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TinyGenerals Docs

Map Editor

What the Map Editor Does

Section titled “What the Map Editor Does”

The TinyGenerals map editor lets you build your own battlefields for custom games. You can:

  • Paint terrain such as grass, forest, mountains, and water
  • Place buildings and assign starting owners
  • Add spawn points for up to 8 players
  • Add road overlays on top of existing terrain
  • Automatically place buildings and spawn points on existing terrain with the Auto-place Buildings panel
  • Save unfinished work as a draft or publish a finished map

If you just want to make a playable map, start here, then follow the walkthrough in Creating Your First Map.

Opening the Editor

Section titled “Opening the Editor”

From the main lobby:

  1. Click Map Editor
  2. Choose a blank map or open an existing one from My Maps
  3. Enter a name and start building

You need an account to save maps to your library.

The Four Editing Modes

Section titled “The Four Editing Modes”

The right sidebar is organized around four modes:

  • Terrain: Paint the base terrain for each hex
  • Build: Place buildings such as Bases, HQs, Cities, Factories, Airfields, Seaports, Outposts, and Depots
  • Overlay: Add roads on top of existing terrain
  • Spawns: Set where each player’s starting units appear

The Fastest Way to Make a Playable Map

Section titled “The Fastest Way to Make a Playable Map”
  1. Set a map name and choose the width and height
  2. Paint the land you want players to fight on
  3. Place starting buildings for each side
  4. Add spawn points for at least two players
  5. Click Save while the map is still work in progress
  6. Click Publish once validation passes

If you are starting from scratch, the Random Generator can create a map layout for you, then you can edit the result by hand.

Auto-place buildings: If you have terrain already drawn but no buildings yet, open the Auto-place Buildings panel, pick the player count, and click Place Buildings. The generator handles base positions, objectives, and starting units for you.

Drafts vs Published Maps

Section titled “Drafts vs Published Maps”

The editor supports two states:

  • Draft: Good for work in progress. You can save early and keep refining later.
  • Published: Meant for maps that are ready to use in games.

Publishing checks that the map is actually usable. In practice, that usually means:

  • At least two players have spawn points
  • The map has enough playable land
  • Buildings are placed on compatible terrain

If publishing fails, the editor shows what still needs to be fixed.

What Everyday Players Should Learn First

Section titled “What Everyday Players Should Learn First”

If you are new to the editor, focus on these basics first:

  • Keep the first map small and readable
  • Give both sides a fair starting position
  • Use roads to connect key areas, not cover the whole map
  • Save drafts often while you experiment

You do not need to learn import, export, or generator seeds to make a good first map.

Where To Go Next

Section titled “Where To Go Next”