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M a p p e r Version C 1.20 (C) Oskari Koskimies 1992 Programmed in STOS Basic. This program lets you create your own maps for StrataGem. You may create maps from Neochrome or Degas pictures or you can draw it from scratch. All properties of cities can be modified. The file MAXVALUE.DAT (Its function is explained in StrataGem docuentation) should be on the same disk as the program. As the program starts, you'll have to choose a type data file (.TYP). The maps belong together with the type data files that were used creating them, and when you use StrataGem you can't use incompatible type and map files together (Well, actually you can if the number of types is same in both files, it's just that the city production limits data will probably be garbled). Incidentally, if you want to make another map with a different type data file, you'll have to quit and start the program again. The city names are in the CITNAMES.DAT file. This can be edited with any ASCII editor (1st Word/1st Word + will do just fine). Just remember to write END (in upper case) at the end. It is NOT necessary to put the names in alphabetic order. General workings The screen consists of the menu bar, below that is a two- line info space containing info about the location of the top left corner of the area you are currently watching, Point 1 and 2 (see below), the map part that is currently used for drawing operations and the number of cities currently existing (max 500, but that can be changed - see StrataGem documentation). Pointing at the map with the mouse and pressing the left button can have two effects; which one, that depends on whether the Draw option in the Map menu has a marker beside it or not. If not, then a crosshair (Point 2) will be placed at the location. Otherwise a map part of the sort currently being used will be placed at the location. Using the right button places the rectangle (Point 1). At the beginning both the rectangle and the crosshair are placed at the top left corner of the map. All functions that require that somewthing be placed on the map, with the exeption of draw, use these two points. They will hereafter be referred to as Point 1 and Point 2. See the description of the drawing functions for details. You can move around the map by moving the mouse pointer to the border of the screen (the menu bar may be in the way) or with the cursor keys (a bigger jump) or with World map (see below). Pressing the <Help> key shows free memory and disk space. T H E M E N U S INFO About Mapper Displays credits. City Stats Shows some statistics about the cities: Cities: Number of cities Popul.: Total population (in thousands) Inhab.: Average number of inhabitants in a city. Resrc.: Average resources. Pr Ind: Produktion time index. The ideal time is 100, but it can be less if the cities have more than 100000 inhabitants or their resources are greater than 100. Right mouse button exits. Prod. Stats Displays the number of cities that produce each type. Left mouse button flips between pages, right exits. FILE Load Map The map requires also a picture to go along with it as the World Map. If there's a Neochrome pic with the same name as the map, the program will assume that it is the World Map pic, and it will be loaded. Otherwise you will be given four options: load a .PI1 pic with the same name as the map, load a Neochrome pic, load a Degas pic, or calculate a pic from the map (will take some time). If the map you selected was compressed it won't need a pic. There will then be a small delay while the map is decompressed. As the Unit Types may also be edited (see Typedit documenta- tion) the number of types that the map file expects and the actual number of types may not be the same. (In this case StrataGem refuses to load the map file and lets you choose another.) If this is the case, you will be informed. If the number of types in the city file is greater than that in the type file the extra types will merely be cut off. If it's the other way around, you will get to choose whether to set the extra types on (where possible due to surrounding terrain) or off in the city production list. However, since it is possible to insert new types "between" old ones with Typedit, the City Production Limits data may be garbled. If you have done this you'd better use "Adj. Prod. Limits" (see below) and set the production limits to maximum capability, and then set the type the cities are producing with "Set Cities" (see below). Then you can edit the cities individually to taste. For more information about editing the unit types, see Typedit documentation. Load Pic Allows you to make a map from a Neochrome or a Degas picture. First you will be asked which kind you wish to load. Then a file selector will appear. Choose the picture you wish to use. When the file has been loaded, you will be asked for Color Conversion. This means simply which terrain the colors on the picture are to be translated into. "Set" allows you to define this. "No Change" will use the conversion setting you used before, if you have loaded any other pics this session. "Default" is, of course, the default setting, as follows: Colour Terrain 0 Sea 1 Sea 2 Shallow 3 Reef 4 Field 5 Forest 6 Hill 7 Nuclear Waste 8 Mountain 9 Vulcan 10 Desert 11 Road 12 Player 1 City 13 Player 2 City 14 Neutral City 15 City Ruin If you select "No Change" or "Default", the picture will be processed into a map directly. You will see the picture (but the colours are converted to represent the terrains they will be) and it will be erased as it is converted. Then the cities will be processed, and after that the map is ready. The city names will be chosen randomly from a list of city names (about 300 or so, if you have more cities than that you will get "twins") and their resources will be set according to their surroundings, but these can be edited at will (see Set Data). Terrain resource values are: Minimum 50 Mountains or volcanos +20 Sea or reed or shallow +10 Forest +10 Desert (for oil) +10 If you selected "Set" at the conversion prompt, you will first see a selector box titled "Set Conversion". The color numbers (see above) and their actual colors in hex are displayed with the corresponding terrain types. Click at the color whos terrain type you wish to change and you will see the picture with the colour you selected flashing (The colours of the picture are adapted as described above). Press mouse key to exit and you will see a selector box titled "Colour <colour in question>(<hex value of colour>),<current terrain type of this colour>", allowing you to choose which terrain type this colour will be translated into. Pressing the right mouse button will exit to the "Set Conversion" selector box without altering the current terrain type. Pressing the right mouse button in this box lets the conversion proceed (described above). Save Map Saves the .MAP and the .CIT (cities) files. If a .NEO picture with the same name as the map exists, it will be replaced by the current World Map. You may also save a compressed map. It will take somewhat longer to load a compressed map, but it will take up much less disk space too. Save Pic Lets you save the World Map in Neochrome or Degas format. You should do this if you have started to make up a map from scratch, and use the same filename as with the map (but with a .NEO extender). This way the program will save the modified World Map along with the map each time you save a modified version of your map, and you don't have to use "Calculate" when loading a map. Of course, it will cost some file space. If you save the map as compressed you don't need to have a pic on the disk. New Map Clears the map. You will be asked for confirmation. Quit Obvious. CITY Set Data Sets the data of the city at Point 2. You will see a window with various data about the city. Click at the data you want to change and then enter the new data. Right mouse button exits. Note: The maximum resources are 100 and the maximum popula- tion is 100,000. If you enter values greater than these the production times will be shorter than the minimum ones specified in the Type file (see documentation for Typedit). If you want a city to produce something immediately as the game starts, set the "Producing" to the type desired and the "Time left:" to zero. Set Prod. Limits Allows you the set the types the city (at Point 2) can and cannot produce. A window with the unit types will be shown (if the types don't fit on one page, you can use the Previous- and Next- buttons). Those types that cannot move in the vicinity of the city are shadowed, and they cannot be selected. The rest can be set. Just click at the type whos status you wish to change. If the Type is written in inverse it can be produced by the city, if not - then not. Right mouse button exits. Add City Puts a city in Point 2. You will be asked for its owner (Player 1/Player 2/Neutral). Its resources and production limits will be set according to its surroundings (see Load Pic), the produce type will be set to "Resting" and the population will be random value between 50,000 and 100,000. Delete City Deletes the city at Point 2. Find City You will get a selector box with a list of cities. Choose the one you want to find. Adj. Prod. Limits You will get an alert box which looks something like this: +----------------------------------+ | Adjust Prod. Limits | | | | [Player 1] | | [Player 2] | | [Neutral] | | Limited Area | | | | | | +------------------------------+ | | | Set Limits | | | +------------------------------+ | | +------------------------------+ | | | Maximum capability | | | +------------------------------+ | | +------------------------------+ | | | Remove Type | | | +------------------------------+ | | +------------------------------+ | | | Exit | | | +------------------------------+ | +----------------------------------+ The use of this function is to change the production limits of cities. However, the cities that are affected can be defined with this box, to be more exact, with the first option. The list "Player 1 ... Limited Area" describes which cities will be affected. (The ones being selected as default are in brackets here. In the program they are written with inverse.) The three first ones define if Player 1, Player 2 and/or Neutral cities shall be affected. The fourth says whether only the ones contained within the rectangle formed by Point 1 and Point 2 (upper left and lower right corner) should be affected. These can be set with "Set limits", NOT by clicking on them. You will get another alert box allowing you to switch one of the settings. "Maximum capability" will let the cities produce anything that can move in the terrain types surrounding them. "Remove type" will let you choose a type which will be removed from the producing list of all affected cities. This can be used to make a game setting without nukes, for example. "Exit" - exits. Set Cities Allows the properties of cities be set. You will get an alert box similar to the one described above. The workings are similar. Clicking at "Set Cities" will let you change one property of all cities that are affected. World Map Displays the current map as a picture. The area you are currently watching is marked by a flashing rectangle. Another flashing rectangle has replaced the mouse pointer. If you wish to change the place you are watching, place the mouse pointer at the appropriate place and press the left mousebutton. Pressing the right button exits. The following keys are used to control the flashing. Originally Player 1 cities flash. Unexplored F 1 Sea F 2 Shallow F 3 Reef F 4 Field F 5 Forest F 6 Hill F 7 Nuclear Waste F 8 Mountain F 9 Vulcanic F 10 Desert F 11 Road F 12 Player 1 City F 13 / 1 Player 2 City F 14 / 2 Neutral City F 15 / N City Ruins F 16 Draw Selects whether clicking at the map places Point 2 (marker off) or the current map part (marker on). The following six drawing functions all draw with the current map part: Line Draws a line from Point 1 to Point 2. Square Draws a hollow rectangle with Point 1 and Point 2 as defining corners. Box Draws a filled rectangle. Elliptical Arc Draws a hollow ellipse with the center at Point 1. The x- radius is the x-difference between Point 1 and Point 2 and the Y- radius is the y-difference between Point 1 and Point 2. Ellipse Draws a filled ellipse. Fill Effects a flood fill at Point 1. However, since all the drawing functions work by first drawing on the World Map with normal graphic commands and then copying a rectangle containing the results to the map, which may take some time if the rectangle is sizeable, the area which is affected by the fill is determined by Point 2. The area is a square with its middle at Point 2 and its "radius" (half side) is the difference between Point 1:s and Point 2:s x- or y-coordinates, whichever is the greatest. Choose part Lets you choose the map part the drawing functions use.