# Overmap Specials: 72 Limit

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [December 14, 2017, 6:37am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654 "2017-12-14T06:37:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![druidniam](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/druidniam/32/1368_2.png) [@druidniam](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/druidniam)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 6:37am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/1 "2017-12-14T06:37:16Z")

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Is this still a thing or did it get upped sometime in november and I missed a PR for it. Suddenly noticed Pk’s, Cata++, Urban Development, More Buildings and More Locations (129 overmap specials) stopped throwing warnings at me.

Edit: @kevin.granade since this came up in another post and was never answered.

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**Author:** ![druidniam](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/druidniam/32/1368_2.png) [@druidniam](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/druidniam)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 11:34am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/2 "2017-12-27T11:34:55Z")

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2 week ping of @kevin.granade since this still hasn’t been answered.

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**Author:** ![DaWhatTheFox](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/dawhatthefox/32/1307_2.png) [@DaWhatTheFox](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DaWhatTheFox)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/3 "2017-12-27T15:41:16Z")

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It is still a thing. I am on version #7026, which is the second latest build.

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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:** [December 27, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/4 "2017-12-27T16:57:30Z")

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> <https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/blob/7ee93bc46d19f23a44f80fb948796ee702f7d5a7/src/overmap.cpp#L334>

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**Author:** ![proxiehunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e68b1a/32.png) [@proxiehunter](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/proxiehunter)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/5 "2017-12-27T20:35:41Z")

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So, what is the reason for the limit and is there any way to be rid of it? It makes combining some mods very difficult.

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/6 "2017-12-27T22:39:32Z")

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An overmap is divided into 72 regions, each of which can have its own overmap special. It works out to roughly 2 specials in any 15 by 15 overmap tile space.

OMSPEC\_FREQ is set in omdata.h, so if you can compile your own versions, you can change the spacing. It starts at 15, and if you made it 10, there could be 180 or so mandatory map specials.

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**Author:** ![BorkBorkGoesTheCode](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/borkborkgoesthecode/32/2343_2.png) [@BorkBorkGoesTheCode](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/BorkBorkGoesTheCode)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/7 "2017-12-27T22:49:14Z")

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What would the visual effect be? Would the map look crowded?

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**Author:** ![proxiehunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e68b1a/32.png) [@proxiehunter](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/proxiehunter)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/8 "2017-12-27T23:23:15Z")

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If not it sounds like it could stand to be made a configurable option in the settings menu. That way people who want to use mods that add a lot of mandatory specials don’t need to mess around with compiling their own versions and people looking for a little more challenge can make specials more rare.

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 1:17am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/9 "2017-12-28T01:17:57Z")

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I can’t currently compile the game but I suspect as you lower the frequency value (which decreases the square size and increases the number of specials), the map is going to start looking crowded. At OMSPEC\_FREQ 6, some of the larger specials (the new mansions, for instance) are going to start intruding on each other.

I do agree that it should be a configurable option. I may try coding up a patch for it in January.

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 2:24am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/10 "2017-12-28T02:24:04Z")

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The limit reflects what the engine is capable of, the bug here is with mods misusing the mandatory specials list to force spawning of “nice to have” map entities.

The mandatory specials list should only contain specials that will _break the game_ if they are missing.

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**Author:** ![psyxypher](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/psyxypher/32/11778_2.png) [@psyxypher](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/psyxypher)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/11 "2017-12-28T02:29:33Z")

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> [@kevin.granade](#):
>
> The mandatory specials list should only contain specials that will break the game if they are missing.

That makes it so much more simpler.

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**Author:** ![druidniam](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/druidniam/32/1368_2.png) [@druidniam](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/druidniam)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/12 "2017-12-28T02:33:01Z")

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There must be an error message I globally set to ignore then at some point. I’ll go through UD and fix all 48 locations so they aren’t on the mandatory spawning list and that should clear up the loading of all the various mods. Who maintains that anyway, @Chezzo?

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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:** [December 28, 2017, 7:03am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/13 "2017-12-28T07:03:27Z")

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> [@kevin.granade](#):
>
> The limit reflects what the engine is capable of, the bug here is with mods misusing the mandatory specials list to force spawning of “nice to have” map entities.
> 
> The mandatory specials list should only contain specials that will break the game if they are missing.

I guess there are two uses for mandatory specials:

- place at least X buildings of certain type on the overmap;
- make all of start/quests locations spawn at least once on the overmap.

The latter one is aimed to fix game break, but former one is also valid case sometimes.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/overmap-specials-72-limit/14654/14 "2017-12-28T15:23:09Z")

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> [@Zhilkin](#):
>
> The latter one is aimed to fix game break, but former one is also valid case sometimes.

Not if it is resulting in hitting the limit, which it clearly is.