# Creating new Overmap spots

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/creating-new-overmap-spots/19529>\
**Category:** The Toolbox\
**Created:** [April 4, 2019, 8:07am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/creating-new-overmap-spots/19529 "2019-04-04T08:07:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Trivega](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/trivega/32/3306_2.png) [@Trivega](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Trivega)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 8:07am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/creating-new-overmap-spots/19529/1 "2019-04-04T08:07:19Z")

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Is it possible to create a new overmap location within the json files? For example, with a mod I’m making, I want to create a special type of anthill, but can’t work out how. I’m not actually changing anything about the anthill, just want to make it so the overmap can create a variant of an Anthill that simply fills it with a new type of Ants I made. Error I’m getting is " overmap id ‘X\_Anthill’ does not exist."

The spot in json i can find anthill referenced is in the specials.json, under overmap. If is possible to do with just editing json files, how would I go about making an Anthill filled with my new enemies?

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**Author:** ![Zhilkin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zhilkin/32/3749_2.png) [@Zhilkin](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Zhilkin)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 10:16am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/creating-new-overmap-spots/19529/2 "2019-04-04T10:16:21Z")

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Following docs should help you to get basic idea on creating new locations - read them, try to make new location for your mod and then ask if there are any questions left:

> <https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/blob/df0c21780917ad256869fd673c44a8c82cda9b96/doc/OVERMAP.md>

> <https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/blob/df0c21780917ad256869fd673c44a8c82cda9b96/doc/MAPGEN.md>

Anthills are hardcoded locations, but you can probably change a few things about them too.

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**Author:** ![Trivega](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/trivega/32/3306_2.png) [@Trivega](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Trivega)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2019, 5:37am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/creating-new-overmap-spots/19529/3 "2019-04-05T05:37:55Z")

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Hmm, so I could create a new location, but then my issue would be how would I make it so the new anthill has a tunnel network to it? I can create the various chambers & tunnels , but how does one make them all connect & be random like the Anthills in game?

I wish I could just make it so the game just automatically upgrades 1 or 2 existing anthills in the game to ones that swap the ant species to the new ones I made.

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**Author:** ![Zhilkin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zhilkin/32/3749_2.png) [@Zhilkin](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Zhilkin)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2019, 10:59am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/creating-new-overmap-spots/19529/4 "2019-04-05T10:59:12Z")

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Ant tunnels are hardcoded in [https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/master/src/mapgen\_functions.cpp](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/master/src/mapgen_functions.cpp). Look for `mapgen_ants_` functions.
