Does Anyone Know How to Edit the Physical Map?

[kriegsmeister]

I've got an idea kicking around in my head of basically an overhaul of the setting of the game in a fantasy world. Same core gameplay but I want to create a whole new map with completely different nations. I know how i can create and edit new nations and possessions and battle scenarios, but what I cant figure out is how to replace the map of earth. I see 2 files in the data folder that I think hold the image and data for this (WorldRTW and RTWShallows) which are both .lyr files which i cant for the life of me figure out how to open. I've tried a couple different programs but nothing seems to support except possibly ArcGIS, a mapping program that cost +$100.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience tweaking these files, or even if these are the right files to replace earth with something of my own creation.

[spacenerd4]

Jun 20, 2021 21:33:14 GMT -6 kriegsmeister said:

I've got an idea kicking around in my head of basically an overhaul of the setting of the game in a fantasy world. Same core gameplay but I want to create a whole new map with completely different nations. I know how i can create and edit new nations and possessions and battle scenarios, but what I cant figure out is how to replace the map of earth. I see 2 files in the data folder that I think hold the image and data for this (WorldRTW and RTWShallows) which are both .lyr files which i cant for the life of me figure out how to open. I've tried a couple different programs but nothing seems to support except possibly ArcGIS, a mapping program that cost +$100.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience tweaking these files, or even if these are the right files to replace earth with something of my own creation.

Me too

[oldpop2000]

MapArea0UL=101314W 602333N
MapArea0LR=272108E 431514N

I interpret this information as a point, 10 degrees 13.14 minutes west. This would be west of Ireland.

60 degrees 23.22 minutes north.

Using Google Earth's placemark, this position is just west of the Faroe Islands. I haven't done the others but this seems to work. I don't know the gist of your ideas completely, but if you use Google earth or any world map with grids, you should be able to modify this and other groupings of data.

I don't know about the climate numbers. They could be based on the Koppen-Geiger Climate classifications system. Maybe this will help - www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/koppen-climate-classification-system

Update: I changed the second number from 60... to 70 and then started a new game as Germany. I went to the map, and the upper line of the Europe rectangle went off of the screen.  I then closed the game, change the second number to 50 and ran another game. This time the European rectangle was reduced to a narrower box. I then changed it back to the original figure of 60, and now the game is normal. 

Enjoy

[oldpop2000]

If my previous assessment is correct, could we not copy a MapArea and make our own map area? We would have to know more about the entries in the MapArea.

[kriegsmeister]

Hey old pop, thats not exactly what I'm asking.
Things that I know how to do and are retired easy edits is

Move, add, delete possessions and related ports which are just lat/long coordinates

Move, add, delete map areas. Bound boxes of 4 coordinates

What I want to do is completely switch the map of earth and its 7 continents and 4 oceans with something else completely made up, and then create all my necessary areas and possessions onto that.

That I can't figure out how to do

[tornado1555]

I wish I could be of some help in this as it is an interesting idea that one could do a lot with, but I am not sure how you would be able to do it (given what little I know). Of course, if you have the fortitude to make a fictional map you would probably have enough to redesign the other aspects of the map that would change -- ports, harbour defence built locations, the mission templates for the mission generator... but I myself don't think that the game has reached this level of "moddability".

Don't let me stop you, but assuming you find a way to edit the base map, I would wait to try to make something of it until the game's shape develops further.

[oldpop2000]

Jun 22, 2021 21:59:51 GMT -6 kriegsmeister said:

Hey old pop, thats not exactly what I'm asking.
Things that I know how to do and are retired easy edits is

Move, add, delete possessions and related ports which are just lat/long coordinates

Move, add, delete map areas. Bound boxes of 4 coordinates

What I want to do is completely switch the map of earth and its 7 continents and 4 oceans with something else completely made up, and then create all my necessary areas and possessions onto that.

That I can't figure out how to do

Well, I will play with that on my other system. It was still interesting to pursue.