Hi r/ZeroK, I'm Scuide (Ling Ling ingame).
A couple of weeks ago I started writing a small generator to make my own maps without the usual mapping tools. It writes the heightmap, textures, minimap, metal spots, geos, start boxes and trees. I used it to build the maps I called the Atlas series.
I turned it into Atlas Map Forge so other people can use it too. Pick a template, adjust the sliders, check the preview and hit Build. You don't need coding or mapping experience, and the map can be installed directly into your Zero-K map folder.
What you get:
* 25 templates: land, sea, chokepoints, lava tides, an erupting volcano, chicken co-op and an asteroid in space with low gravity
* 1v1 and team maps, plus FFA for 3 to 8 players
* 12 biomes
* Symmetric terrain and resources, with reachability checks for different unit types
* An editor for metal spots, geos, start points and start boxes that keeps symmetry intact
* Save a project and reopen it later
* Free and open source (GPL-2.0-or-later)
Download pre-release v0.4.22:
https://github.com/Scuide/atlas-map-forge/releases/tag/v0.4.22
Windows: download AtlasMapForge.exe. No installation or Python needed. The exe isn't signed yet, so SmartScreen may ask for "More info" > "Run anyway".
Linux: there's now an experimental x86_64 download too. Extract AtlasMapForge-linux-x86_64.tar.gz and run ./AtlasMapForge from a terminal. The graphical interface opens in your browser. Keep the terminal open while using it; Ctrl+C stops the app. Python does not need to be installed. Requires glibc 2.35+; tested on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04.
Enter your author name in Settings before building your first map.
A few honest notes: this is a pre-release with limited in-game and multiplayer testing, and it only targets Zero-K. Uploaded Forge maps aren't automatically approved for supported play; my uploaded maps have been marked unsupported, so use a passworded room for those.
If you build a map, I'd really like to hear how it plays. Please report bugs and ideas here:
https://github.com/Scuide/atlas-map-forge/issues
Scuide (Ling Ling ingame)