SE5 map generator not so random?

Puke · #1 October 31st, 2006, 07:50 PM

are you kidding? the se4 generator was totally random. the quadrant types file contained all the paramaters for generation, and you could make custom shaped quadrants and such.

all of the variables were in plain sight, and you could lean on the "generate quadrant" button all day long, and see all sorts of new patterns being generated.

Are you sure its different from that? maybe theres some other explination, or a failure to wipe the old quadrant from memory or something.

Shadowstar · #2 October 31st, 2006, 08:45 PM

I ran alot of map generations in the next new game and it always came up with a new map. I haven't seen the duplicate map bug since, but you may be right, a memory quirk or something.

Thy_Reaper · #3 October 31st, 2006, 10:15 PM

Neither SE4 nor SE5 have totally random map generators, it seems to me. The first clue is that I have a game in SE4 with the exact same map layout as SE5. Also, many other games in both SE4 and SE5 have had that same map layout, and a picture of it is posted at spaceempire5.com
http://www.spaceempires5.com/en-US/node/244

I'm not the one that posted that, so when it came up as the random image one time I was quite surprised. The only differences I can see is that the warp points aren't all the same.

Fyron · #4 November 1st, 2006, 12:54 AM

Puke said:
...a failure to wipe the old quadrant from memory or something.

There is one, and it makes SE5 crash after so many map generations in a row.

In SE4, I have never once seen the same star positions generated exactly the same twice in one session, and I've generated a lot of maps before (especially when testing).

PsychoTechFreak · #5 November 1st, 2006, 04:53 AM

Maybe there is a difference if you unload the game before generating a new map? However, I tried it within the same game session and it was repeating (every 4-5 times the same map with the same positions of the races).

Fyron · #6 November 1st, 2006, 03:08 PM

SE5 or SE4?

capnq · #7 November 1st, 2006, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Puke said: are you kidding? the se4 generator was totally random.

I believe PTF is referring to the SE IV Map Editor, which wasn't anywhere near as random as the New Game map generator.

PsychoTechFreak · #8 November 1st, 2006, 08:12 PM

Yes, SE IV. I just downloaded the demo version of SE V so far.

Fyron · #9 November 2nd, 2006, 02:43 PM

Well, don't use the map editor to generate maps, and it'll be ok.

I generated 30 or so mid-life maps in-game, and did not see any repetition of system placements. Sure there was the occasional similar cluster of stars, but that was still random in occurrence.

Shadowstar · #10 November 2nd, 2006, 04:44 PM

Speaking of map editors, anyone have any idea when/if there will be a SE5 map editor?