Fantasy-Map-Generator/wiki/Features-and-UI.md

Features and User Interface

This document describes all features available in the Fantasy Map Generator and how to use the user interface.

Table of Contents

1. Main Interface
2. Generation Features
3. Editing Features
4. Visualization Features
5. Export and Save Features
6. Advanced Features

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Main Interface

Map Canvas

The central SVG canvas displays your generated map with multiple layers:

Layer Controls:

• Toggle layers on/off using toolbar buttons
• Adjust layer opacity
• Reorder layers (z-index)

Interaction:

• Pan: Click and drag
• Zoom: Mouse wheel or pinch gesture
• Select: Click on elements to select
• Info: Hover for tooltips

Toolbar

Located at the top of the screen, provides quick access to:

File Operations:

• New map
• Open map
• Save map
• Export

Tools:

• Edit mode toggle
• Layer visibility
• Zoom controls
• Fullscreen

Options:

• Generation options
• Style settings
• Editor access

Tools Panel

Expandable side panel with:

• Quick generation options
• Layer toggles
• Minimap
• Statistics

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Generation Features

Initial Map Generation

Access: File → Generate New Map

Options:

Seed Settings

• Seed: Text string for reproducible generation
  • Leave blank for random
  • Share seeds to recreate maps
• Random Button: Generate random seed

Template Selection

• Heightmap Template: Choose terrain type
  • Pangea - Single large continent
  • Continents - Multiple landmasses
  • Archipelago - Many islands
  • Atoll - Ring-shaped coral island
  • Mediterranean - Central sea
  • Peninsula - Land projection
  • Isthmus - Narrow land bridge
  • Volcano - Volcanic island
  • High/Low Island - Island types
  • Custom - Upload your own heightmap image

World Settings

• Cell Count: Map detail level (1,000 - 100,000)
  • Lower = faster, less detailed
  • Higher = slower, more detailed
  • Default: ~10,000
• Map Size: Width and height in pixels
• Latitude: North/south positioning (affects climate)

Culture Settings

• Culture Count: Number of cultures (1-20)
• Name Bases: Select language/naming styles

State Settings

• State Count: Number of political entities
• Expansionism: How aggressively states expand
• Neutral Lands: Percentage of unclaimed territory

Population Settings

• Urban Density: Frequency of cities/towns
• Rural Density: Population distribution
• Urban Growth: City size multiplier

Generate Button: Start map generation with selected options

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Quick Regeneration

Access: Tools → Regenerate

Quickly regenerate specific map aspects:

• Regenerate Cultures: New culture distribution
• Regenerate States: New political boundaries
• Regenerate Religions: New religious landscape
• Regenerate Burgs: New settlement locations
• Regenerate Rivers: New river networks
• Regenerate Routes: New road networks

Useful for refining maps without starting over.

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Editing Features

The generator includes 41+ specialized editors for fine-tuning every aspect of your map.

Terrain Editing

Heightmap Editor

Access: Layers → Heightmap → Edit Heightmap

Features:

• Brush Tool: Paint elevation
  • Adjustable size and strength
  • Raise or lower terrain
• Smooth Tool: Soften elevation changes
• Flatten Tool: Create plateaus
• Add/Remove Land: Change coastlines
• Templates: Apply heightmap patterns to regions
• Import Image: Load custom heightmap

Usage:

1. Select tool (brush, smooth, etc.)
2. Adjust size and strength
3. Click and drag on map
4. Changes update in real-time

Biomes Editor

Access: Layers → Biomes → Edit Biomes

Features:

• Change biome type for cells/regions
• View biome distribution
• Adjust climate parameters
• Customize biome colors and properties

Biome Types:

• Marine, Hot Desert, Cold Desert
• Savanna, Grassland
• Tropical Forest, Temperate Forest, Rainforest
• Taiga, Tundra, Glacier
• Wetland

Relief Editor

Access: Layers → Relief → Edit Relief

Features:

• Add/remove terrain icons (mountains, hills, forests)
• Adjust icon density
• Change icon styles
• Customize hill shading

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Water Features Editing

Rivers Editor

Access: Layers → Rivers → Edit Rivers

Features:

• Add River: Click to create river source
• Remove River: Delete rivers
• Regenerate River: Recalculate specific river path
• Edit Path: Modify river course
• Name Rivers: Assign custom names
• Adjust Width: Change river width

River Properties:

• Name
• Source and mouth
• Length
• Width
• Type (river, stream, creek)
• Parent (for tributaries)

Lakes Editor

Access: Layers → Lakes → Edit Lakes

Features:

• Create new lakes
• Remove lakes
• Resize lakes
• Name lakes
• Adjust lake elevation

Coastline Editor

Access: Tools → Edit Coastline

Features:

• Reshape coastlines
• Add/remove coastal details
• Create bays and peninsulas
• Smooth jagged coasts

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Civilization Editing

Cultures Editor

Access: Layers → Cultures → Edit Cultures

Features:

• Add Culture: Create new culture
• Remove Culture: Delete culture
• Expand/Contract: Adjust territory
• Properties:
  • Name
  • Color
  • Name base (language)
  • Type (Generic, River, Lake, etc.)
  • Expansionism rate
  • Shield shape

Culture List:

• View all cultures
• See population and area
• Filter by properties

States Editor

Access: Layers → States → Edit States

Features:

• Add State: Create new state
• Remove State: Delete state
• Merge States: Combine multiple states
• Split State: Divide into multiple states
• Change Capital: Assign new capital city
• Adjust Borders: Reshape boundaries

State Properties:

• Name
• Color
• Capital burg
• Government type (Kingdom, Empire, Republic, etc.)
• Government form (Monarchy, Theocracy, etc.)
• Culture
• Religion
• Expansionism
• Military units
• Diplomacy (relations with other states)

Diplomacy:

• Set relations (Ally, Friendly, Neutral, Unfriendly, Enemy)
• View diplomatic map

Burgs Editor (Settlements)

Access: Layers → Burgs → Edit Burgs

Features:

• Add Burg: Place new settlement
• Remove Burg: Delete settlement
• Move Burg: Relocate settlement
• Properties:
  • Name
  • Type (City, Town, Village)
  • Population
  • State
  • Culture
  • Capital status
  • Port/harbor
  • Citadel/fortress

Settlement Types:

• Capital: State capital (largest)
• City: Major urban center (10,000+)
• Town: Smaller settlement (1,000-10,000)
• Village: Small settlement (<1,000)

Population:

• Manually set population
• Auto-calculate based on surroundings
• View urban vs. rural population

Religions Editor

Access: Layers → Religions → Edit Religions

Features:

• Add Religion: Create new religion
• Remove Religion: Delete religion
• Expand/Contract: Adjust territory
• Properties:
  • Name
  • Color
  • Type (Folk, Organized, Cult, Heresy)
  • Form (Cult, Church, Temple, etc.)
  • Origin culture
  • Deity name (if applicable)
  • Expansion strategy

Provinces Editor

Access: Layers → Provinces → Edit Provinces

Features:

• Add/remove provinces
• Adjust provincial boundaries
• Assign provincial capitals
• Name provinces
• View province statistics

Province Properties:

• Name
• Form name (Duchy, County, Prefecture, etc.)
• State
• Capital burg
• Area
• Population

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Infrastructure Editing

Routes Editor

Access: Layers → Routes → Edit Routes

Features:

• Add Route: Create road/trail/sea route
• Remove Route: Delete route
• Regenerate Routes: Recalculate optimal paths
• Edit Path: Modify route course

Route Types:

• Roads: Major land routes (black lines)
• Trails: Minor paths (dashed lines)
• Sea Routes: Maritime trade routes (blue lines)

Properties:

• Connected burgs
• Length
• Width/importance
• Path points

Military Overview

Access: Tools → Military

Features:

• View all military units
• Add/remove units
• Assign units to burgs
• Calculate military strength

Unit Properties:

• Name
• Type (Infantry, Cavalry, Archers, Artillery, Fleet)
• Strength (number of soldiers)
• State
• Location (burg)

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Annotations and Markers

Markers Editor

Access: Layers → Markers → Edit Markers

Features:

• Add Marker: Place custom markers
• Remove Marker: Delete markers
• Properties:
  • Type (volcano, ruins, mine, bridge, etc.)
  • Icon
  • Size
  • Associated note

Marker Types:

• Volcanoes 🌋
• Ruins 🏛️
• Battlefields ⚔️
• Mines ⛏️
• Bridges 🌉
• Monuments 🗿
• Shrines ⛩️
• Castles 🏰
• Capitals ⭐

Notes Editor

Access: Tools → Notes

Features:

• Add Note: Create text annotation
• Edit Note: Modify note text
• Pin to Location: Associate with marker/location
• Categories: Organize notes by type

Note Properties:

• Title
• Description (rich text)
• Legend text
• Associated markers

Zones Editor

Access: Layers → Zones

Features:

• Define custom zones/regions
• Outline areas for campaigns
• Mark territories
• Add zone labels

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Visualization Features

Style Editor

Access: Style → Edit Style

Features:

Color Schemes

• Terrain: Heightmap coloring
• States: Political boundaries
• Cultures: Cultural regions
• Religions: Religious distribution
• Biomes: Vegetation zones

Presets

• Default
• Antique
• Monochrome
• Watercolor
• And more...

Customization

• Background color
• Ocean color
• Land gradient
• Border styles
• Label fonts and sizes

Label Settings

Access: Style → Labels

Features:

• Show/Hide Labels: Toggle label types
  • State names
  • Burg names
  • Province names
  • River names
  • Region names
• Font Settings:
  • Font family
  • Font size
  • Font style (bold, italic)
  • Text color
  • Stroke color and width
• Label Positioning: Auto or manual placement

Layer Visibility

Access: Toolbar layer buttons

Toggleable Layers:

• Terrain (heightmap)
• Biomes
• States
• Cultures
• Religions
• Provinces
• Borders
• Rivers
• Lakes
• Coastline
• Routes (roads, trails, sea routes)
• Burgs (settlements)
• Icons (relief icons)
• Markers
• Labels
• Temperature (overlay)
• Precipitation (overlay)
• Population (density overlay)
• Grid
• Coordinates
• Scale bar
• Compass
• Legend

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Temperature and Precipitation

Access: Layers → Temperature / Precipitation

Features:

• View temperature distribution
• View precipitation patterns
• Adjust climate parameters
• See climate effects on biomes

Display:

• Heat map overlay
• Gradient visualization
• Isolines

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3D View

Access: Tools → 3D View

Features:

• 3D terrain visualization
• Rotate and zoom
• Adjust elevation exaggeration
• Change lighting angle
• Export 3D view

Controls:

• Mouse drag to rotate
• Scroll to zoom
• Sliders for parameters

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Emblems and Heraldry

Access: Click on state/burg/province

Features:

• View coat of arms
• Regenerate heraldry
• Customize elements:
  • Shield shape
  • Divisions
  • Charges (symbols)
  • Tinctures (colors)

Heraldic Elements:

• 200+ charges (lions, eagles, crowns, etc.)
• Multiple shield shapes
• Standard heraldic rules
• Export as SVG/PNG

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Export and Save Features

Save Map

Access: File → Save Map

Formats:

• .map - Native format (includes all data)
• Compressed JSON
• Can be loaded later

Features:

• Auto-save to browser storage
• Manual save to file
• Save to cloud (Dropbox integration)

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Load Map

Access: File → Load Map

Sources:

• Local file
• URL
• Dropbox
• Browser storage (auto-saved)

Compatibility:

• Automatic version migration
• Handles old map formats
• Validates data integrity

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Export Options

Access: File → Export

Export SVG

• Vector format
• Scalable without quality loss
• Edit in Inkscape, Illustrator, etc.
• Options:
  • All layers or selected layers
  • Embedded fonts
  • Optimized output

Export PNG

• Raster format
• High resolution available
• Options:
  • Resolution (DPI)
  • Size (width × height)
  • Quality
  • Transparent background

Export JSON

• Raw data export
• All map data in JSON format
• Use for custom processing
• Import into other tools

Export Other Formats

• PDF: Print-ready format
• CSV: Data tables (burgs, states, etc.)
• GeoJSON: Geographic data format

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Print Map

Access: File → Print

Features:

• Print-optimized layout
• Paper size selection
• Scale adjustment
• Layer selection
• Preview before printing

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Advanced Features

Submaps

Access: Tools → Create Submap

Purpose: Generate detailed map of a specific region

Features:

• Select region on main map
• Generate high-detail submap
• Inherit terrain and features
• Independent editing

Use Cases:

• Zooming into a kingdom
• Detailed city surroundings
• Regional campaigns

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Focus Mode

Access: Tools → Focus

Features:

• Focus on Cell: Zoom to specific cell
• Focus on Burg: Center on settlement
• Focus on Coordinates: Go to X, Y position

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Elevation Profile

Access: Tools → Elevation Profile

Features:

• Draw line on map
• View elevation graph along line
• Measure distance
• Identify peaks and valleys

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Battle Screen

Access: Tools → Battle Screen

Features:

• Tactical battle map view
• Hexagonal grid overlay
• Unit placement
• Terrain effects

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Customization

Custom Name Bases

Access: Tools → Name Bases

Features:

• Add custom language/naming
• Provide example names
• Generator learns patterns
• Apply to cultures

Custom Biomes

Access: Biomes → Customize

Features:

• Define new biome types
• Set climate parameters
• Assign colors and icons
• Adjust habitability

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Versioning

Access: Automatic

Features:

• Maps store version info
• Auto-upgrade on load
• Maintains compatibility
• Migration scripts for old maps

Handled by versioning.js.

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Undo/Redo

Access: Edit menu or Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y

Features:

• Undo recent changes
• Redo undone changes
• History tracking
• Multiple undo levels

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Common Shortcuts:

• Ctrl+Z: Undo
• Ctrl+Y: Redo
• Ctrl+S: Save map
• Ctrl+O: Open map
• F11: Fullscreen
• Space: Pan mode
• +/-: Zoom in/out
• Esc: Cancel current operation

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Map Statistics

Access: Tools → Statistics

Features:

• Total land area
• Total population
• Number of states
• Number of burgs
• Culture distribution
• Religion distribution
• Biome distribution
• And more...

Export: Export statistics as CSV/JSON

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Randomization Tools

Access: Tools → Randomize

Features:

• Randomize names (burgs, states, etc.)
• Randomize colors
• Randomize coats of arms
• Randomize any specific aspect

Useful for quickly generating variations.

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Tips and Tricks

Performance Optimization

1. Lower cell count for faster generation
2. Disable unused layers for better rendering
3. Use simple styles for complex maps
4. Close editors when not in use

Best Practices

1. Save frequently to avoid data loss
2. Use seeds for reproducibility
3. Start with templates then customize
4. Layer edits progressively (terrain → cultures → states)
5. Backup important maps

Common Workflows

Creating a Campaign Map

1. Generate base map with template
2. Adjust terrain with heightmap editor
3. Refine rivers and lakes
4. Edit culture and state boundaries
5. Add important cities/locations
6. Place markers for quest locations
7. Add notes for lore
8. Style and export

Creating a World Map

1. Use "Continents" template
2. Generate with medium cell count
3. Focus on large-scale features
4. Simplify details (fewer burgs)
5. Adjust states for empires/kingdoms
6. Export at high resolution

Creating a Regional Map

1. Use "Peninsula" or custom template
2. High cell count for detail
3. Add many burgs
4. Detailed provinces
5. Add markers for every point of interest
6. Extensive notes and lore

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Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Map Won't Generate:

• Check browser console for errors
• Try lower cell count
• Use different template
• Clear browser cache

Performance Issues:

• Reduce cell count
• Disable complex layers
• Close other browser tabs
• Use modern browser

Export Not Working:

• Check browser permissions
• Try different format
• Reduce export size
• Update browser

Data Loss:

• Check auto-save in browser storage
• Look for backup files
• Enable cloud save

For more help:

• GitHub Issues
• Discord Community
• Reddit Community

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Further Reading

• Generation Process - How maps are created
• Data Model - Understanding the data
• Modules Reference - Technical details
• Architecture - System design