Empowerment editor Empire Earth (Empire Earth)

The Journal “Igromaniya” No. 3/54 2002
Author: Andrey Vereshchagin

EMPIRE OF ILLUSION
Empowerment editor Empire Earth home

The raisins and cranberries Empire Earth random map generator. It has elements AI, allowing the computer each time to deliver a playable map, and not just another bare Prairie, where the nearest resource — three-day-fly. But rotten prunes crept from the settings, which is very small. As a result, all random cards like each other as two drops of water. Our goal is to bring a creative touch in the process of mapmakers and to achieve diversity in the final product.
Let's map how WE WANT and not as we have allowed developers.

The king is naked...
Scripts for random cards are placed in *.rmv files residing at: \Data\Random Map Scripts. Each of these files represents a certain type of random map, and it borrows his name. Let me remind you that these types (and accordingly,*.rmv files), there are seven: Continental, Highlands, Large Islands, Mediterranean, Plains, Small Islands and Islands Tournament.
In the same directory (\Random Map Scripts) you can find eight of subdirectories. In the first of them — a \Common — place booked *.rmv files are common scripts used when creating a random map of any type. Other local subdirectories contain helper scripts for each type of random cards (they are named accordingly). In each set of the support scripts include file X Tiny.rmv, X Small.rmv, X Medium.rmv, X Large.rmv, X Huge.rmv, X Gigantic.rmv, where X is the name of the type of random cards. In files of the form X Tiny.rmv prescribed commands to be executed when creating the random cards of type X minimum value in X Small.rmv — small size X Medium.rmv — medium and X Large.rmv — large, X Huge.rmv — very large and X Gigantic.rmv — giant.
By editing these files you can change to your liking any proposed random map. Although, in my opinion, it's better to just create a new random card, which would fully satisfy your requirements.
First thing make a copy from one of the major *.rmv files being in the directory \Random Map Scripts (files Continental.rmv, Plains.rmv Tournament and Islands.rmv use this is not recommended — they can cause some problems). Put it here, giving the new file the name you want to call your type a random card. Here create a new directory, calling it the same as you created *.rmv file. Copy into this directory all the files are in the folder relating to that script that you earlier made a copy. Next, rename each of the copied files, replacing the first word in its name the name of the new type of random cards. For example, the file Mediterranean Medium.rmv should be renamed My Medium.rmv provided that your random card is called My (further for brevity I will call it this way).
Finally, get into the directory Common and remove the copies from all the local *.rmv files. Paste the copied files in the same directory, but replacing the name of each of them the word Common in My.


The next step is to edit the innards of the main *.rmv file (what is called My.rmv) relating to you create random cards. This is fairly standard Notepad.
Opening the file, remove the line StringTableID 2700..., perched at the beginning, and lines FilterHeightMap TestingLandDistribution false and false, which are located at the end. Then put X instead of the name of the type you random cards in the rows of the form:
#include CommonMap Climate X
#include Common\X Conditions
#include CommonTerrain Painting X
#include Common\X Forests
#include Common\X Initial Units
#include"X\X Tiny
#include"X\Small X
#include"X\X-Medium
#include"X\X-Large
#include"X\Huge X
#include"X\X Gigantic
Cooking this finished. You can start creating your unique card.

The king-Emperor and his marshals
First, take a number of transformations over the file of My Initial Units.rmv located in the folder Common. The contents of the file can be divided into two parts, the first of which starts after the words Animal units and dedicated to animals, located on a random map of type type. The most important parameters with which you can meet are:
AvailableAnimals determines which animals inhabit your random map. The local value (if any) should be listed separated by commas and enclosed in parentheses. For example,


(Res-Deer, Res-Giraffe, Res-Goat).


A list of possible values is as follows: Res-Deer (deer), Res-Giraffe (giraffe), Res-Goat (goat), Res-Horse (horse), Res-Wolf (wolf), Res-Elephant (elephant), Res-Hippopotamus (Hippo), Res-Ostrich (ostrich), Res-Tiger (tiger), Res-Walrus (walrus), Res-Chicken (chicken). Noteworthy is the hen, which the authors are somehow not included in any of the original types of random maps and campaign missions I never met her.
RandomHerdPerPlayer — the number of animals in the territory of one player. Please note that not all animals live in herds. Tigers, for example, prefer to remain in splendid isolation. Perfectionism is the opposite of balance, which, in turn, form the basis of any decent cards... But! Do not deny yourself the pleasure at least once to play a mission in the desert in which roam great herds of wild goats or ferocious giraffes! It's worth it.
RandomHerdPerNeutral — the number of animals that are in neutral territory. This parameter can only worsen the mess that we have committed a previous option. Given the fact that herds of living in “the middle” never go to the periphery, and the inhabitants of border regions never wander to your base, you can cover the map evenly hippos, horses and wolves. And make it so that the habitats do not overlap. Fellow biologists, it is to you... the Game provides excellent opportunities for modeling ecosystems. Don't miss your chance...
After Initial units and the necessary reviews should be the second part of the file where are written all the units and buildings that will have at its disposal the belligerents at the beginning of the game (by default this is the main building and the peasants). And then you can do the extraordinary. How do you like the idea to start the game with a huge army or have already built the most important buildings? Or with all together? The real way to make clean water strategy tactics. All supporters of active hostilities and fans rebuild the database, the above method of creating the map for you.
But you can start the game at all without the peasants and the main building! If we got the tactics clean, but now came the pure. Moreover, the authors have created all the necessary conditions: a rich opportunity to command troops and more than reasonable lead his army from the computer.
To add to the list of starting buildings/units the new sample, use the command PlaceUnit (N, X, Y, T), where N — name of object/subject, X is the distance (in cells) from the center of the base (in the absence of the main building, the centre of the base is the Central point of the territory, allotted to the player) to the object/subject X-axis Y — axis Y, and T is the angle (in degrees) of rotation (the last option is available only for units, buildings it simply isn't necessary). Specify here the name of the unit is completely consistent with what he wears in the game (if the name consists of multiple words, do not put between them a space). The name of the building is formed in the same way, only with the addition of the letter b at the beginning of the name For example, the barracks (the Barracks) it should be called so: bBarracks.
If you want to install the map on the wall, use PlaceWall(bWall-A, X1, Y1, X2, Y2), where a is the type of wall, X1 is the initial coordinate of the wall along the X-axis, Y1 — Y; X2 — the end coordinate on the X-axis, Y2 — axis Y. the List of possible values for A is as follows: (values arranged in ascending order of strength of the wall): Copper, Bronze, Middle, Imperial, WW1, Digital. Using this command, you can surround a dense wall of each of the base players, thereby freeing them from the tedious procedure of building walls and eliminating the possibility of a quick victory. Very fun to play on a map that is entirely covered with a labyrinth of corridors of you erected walls. AI in this case passes, but the real enemy in Deathmatch, on the contrary, only flies into a rage... What we actually need. While your buddy will overeat from the inability to quickly get out of the maze, you sly sneak and show opponent the place of wintering of cancers. I hope you have not forgotten that the maze roam herds of hippos and goats?! You lead an army in the rear of the enemy, almost there... and then you meet falls a flock of a hundred or so hippos, and begins to ruthlessly trample your warriors. A peculiar element of surprise! But the fun is guaranteed... our office just lying there, watching as the army of Gamer entangled in the squadron brave chickens, threw himself at the feet of the knights on the outskirts of Katina base. How many birds were killed — no one believed.
Add, add, but not zealous... more than try to cut all superfluous, as bequeathed to the great sculptor. If you wish to remove from the list of initial buildings and units, for example, the main building, just delete the line PlaceUnit (bCapitol, -0.5, -0.5). If you need to get rid of the peasants, delete commands PlaceUnit (Citizen, ...) and PlaceUnit (FemaleCitizen, ...) (the last command adds the to the map of farmers are female). First, it will help in the fight against excessive spawn animals, and secondly, allow fine to simulate a new map, achieving balance that many can only dream of.

The Kingdom and neighboring
Now that the basic model of the new card is ready, the animals running and strategy combat developed, you will edit the auxiliary scripts, which are in a separate folder. They all have the same structure and are divided into blocks in accordance with the number of players participating in the game. Title blocks comes from the number of participants with addition of words PLAYERS, for example, 16 PLAYERS. The only exception is the first block that contains General settings used regardless of how many players play on the map. Of all the parameters of the initial block we are interested in only one: ResourcePlacementLimit (N, MIN, MAX). This feature sets the minimum (MIN) and maximum (MAX) possible distance (in cells) between the field of the resource specified by the parameter N (instead of N can have the following values: gold, Steel — iron, Berry — berries, Tree — trees, Stone — stones), and the centre of the base of any player. If your goal is to make your gameplay on a random map as dynamic, set up values are lower.
Starting with the second block of the file, all the settings are somewhat changing its appearance: before them is placed the inscription with a #define. Don't pay any attention to her — she created for internal purposes. Here is a list of the main characteristics that you can encounter.
kMinIntElevation — the highest point on your map (in cells).
kMaxIntElevation — the lowest point on your map (in cells).
The diversity of the Earth's surface topography, from the rocky mountains to the Everglades — you can implement on your map. It is only a little play with these two parameters.
kPercentLand — space on the map occupied land (max — 1); the remaining area will hold water. Note: the values for this parameter are set as follows: Between(.A, .B), where A is the minimum value and B is the maximum. For example,


Between(.70, .75).

Put here a small value (say, 30 percent), you can make your random map in the second Venice, giving scope for the actions of their “water” units. It is possible to real naval battles involving two, three or more fleets.
kHeightMapChaos — the uneven distribution of relief.
kMinimumStartPositionToMapEdge — minimum distance (in cells) between your base and the edge of the map.
kMaxAngleBetweenTeamMembers — maximum angle (in degrees) between the bases of the players-teammates.
kPlayerPercentFlat — territory on the map (in percent) occupied by plains. This is again the question about the terrain.
kMaxResourceElevation — maximum height (in cells), which may be the Deposit of any resource.
kResourceToEdgeDistance — minimum distance (in cells) from the edge of the map to any source of resources.
kResourceToWaterDistance — minimum distance (in cells) from water to any resources. To push resources to the center of the card or, conversely, to the periphery, not suggest, but for the sake of experiment and novelty gaming experience you can try and extreme.
Characteristic of the species kXPerPlayer is determined by how many sources of the resource whose name is specified instead of X, is in the area designated for one player. Increase of values of the parameters with this type, the better effect on the dynamism of the gameplay on a random map. View options kXPerNeutral determine how many fields the resource specified is X, is neutral territory.
Here we can detect characteristics kOilPerPlayer and kOilPerNeutral that have no effect (they were probably used in the earliest versions of the game), but allow us to make
the conclusion that originally the game was six resources, including those of oil.
The following forest parameters:
kForestFreeRadius — the value of the forest (in cells) located on neutral territory;
kForestsPerPlayer — the value of the forest (also in cages), located in the territory of one of the player;
kForestChaosLevel — chaotic placement of trees in the forest. The higher, the more natural it looks the woods.
And if we modified the geological terrain, we now have a clear opportunity to change the biological terrain. You can redraw in a new way the result of a biogeocenosis of the interactions of living organisms and non-living natural matter. To be easier, you can put your map green spaces... Oxygen from this will be no more — the developers did not include in the game an option — but on the movement of troops on the map such manipulation will affect... and how. How about to create a system of hedgerows around its base?.. The beginnings of ingenuity and you will come up with is that all the Western cartoday will precipitate.

* * *
We came to the finish line. But before her cross, I want to draw your attention that this article explores only the most important parameters of a random card with the rest of you can work yourself, fortunately there is nothing difficult. And there is nothing complicated in creating a completely new card type, which would be really fun to play and you and your friends. Only need a little patience and imagination. The rest will come with experience... And don't forget that the map can, and should be sent to the editorial office (at the address [email protected]), so we can publish your netlenki on our CD.