HUMANKIND Map Editor
The Beginning Plan
So for this project, I decided I wanted to make a map in Amplitude Studios' 4x game HUMANKIND. I had just played a couple of games and wanted to mess around in the editor. I got used to the controls and the features in the editor for a bit, and while looking up more about the editor, I found that there was an event going on run by Amplitude Studios on the best player-made maps. I wanted to join in, so I started up the editor, and in looking for inspiration, I grabbed a map I had made for a D&D game campaign and decided I was going to convert the map to a HUMANKIND map.
My goal for this map was to create an engaging map that players could play on while also keeping the overall design and layout of the D&D map.
Level Layout
The first issue I ran into was that it wouldn't be a fun and engaging experience if I kept to the original and complete layout of the map itself. So instead, I decided to change up a bit of the location to make them more impactful and engaging for the gameplay style that HUMANKIND provides.
First, looking at the river/lake area, I didn't want to remove the whole river or reduce it to a simple stream that units would just minor stat effects, but instead, I wanted to keep its intended blockage from the D&D map. But where I changed things up is along the coast, I left a 1 width land tile along the coast so that if not using ships, units can still travel past the river/lake, and it can be intended as a choke point for if anyone is fighting someone else across the river. I also make the coastline along the shore shallow so the early game ships can sail past the whole barrier if needed. But I need to go back and go over the river again and add 1-2 more connecting land tiles to open up the river more so that there are more chokepoints and ways across the river.
Looking at the central forest valley, I figured just having a solid spot of forest wouldn't be super engaging to play around and in, and since the valley is in the center of the specific region, I decided to keep it decently forested still but now add in some lakes and plains as well as a natural wonder to make the center a more valuable location than the surroundings. Assumedly making it, a location player would settle around and fight over.
Lastly, across both areas and the whole map itself, I've used HUMANKIND's elevation mechanic to create specific tiles to provide better coverage and line of sight in some areas, the tiles along the river serving as vantage points. At the same time, the cliffs and ridges in the valley serve as those but also as blockers to create some choke points and maneuver units in specific ways.
Mountains and Separate Paths
Similar to the changes I made above, looking along the mountain range, it would reduce a lot of playable space in the map and lead to a significant chokepoint layout for one side or the other if I had left it in as just a massive impassable zone. So instead, I decided to cut up into the mountain range, again using the game's built-in elevation system to make the mount range and tiles within it on higher levels so that units outside the range can't see what's going on inside it. In contrast, units that are within the range can see past it if they're along the edge. This, along with the fact that the mountain range is a lot of tight and enclosed paths, is all meant to make it serve as close-quarter chokepoints for any armies or scouts traveling through them. The added use for the paths, though, is to open up paths across the continent as and create zones players have to think about watching out for and/or settling in.
But while the area is very tight and possibly easy to defend, this has caused it to be not a great place to settle on account of the low amount of open tiles to build on, thus not allowing any city to expend very large within the mountain especially at the game start where better and more titles would be preferred.
But to still make the location viable for some cities, I've added in a couple of wonders to incentivize the possibility of some city placement within the mountains at some point.
Plans Moving Forward
Now sadly I was not able to finish the level within the time frame for the level event as school projects popped up and I ran out of time as well as just wasn't able to work on the level much after that. But I plan to work on the map and finish it up this year (2021).
At this point, I am now just working in new areas that were not made in the map I was using as a reference so now I am just making the map as I go. At the moment there are the deadlands the east of the mountains in the images above, and then the large forest and coastline in the top image on the right, and lastly the sandy plains in the bottom image on the right.
For the deadlands, I'm going to add in a bit more elevation along the area and a natural wonder to provide a buff to cities built within that region. I'm also going to add more shallow water along the coast again to break up the number of early game chokepoints there are, and than lastly add some islands out to see nearby so that there are other expansion routs for any player than ends up in that region.
For the forested region, I plan on doing a mix between the central valley from earlier and the mountain range. I'm going to add in some hills and mountains in the forest as well as make some plains and paths and create zones of conflict and engagement between players. And for the neighboring mountains, I plan on adding similar paths and elevation to that of the prior mountain range. As for the coastline, I think I'm going to keep the amount of shallow water tiles but see about adding some smaller islands so that either players can expand off the continent or that other player can use them as ways to curve around the continent.
Lastly, the desert region I plan on keeping the inner spots of that region fairly barren and mountains but make the coastlines more inticiting to both settle and move around, I'll also add more shallow water tiles to make traveling around that region easier as well as ways to get out of that region.