location.

I also did some test how this coordinate system works:

1_1 desert
212_1 some funny rocky desert near a seashore
1_126 sea!
212_126 some steppe like tearrain with few trees and small valleys

so, I thought it is a simpe

x: east to west
y: south to north

system. I started to map the existing maps according this system. Got some interesting result, some maps does not seem to fit at all. Most notably:

prippet marshes
italian lowland
gallic countryside
cappadocian forest
river jordan
british grassland

Could the devs for example just pick a map outside britain and call it british grassland ?

Anyway, I started to look for new interesting seeds

Germanic Forest +15-25: looks promising, rolling hills practically without forest, some kind of subalpine climate (you can see the alps!)

Germanic forest +20-30: looks even more promising, rolling hills with few forest, it should be somewhere around Pannonia, you can still see the Alps on the horizon.