Map Tiles suggestions + list of places

Game Talk The Drawing Board
1

Hello, first time posting here but long time lurking.
As far as I have been able to find in my searches there isn’t really a thread for discussing Map Tiles or the .json files that make up these.
Right now the experimental build is on version 5026 and we have 135 .json files that make up the map, that’s a lot but what are they?
Just by looking at the filenames you can figure out most of them, but maybe it’s just me that would like a better naming system for them?
Also what kind of places would you like to see in the game?

Of the top of my head I would like to see:
Community garages - like a row with small garages. http://cdn.rentcafe.com/dmslivecafe/3/471397/3_471397_2430200.jpg?&
Lumberyard
Internet café
Train tracks possibly with trains if possible
Railway station
Prison
Dentists
Post office or package delivery hub like DHL, FedEx or UPS
Computer store
Bakery
Butcher
Farms with fields
Bus stops
Brewery
Car dealership
Bicycle store
Community storage
Historic landmarks
Swiminghall

The places we have right now are these:
abandoned01.json - 7 different abandoned places mostly dirt roads but also a cabin.
abstorefront.json - 1 Abandoned store.
ags_station.json - 1 Automated gas station
antique_store.json - 1 Antique store
apartment_con.json - 2x2 Apartment tower
arcade.json - 1 Arcade hall
bandit_cabin.json - 1 Bandit cabin
bandit_camp.json - 4 different Bandit camps
bar.json - 1 Bar
basement_guns.json - 1 Basement with guns
basement_survival.json - 1 Basement for survival
[hr]
bookstore1.json
bookstore2.json - 3 Bookstores
bookstore3.json
[hr]
bowling_alley.json - 1 Bowling alley
boxing.json - 1 Boxing gym
[hr]
cabin00.json - 1 Cabin
cabin03.json - 1 Cabin
cabin_strange.json - 2 Strange cabins
[hr]
campsite.json - 5 different Campsites
cemetery_4square.json - 2x2 Cemetery
[hr]
clothing0.json
clothing1.json
clothing2.json
clothing3.json - 7 different Clothing stores
clothing4.json
clothing5.json
clothing6.json
[hr]
coffee_shop.json
coffee_shop2.json - 2 Coffee shops
[hr]
debug_ramps.json - Some sort of debugging test
diner.json - 1 Diner
doctor1.json - 1 Doctors office
dojo.json - 1 Dojo
[hr]
electronics0.json
electronics1.json - 2 Electronics stores
[hr]
evac_center.json - Big evac center made up of 25 different squares
field_football.json - 3x5 Football field
fire_station.json - 1 Firestation
fortified_house01.json - 1 Fortified house
furniture.json - 1 Furniture store
garage_gas.json - 1x3 Gas station with a garage
gardening_store.json - 1 Gardening store
[hr]
grocery0.json
grocery1.json - 2 Grocery stores
[hr]
gunsmith.json - 1 Gunsmith store, a place that makes and modifies guns
gunstore_home_defense.json - 1 Gun store
gym.json - 1 Gym
[hr]
hardware1.json
hardware2.json
hardware3.json - 4 Hardware stores
hardware4.json
[hr]

The list will continue…

2

Tell you what, you do the public storage facility and Ill do the prison.

Im adding in cemeteries right now, so Ill be more than happy to work with you.

3

I would love to make Map tiles.
Is there any tutorial or do I have to figure it out myself?

4

Sure. Ill see if I cant briefly run through it. I’d, we’d love to have more help.

-There are 2 ways to gen map doodads. JSON and C++. We don’t talk about C++ here; either you know the code or you don’t. Thats well beyond a quick tutorial.

-JSON mapgen is pretty straightforward. You designate a bunch of symbols to spawn various furniture and terrain. The same symbol can be both furniture and terrain, which allows you to make unusual terrain and furniture combos. For instance, which chairs usually spawn inside, you can make them spawn in the dirt.

-All map tiles are 24 by 24 actual game-tiles. Everything in the game is a series of 24 by 24 tiles, and thus most things are modular.

-There are also ways to generate loot and items and traps and monsters and etc, but that can come after you get the place set up.

-This is the basic code for setting up a JSON mapgen tile:

{
    "type": "mapgen",
        "om_terrain": [
            "cemetery_large_33"
        ],
        "method": "json",
        "weight": 100,
        "object": {
            "fill_ter": "t_dirt",
       "rows": [
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        ",
                "                        "
            ],
            "terrain": {
                ".": "t_pavement_y",
                "7": "t_backboard",
                "|": "t_chainfence_v",
                "-": "t_chainfence_h",
                "+": "t_chaingate_c",
                "H": "t_pavement",
                "R": "t_pavement"
            },
            "furniture": {
                "H": "f_bench",
                "R": "f_trashcan"
            }
}

This will generate a field of dirt, but it does have some basic coded symbols.

You see how the [.] period symbol says [pavement_y]? That means that a period represents a yellow pavement. You can find the id t_pavement_y in the terrain.json file.

You see the 24 by 24 field with quotation marks and commas? Thats where you put the period to make a yellow pavement. If you put it 5 tiles from the left and 6 down from the top, a yellow pavement will appear 5 tiles from the left and 6 from the top when you generate the map.

By adding more symbols that are represented below in that area you can build a whole map region. Its slower than C++, but much, much easier and quite percise.

5

After you make a map region you want you need to add loot/vehicles/monsters/traps.

You can pretty easily figure that out if you are willing to look up the IDs of anything you want to add. And copypaste your way through it.

But, you also need to add the region to the overmap terrain file and, depending on if its a city item or not, the overmap.json or the regional_map_settings.json.

6

Nice, thanks for the short tutorial and your fast reply. Was going to bed but now it looks like it’s going to be an allnighter instead.

7

Another question about the map tiles.

Can the program rotate places or are they always placed as they are maped in the .json files?

8

Yea, it can. In the overmapspecial or overmapterrain file you can set it. ids get automatically amended with a direction suffix in-game

9

http://smf.cataclysmdda.com/index.php?topic=11257.0

Don’t forget the building maker tool!

10

Damn it, I have been making my own program just like this over the weekend. This looks awesome mine isn’t as good as this one. =(
Now that was a waste of time.