Hello Lords & Ladies!
We have a great announcement today about something that has been cooking for a while and that we’re finally ready to lift the lid from.
The first iteration of our random map generator is now available to experiment! To do so, switch to the Map Generator branch on Steam and GOG (see how that works below).
Experimental yes, but here to stay
If you start a game using the map generator, you will be able to keep playing it with further updates, as long as you stay in the experimental branch, until we deploy the map generator on the public branch. We won’t remove access to the experimental branch until then. The experimental branch will also benefit from the same updates as the public build. So feel free to move to the experimental branch as you see fit.
Map Generator Highlights
Map Settings
In this first beta version, you will be able to generate random and unique maps based on 3 settings:
- Hills
- Fluvial
- Coastal
Organic Territories
Gone are the days of hex-shaped territories: they now procedurally fit with the topography of the area, like an island, or a promontory, but also with what’s in it. For instance, a territory containing a mineral deposit will be much smaller than one without one.
Note that this is our first take at procedural territories. We plan to improve them in further iterations with the help of your feedback.
How to Generate a Map
Generating a unique map is done quickly. Here’s how:
- Click on New Game
- Under Procedural Maps, choose your topography
- Click Generate to see a preview of your random map
- When you’re satisfied with the preview, click Confirm
How to access the experimental branch
Opting into the experimental_mapgen branch to test the map generator’s experimental release is quick, here’s how:
- Open Steam
- Right-click on Foundation
- Click Properties
- Click BETAS
- Opt into the experimental_mapgen branch. This will initiate an update of your game files
- Launch the game
What’s planned for the future
- We know that many of you will ask for more customization options, and in time, we plan to give you these options
- More map types will also be added over time
We hope you enjoy this first iteration of the map generator. Feel free to discuss this new feature and share your own results!
-The Polymorph Games team