Totestra FAQ

This is a place with answers to questions brought up about the Totestra map generator.

How do I make bigger maps

This is covered in HugeMap.html.

How do I make a map where Lateens (galleys) are more useful?

Well, we can make Lateens [1] more useful by making the coast bigger. Let's look at this code which makes ocean next to a landmass coast. It looks something like this:

if self.plotMap[i] == mc.OCEAN:
                    for direction in range (1,9,1):
                        xx,yy = GetXYFromDirection(x,y,direction)
                        ii = GetIndex(xx,yy)
                        if ii == -1:
                            continue
                        if self.plotMap[ii] != mc.OCEAN:
                            self.terrainMap[i] = mc.COAST

We can make the coast bigger by changing that to look something like this:

COAST_SIZE = 4

if self.plotMap[i] == mc.OCEAN:
    for xx in range(x - COAST_SIZE,x + COAST_SIZE + 1):
	for yy in range(y - COAST_SIZE, y + COAST_SIZE + 1):
                  ii = GetIndex(xx,yy)
                  if ii == -1:
                      continue
                  if self.plotMap[ii] != mc.OCEAN:
                      self.terrainMap[i] = mc.COAST

What this change does is increase the size of the coast to convert ocean to coast up to COAST_SIZE squares from the ocean.

I have already made a fork of Totestra that does just this. Look for BigCoast.py and BigCoast.diff at Totestra.html.

[1] The only way I play Civ4 right now is with the Legends of Ancient Arabia mod, which renames the Galley a "Lateen". It has something to do with the fact I am 1/8 Arabian.

How do I add more rivers to a map?

It is possible to edit the amount of rivers by editing one of the numeric parameters. If you're comfortable using a text editor, you can edit the following line in Totestra.py:

        self.RiverThreshold = 4

Try making this 3 or 2.

How do I adjust the amount of humidity (rain fall) on a map?

This is a parameter that can be edited by altering the source code; look for this line:

self.minimumRainCost = 0.01

And make 0.01 a higher value.

How do I make continents fatter or thinner?

Increasing the "Continent amount" will cause the map generator to make thinner and more stringy continents.

How do I add mod-specific terrain to a map

Changing the terrain Totestra/PerfectWorld generates to make mod-specific terrain is a little tricky. To get an idea of how it is done, look at the changes I made to it to make more arid/desert maps for the Legends of Ancient Arabia mod, which should give you an idea where to start changing the code to add support for mod-specific terrain:

Arabia/SandBar.py
Arabia/SandBar.diff

The second file is a standard UNIX diff file; lines that begin with '+' indicate lines added to change Totestra to SandBar; '-' indicate removed lines.

Support

For support with Totestra.py, please use this thread:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=11480985

Please do not email me or send me personal messages that discuss this map script.