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Thread: Creative use of Civilization IV

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  1. #1

    Post Creative use of Civilization IV

    To me, the hardest part of mapping is coming up with the initial world layout, after that, developing the map is easy (well, easier). The other day while thinking of a new world to map, I realized I had a video game that generates random world maps every time I play, as well as adding resource locations in a semi logical manner. It took a couple of days to get around to it, but I just hopped in and generated a new world for this very purpose.

    You start out choosing basic characteristics for your world, and from there it generates a random map.

    Once you start the game, you can select the world builder mode in order to clear the fog of war and reveal the entire map.

    The settings I used to generate this map were Fractal, Huge, medium water level, Temperate, and Renaissance timeframe. I chose renaissance so that all resources up to that point would be revealed. Had I chosen the default setting, my people wouldve been cavemen, and most resources would have been hidden since cavemen cant use iron and other such resources. If I chose modern, then resources like uranium would also be on the map.

    Most of the images are way zoomed out, but for the 3rd image I zoomed in so you could see the resources actually on the map.
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  2. #2

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    Here are more maps with the resources toggled to visible while zoomed out.


    This will be a decent way for me to get the initial planning stage for a map started, and from there I can do the normal photoshop mapping.

    Just thought I'd share this idea.
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  3. #3
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    Neat idea... I used some Civ III building/town icons in a map a few months ago.

    I wonder if you can 'get at' the actual graphics files themselves, or are they in some proprietary format?
    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.



  4. #4
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    I love this game... must resist installing it.
    Anyway, I think CIV4 has been mentioned a couple of times as a possible tool for mapping purposes. With an editor you could shape the continents yourself, although this would be a lot more work.
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

    Gandwarf has fallen into shadow...

  5. #5

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    Yeah, my intent was just to get a quick randomized map to base work off of in another mapping program.

  6. #6
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    Using the world builder is tons of fun. I lost about 2 years of my life using the Civ 2 world builder. I have yet to find the time to play with a Fall from Heaven mod world builder or the Warhammer mod world builder in Civ 4 (although I play at least one game every day). You might want to get NifSkope to look at the 3d images and turn them into icons for your non-Civ maps. You'll need PakBuild to unpack them first though because they are in a compressed format. I have them unpacked and iconized but never use them in my maps.
    If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
    -J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)


    My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps

  7. #7

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    The civilization series has been by far the biggest time drain for me over the years. The fact that every new game is different and you can when by so many means.

  8. #8
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    Thats a great idea!

  9. #9
    Guild Journeyer
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    What a great game. I uninstall Civ at least twice a year I'm redoing Diablo II right now.

  10. #10
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    I do that a lot. Sometimes I generate the maps only for rpg reasons

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