I've read in a bunch of places that a good way to build maps is to layer multiple levels of Perlin noise, each representing a different dimension of data. I like that that's possible (think having both New Mexico or the Sahara and Costa Rica in your world). The second image has a moderate amount of water, yet is a desert. The first image features a map that's nearly devoid of water, yet contains forests and grass. They show that the aridity of a map doesn't depend on the water level.
I also found it hard to get both islands and connected continents (think North/South America).Ĭontrast this image with the one above it. My attempt at using Perlin noise failed here - I either get enormous sprawling oceans that dwarf the land mass, or the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I like the way AoE2 creates entirely different geographies using the same building blocks. I like that this map also makes heavy use of water, but doesn't include many inland lakes. It didn't create random patches of land, then take a best-guess as to which one would be the least terrible for each player to start on. Also, notice how the game created the land such that each player has their own private, large swath of land all to start out with.
I can't imagine how a noise-based algorithm would create the marsh there, and only those places. Here's similar example where the game was smart enough to connect islands with traversable marshes. You don't have to spend the entire game planning your city around the water. I like how the map includes a large amount of water scattered about, but that water is still somewhat concentrated - there are large swaths of land that are available for building your empire. Here's an example that features inland lakes and some sort of river-looking things.
#AGE OF MYTHOLOGY MAPS FULL#
Thus, whatever engine I use must be able to create the full range of biomes in each map, and not one narrow set of biomes per map, like AoE2 uses. One complication for my project is I want maps to be many, many times larger than AoE2 maps. Each pixel corresponds to one AoE2 map tile. I did not instruct the game to use specific geographies like archipelagos.įurther below are images from my own map engine. All screenshots are taken from random map type, "Custom" -> "The Unknown". I've added several AoE2 random maps that highlight what I like about their mapping engine, which my own efforts are failing to reproduce. I now see I've also tied that up in my mind with "biome transitions that make sense", but that's a different problem (though I expect my continued use of Perlin noise will make it tricky to solve). Thinking further about my problem, and studying what I like about AoE2's random map engine, I believe my biggest problem is managing the distribution of water and plant life on the map. What algorithms and heuristics could I use to produce random maps that feel like AoE2 random maps?
#AGE OF MYTHOLOGY MAPS HOW TO#
I remember the AoE2 map type "The Unknown" advertised "100,000 possible maps", suggesting some use of seed numbers, but I'm not sure how to use seed numbers to produce the variety I saw. I've attempted using e.g., Perlin noise, but everything comes out either too homogeneous, or if not, the Perlin value -> terrain heuristics are too sensitive and fragile to make a variety of world types. With a little help from Thangbrand Aesirear I have ported them into Age of MythologyĪ huge, thin ring of land in the Norwegian Sea created by RMS Creator 2.0.I like the way Age of Empires II generate random maps turned out (good variety, decent biome transitions, maps felt random without feeling chaotic), but am struggling to replicate the style. Golden Fleece and Forgotten City are maps that got cut from the original game. Lots of streams and occasionally an island You're tired of popcap restrictions but playing without just feels so unbalanced? Come with me, I think I got something for you. A star-shaped rms with a few twists to it.Ī Norse or Mediterranean map covered with a light forest. My most ambition map ever - an RPG map as a Random Map script! Features 8 rich playable classes in a changing world.Ī modified version of Jotunheim edited to have one mountain pass, jungle lands with extra gold, relics and huntable beasts. No Economy, just pure Strategic Military Action! Average games have 10-15 large battles over 30 mins.Ī fight in the middle of a big icy forest.Ī thick, wet landscape with a whole lot of ponds.
Space is the only important resource on this mapĪn addictive, original 2-12 player game where Armies fight in 7 Coliseums for glory. Features randomly generated worlds and lots of collectibles! A multiplayer map inspired by the platformer with the same name.