Cliffs and Valleys – Map Generation Overhaul

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Author: Tark

Last revision: 9 Apr, 2022 at 19:36 UTC

File size: 174.93 KB

On Steam Workshop

Description:

This mod aims to change up the map generation of randomly generated maps in quick battle and multiplayer, making them more interesting in regards to strategy, tactics and resources, and ultimately more fun. However, perfect balance was not a priority.

IMPORTANT: Installation Instructions
  • 1. Subscribe to this mod.
  • 2. Navigate to your Steam folder and go to steamapps/workshop/content/287450.
  • 3. Go into the folder named "2791817815" and copy the "mapstyles" folder you’ll find inside.
  • 4. Go to your Rise of Nations game folder and paste the "mapstyles" folder into it. Let it overwrite anything it asks you to.
  • 5. Start the game, go to Tools & Extras, then Steam Workshop.
  • 6. Disable "Cliffs and Valleys – Map Generation Overhaul".

In case you need to update this mod, repeat steps 2-4.

If you want to uninstall this mod, either verify your game files with Steam or copy the other "mapstyles" folder inside the "backup" folder included with the mod into your Rise of Nations game folder, also overwriting everything.

Also, if you want to use this mod in multiplayer, not every player needs to necessarily have it installed. However, you will not be able to save and load a match if one of your players doesn’t have this mod, as loading it will corrupt files of their game and make it unplayable until they verify their game files again.

What this actually does
  • Amazon: The jungle is much denser than before, especially when playing on bigger map sizes. Sometimes cliffs will also block your path. Space for buildings might become more valuable than all the wood that surrounds you, and big armies might be forced to fight in small corridors, making flanking increasingly hard.
  • Great Lakes: Lakes are more randomly dispersed over the map and often contain oil, and the areas between them are less narrow and filled with all sorts of resources, making it more useful to expand towards the middle. Lakes and cliffs offer interesting and sometimes weird tactical challenges.
  • Himalayas: The forests from the edge of the map have been expanded inwards towards the mountains to give the map a more natural feeling.
  • Old World: This map has been outfitted with cliffs, more forests and rocks that never turn into oil to allow for more interesting tactical encounters.
  • Southwest Mesa: This map might spawn with different climates in order to allow it to represent more tundra- and desert-like parts of the world than just Southwest Mesa.
  • Warring States: Forests and mountains have been added to the middle of the map to reduce the emptiness on the main island, and the map styles have been changed to represent different islands than just Japan.
  • CtW Maps: Maps in CtW now generate similar to Old World maps, though with smaller cliffs to not fill everything up too much.

Other map types that are not listed here have not received any changes, though this might change in the future. If you have an idea regarding them or want to see a specific change let me know.
As this mod adds a lot of resources in some places it goes great with my other mod, Rise of Humankind: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2613116925

Known issues
  • There will be graphical glitches sometimes, like rivers being on top of cliffs visually. However, this doesn’t affect the gameplay.
  • In rare cases cities may spawn on top of cliffs.

Credits
  • Vsevolod Ivanov (Thumbnail)