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TinyGenerals Docs

Map Editor Tools

Editing Modes

Section titled “Editing Modes”

The map editor has four working modes in the right sidebar:

Mode What it changes
Terrain The base terrain on each hex
Build Buildings and their starting owner
Overlay Roads on top of terrain
Spawns Starting units for each player

Core Tools

Section titled “Core Tools”

These tools are available from the bottom toolbar:

Tool What it does
Draw Places or paints the selected thing
Erase Removes the selected thing
Fill Flood-fills connected terrain of the same type

Notes:

  • Right-click removes content even if Draw is selected
  • Fill only works in Terrain mode
  • Fill -> Generate can reshape narrow coastlines or thin land bridges inside the selected region, so it is best used on broader areas and then cleaned up by hand if needed

Auto-place Buildings

Section titled “Auto-place Buildings”

The Auto-place Buildings panel in the right sidebar generates buildings and spawn points on your existing terrain. It is available regardless of which editing mode is active.

Setting What it controls
Players Number of player bases (2-8)
Balance Balanced (symmetric) or Asymmetric
Spawn Tier Starting unit strength: T1 (basic), T2 (advanced), T3 (elite)
Airfield / Seaport / Depot Toggle individual building types on or off
Seed Re-enter a seed to reproduce the same layout

Notes:

  • Terrain is never modified – only buildings and spawn points are placed
  • Buildings respect terrain rules: no buildings on water, Seaports need coast, Airfields need flat ground
  • The balance score shows how fair the placement is (same metric as the Random Generator)
  • Click Place Buildings again with a new seed if you want a different layout

Brush Sizes

Section titled “Brush Sizes”

In Terrain mode, you can paint with different brush sizes:

Size Use it for
1 Precise hex-by-hex edits
3 Small patches and edges
7 Broad terrain shaping

Brush size only affects terrain painting. Buildings, overlays, and spawns are still placed one hex at a time.

Terrain Palette

Section titled “Terrain Palette”

The terrain palette currently includes:

  • Grass
  • Forest
  • Mountain
  • Shallow Water
  • Deep Water
  • Empty

Some terrain types also support multiple visual variants. If variants are available, the editor shows extra buttons so you can pick the look you want.

Building Palette

Section titled “Building Palette”

In Build mode, you can place:

  • Base
  • HQ
  • City
  • Factory
  • Airfield
  • Seaport
  • Outpost
  • Depot

You can also assign a starting owner:

  • Neutral
  • Player 1 through Player 8

If a building refuses to publish cleanly later, it is usually because the terrain under it is incompatible with that building type.

Overlay Palette

Section titled “Overlay Palette”

In Overlay mode, the current overlay is:

  • Road

Roads sit on top of terrain instead of replacing it. They cannot be placed on incompatible tiles such as water or empty hexes.

Spawn Settings

Section titled “Spawn Settings”

In Spawns mode, you can configure:

  • Player: 1 through 8
  • Role: Infantry, Armor, or Artillery
  • Tier: 1 through 3

This gives you control over who starts where and what kind of unit appears at each spawn point.

Map Controls

Section titled “Map Controls”

These controls help you move around the editor:

  • Mouse wheel: Zoom in or out
  • Middle mouse button: Pan the camera
  • Left click on empty space: Pan from empty canvas area
  • Resize fields: Change width and height from the sidebar

If you shrink the map, content outside the new bounds is removed.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Section titled “Keyboard Shortcuts”

These shortcuts are available in the editor:

Shortcut Action
T Terrain mode
B Build mode
S Spawn mode
D Draw tool
E Erase tool
F Fill tool
1 Brush size 1
2 Brush size 3
3 Brush size 7

If your cursor is inside a text input, shortcuts pause so you can type safely.

Save And Publish Controls

Section titled “Save And Publish Controls”

The action area includes:

  • Save: Save the current map as a draft
  • Publish: Publish if validation passes
  • Unpublish: Return a published map to draft state
  • Import JSON
  • Export JSON

For the advanced workflows behind those last two buttons, see Import, Export, and Generation.

Practical Tips

Section titled “Practical Tips”
  • Use Fill and large brushes to sketch big landmasses quickly
  • Switch back to brush size 1 for clean edges
  • Put roads down after the terrain shape feels good
  • Keep spawns and building ownership readable at a glance

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”