Mod request: Automated map miner

[Commander Steps]

I am currently developing a new map seed browser akin to the Tools Not Included map browser and require an extensive collection of fresh save games to populate the seed database.

Tools Not Included previously employed a dedicated "automatic map miner" mod designed for this specific purpose:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230322215327mp_/https://toolsnotincluded.net/map-tools/map-browser/contribute

The mod should do this:

1. Initiate a new game with a randomly generated seed.
2. Bypass duplicate selection and proceed by clicking on "Begin".
3. Allow for the first automatic save to take place. This happens one second after starting the game.
4. Transfer the resulting save file to a designated folder, such as "Documents/OniMapsForUpload".
5. Repeat this process.

The objective is to create a mod that enables the game to autonomously run for a period, generating files that can later be analyzed.

I am in search of a skilled individual who can develop this mod as an open-source project.
If you possess the expertise and interest in crafting such a tool, please reach out to me.

[SGT_Imalas]

when going the step of making a map miner mod, its way easier to directly extract the map data than to create a ton of savefiles and have a process of moving and deleting them

 

I wrote one for the fun of it, for test purposes it just dumps the collected data into a json file:

TestDataDump.json

mod:

_WorldGenStateCapture_dev.zip

source:

https://github.com/Sgt-Imalas/Sgt_Imalas-Oni-Mods/tree/master/_WorldGenStateCapture

[Commander Steps]

Very interesting, and you raise a valid point! JSON indeed requires significantly less data for transfer.

Thank you for making & sharing it!

Now, reflecting on my efforts in creating a Kotlin ONI save parser and constructing https://stefan-oltmann.de/oni-seed-browser/ seems somewhat a waste of time & efforts, given that your capture encompasses a broader range of data, particularly emit rates and active periods. Unfortunately, the placeholder list doesn't include these aspects, and while they may not be crucial to me, I understand that for a complete ToolsNotIncluded replacement, people might expect them.

I am considering releasing my Kotlin oni-save-parser as a separate library in case someone finds it useful. Writing it was enjoyable and I gained valuable knowledge. It might be time to conclude that chapter and not actively use it.

Regarding the mod's functionality, what would be required for it to initiate random games autonomously and generate JSON files named after the full coordinates? Is this a complex task, or is it relatively straightforward?

I assume that the original TNI mod submitted the JSON to a web service instead of saving it to a file. Is this easy in C? I'm not familiar with it.

With this newfound understanding of the possibilities, I believe I need to redefine the specifications for the mod I'm seeking.

Okay, when TNI comes back all of this may not be relevant at this point.

[SGT_Imalas]

the original mod connecred to a webservice and transferred the data to an api in on the TNI server  (I assume via mirrored data structure on that end, since there is no json conversion in the original mod, I just dumped it as json for readability)

fully automatic generation would be fairly straightforward to add, I just didn't do that yet

[Commander Steps]

Ok, nice. I guess we can continue working on an replacement service there once TNI is really gone for good.

[SGT_Imalas]

indeed.

an open sourced seed database will then be way less prone to (technical and human) failure & data loss