June 2017 Annual

kathorus

Am I missing something, I've paid for a subscription and for June I get content that I would have received anyway?

JimP

An Annual consists of 12 issues, one per month. Or did I misunderstand your question ?

Monsen

Several annuals consist of a tutorial on how to use stuff without containing additional resources, this is simply one of them. The tool is generally available, but the tutorial is not.

kathorus

The June issue is the random city command updated for CC3+, which you can download if you have CD3 for free.

kathorus

@ Monsen - Fair enough.

JimP

Well, its updating the CD3 one to CC3+. It only worked with CC3 before.

edit:

I just downloaded and installed. It looks like it will be very useful to me as I have to create a few hundred cities.

I haven't tried it yet, but can I change which symbol set it uses ? This would help with downports to if it did.

kathorus

They updated all the previous annuals, I'd have been upset if they were rolled out as content on another annual's month - but as Monsen said, we do get a tutorial.

kathorus

a few hundred cities, then you will likely get great use out of it.

Dogtag

JimP asked:I haven't tried it yet, but can I change which symbol set it uses ? This would help with downports to if it did.

It does not use symbols. It uses polygons or, if you have CD3, it can also use the HOUSE command. If you use the latter, you can adjust the HOUSE settings before running the CITY command.

Dogtag

Also, information about changing settings, and more, is included in the tutorial, in this month's issue of the annual.

Loopysue

Are there any basic instructions on how to use it for those of us who don't get the annuals?

Dogtag

Honestly, it's mostly self-explanatory. Once it's installed, open a city template. If you plan to use the HOUSE command for the buildings, open the HOUSE command settings and set the options you want it to use, then click OK. The HOUSE command will be active, so press ESC to end it. Then type CITY in the command line (or pick City>Random City from the menu if you have CD3), and follow the prompts. The wizard draws after each step, so you can click the Generate button, see the results of that step and, if you choose, you can click it again to generate a different outcome based on the settings. You can change settings between clicks until you see a result you like.

Loopysue

Thank you Dogtag

Much appreciated.

Dogtag

Here's a quick sample of my first random city, using the official release for CC3+. I created it using a Jon Roberts' City template (Annual Issue 63), then quickly changed the fill styles for the city walls, towers, and the streets. If I wanted to use this as a serious map for my game, I'd tweak it a lot more, adding symbols, terrain, etc. And, frankly, I might! But even with this start, this puppy is just begging for a foot chase.  

[Image_8766]

Loopysue

I've just tried it out with a standard (and not very large) template, so I got a few small villages, but that in itself was quite impressive.

Bad city days?

Might just be a thing of the past

Dogtag

The Random City command is very handy for DMs (yes, I know, "Game Masters" is more general and applicable) to make quick, "throw-away" cities and towns for a game session or two, or as blueprints for later development. Especially when you need something off the beaten path, when players decide to do something the DM didn't plan for and had no intention of happening, potentially ruining days, weeks, or months of careful, detailed planning!... *ahem* but, I digress.

I've found it very, very handy in the past. Having an actual map helps to make the place seem more real to the players, and opens some fun opportunities for random encounters or hooks for a side adventure.

For example:"The inn is near the end of the main street, just before the gates."
or
"The town is small, only a few buildings on the main road, with a few smaller, outlying buildings to the north and east."
or
"As you round the corner, a shadowy figure hunched over another in the street spies you and darts across the road into an alley. His victim, whose clothes proclaim him a merchant, shouts, 'Help, he took the map!'"
Etc...

Loopysue

There's also nothing wrong with using it to generate the bulk of the buidings and streets in a very large city, where the focus is on a few key spots in that city, which in themselves are going to take the time to build - never mind the rest of it.

I just need to remember to FLIPSHADING when I'm done

Dogtag

*regaining his composure* Yes. I've also used it in one map, copied everything into another map, then re-run it in the first one and copied everything over again, as many times as needed, thus creating cities of great size and essentially any shape I want.

JimP

Interesting.

Loopysue

I also need to remember not to try doing this on a 5000 px square map base (like I just did), as it gets just a tad slow - 20 minutes to zoom!!!

Still - at least it didn't crash out. Good old CC3+

Dogtag

You can speed things up considerably for very large maps if you use the Use Polygons option instead of the HOUSE command.

Loopysue

Will do, Dogtag. But you know me - always pushing the boundaries just to see how far they will bend

Calibre

So, if I have CD3 the city generator is free? Am I reading this wrong? If it is free, how do I obtain it?


I, too, have need to generate hundreds of cities.

thanks
Cal

Dogtag

If you have CD3, it's available from your registration page. You can download it from the City Designer link on the Downloads & Updates tab.