Ecosyste.ms: Awesome
An open API service indexing awesome lists of open source software.
https://github.com/kensanata/hex-mapping
Tools to work with hex maps for roleplaying games. Usually web applications written in Perl and producing SVG output.
https://github.com/kensanata/hex-mapping
Last synced: 12 days ago
JSON representation
Tools to work with hex maps for roleplaying games. Usually web applications written in Perl and producing SVG output.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/kensanata/hex-mapping
- Owner: kensanata
- Created: 2013-02-25T20:16:50.000Z (over 11 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2023-09-08T17:01:56.000Z (about 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-05-17T00:40:19.255Z (6 months ago)
- Language: Perl
- Size: 15.5 MB
- Stars: 66
- Watchers: 11
- Forks: 18
- Open Issues: 1
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Hex Mapping
Many role-playing games use hex maps. Traditionally, D&D used hex maps
for the wilderness and Traveller used a hex map for sectors and
subsectors. They are everywhere.
This project collects the various tools I have used to work with hex
maps. All of them are web applications (CGI scripts) written in Perl 5
and the maps are always SVG documents.
Bugs, feature requests, questions – all sorts of questions: please
see the [Software Wiki](https://alexschroeder.ch/software/Hex_Mapping).
**Table of Contents**
- [Hex Mapping](#hex-mapping)
- [Text Mapper](#text-mapper)
- [Text Maps from the Command Line](#text-maps-from-the-command-line)
- [Hex Describe](#hex-describe)
- [Traveller Subsector Generator](#traveller-subsector-generator)
- [Subsectors from the Command Line](#subsectors-from-the-command-line)
- [Old School Hex](#old-school-hex)
- [Monones](#monones)
# Text Mapper
This application takes a textual representation of a map and produces
SVG output.
Example input:
0101 empty
0102 mountain
0103 hill "bone hills"
0104 forest
[Try it](https://campaignwiki.org/text-mapper).
## Text Maps from the Command Line
`xmllint` allows us to extract text from XML and HTML documents. On a
Debian system, it's part of `libxml2-utils`.
Generate a text file with a 20x20 alpine wilderness map:
`perl text-mapper.pl get /alpine 2>/dev/null | xmllint --html --xpath '//textarea/text()' - > random-alpine-map.txt`
You'll note that at the very end it contains the seed value.
You can regenerate the same map using this seed:
`perl text-mapper.pl get "/alpine?seed=1499413794" 2>/dev/null | xmllint --html --xpath '//textarea/text()' - > 1499413794.txt`
You can also modify the width and breadth of the map:
`perl text-mapper.pl get "/alpine?width=10&height=5" 2>/dev/null | xmllint --html --xpath '//textarea/text()' - > random-alpine-map.txt`
Let's define an alias to handle the encoding of the map for us:
`alias encodeURIComponent='perl -pe '\''s/([^a-zA-Z0-9_.!~*()'\''\'\'''\''-])/sprintf("%%%02X",ord($1))/ge'\'`
Make some changes to the text file generated above using a text editor
and generate the updated map:
`perl text-mapper.pl get --header 'Content-Type:application/x-www-form-urlencoded' --method POST --content map=$(cat 1499413794.txt|encodeURIComponent) /render 2>/dev/null > 1499413794.svg`
You
can
[use svgexport](https://mijingo.com/blog/exporting-svg-from-the-command-line-with-svgexport) to
generate a PNG image, if you want.
First, install it:
`npm install svgexport -g`
You need to tell it what quality to use when exporting. I use 100% for
PNG files; I'd use less for JPG files.
`svgexport 1499413794.svg 1499413794.png 100%`
# Hex Describe
This application takes a map generated by *Text Mapper* and a set of
random tables to generate a textual description of the region. It's
ideal if your players are wandering into unprepared regions, and it's
great if you need some seed material to base your work on.
You can provide your own random tables if you have the file online
somewhere in a [Pastebin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastebin) or
shared it from Dropbox, etc.
The format is simple: every word in the map description and every two
word combo from the map description is a potential table in your file.
If it exists, it will be used.
Assuming the following description:
```
0101 dark-green trees village
```
The description will be generated from any tables that match:
* dark-green
* trees
* village
It would make sense to just provide tables for "trees" and "village",
for example.
Tables looks like this:
```
;trees
1,some trees
1,you encounter [forest monster]
;forest monster
3,[3d6] bandits
1,an elf
```
A semicolon and some text begin a new table. A number, a comma, and
some text are an entry in he table. The text needs to be on one line.
The numbers are relative probabilities. The chances for an encounter
in the forest are thus 50% and the chances to encounter an elf, if you
are encountering anything at all, are 25%. The example also shows how
you can link from one table to another using square brackets.
Square brackets are also used for dice rolls. A dice roll can look
like this: 3d6, 3d6+5 3d6x10, or 3d6x10+5.
There's an built-in help page with more details for end users. If you
intend to host the application yourself, use `perldoc hex-describe.pl`
to get a more technical documentation based on the comments in the
code.
[Try it](https://campaignwiki.org/hex-describe).
# Traveller Subsector Generator
This application generates a random UWP list suitable for
Traveller-style Science Fiction games.
It generates output like the following:
Tavomazupa 0103 D85D000-0 Ba Wa
Xeqqtite 0107 C858651-6 S Ag Ga NI
Baziezoti 0108 C467100-7 Lo A
Zuzinba 0109 D350697-3 S De Lt NI Po
Titutelu 0202 C75B988-6 Hi Wa
It also takes the UWP of a sector or subsector and generates a map for
you. If possible, it also adds communication and trade routes based on
some heuristics.
[Try it](https://campaignwiki.org/traveller).
## Subsectors from the Command Line
`xmllint` allows us to extract text from XML and HTML documents. On a
Debian system, it's part of `libxml2-utils`.
How to get a random UWP from the command line:
`perl traveller.pl get /uwp/874568503 2>/dev/null | xmllint --html --xpath '//pre/text()' - | perl -MHTML::Entities -pe 'decode_entities($_);'`
How to generate a SVG file from the command line:
`perl traveller.pl get /map/874568503 2>/dev/null > 874568503.svg`
Generating a simple SVG file from a map on the command line (URL-escaped):
`perl traveller.pl get --header 'Content-Type:application/x-www-form-urlencoded' --method POST --content "map=Rezufa%200101%20E310000-0%20Ba" /map 2>/dev/null`
Generating an SVG map from UWP in a text file:
`perl traveller.pl get --header 'Content-Type:application/x-www-form-urlencoded' --method POST --content map=$(cat 874568503.txt|encodeURIComponent) /map`
This assumes you defined the following alias:
`alias encodeURIComponent='perl -pe '\''s/([^a-zA-Z0-9_.!~*()'\''\'\'''\''-])/sprintf("%%%02X",ord($1))/ge'\'`
# Old School Hex
This application takes an ASCII art representation of a map and turns
it into a black-and-white hex map.
Example input:
n " " .
n-n O-. .
n-"-" .
[Try it](https://alexschroeder.ch/old-school-hex).
# Monones
This application generates an island using a
[Voronoi diagram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voronoi_diagram). It's
based on Amit Patel's post
[Polygonal Map Generation for Games](http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~amitp/game-programming/polygon-map-generation/)
(2010).
[Try it](https://campaignwiki.org/monones).
# Names
This application generates a bunch of names based on a set of
syllables. When you reload, it will generate a new set of syllables
and a new set of names based on them. The effect is that these names
all sound as if they're part of the same "language". This idea is
based on the original Elite system name generator. One way to look at
the relevant code would be
[Text Elite](http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/text/index.htm).
[Try it](https://campaignwiki.org/names).