hmmmm..... RPG-ish worlds (see thread posted by pigeonx2 above) 

This is a good thread, mainly because it has a lot of dev talking in it.    I just hope they do a better job than say "texas" in Age of Empires 2.  Like there is a map that just makes texas floating in an ocean...  >.<  SHAPE is not the only thing that should be texan!

I've seen a few good "world" maps that are based on the real earth world, so if you can make a map generator that creates that, then *thumbs up*

WHAT I just want a.... DAMN ISLAND FOR MY SELF!.... MINE!

So.... this might be a good place to bring this up.  How screwed are they?  Will there be resources from the sea that can be developed and used?

Cheers piDgeon!. .tee hee hee.. I'm just joshing you, couldn't resist

But yeah that does sound promising. It might be a bit of a tricky balancing act to implement this feature exactly as I would want it as ideally I'd like to be able to choose my starting location but then have no idea what exists anywhere else as I love to explore the random world. I can imagine that might make it tough for the game to know where to slot that little "stamp" that I've created in so that it will make sense and allow me to start on it without just showing me the whole map and allowing me to choose a starting location that way.

I blame my new chat program "pidgin" for that 'd' typo.

You know, come to think of it there was a time where random map generation was hardly a thing.   Like Heroes of Might and magic lost some random map generating powers.    Maybe its just that and RTS games, but still.  More games should have random map generators.  (I'm sure that is easier said than done)

You are honor bound now, sir.

Boogie speaks!

That is pretty funny.  Sounds like the map generator was a bit too random, huh?

Wouldn't it be nice to have the source code to Civilizations or HoMM and their random map generator algorithms?

Are there any random map generators that currently exist out there that are really great?

Not necessarily. In every map editor I've ever used, it lets you set starting locations. In this case, if you design a 'stamp' you should also be able to place a player's starting location on it. Then, if you choose to incorporate said stamp into a random map, that player's starting location will be on that stamp, wherever the RMG decides to put said stamp. Problem solved!

The only random map generator I've ever used that I would actually call great was the one for HoMM 3, but even that had a lot of room for improvement. There were certain things it would do that were very predictable.

Oooow that does sound like it would be great.. .but what about if sometimes I just want the stamp in the game without it being my starting location too? Or it to be the start of one of the computer controlled chappies? I both want to have my cake and also eat said cake!

Whats HoMM 3, and what was the random map generator like?

Heroes of Might and Magic III.

If I remember correctly though, it's random map generation wasn't that good though.

Actually the map scripts for CivIV are open source (afaik), but they aren't very good anyway. There are one or two very good user made map scripts which make very natural looking and well playable random maps. (I.e. no patches of rainforest in the desert or random mountains in the steppe.)

I was sad that HoMM5 doesn't really have much of a random map generator (at least not without expansions or patch.  They added a map editor after a few patches, but it looked like you had to do all creation from scratch)

Well, it could be one of the computer controlled chappies. Or you could edit the stamp and remove the start position. Someone coulds till end up starting there randomly, though.

Heroes of Might and Magic 3. Hard to describe, really, but it made believable terrain. Mountain ranges, forests, although it didn't do water all that well (rarely put any in even if you told it to). Like I said some things were monotonously predictable - like it would almsot always place a portal very close to every starting castle. And there weren't really any places on the map that would really stand out as special locations. But, it consistently generated maps that were plenty fun to play, if rather generic.

You know what would be hilarious is if it could generate a "tiny island start" as pictured above, and then God appears in the clouds (ala Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and goes on a rant "I make you one of a handful of people in the entire WORLD that can channel but that's not good enough for YOU, oh no, it's 'There's not enough land for my castle! Boo Hoo!' you ungrateful little twerp! Fine I will remake the entire world just so you have enough room to expand! I did a really fine job on the shruberries this go round, but NO not good enough for the likes of you was it? I doubt they'll be half so good next time.

'And the bears that I had created - perfect for cavalry! - well next time you just might be riding a giant slug if you are lucky!

OK, I am in a weird, weird mood.

That would be an awesome easter egg. It would make my day.