Review and include kali's random maps

[Itms]

kali made a number of random maps, they're here: ​https://github.com/0ADMods/maps_random_by_kali (original post: ​http://wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19953 )

AFAICS nobody has strong objections against them and I find them rather neat. Enhancing and including some of them would be great.

[Stan]

Could you define "Enhancing" ?

[Itms]

I dunno, tweak little things so it become fun to play, balanced, and so on :) Maybe they are already perfect though ;)

[Niek]

Some of them look fun, but mostly the visuals are lagging behind: low variety of terrain textures, and unrealistic terrain shapes (though we have more of that in 0 A.D. already) are the most important, poor environmental settings is f.e. also one.

For me the one that I would include is the 'Ring' (with a proper name and some adjusted visual settings) and maybe Island Stronghold (under the same conditions)

[elexis]

IMO all of them should be included for a20, but after a rework (more variation in textures, some textures, hills, seas etc.).

[elexis]

Here kali's original files.

[elexis]

Niektb added heightmap-erroding, hills, dirt-patches, decorative rocks, grass tufts and random sky/sun effects.

[elexis]

Thanks niektb for creating a github repository: ​https://github.com/0ADMods/maps_random_by_kali

[elexis]

In 17734:

New random map "Island Stronghold" by _kali, reworked by niektb. Refs #3455.

[elexis]

In 17773:

Reduce base-height of the random map island stronghold, so units don't walk too far into the water. Patch by niektb, refs #3455.

[elexis]

In 17788:

Better placement for initial resources on Island Stronghold, based on patch by niektb, refs #3455.
First place all starting entities before placing initial resources to avoid placing them on each other.
Don't place initial mines near the territory of allies.

[elexis]

In 17844:

New random map script "Flood". Created by _kali and niektb, refs #3455.

[sanderd17]

I found an issue with island stronghold: when you take a mini-sized map, with f.e. 3 players on it, some units start under water, and resources like stone and metal mines can also be unreachable.

I guess the CC should make a certain circle to certainly be above water.

[elexis]

preview images on github

[Itms]

In 17903:

Include some new random maps by kali! Style updates by elexis and map previews by niektb.
Refs #3455

[Itms]

In my opinion, and niektb agrees with me, there are often too few trees on the Harbor map. There is a similar problem with Volcanic Lands (#3808) we will work on, but we will stop adding new maps to A20 now. Thanks for your work!

[elexis]

In 17911:

Remove blood from skeletons, refs #3455.

[elexis]

In 17945:

Improve the resource distribution on the map "Ambush" and maps using bluffs in general. Based on patch by _kali, refs #3455.

Bluffs:
Cover half instead of most of the area of bluffs with forests (to allow placing CCs / forts there).
Proportionally reduce the likelyhood of placing metal/stone on bluffs.
Compensate the absence of forests on the savanna biome with more straggler trees.

Ambush:
Place forests also on the mainland (so that players are not immediately forced to expand to bluffs).
Reduce the amount of berries and animals a bit following r17920.

[elexis]

Review is done as all nice maps were included (besides Harbor). The other maps use the old format and were very similar. As I recall, _kali didn't intend to continue working on those maps. Otherwise please open a new ticket once the rewrite is done. Thanks for those great maps!

[elexis]

In 17946:

Remove a check for an edge case where the entrance of a bluff would be cutoff by the players territory.
Instead, reserve some space at the bottom of the slope for an entrance.
Finetune the terrain textures of bluffs depending on the biome.
Patch by _kali, refs #3455.