Up until now though any random map gave me "freckles" crazy little patchwork islands all around the main landmasses.........

Here is where map.txt comes in

the original reads(this is an extract for gigantic maps)

## Super Large Map

MAP_SIZE 70 140 {
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 0% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 70
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 8
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 8
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 26
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 40
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 24
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 12
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 24
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.6
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.4
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 10% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 64
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 8
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 8
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 46
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 40
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 22
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 12
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 22
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.6
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.4
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 20% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 58
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 8
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 20
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 48
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 42
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 18
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 10
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 20
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.6
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.5
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 30% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 52
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 8
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 10
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 28
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 42
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 16
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 10
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 18
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.6
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.5
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 40% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 48
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 8
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 12
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 30
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 44
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 13
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 8
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 16
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.6
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.6
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
## Default \/ \/ \/
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 50% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 45
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 8
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 12
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 30
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 44
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 10
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 8
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 16
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.6
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.6
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 60% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 42
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 10
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 16
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 36
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 56
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 10
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 8
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 16
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.6
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.6
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 70% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 38
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 12
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 20
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 40
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 68
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 9
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 8
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 18
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.7
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.6
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 80% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 36
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 14
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 24
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 44
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 80
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 9
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 8
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 18
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.7
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.6
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 90% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 33
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 16
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 28
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 48
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 90
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 8
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 8
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 20
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.8
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.6
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
# Very Large(Gigantic) Map - 100% Continents/Islands
{
MAP_NUM_CONTINENTS 20
MAP_MIN_WIDTH 20
MAP_MIN_HEIGHT 32
MAP_MAX_WIDTH 52
MAP_MAX_HEIGHT 100
MAP_BUMP_SIZE 8
MAP_MIN_SUBCONTINENTS 8
MAP_MAX_SUBCONTINENTS 20
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_SIZE 0.8
MAP_SUBCONTINENT_HEIGHT 0.6
MAP_BORDER_SIZE 15
MAP_FAULT_LINES 0
MAP_FAULT_LENGTH 1.0
MAP_NS_BORDER_SIZE 5
}
}
ok now I doubled up the map size in constr.txt,then went through this list and doubled up any variable that was min or max..It worked just as I hoped
A map without "freckles"

N.B. I have been playing with these variables on various sized maps and you can produce some very interesting results indeed.The largest map I have worked with so far was 210x420 and do not think I'll go any larger...

Finally by really messing with these settings...you can make the slider for ocean continent ratio MEAN something

Apologies for length of post..but I felt I had to share this

Mr.Fun I would be more than happy to communicate by e-mail...although I know nothing about SLIC..feel free to bounce any info you find and I'll reciprocate..LOL maybe we'll produce our own mod eventually

Ed,
Yeah, I meant CtP1. Just because you didn't play it doesn't mean you can't gain some knowledge from it.

I am about the only CtP1 map-modifier, map-maker (that stuck with it) so not many others would be able to answer your 'freckles' question. Unfortunately, because of some health issues, I haven't been able to spend much time here at Apolyton but I do hope to change that.

the only way I can get this is usually to use a gigantic map with 90% ocean, and mostly continents.

anyone have any suggestions? I like to have to wait a bit before I can explore the whole world, and havine landmasses seperated by deep water helps.

I'd appreciate any suggestions, but basicly what I want is to be able to sail across deep water in 2-3 turns. and be able to load and unload troops.

I find that any longer and my boats are too much at risk of detection, and I don't have any move points for manuvering. also, invsions over seas take too long for me, I get frustrated.

I think I have subs at 20 and destroyers at 35, I'm not certain at the moment, and I have seperate unit.txt files for different size worlds.

does anyone else find ocean movement to be to slow? magellean's boat took 3 years to circle the earth, I think. I'm aiming more that time span. it may throw off some game balance, but I find the AI does alot more exploring, and does better with colonizing and oversea invasions.

The pacific is big, but you should be able to cross it in less than a year.

When you make a scenario or something like this, it would be lovely, if you were able to change the "year" to "months" or even "weeks/days".

Then everybody would accept two-five-ten turns to get to some other place or to "manage" the troops for an attack/defense.

In CtPII you can, you can put a file turnlenth.txt in your standard scenario folder (scen0000) in which you have complete freedom to set the 'date' on a turn to turn basis. Works fabulously

Small....35 x 70
Medium...70 x 140
Large....140 x 280
Huge.....210 x 420

In the Map.txt I basically doubled and tripled the values accordingly and everything has worked out beutifully. We'll see how it keeps working. Thank you for the info.

Are you talking about the variables which Elucidus mentioned above (map.txt) or others?

The problem is the AI doesn't know how to correctly play on larger maps. Tweaking the map.txt variables makes the generated map look better but it doesn't do anything as far as actually playing the game. There is so many variables used throughout the game that it is vitually impossible to change them all. The human is smart enough to get around this but the AI is not. The bigger you go, the worse you skew the game playability.

I know where you are coming from though. I spent 6 weeks straight learning the correct way of doing everything. Change, crash, reboot, change, crash, reboot, change, crash, reboot......