Map

What is a Map in MSD?

A map is basically a 2-dimensional grid, structured like below. Each tile can be of a specific type, and can be identified (relative to the overall map) by an integer tuple, starting at (0,0) in the lower left corner.

Robots can move over the map in the directions N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW (see below). The map boundaries limit the movements. I.e. from tile (0,2) you can only move in northern, eastern, and southern direction, but not to the west.

 

Star Systems and Voids

The tiles of a map represent either be a star system or a void. Star systems are connected to each other by hyperlanes. Robots can use these hyperlanes to travel from one star system to the next. Since voids do not have hyperlanes, they are effectively barriers for robot movement. Robots need to navigate around them, traveling from one star system to the next.

We will create an example map, step by step, to illustrate the map concepts. The image above shows our example map with some barriers on it, on the following tiles:

• (1,1)…(1,4)
• (3,6)…(3,7)
• (7,4)
• (4,3)
• (7,0)…(7,1)

Gravity Areas

Traveling hyperlanes requires energy. The robots have a limited supply of energy, which they need to recharge eventually. An MSD map can have areas with different levels of gravity. Depending on that level of gravity, passing a hyperlane from one star system to the next requires a certain amount of energy (reference point is always the target star system).

The above image shows our map with a “typical” configuration of increasing gravity towards the center of the map. Gravity comes in three levels:

Gravity Level	Energy needed (default)
LIGHT	1
MEDIUM	2
INTENSE	3

Please be aware that the energy needed per level might be configured differently than the default for each individual game. So you cannot rely on these values to be hardcoded.

Space Stations, Resource Mines, and Black Holes

Star systems can have a resource mine or a space station, they can be a black hole, or they are just empty. (For simplicity reasons, a star system - in the current version of this game - can only be one these things. So it cannot be a resource mine and a space station at the same time. Neither will it have more than one resource mine.

Any number of robots - both allied and enemy - can occupy the same star system. The image below shows our example map “ready to play”.

Space Stations

A space station is a traversable tile that serves as both a trading outpost and a safe zone for robots. Combat is not allowed on space stations. Robots can use space stations to trade, purchase upgrades, and repair themselves. New robots also spawn (are built and launched …) at space stations.

Each player is assigned to a space station, so that new robots for the player fleet will always spawn at the same location. Depending on the number of space stations, several players may share the same station.

Trading and upgrading is only possible at space stations. This means that a robot with its cargo area full of mined resources must travel to a space station in order to sell the resources, and to get upgrades. Space stations are neutral, and accessible to all robots from all players. I.e. robots can travel to any space station, not only the one they spawned from.

Resource Mines

Some star systems contain mines for resource extraction. Depending on the map type, they can randomly distributed across the map, or deliberately located only in certain map parts. Each mine produces a single type of resource, and will continue producing until it is depleted. Each planet can have at most one mine.

There are five types of resources, ranked from most common to rarest (hint: the further back the initial letter is in the alphabet, the more valuable the resource.)

• Bio Matter
• Cryo Gas
• Dark Matter
• Ion Dust, and
• Plasma Cores

Our example map above shows a fairly small, but still typical distribution of resources. Bio matter can be found in 8 locations, cryo gas in 5, dark matter in 3, and the most valuable ion dust and plasma cores in 2, respectively. The numbers below the acronyms in the above map describe the available units of the resource.

Once a mine is depleted, it is closed and disappears from the map. Depending on the particular map type definition, new resources may be discovered once the existing units are partially or fully exhausted. This discovery of new resources will not necessarily be at the same location as the old mine.

Mining takes time. A player service can ask for the mining process to start for a dedicated robot. After a short delay, the resource becomes available on the planet ready to be picked up (by that particular robot). This will happen automatically, assuming the robot is capable of doing so. Robots are by default able to transport the least valuable resource in their cargo rooms (bio matter). For all other resources, they need to be upgraded.

All resources are volatile substances. If the robot is not capable of holding the mined resource in its cargo area, they remain at mine and evaporate - i.e. they are lost to both the player who initiated the mining, and to all other players.

Black Holes

Black holes can be traversed by robots, but entering a star system with a black hole will - with a certain probability - lead to the robot’s destruction. The default likelihood for destruction is 50%, but this might be configured differently in a particular map.

Summary

Summing up, the tiles in a 2-dimensional MSD map follow this schema¹:

map = { tile }
tile = star system | void
star system = space station | resource mine | black hole | empty 
resource mine = bio matter | cryo gas | dark matter | ion dust | plasma cores