Tool KingGen - A Random World Generator for 7 Days to Die

[pamc2315]

On 12/17/2021 at 5:28 PM, Zagan said:

So how the heck do you generate a flat map? I set everything I could see to make it as flat as possible, but it's not flat at all.

Have you tried setting the terrain roughness to none?

[Cpt Krunch]

Create a png the size of the map you want, and color the entire png in rgb like 43 43 43, save and use as a custom heightmap

[zztong]

On 12/17/2021 at 9:33 PM, Cpt Krunch said:

I personally still love Nitro, but I also use King Gen for better prefab options. Really hoping we can find a new coder with the time to spare to keep it going.

 

Agreed. I like all three (KG, NG, and RWG-A20) as they each had good features as well as their quirks. I'd love to mix them all together.

[Zagan]

3 hours ago, pamc2315 said:

Have you tried setting the terrain roughness to none?

Yeah, i set anything that seemed like it would make the map as flat as possible. There aren't really that many settings in here.

[Cpt Krunch]

1 hour ago, Cpt Krunch said:

Create a png the size of the map you want, and color the entire png in rgb like 43 43 43, save and use as a custom heightmap

The only way you are going to get a perfectly flat map in KG is to import one, its very very easy to do.

[Zagan]

3 hours ago, Cpt Krunch said:

The only way you are going to get a perfectly flat map in KG is to import one, its very very easy to do.

OK, so where can I find a map like what I want to import?

Can I import one from NitroGen? See this is what the preview looks like from a map I made in NitroGen that I like.
 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Zagan (see edit history)

[spud42]

you have been told how to do it several times.  

Under Advanced customization the first item is Custom Height map select.

use GIMP it is free.  

water level is default at 43 and cities at 60. so make apng the size of your world and fill it with a grey colour of 60,60,60 RGB.

export it as a .png and then select the file with the custom height map select. 

 

go to the first page of this thread and look for the excellent tutorial from Tallman Brad.

[paulj_3]

Since A20 I haven't touched KG, figuring "let's see the changes first"!   In the A19 version I was using the same method of biome painting as Brad shows in his A20 video a page or two back, and so decided to check it out. I gotta say, after riding through it (on Bdubyah's Dirt Bike - this Generated 6k map looks to be one of the best maps I've made, so I zipped it up and stuck it - complete, and with the original "five-blocks biome" png for comparison - onto my OneDrive to share it. 
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AueVg7eVAeXMlSYLmxiW2fNoi3tE?e=HfAohn

Simply put the zip it into the 7DaysToDie\GeneratedWorlds\ folder and unzip: it will unpack as a ready-to-use map named "Vozontoni Mountains". I love the blending of the biomes - it looks SO much better and way closer to the real world. I hope you will try it and enjoy it - and, for those who have never used GIMP - just follow Brad's lead download it - then do a few biomes of your own!
Enjoy.

 

PS - and thanks for the continued help, work and inspiration Brad and Krunchy!
 

[Zagan]

7 hours ago, spud42 said:

you have been told how to do it several times.  

Under Advanced customization the first item is Custom Height map select.

use GIMP it is free.  

water level is default at 43 and cities at 60. so make apng the size of your world and fill it with a grey colour of 60,60,60 RGB.

export it as a .png and then select the file with the custom height map select. 

 

go to the first page of this thread and look for the excellent tutorial from Tallman Brad.

Yeah well I guess I'll look at the tutorial because I don't understand what you mean. Like exactly how big the .png would be or what to do with it. I thought this program could make a map itself but if I gotta go though all that hassle and make my own map then why bother?

[Taisaku101]

18 minutes ago, Zagan said:

Yeah well I guess I'll look at the tutorial because I don't understand what you mean. Like exactly how big the .png would be or what to do with it. I thought this program could make a map itself but if I gotta go though all that hassle and make my own map then why bother?

The best thing would be to go watch some videos, just you tube search 7 days to die custom hight map. This is a great community but these types of things are very difficult to discuss and understand without visuals. I was able to make a completely flat map without a custom hight map, make everything that has to do with elevation, none and adjust the water and city level to be closer to the same.

[Zagan]

OMG, what a hassle to do this. But the thing is "WHY". Why can't this map generator generate the heightmap? Why do I gotta go though all this just to make a flat map?

Why is there not just a button that you click on to set the thing to make a flat map? Did you intend for only computer programmers with a doctorate to use this thing?

In the Navy we used to say "Keep it simple, stupid." because things need to be simple so that everyone can use it. I never had to do anything like this in NitroGen.

 

I don't see any tutorial for how to make a simple flat map either. Sorry, but IMO this KingGen sucks.

[Tallman Brad]

@Zagan. I've held off sharing this as most of the videos are already at the start of this thread. Have a browse through this playlist and I'm sure there's something there that will help you. These tutorials were made for a19 but one of the later videos in the playlist shows you how to get kinggen working with a20 if you'd prefer to play with the current version. I hope this helps.

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Tallman Brad
Spelling (see edit history)

[Cpt Krunch]

Best of luck to you.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Cpt Krunch (see edit history)

[Tallman Brad]

Damn. I was typing my post at the same time as the flaming went on. Pleased I took the time to do that haha. Oh well... 

[Zagan]

Flaming? Who's flaming? I'm just trying to make a map like the preview I posted and I can't figure out how, I'm frustrated for sure. But I'm not flaming anyone.

Sorry if you misunderstood, I'm upset with KingGen, not any of you. I appreciate the help.

Just saying this should be way easier to do. I can't be the only person who likes flat maps so why not make it easier in the program to do this.

See how it's totally flat? There is snow in the north and desert in the south with forest in the middle. Lots of large cities and traders. Maybe one of you can make this map in KingGen for A20 and upload it someplace where i can download it. I am trying to do a 16k map.

 

I'm just unable to comprehend how to do it in these tutorials. So many settings in Gimp and the tutorial is for maps with biomes scattered throughout. Nothing like what I'm looking for. I have PSP but it won't make an image this big, not enough memory. I can't afford to buy Photoshop and all the extras to make it work, and I'm not going to get a college degree in photoshop just to make an image. I find photoshop to be user unfriendly and totally un-intuitive so I don't use it.

 

 

I'm also colorblind. So trying to do this by color is really difficult for me.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Zagan (see edit history)

[Zagan]

OK, so i got a biomes.png how I want...

 

 

Now I need to figure out how to do the heightmap.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Zagan (see edit history)

[paulj_3]

 

[Zagan]

Watched that several times, but I'm trying to make a 16k map so the size for one is 16384x16384 and Gimp says that is 2.5Gb and too large for it to make.

OK, so I ignore that, on to changing the foreground (white by default in the fill tool) I set L to 30 then right? Because it changes the color to something like orange (I think, colorblind here). Is that OK?

Edited December 19, 2021 by Zagan (see edit history)

[paulj_3]

A few pointers if I may, Zagan.    GIMP.  Making that first HM image,,,,   Left-Click "File" select "New" A box will pop up. In the "Image Size" - set both Width & Height to 16384 . This as 1024 (pixels) x 16, which will give you a "16k" image.. An error (You are trying to create an image blah-blah..)   will pop up - ignore it. Your new screen image will be black, but it is a color image at this moment. Go to the top line menu, select "Image", then select "Mode" - then "Greyscale" from the pop-up.  This is important, as it creates a puzzle or two down the road for a beginner (well it did for me!)  The next thing that i think you should be aware of - and it's because many of us - including Brad - and KingSlayers lack of a 'manual' - we previously set our land level to something other than the average city height that KinGen "likes" - and it should be around 60, with water set to around 43. Brad made that video in an effort to help KingSlayer - who is a programmer by vocation, and not a technical writer, and at that time Brad was used to NitroGen, and so the video was made using what he assumed KingSlayer also used. He didn't.

Ok? Just follow the rest of Brad's video and you should have your flat heightmap in no time.

pj

Crossed posts here, Zagan - but you might make notes as you are watching the video - as well as running GIMP and creating the heightmap at the same time. If you watch the video, then try to make the map afterward - you will make mistakes, as you will forget things which are crucial to the learning process. Your mention above confirms this. That message from GIMP was mentioned in Brad's video - and also in my post above - yet you said you've watched the video "several times".

 

[Zagan]

So I set L to 60 not 30? This is what I got so far...
 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Zagan (see edit history)

[paulj_3]

Don't get frustrated: you are your own worst enemy when it comes to learning GIMP. Almost everything in IT assumes some "prior knowledge" when someone is doing something for the first time.
 

First - lt-click on the 255 first, then set the top number to "60" - just highlight the existing number with the mouse, and type in 60 - then hit Enter. Mouse down to the next line - do it again - and repeat on that third line. all at 60. At the two color bars along the bottom of the color box - the upper of the two is the color that you have just created. If you click the "current color - the top line - it will pop a color square over to the litt;e boxes to the right - you can use those to set your brush color at any time moving forward.

 

Once you have that medium-grey over the whole canvas - you're done - unless you want to make it an island. If you want a radiated edge - then it doesn't matter - one can't go there anyway!

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by paulj_3 (see edit history)

[Zagan]

Ok well I'm testing how it comes out with the settings i have in the picture. The preview looks good. Now to try it in game.

[paulj_3]

How're you doing?

Now we're cooking. Brad will be be quite happy, I'm sure . . . .😎.

[Zagan]

Well it looks nice and flat, it's foggy so it's hard to see in the distance. Now will this work in A20? Is there anything else I need to do so it works in A20?
I'm running A19.5 atm because I had problems with my old map in A20.

 

BTW, thanks for the help paulj_3 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Zagan (see edit history)

[paulj_3]

That, I can't answer, Zagan: I know that a few of the experts - and I'm not in their pay-grade - but both Brad and Capt. Krunch are working and testing the different parts of A20 and map-making using KingGen - and probably NitroGen, too with the intent to that we will be able to use all of their existing functionalities - perhaps even along with some improvements. I would think there's a good chance of a new product too. Just keep in mind - these guys all do "this stuff" for a hobby, and unfortunately - the life-span of each update will often turn that hobby into a J . O . B.  and once you've been in that cycle three or more times - one's own life may well become a little more important.

All the Best: supper's on the table!

👍