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Thread: *** April Challenge - Using Dwarf Fortress ASCII Maps as a Source ***

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    Administrator Facebook Connected Robbie's Avatar
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    Post *** April Challenge - Using Dwarf Fortress ASCII Maps as a Source ***

    This month's challenge is a bit of a crossover. I was first made aware of Dwarf Fortress via /r/worldbuilding over at reddit. I then found guyanonymous made a post about it over here: http://www.cartographersguild.com/so...your-maps.html

    Dwarf Fortress is a single-player fantasy game. You can control a dwarven outpost or an adventurer in a randomly generated, persistent world. The worlds are generated using a very intense and detailed procedural process that involves mapping, erosion, history, etc.

    Your challenge this month is to go over to Bay 12 Games: Dwarf Fortress and download Dwarf Fortress. You must then install it, and use it to generate a world in ascii. This ascii map can be saved as an image from Dwarf Fortress and you must use this map as a starting point to create your own artistic interpretation. You may use any of the custom parameters Dwarf Fortress allows for generating a unique world, and you may incorporate any of the actual elements from the Dwarf Fortress game that you wish.

    If you can't utilize Dwarf Fortress to generate a world, you may use one of the four worlds attached to this post. A Legend can be found here: v0.31:Map legend - Dwarf Fortress Wiki

    Try not to get addicted to Dwarf Fortress until after your challenge entry is completed!

    All entries should be started in a new thread titled April Challenge Entry - <name of your entry>. This challenge will close on or around the 29th of April followed by a period of voting. All work in progress thumbs must include a ### Latest WIP ### tag.

    Best of luck to you all!

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Robbie; 04-01-2013 at 09:54 AM.

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    Administrator Facebook Connected Diamond's Avatar
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    Wellllll.... I think this might be a cool challenge!

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    Hello gentlemen. For those of you who prefer to skip the ASCII, there's an isometric visualizer available as well. You can get it here:
    IsoWorld - And Isometric worldmap viewer
    .

    Additionally, I'd like to draw your attention to the small box at the bottom of the map legend's page, particularly the Advanced Word Generation. There's a wealth of information and tools to massage the type of world map you get, if you're inclined to learn to use it.

    And Toady (the creator of Dwarf Fortress) linked this thread from the dev log, so I reckon you might be seeing a bit of new traffic in this thread, though I'd not be surprised if most folks are more interested in the finished products than anything else.
    Last edited by Cruxador; 04-02-2013 at 02:57 AM.

  4. #4

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    Splendid idea. Great challenge. I'm in. Time to dig up that continent that completely splattered my dwarven civilization I almost conquered. Fun times, fun times.

  5. #5

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    Hello Cartographers guild

    I am a Dwarf Fortress player, and can not wait to see some of the awesome stuff created by this community. Dwarf Fortress is very indepth on many levels, and not simply the map itself, but also the game play aspect as well. The type of stone, minerals and ores you find is very accuratly represented. For example, you will find obsidian near volcanoes. A qoute from the DF wiki, "The geology and stones of Dwarf Fortress are based on real-world geology and mineralogy. To understand the terms used here, you may want to crack open a geology textbook (a high school one should suffice). If you don't happen to have one close by, the Wikipedia articles for geology, mineralogy, or the terms in question might help."

    Good luck everyone!

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    Community Leader Jaxilon's Avatar
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    I am so afraid...I just know this is going to suck me back in and I'll end up playing this game all over.....ahhhhhhhh. I'm already worrying about my little dwarves and if those rangers will be safe out there. Can I dig through this wall or will the water come rushing in and drown us all? Oh this one tasks me.
    “When it’s over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best that you were capable of? If so, the score does not matter. But if you find that you did your best you were capable of, you will find it to your liking.” -John Wooden

    * Rivengard * My Finished Maps * My Challenge Maps * My deviantArt

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    Administrator Facebook Connected Diamond's Avatar
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    LOL Jax! I feel the same way about various games. Civilization: Call to Power I'm looking at you...

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    Community Leader Jaxilon's Avatar
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    I often recall a statement by Brandon Sanderson when he was asked about how he handled his enjoyment of playing video games. He said, "You have to want to write more than you want to play video games." I too want to make art more than I want to play video games but I do still enjoy a good game now and then. I just have to be careful.

    I wonder if it would allowed for one of these fine gamers from Bay 12's forums who already has a world going and would like to see said world come to cartographic life, to post an image here that one might use for the basis of this challenge? That way I'm not in as much danger
    “When it’s over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best that you were capable of? If so, the score does not matter. But if you find that you did your best you were capable of, you will find it to your liking.” -John Wooden

    * Rivengard * My Finished Maps * My Challenge Maps * My deviantArt

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    Professional Artist Cunning Cartographer's Avatar
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    Interesting challenge, think I'll give this one a miss. Too many late night neglecting my wife with the last challenge to jump straight into another

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    Guild Expert Facebook Connected vorropohaiah's Avatar
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    wow this looks interesting, though the maps are giving me a 'matrix code' headache looking at them!

    I like Jaxilon's idea of using an ongoing world to create a map.

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