Add a map gen manual page

docs/Manuals/Advanced/index.rst

@@ -12,4 +12,5 @@ looking for more general  or generic gameplay information, it would be best to s
 .. toctree::
   players.rst
   fc21-uri.rst
+  map-generator
   :maxdepth: 2

docs/Manuals/Advanced/map-generator.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,234 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+.. SPDX-FileCopyrightText: James Robertson <[email protected]>
+
+Controlling the Map Generator
+*****************************
+
+The generated map and player placement for a game can be manipulated by changing varying
+:doc:`/Manuals/Server/options`. This page aims to give the reader some recipes or options on how to manipulate
+the varying options to create the map you want to play. It is assumed that the game master is using a
+:doc:`/Manuals/Server/settings-file`.
+
+The server options that impact what kind of map the generator creates are:
+
+* ``alltemperate``
+* ``flatpoles``
+* ``generator``
+* ``huts``
+* ``landmass``
+* ``mapseed``
+* ``mapsize``
+* ``revealmap``
+* ``separatepoles``
+* ``singlepole``
+* ``size``
+* ``specials``
+* ``startpos``
+* ``steepness``
+* ``teamplacement``
+* ``temperature``
+* ``tilesperplayer``
+* ``tinyisles``
+* ``topology``
+* ``wetness``
+* ``xsize``
+* ``ysize``
+
+Some server options are more impacting than others to the makeup of the map. Let us start with talking about
+the options that are least impacting to the overall map.
+
+These options change the makeup of tiles and not the map itself:
+
+* ``alltemperate`` -- When ``enabled``, all tiles have a similar temperature. Players will all have similar
+  tiles to work. Set to ``disabled`` if you want to control with the ``temperature`` and ``wetness`` options.
+* ``huts`` -- How many huts you want on the map. Longturn games typically have ``0`` huts.
+* ``specials`` -- How many specials (tile resources) you want on the map.
+* ``steepness`` -- Bigger numbers produce hilly and mountainous terrain, lower numbers do not.
+* ``temperature`` -- You can create a hot or cold world with this option.
+* ``tinyisles`` -- Set to ``enabled`` if you want small single-tile (1x1) islands on the map.
+* ``wetness`` -- This option allows you to create a dry or wet map. Lower numbers are dry, higher numbers are
+  wet.
+* ``revealmap`` -- This setting is used to reveal the whole map at game start. Good to use for testing, but
+  not for real games.
+
+
+Poles and Base Topology
+=======================
+
+The concept of poles and overall topology is important in how you want to create your world map. There are
+some options that when toggled will create a pole at the top and bottom, no poles whatsoever, or poles in the
+map that you can work and navigate around.
+
+The settings that define the poles and base topology are:
+
+* ``flatpoles`` -- A low setting (``0``) will give poles with water and a high (``100``) will fill in with
+  mostly glacier tiles on the poles.
+* ``separatepoles`` -- When ``enabled`` will break poles up and when ``disabled`` will keep them together.
+* ``singlepole`` -- When ``enabled`` will allow for a single pole and when ``disabled`` will give two poles.
+* ``topology`` -- Sets the wrap (``X``, ``Y``), the orientation (isometric or overhead) and the tile type
+  (squares vs hexes).
+
+:strong:`Recipe: Blocking poles on the map`
+
+Set ``topology "WRAPX|ISO"``, ``separatepoles enabled``, and ``singlepole disabled``. This gives you a map
+with a blocking (cannot navigate around it) pole at the top and bottom of the map. You navigate East and
+West. If you set ``singlepole enabled`` here, you will get a really thick blocking border.
+
+You can create blocking poles on the left and right by changing ``WRAPX`` to ``WRAPY``. You would then
+navigate North and South.
+
+Lastly, you can create a map that is like a game board. If you remove both ``WRAPX`` and ``WRAPY`` on
+``topology``, you will get regular poles at the top and bottom and "black" on the left and right. You can only
+navigate inside the box.
+
+:strong:`Recipe: A set of navigable poles on the map`
+
+Set ``topology "WRAPX|WRAPY|ISO"``, ``separatepoles enabled``, and ``singlepole disabled``. This gives you two
+poles on the map, which looks and acts like Earth where you can navigate around them.
+
+If you set ``singlepole enabled`` instead of ``disabled`` you will get a single pole on the map instead of
+two.
+
+Lastly, if you set ``flatpoles 0`` you will get navigable poles with passages of water inside of them.
+
+:strong:`Recipe: No poles on the map`
+
+Set ``topology "WRAPX|WRAPY|ISO"``, ``separatepoles disabled``, and ``singlepole disabled``. This eliminates
+all poles on the map. You get a world with continents and islands, but no poles. There is no edge to the map
+as you can navigate in all directions indefinitely.
+
+:strong:`Recipe: Overhead square tiles`
+
+Set ``topology "WRAPX|WRAPY"``
+
+:strong:`Recipe: Hex tiles`
+
+Set ``topology "WRAPX|WRAPY|ISO|HEX"`` will give isometric hex tiles. Removing the ``ISO`` will give overhead
+hex tiles.
+
+
+Sizing Your Map
+===============
+
+The overall size of the map (total number of X and Y tiles) is driven by a collection of settings. They are:
+
+* ``mapsize``
+* ``size``
+* ``tilesperplayer``
+* ``xsize``
+* ``ysize``
+
+The ``mapsize`` option is the driver and has three possible configurations:
+
+#. ``FULLSIZE`` -- When used, you must also have the ``size`` option set. The value is simply a number (in
+   thousands) of tiles.
+#. ``PLAYER`` -- When used, you must also have the ``tilesperplayer`` option set. The map generator will take
+   this into account and try its best to give each player a similar number of tiles to settle.
+#. ``XYSIZE`` -- When used, you must also have the ``xsize`` and ``ysize`` options set. These values are
+   similar to the ``size`` option. Give the map generator very specific number of tiles on the two axis.
+
+No recipes here. As a game master, you can figure out how big or small you want your map. Longturn games use
+the ``tilesperplayer`` option for their games as a reference.
+
+
+Finalizing the Map and Player Placement
+=======================================
+
+This is probably one of the hardest aspects of map generation. Actually getting the map you want as a game
+master, but also ensuring that player placement (or even team placement) is done the way you want is not
+exactly directly mapped. There is a bit of randomness involved.
+
+These options are the last piece to defining a game map:
+
+* ``generator``
+* ``landmass``
+* ``mapseed``
+* ``startpos``
+* ``teamplacement``
+
+As with the ``revealmap`` option, discussed earlier, the ``mapseed`` option is used during testing to keep
+randomness from creeping into your testing. By setting a value, you eliminate the RNG in the server from
+impacting the game map you want to create. If a game master is also playing the game, it is recommended to
+disable (remove or comment out) this option when the game starts so even the game master does not have
+knowledge of the map at game start.
+
+We will get to some recipes in a bit, but before we do that, let us talk about the ``generator`` and
+``startpos`` options. They work in tandem with each other.
+
+First up, ``generator`` has the following configurations:
+
+* ``SCENARIO`` -- This configuration is for Scenario games only. This is a special use case.
+* ``RANDOM`` -- The default. As the name implies, there is a dependency on the built-in Random Number
+  Generator (RNG) in the server. The generator will attempt to create equally spaced, relatively small
+  islands. Player placement will be impacted by the ``landmass`` option. The larger the value the bigger the
+  continents/islands. This option is also impacted by the ``mapsize`` option. Best to use the ``FULLSIZE`` or
+  the ``XYSIZE`` configuration.
+* ``FRACTAL`` -- This is the setting most Longturn games use. This configuration will create earth-like maps.
+  By default, all players are placed on the same continent. The ``landmass`` option can also impact placement.
+* ``ISLAND`` -- Each player is placed on their own island. Each island is similar in size, but not shape.
+* ``FAIR`` -- Every player gets the exact same island.
+* ``FRACTURE`` -- Similar to ``FRACTAL``, however this configuration often places mountains on the coasts.
+
+Now let us discuss ``startpos``, which has the following configurations:
+
+* ``DEFAULT`` -- The default. This configuration uses the ``generator`` configuration to place players.
+* ``SINGLE`` -- One player per island/continent.
+* ``2or3`` -- As the configuration name implies, the ``startpos`` will place 2 or 3 players together on an
+  island/continent.
+* ``ALL`` -- Everyone is placed on the same continent. Make sure you give enough tiles when using this
+  configuration. The ``landmass`` and ``tilesperplayer`` will come in handy.
+* ``VARIABLE`` -- The server will use the RNG to give a bit of randomness to player placement. The size of the
+  continents will be taken into account.
+
+:strong:`Recipe: Large Pangea-like world`
+
+To create a gigantic single continent and have every player start there, begin with the no poles recipe above.
+Then set ``generator`` to ``RANDOM``, or ``FRACTAL``, or ``FRACTURE`` and set ``landmass 85`` (the max).
+Finally set ``startpos "ALL"``.
+
+If you want more ocean or poles, you can reduce the ``landmass`` setting and add poles with the recipe above.
+Longturn games use a ``landmass`` setting of ``40`` with poles for many games.
+
+:strong:`Recipe: An archipelago with players on their own island`
+
+To create an archipelago and start each player on their own island, begin with the navigable poles on the map
+recipe above. This is recommended from a realism perspective. If you do not want poles, you can skip it. Set
+``generator`` to ``ISLAND`` or ``FAIR`` (``ISLAND`` is recommended) and then set ``startpos "SINGLE"``.
+Finally set ``landmass`` to 15 or 20 (minimum is 15). This will allow for some small random non-populated
+islands on the map.
+
+This recipe introduces a great use of the ``tilesperplayer`` option. Each player will get a similar sized
+island of the number of tiles you define. Do not forget to change the ``mapsize`` option to ``PLAYER`` if you
+go this route.
+
+By playing around with the varying values, you can create many different kinds of maps. Let us move to
+discussing team games and team placement.
+
+Team games are a special use case. Most games are what the Longturn community calls Free For All (FFA). The
+idea of an FFA game is there are no preset alliances at game start. Those form in game. Team games are the
+opposite of FFA games. Alliances (e.g. teams) are defined before the game starts. Getting player placement
+correct when teams are involved is quite important!
+
+The ``teamplacement`` option has the following configurations:
+
+* ``DISABLED`` -- If set, then the option configuration is ignored.
+* ``CLOSEST`` -- The default. The name implies what happens.
+* ``CONTINENT`` -- Everyone on the same continent. This requires tuning ``landmass``, ``generator``, and
+  ``startpos`` to fit how you want the teams to get placed on the same continent.
+* ``HORIZONTAL`` -- Place team players in a East-West alignment.
+* ``VERTICAL`` -- Place team players in a North-South alignment.
+
+:strong:`Recipe: Two team game with each team on their own continent`
+
+Follow the :doc:`steps <players>` to create a :file:`players.serv` file.
+
+Add a ``read players.serv`` entry to your :doc:`/Manuals/Server/settings-file`.
+
+Set ``generator "FRACTURE"``, ``landmass`` to 30 or 40, ``mapsize "PLAYER"``, ``tilesperplayer`` to something
+between 1 and 1000 (Longturn uses 500), ``teamplacement "CONTINENT"``, and ``startpos "ALL"``.
+
+You can add poles to the map with the recipe above.
+
+.. note:: Do not be surprised if you need to play around with some of the other settings to get the map you
+  are looking for. Every Longturn game goes through a process of generating test maps for players to evaluate
+  and vote for. Play around with the settings and you will get the map you eventually want!