Posts from Spiral maps. Auto-translated

I suspect the compiler doesn't care. Not everything was perfect in Borland.

Author, what is the purpose of creating these maps, if you don't mind me asking? I'm surprised by your persistence.

I'm also not happy with the restrictions imposed on the player by the map creators. The map author believes that this will make the game more interesting. I disagree. I want freedom, to implement my own strategy.
For example, the "Restoration of Erathia" campaign. What is a campaign? You are given 4 heroes, and you can level them up to level 6 on a limited map. Then, on the next map, you can level up 8 heroes to level 12. Then all the heroes are transferred to the third map.

I tried it - the imposed restrictions
are easily overcome. But a real game doesn't result. You try to play your own way - no way! The opponent overwhelms you with numbers.

Furthermore. In the campaign for Tarnum the Barbarian, why is he forbidden from gaining wisdom and learning higher-level spells - such as flying, for example? I disagree. Normal heroes always find a way around.
In addition, the gradation of the level limit is not what I would like.
I want it to be like this: the first map +3 levels, the second map +3 levels, and so on. None of the campaigns have this.

In other words, looking at all this, I decided to set my own game conditions. Conditions that I like. And play by my own rules, with my own strategy.

Added 2 minutes later
And one more factor. When I have many goals in front of me, I get lost. I don't know where to go, what to do. Everything seems equally important to me. What difference does it make when and what I build, and how much time I spend on it?
In spiral-shaped maps, there is only one goal - the one in front of you. There is no choice.

A continuation of the same. Another 7 map templates. Download:
https://yadi.sk/d/nX9FmDq93XvngR















Added 3 hours 15 minutes ago
Download 7 maps: https://yadi.sk/d/jvBPFjrb3XwBco

Besides drawing, you can create a lot of modifications. Here are some:
1) You can draw not only on land but also on water. Unfortunately, this reduces the map's traversability. Water becomes an additional obstacle, and not everyone has boats.
2) You can draw a path that is two or more cells wide, instead of just one. This sharply increases the enemy's activity; they start "running around" more readily. The game's pace increases, and they stop simply sitting in their castle and accumulating troops.
3) You can draw not just one spiral path, but two (or more) in parallel. Unfortunately, this sharply increases the difficulty of drawing the map, as you have to gather more information.
4) You can draw not just one spiral on the map, but several, with different arrangements.
5) You can draw not spirals at all, but other geometric shapes. The most natural would be squares and rectangles. This greatly simplifies the map creation process. Unfortunately, this also reduces the aesthetic appeal, and the game becomes less interesting. The unnecessary nature of "corners" in the game becomes obvious.

And so on. There can be many modifications. They can be combined.

Spirals are good and important. But I think there aren't enough spirals; we need more.

Those who want a longer game can build their own "corridors" and see for themselves why that's not a good idea.

Map templates. Two spirals. Starting radii: from 6 to 20. A link to download the templates is provided below.
I tried to make a single spiral, but something didn't work out. If the spiral is narrow, it overlaps itself, and the roundness is lost. If I make it a little wider, the space between the turns becomes too large. I had to give up. Ugh, the limitations of discrete graphics...

https://yadi.sk/d/_6DKY_sew7iheA











--------------------











--------------------

Ready-made maps in the archive.

Cyclic patterns for changing the spiral's radius.

1. Pattern 1-1-0.
The pattern's period is 3. Too narrow. It overlaps itself and becomes cramped.

2. Pattern 0-1-1-1.
The pattern's period is 4. Just right, but monotonous. You have to draw even large maps, knowing in advance where and what radii will be.

3. Pattern 0-1-1-1-1.
The pattern's period is 5. Too wide. Over time, intervals appear between the spirals, but I would like the spirals to be close together.

4. Pattern 2-2-1-1-1.
The pattern's period is 5. A double-spiral pattern.
When drawing, "jumps" occur, which must be mentally compensated for by a temporary shift at the beginning of each cycle.
Maps have been created with initial radii of 6...20. It is quite possible to create a map with R=30, which I am currently working on. The expected number of cities on the map is 16 (I would like 24).

5. "Stepped" pattern: 0-0-1-2, 0-0-2-1, 0-2-1-0, etc. (new!)
An experimental idea for the future. The pattern's period is 4, one spiral. It differs from variant (2) in the absence of monotony.
In case of failure, a variant with a period of 5 is possible: 0-0-1-1-2, 0-0-1-2-1, etc.

Spirals don't necessarily have to be spiral-shaped. :) I recently came across a map like this on a girl's website:

Agreed. The work deserves respect. It's clear that someone isn't as fixated as I am! :smile26: I also tried the "square" ones. The corners are unnecessary and become tiresome. I draw round ones.

A map with a radius of 30 and 16 towns. It's easy and comfortable to play, at least until the middle of the game. The Grail is present. Adventures are guaranteed.
Also included in the archive is a map template, meaning you can create your own modifications instead of starting from scratch.

Notes:
1) I compressed the preview by a factor of two. It wouldn't fit on the site.
2) I packed it (rar) into a (zip) file.

Maybe you could recommend another game?

"Eador. Masters of the Broken World". It's perfect for a long, thoughtful single-player experience. I like it more than the third and fifth installments, but it requires more thinking and has a higher barrier to entry.

Three ready-made maps. Packed the "7z" archive into a "zip" file.

Map templates with a radius from 12 to 16. These are not finished maps, but only a "skeleton" that still needs to be refined to create a complete map.
In the last "water" map, among other things, you need to add boats so that heroes can sail.
Download: https://yadi.sk/d/ISYqDGYOVHP1Sg