09 — Maps (the MAPS/ folder)

Index · Basics

A map is one text file in the game's MAPS/ folder (for example MAPS/EarthRRUltra.txt) plus the data files it points to: water and land masks, regions, cities, terrain, height map, the AI cache and the texture pack. This chapter documents every keyword of the map file and the format of the text files it uses.

Contents

1. How the game finds and reads a map
2. Header: name, description, view
3. Geography: water, land, terrain, height, textures
4. Regions and factions: OwnershipMap
5. Cities
6. Starting setup and AI
7. Game rules (lobby defaults)
8. Display settings
9. Building the border and region files: ProcessBorders
10. Making a new map, step by step
11. Making a map from a saved game
12. Keys used by saved games and scenarios
13. Map-specific mods
14. Pitfalls

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1. How the game finds and reads a map

Files

File	Contents
MAPS/<Map>.txt	The map file — this chapter.
MAPS/<Map>.virtual/	The map's data: binary masks (*.vec, *.vec.cmap, *.bin), region files (V7_*.txt), cities (earth_cities.csv, *.reloc.txt), AI cache (ai_cache_new.bin), city models, faction event scripts (Events/*.txt). SRC/ holds the sources used to generate them (AIConfig.txt, SVG/PNG drawings).
MAPS/<TexturePack>/ (e.g. MAPS/EARTH256K/)	The texture pack: map.e5i + map.e5p (the tiled globe texture), Default.jxl/.webp/.png (full overview), Default_small.png (map-list preview), HeightMap.cmap, config.txt. Several maps can share one pack.
MAPS/Events/	Event scripts shared by several maps (e.g. CommonAI.txt).

Paths inside the map file are relative to the game folder ("Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.virtual/V7_split.bin"); the lookup is case-insensitive on Windows. Mods are searched before the game folder, so a mod can replace a map file or any data file by shipping the same path.

The map list

The Select map screen lists every file in MAPS/ of the game and of each enabled mod that

• starts with MAP, followed directly by its Name lines (and optionally Description, Restrictions, WaterMap), and
• contains a TextureMap whose folder has a default_small.png (the preview).

A file without these is not listed. A map with the same file name in a mod hides the original.

Reading

The file is a sequence of keywords in free format (see 00 — Basics: // and /* */ comments, "strings", case-insensitive keywords). Keywords may come in any order and the file ends at END. USE "file" reads another file in the same format at that point, and IF/ELSE/ENDIF work as in the other data files.

An unknown keyword stops loading with the message Error reading map …, formatting error line N; nothing after it is read. Use the order of the shipped maps: the multiplayer consistency check reads the geography keywords first, then OwnershipMap with its Player list, then Cities, then the AI tolerances (§6), and looks only for those positions.

A saved game and a scenario are the same format: the map part followed by the state of the game (units, research, diplomacy…). §12 lists the keys that belong only there.

Units used in map files

Quantity	Unit
Map coordinates x y	0–1 across the whole globe: x from 180° W (0) eastwards to 180° E (1), y from the North Pole (0) to the South Pole (1). So x = (longitude + 180) / 360, y = (90 − latitude) / 180.
Distances	km, unless noted
Times	simulation ticks; 60 ticks = one game second (00 — Basics)
Colours	"RRGGBB" or "RRGGBBAA" (hex), or #RRGGBB

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2. Header: name, description, view

MAP

Name idx "Atomic Earth, 10 Players"
Name RUS "Атомная Земля, 10 игроков"
Description ENG "Ten massive regional factions vie for global supremacy…"

Restrictions MinScale 0.75 MaxScale 100.0 CenterX 0.5 CenterY 0.5 ShiftX 2 ShiftY 2

Keyword	Meaning
MAP	First word of the file.
Name [LOCALE] "text", repeatable	Map name. The first line is the fallback; a line whose locale (ENG, CHN, ESP, FRA, GER, ITA, RUS, case-insensitive) matches the game language wins. Without a locale the line counts as the current language. Name ID n uses UI string n. The shipped maps use the placeholder locale idx for the fallback line.
Description [LOCALE] "text", repeatable	Description shown in the lobby. Same rules.
Restrictions MinScale a MaxScale b CenterX x CenterY y ShiftX sx ShiftY sy	Camera limits: zoom range and the initial centre (map coordinates). All six values are required, in this order.
MapSpecificMod "folder" [ForceLoading]	A mod that is loaded together with this map: its data files take part in the game only on this map (§13).
USE "file"	Reads another file in this format here.

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3. Geography: water, land, terrain, height, textures

WaterMap       "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.virtual/watermap_16K.vec"
WaterMapNoIce  "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.virtual/watermap_no_ice_16K.vec"
WaterMapLand   "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.virtual/watermap_land_16K.vec"
ConditionalWaterMap "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.virtual/Conditional.bin"
LandingPairs   "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.virtual/landing_pairs.bin"
TerrainTypeMap "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.virtual/terrain_type.vec"
  Terrain "Water"  Color #8CC8FA
  Terrain "Savanna" Color #C6CF5D Group "Grassland"
HeightMap  "Maps/EARTH256K/HeightMap.cmap"
TextureMap "Maps/EARTH256K"

Water and land masks

The three masks are vector maps of the sea, used for movement and path finding. Each X.vec has a companion X.vec.cmap (coded version) that the game loads automatically.

Keyword	Used for
WaterMap "file.vec"	Surface ships: the sea, with pack ice treated as land.
WaterMapNoIce "file.vec"	Submarines: the sea including the area under the ice.
WaterMapLand "file.vec"	Ground units: the land (land paths).
ConditionalWaterMap "file.bin" [generate]	Land paths through each region, so ground units can be blocked by region ownership (e.g. not moving through neutral territory). Regenerate whenever region borders or their numbering change.
LandingPairs "file.bin" [generate]	Precomputed pairs of nearby land and sea points, used to embark and land troops by sea. Regenerate when cities or regions change.

Generating a mask. Instead of loading, a mask can be built from a picture:

WaterMap "Maps/MyMap.virtual/watermap.vec"
  Generate from "Maps/MyMap.virtual/SRC/water.png" [SVG "drawing.svg"]
  [smooth 36000] [filter 25000] [MapSize 4096 [ShiftX n] [ShiftY n]] [water black]
  [pfcache "file" [generate]]

Option	Meaning	Default
from "image.png"	Mask picture: water is white (0xFF); with water black, water is black. The picture also carries the land-type information.	—
SVG "file.svg"	Take the outlines from this vector drawing instead of tracing the picture (the picture is still needed).	—
smooth s, filter f	Outline smoothing and small-detail filtering of the traced picture (larger = finer).	36000, 25000
MapSize n	Grid size (power of 2). ShiftX/ShiftY shift the grid.	twice the picture height
pfcache "file" [generate]	Path-finding cache file.	none

Run the map once in single player: the game shows the traced paths for checking and writes the .vec and .vec.cmap files under Documents/ICBM/maps/…. Move them into the map's folder, remove the Generate … part and delete the generated copies from Documents (files there take priority over mods).

Which generate options work where. The water masks (WaterMap, WaterMapNoIce, WaterMapLand), the city list (FromFile … Generate From), city relocation and the AI cache generate in the normal game. ConditionalWaterMap, LandingPairs, TerrainTypeMap … Generate, HeightMap … generate, city models (ModelsPath … Generate), EditSVG and ProcessBorders need the Cheats build.

Editing masks interactively: EditSVG

EditSVG "Maps/X.virtual/Src/water_16K.svg" [Size n] [Save "out.svg"]
  [Second "Maps/X.virtual/Src/water_16K_ice.svg" [Save "out2.svg"]]
  [Mask WaterMap | WaterMapNoIce | WaterMapLand]

Opens an SVG outline in an on-map editor. Second edits a linked outline at the same time (e.g. with and without ice); Mask draws an existing mask underneath for reference. Controls: left-click a vertex to move it; left-click an edge to add a vertex; right-click a vertex to delete it; Shift+left-click adds a square segment; Alt ignores the main outline and Ctrl the second one while clicking; R detects the segment hierarchy and saves. Saving also writes <file>.view.svg (with a black background and closed polar areas) to open in a vector editor and export the matching PNG used by Generate … SVG.

Terrain types

TerrainTypeMap "file.vec" [Generate from "terrain.png"]
  Terrain "Name" [NameIDX n] [DescriptionIDX n] [Color c] [Group "Earlier terrain"]
  …

Each Terrain is one terrain type; the colour is its colour in the terrain overlay and, when generating, the colour that identifies it in the source picture. Group "X" makes the type count as the earlier type X for game rules — technology modifiers check terrain groups (ImprovedBy Terrain "group"). Up to 254 types. NameIDX/DescriptionIDX give translated names from the UI strings.

Height map and textures

Keyword	Meaning
HeightMap "file.cmap" [generate size]	Elevation, used for the terrain view and for the ground height of units.
TextureMap "folder" [LightBlendAlpha Yes/No] [LightBlendPower f] [AffectedArea x y z r]…	The texture pack. The folder needs map.e5i/map.e5p, a default.jxl, default.webp or default.png overview and default_small.png. config.txt in the folder may list required content as ID n "name" lines; other lines are ignored. AffectedArea entries (a point on the unit sphere and a radius) mark areas where the texture is altered.
EdgesMap "image"	Optional edge texture.
MapShader, TerrainShader, UnitShader, SilhouetteShader	No longer used: the game always draws the map with water_effect_v_mod/water_effect_f and units with its own shaders. The lines are skipped in older maps and saves. To change a shader for one map, give the map a map-specific mod with its own copy of the shader file under shaders/HLSL/ and shaders/GLSL/.

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4. Regions and factions: OwnershipMap

A map is divided into regions (provinces); each region belongs to a faction (player slot). The shipped maps use the multi-country form:

OwnershipMap "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/V7_default.vec"
  MultiCountry "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/V7_segment_names.txt"
  Borders   "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/V7_split.bin"
  Ownership "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/V7_split.vec"
  Default   "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/V7_default.txt"

  Player "North America" Color "1188FF" Name "Blue" Portrait Index 15
    ModelPrefix "NA"
    Events FromFile "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/Events/North America.txt"
  Player "Central America" Color "FF9911" Name "Orange" Portrait Index 24
    …

Part	Meaning
OwnershipMap "file.vec"	Faction borders for the default assignment (generated, with .vec.cmap).
MultiCountry "names.txt"	Region list (below).
Borders "split.bin"	The border segments (generated).
Ownership "split.vec"	The territory of each region (generated).
Default "default.txt"	Which faction owns each region at the start (below).
GDPInfo "file"	Optional; read and kept but not used.
Player …	One block per faction, at most 10, in slot order (slot 0 is the first Player).

Region list (V7_segment_names.txt)

One line per region, then END:

"Alaska" Production 0.04286 Science 0.02190 Espionage 0.08403 0
"Ecuador" Production 0.083624 Science 0.115385 Espionage 0.037879 27 28

• "Name" — region name (also used in the default file, events and the UI).
• Production p Science s Espionage e — the region's share of its faction's economy in each field; within one faction the shares normally add up to 1. GDP g sets all three to g.
• Then the numbers of the border segments (from Borders) that make up the region. A region with no segment numbers is dropped.

Default assignment (V7_default.txt)

"Alaska" 0
"Northwest Mexico" 1
…
VARIANT "Cold War"
RENAME "Ukraine" "Ukrainian SSR"
  "Ukraine" 4
  …
END

Line	Meaning
"Region" faction [Original n] [OccupiedSince tick] [OccupationBitscale b] [highlight colour]	Owner at the start (faction slot, 0-based). Original sets a different original owner (an occupied region). highlight draws the region with an extra colour. Names are matched ignoring case; regions not listed have no owner.
RENAME "Region" "Display name"	Shows the region under another name.
VARIANT "Name"	Starts an alternative start-up assignment (with its own RENAMEs and region lines) that can be picked in the lobby. The lines before the first VARIANT are the default.
END	End of file.

Player block

The faction's name is the quoted string after Player; it is what DefaultEnemy, AIConfig.txt (for "faction") and event scripts refer to (exact match). Properties may follow in any order:

Property	Meaning
Color "RRGGBB[AA]" [Name "colour name"]	Faction colour and the name of the colour shown in the lobby.
ColorRemap n	Colour slot to use instead of the faction's own.
Portrait Index n / Portrait "image"	Leader portrait (built-in index or a picture).
Icon Index n / Icon "image"	Faction icon.
ModelPrefix "XX"	Faction-specific unit pictures and models: every picture or model is looked for first under the folder XX/ (e.g. NA/Units/…), then at its normal path. The prefix must be listed in model_info.txt (12 — Other configuration files).
Events FromFile "file"	The faction's event script (missions, AI behaviour scripts) — see the event-scripting reference. Events followed directly by script blocks embeds the script.
Achievement ACH_…	Steam achievement for winning with this faction (official maps only).
Active Yes/No	The slot is in play.
AI Yes/No [Suspended]	Computer player.
NoSurrender Yes/No / NoSurrender manual	Never surrender automatically while it has active units / surrender only by player command.
TechLevel f	Starting tech level of this faction.
tech "id" available / tech "id" points	A technology known at start, or research points already invested.
AvailableUnits ut …, AvailableMissiles mt …	This faction's own starting deployment (same syntax as §6).
ProductionBoost f, ScienceBoost f, EspionageBoost f	Economy multipliers for this faction.
MTSwitchOverride "unit" "missile"	Default weapon for that unit type.

Further Player properties (diplomacy, research state, statistics) are written by saved games; see §11.

Simple ownership picture

Instead of MultiCountry, a map can take faction territories straight from a picture painted in the Player colours:

OwnershipMap "Maps/MyMap.virtual/ownership.vec"
  Player "North" Color "1188FF"
  Player "South" Color "FF0011"
  Generate from "Maps/MyMap.virtual/SRC/owners.png" [smooth 36000] [filter 25000]

Paint with a hard (non-antialiased) brush using exactly the Player colours; every area must touch its neighbours along pixel edges, not only at corners. Run the map once to generate the .vec, then remove the Generate line. Each faction is then one region.

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5. Cities

Cities
  ModelsPath "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/CityModels"
  MaxPerPlayer 500  FromFile "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/earth_cities.csv"

relocate "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/earth_cities.reloc.txt"

rename "Bombay" "Mumbai"
rename "Kiev" "Kyiv"

relocate and the rename lines are part of the Cities entry: they must follow it directly.

Keyword	Meaning	Default
ModelsPath "folder" [Generate], repeatable	Folders searched for the 3D city models <City name>.bin. Generate creates missing models.	Units/Images/City
MaxPerPlayer n	Upper limit of cities per faction. Over the limit, of the two closest cities of a faction the smaller is removed, until the limit is met.	no limit
FromFile "file.csv" [Generate From "source.csv"]	City list (below). With Generate From, the source list is read and the final list (after relocation) is written to the first file. Without FromFile, the list follows inline, ending with END.	—
relocate "file" [generate]	Moves cities to adjusted positions (below). With generate, cities on water are moved inside the land and the result is written to the file.	—
rename "CSV name" "Display name"	Shows a city under another name; matched exactly.	—
SetTotalInitialPopulation "faction" n …	One value per faction, in slot order: the population used as each faction's 100 %.	sum of its cities

Cities on neutral ground and cities of inactive factions are removed at start. A city belongs to the faction that owns the region it stands in.

City list (earth_cities.csv)

Semicolon-separated, one city per line:

Absolute
Albuquerque;916528;0.203801;0.305030
Atlanta; 4975300 ;0.265594;0.312479

• First line Absolute (or Absolute;;;): coordinates are map coordinates x;y. Without it, the two fields are geographic: DD MM SS N|S;DDD MM SS E|W.
• Name;population;x;y. Population is people.
• Optional WithInitial line after Absolute: each line starts with the initial population (initial;Name;population;x;y) — used by saved games.
• Optional per-city lines after a city: Images "folder" (custom city pictures; default Units/Images/City/<Name>).
• END (or END;;;) ends the list.

Relocation file (earth_cities.reloc.txt)

reloc "Virginia Beach" 0.288773 0.295201

reloc "Name" x y — new position (map coordinates) of the named city (exact name from the CSV).

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6. Starting setup and AI

Default AvailableUnits
  ut "Fighter" 10
  ut "Army_Division" 10
Default AvailableMissiles
  mt "Low-power nuclear bomb" 10
AvailablePoints -1

AICache "Maps/EarthRRUltraV3.Virtual/ai_cache_new.bin"
DefaultEnemy "North America" "Russia"

MIN_POSITIONING_DISTANCE 50
BOARD_TOLERANCE 120
HOST_TOLERANCE 20

Starting forces and technologies

Keyword	Meaning
Default AvailableUnits + ut "Unit_ID" n [at tick] lines	Units every faction starts with (to deploy). at sets when they were added (auto-deployment counts from it).
Default AvailableMissiles + mt "missile_id" n [extra launchers delay autouse] lines	Starting missile stock.
Default AvailableTechnologies + tech "id" lines	Technologies every faction knows at start.
Default DisabledTechnologies + tech "id" lines	Technologies that cannot be researched on this map (lobby default).
Default TechLevel f	Starting tech level.
AvailablePoints n	Points for buying the starting setup. -1 = calculated from the default units, missiles and technologies; a larger value adds the difference as extra points.
LimitedEscalationDisabledMissiles "missile" …	Weapons blocked during the limited-escalation period (lobby default).
DisabledForAIMissiles "missile" bits …	Weapons the computer factions whose bits are set (bit 0 = slot 0) do not use.

Each Default line starts one list; several Default lines may follow each other.

AI

Keyword	Meaning
AICache "file.bin" [generate from "AIConfig.txt"]	Precomputed AI positioning data (good places for silos, airbases, radars…). Regenerate when regions or city positions change. Generating takes a long time.
DefaultEnemy "faction" "faction"	The first faction prefers the second as its enemy. Repeatable. DefaultAlly is accepted but has no effect.
AIDisabled	No computer players on this map.
MIN_POSITIONING_DISTANCE km	Minimal distance between units the AI places next to each other. Default 100.
BOARD_TOLERANCE, HOST_TOLERANCE	How close the AI brings units to a transport or landing point / to the point where it hands them over. Defaults 200 and 25. BOARD_TOLERANCE is also the boarding distance used when generating LandingPairs. AIR_BOARD_TOLERANCE and GROUND_BOARD_TOLERANCE are accepted but have no effect.
MIN_SHORE_DIST n, MIN_BORDER_DIST n, SHORE_VERTICAL_SHIFT n, BORDER_VERTICAL_SHIFT n	Spacing of placement points from shores and borders, in tenths of a km. Defaults 3, 7, 0, 0.

AIConfig.txt (input for AICache … generate)

MAX_THREADS 12
MIN_POSITIONING_DISTANCE 30
SHORE_DIST 16          // tenths of a km
MAX Default 10
MAX SubmarineAttack 15
dist 10000 min 4000 for MissileSilo
dist 120 min 50 for CityControl
END

Line	Meaning
MAX_THREADS n	Threads used for the calculation.
MIN_AI_LAND_POINTS n, MIN_AI_SEA_POINTS n, MIN_AI_SHORE_POINTS n	Minimum number of points of each kind per region.
MIN_POSITIONING_DISTANCE km	As in the map file, for the calculation.
MISSILE_DEFENCE_DIST km, SATELLITE_RANGE km	Ranges assumed for missile defence and satellites.
BORDER_DIST, WIDE_BORDER_DIST, WIDE_BORDER_MIN_DIST (< WIDE_BORDER_DIST)	Border-zone widths.
SHORE_DIST, INLAND_SHORE_DIST	Shore-zone widths, in tenths of a km.
WATER_SEGMENT n	Which sea is the open ocean (-1 = the largest).
MAX <PointType> n / MAX <PointType> for "faction" n … / MAX Default n	Maximum number of points of a type (per faction). Default 60.
dist km [min km] for <PointType> [for <PointType>…]	Distance bands for which point values are precomputed (reach to the enemy, cities…).

Point types are those of the AI group placements (08 — AI §7): MissileSilo, CityDefence, Radar, OverHorizonRadar, Airbase, SubmarineAttack, SubmarineHide, CarrierAttack, MobileMissile, ObjectDefence, NavalBase, Orbit, Shore, CityControl, BorderDefence, MarinesLanding, AirborneTroopsLanding, TroopsTraining, Industry. ObjectDefence and Orbit points are created automatically.

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7. Game rules (lobby defaults)

These values become the defaults of the game-setup screen for this map; the host can still change them.

Keyword	Meaning	Default
ScoringMode n	2398 default, 2399 survival, 2400 genocide, 3361 conquest.	2398
PeaceTimer ticks	Time from the start with no attacks at all.	0
NoNukesTimer ticks	Time from the start without nuclear weapons.	0
PeaceTimerAddedNum n, NoNukeTimerAddedNum n	How many times players may extend these timers.	0
CeasefireTimeout ticks	Minimum duration of a ceasefire.	36000 (10 game minutes)
PeaceTreatyTimeout ticks	Minimum duration of a peace treaty.	90000 (25 game minutes)
MinPartnershipTimeToPermanentAlliance ticks	Partnership time before an alliance can become permanent.	432000 (2 game hours)
TimeToAutoDeploy ticks	Undeployed starting units are deployed automatically after this time.	54000
TimeToFullProductionAfterOccupation ticks	An occupied region reaches full production after this time.	36000
TimeToFinish ticks	Length of the end-of-game countdown.	72000
CountdownTrigger f	Global pollution level that starts the end-game countdown (TimeToFinish).	0.5
OccupationThreshold f	Share of a region's city population that must be occupied to take over the region; 0.5 or less turns region capture off.	1.0
RegionDestructionThreshold f	A region whose population falls below this share of its initial population is destroyed; 0 = off.	0
AutoSurrenderThreshold f	A faction surrenders when its population falls below this share.	0.15
PollutionSpeedCoeff f	Speed at which radioactive contamination builds up.	1.0
GlobalProductionBoost f, GlobalScienceBoost f, GlobalEspionageBoost f	Economy multipliers for everyone.	1.0
ProductionDegradesWithLosses Yes/No	Production falls with population losses.	Yes
LimitedProductionBenefitFromExpansion Yes/No	Captured regions add less production.	Yes
AllowAlliances Yes/No	Alliances allowed.	Yes
AllowInstantTechSharing Yes/No	Allies may share research instantly.	Yes
GenevaRequiresConsensus Yes/No	Geneva Convention votes must be unanimous.	No
AggressiveAISettings Yes/No	Computer players invade without first completing their defence and research plans.	No
PredefinedTeams Yes/No	Factions start allied in the teams set in the lobby.	No
AllowBuildingOnAlliedTerritory Yes/No	Units may be deployed on allied territory.	Yes
AutoSlowDownAllowed Yes/No	In single player, the game speed drops to at most ×3 while nuclear missiles are in the air.	Yes
DisableMaxRangeOptimization Yes/No	Recalculate every unit's attack range every tick instead of periodically (slower).	No
UseIntermediatePointForInvasion Yes/No	Invasions gather at an intermediate point first.	—
NoPlayerGameSpeed n	Game speed when no human player is left.	3
MinKilledToReport n	Smallest number of casualties reported in the event log.	100
ScoreByKillCoeff, ScoreByLossCoeff, ScoreByPollutionCoeff, ScoreByOccupationCoeff, ScoreByTerritoryLossCoeff	Weights of the score components.	1.0
ScenarioTotalScore n	Score to reach in a scenario.	0

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8. Display settings

Keyword	Meaning	Default
UIToUse "UI/UI.txt"	Interface layout file.	the game's
SpecularHighlight Yes/No, SpecularColor c	Specular light on the globe.	—
UseAtmoGlow Yes/No, AtmoGlow c	Atmosphere glow and its colour.	—
OwnershipOverlayAlpha n	Opacity (0–255) of the faction-colour overlay.	50
MapContrastAdjustment n	Contrast of the map texture.	30
DrawInternalBorders f	Strength of borders between regions (0–2; 1 = faint).	1.0
DynamicBorderScaling f	0–1: border width follows zoom.	0
DrawOverlayType n (DrawTerrainTypeOverlay n)	Overlay shown at start.	ownership
DrawOwnershipOverlay n	Bit mask of factions whose territory is coloured.	all
DrawRadarCoverage Yes/No, DrawRadarCoverageForAllies Yes/No, CoverageBitScale n	Radar coverage display.	off
DrawPollution Yes/No	Show contamination.	—
UnitsInPlayerColor Yes/No	Tint units in faction colour.	No
UnitScaling f, CityScaling f, ExplosionScaling f, OrdersScaling f	Size of unit icons, cities, explosions and order markers.	0.75, 1, 1, 1
UnitMips Yes/No	Mip-mapping for unit pictures.	No
MinDiscolorZoom f, MaxDiscolorZoom f	Zoom range over which the map texture desaturates.	—
DrawZoomHelper Yes/No, StartHelperZoom f, MinHelperTransparency f, FullHelperZoomTime ticks, HelperColor c	The "zoom helper" outlines drawn when zoomed out.	on
MinUnitZoom f, MaxUnitZoom f, MinExplosionZoom f, MaxExplosionZoom f	Zoom range in which units / explosions are drawn.	all
ZoomFadeLimit f, ZoomFadePower f, ZoomFadePowerExtra f	How icons fade with zoom.	10, 0.5, 0.75
★ ModelZoomFadeLimit f, ModelZoomFadePower f	The units' 3D models grow with the map up to the zoom ModelZoomFadeLimit, then slower, as MapScale^ModelZoomFadePower: zoomed in they get smaller compared to the map (closer to the real scale), never smaller than at that zoom. The ordinary explosions and the spots where hits are drawn on the models shrink with them. ModelZoomFadePower 1: as the map.	10, 0.65
GlobeView Yes/No	Start in globe view.	No
MapScale f, MapShiftX f, MapShiftY f, MapShiftXRel f, MapShiftYRel f	Initial zoom and position.	—

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9. Building the border and region files: ProcessBorders

The region files of §4 are produced from a vector drawing of the borders. ProcessBorders runs one or more of these steps when the map is loaded (each step is normally commented out once its files exist); they work in the Cheats build.

ProcessBorders
  ReadSVG "SRC/V7.svg" Generate "SRC/V7_split.txt" [SaveEdited "SRC/V7_split_mod.txt"]
  EditPoints "SRC/V7_split.txt" [SaveEdited "SRC/V7_split_mod.txt"]
  GenerateSplit Load "SRC/V7_split.txt" Generate "SRC/V7_split.bin" Names "SRC/V7_segment_names.txt"
                [SplitCenterPoints "file"]
  GenerateOwnership LoadBin "SRC/V7_split.bin" [GenerateDimmable] LoadNames "SRC/V7_segment_names.txt"
                    SaveDefaults "SRC/V7_default" Generate "SRC/V7_split.vec" [MAP_SIZE 4096]
  GenerateDefaults Names "V7_default.txt" Vec "V7_default.vec"

Step	Does
ReadSVG … Generate …	Converts the border drawing into a point-and-edge file.
EditPoints … [SaveEdited …]	Opens that file in the on-map editor.
GenerateSplit	Splits the territory into numbered segments (.bin) and writes the segment numbering for the region list. The centre of each segment is written to <bin>.points.txt (or SplitCenterPoints) and can be reused.
GenerateOwnership	Builds the region territories (.vec + .vec.cmap), writes <SaveDefaults>.txt (every region with a random owner, to edit) and <SaveDefaults>.vec. GenerateDimmable marks border lines inside a faction so they are drawn faintly. MAP_SIZE is the grid size (power of 2).
GenerateDefaults	Rebuilds the faction borders (.vec, .vec.cmap) for the region owners in the given default file.

File formats:

• Point-and-edge file (V7_split.txt): P x y lines (points, numbered from 0 in order), then for each point FOR n followed by E m length lines (an edge to point m).
• Centre points (V7_split.bin.points.txt): Point x y per segment, in segment order (a // comment with the region name is allowed).

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10. Making a new map, step by step

The shipped map files carry these steps as comments.

1. Texture. Use an existing texture pack (TextureMap "Maps/EARTH256K") or make your own folder with map.e5i/map.e5p, default.* and default_small.png.
2. Water. Draw the sea mask, add Generate from … to WaterMap (and to WaterMapNoIce and WaterMapLand), run the map once in single player and keep the generated files (§3).
3. Regions. Either paint an ownership picture (§4, one region per faction) or draw the region borders and run the ProcessBorders steps (§9). Write the region list with the economic shares and the default assignment, then the Player blocks.
4. Cities. Make the CSV list; run once with relocate "…" generate to move coastal cities onto land. Use rename for display names.
5. Derived data. Generate ConditionalWaterMap, LandingPairs and the TerrainTypeMap (Cheats build, §3), then the AI cache: AICache "…" generate from "SRC/AIConfig.txt". Repeat these whenever regions or cities change.
6. Setup. Starting units (Default AvailableUnits), DefaultEnemy pairs, lobby defaults (§7) and display settings (§8).
7. Remove every generate and delete the generated copies from Documents/ICBM/maps before publishing.

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11. Making a map from a saved game

A saved game is a map file with the game state appended, so any position — borders changed by a war, technologies researched, armies deployed — can become a new map that starts from that position. The quickest way uses the Cheats build:

1. Set up the position. Start a single-player game on an existing map. Use the cheats to prepare each faction: research with Shift + T, build with Ctrl + click, place units (hold Ctrl to deploy anywhere, Ctrl + T to move a unit), give regions away with Ctrl + O, switch faction with Shift + 0 … 9 (10 §3).
2. Save as a scenario: hold Shift when confirming Save. The game writes Documents/My Games/ICBM-Escalation/SAVES/SAVEn/world.txt and world.txt.remap.txt.
3. Copy both files into your mod's MAPS/ folder under the new map's name, keeping the pairing: MAPS/MyMap.txt and MAPS/MyMap.txt.remap.txt. The region owners are read from the file named like the map file plus .remap.txt (Default AUTO_FROM_SAVE in the OwnershipMap entry).
4. Edit the header of MyMap.txt:
5. Replace the first line MAP Name ID … with MAP and your Name lines, and check Description (§2). The map is listed only when MAP and Name come first.
6. Remove or fill in the Events FromFile "Scenario/MY_SCENARIO_NAME/…" placeholders in the Player blocks: a script file that does not exist stops loading.
7. Leave the commented-out ScenarioInfo template alone (or delete it); it is needed only for missions.
8. Adjust the setup: lobby defaults (§7), Default AvailableUnits for the starting deployment (§6), display settings (§8). Everything else — masks, regions, cities, AI cache — is shared with the original map and needs no regeneration as long as only owners, units and technologies changed.
9. Start the game: the new map appears in the map list and starts with the saved units in place.

A normal save (without Shift) can be used the same way, but it also carries the game clock (Time … at the top — remove it, or the map is not listed), the mod list, AI plans, diplomacy, pollution and score; the scenario save leaves all of that out.

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12. Keys used by saved games and scenarios

Saved games and scenarios use the same file with more keys. Map authors do not need them; they are listed so that the keywords in a saved file are recognisable:

Keys	Hold
GlobalPollution, TicksWithoutWarheads, TicksWithoutWarheadsForPlayer, NuclearWarningPlayed	Global state.
CameraFollowMeUnitUID	Camera target.
ScenarioInfo …	Campaign and mission description — see the event-scripting reference.
Alliance …, AIVoting …, BannedTechnologies tech "id" …	Diplomacy and Geneva Convention state.
Modifications mod x y type segment [wmap n] …	Changes to the water masks made during the game.
UnitFilter …, Highlights hl …	UI state.
Player properties APValue, SpyingOn, SpyPriority, NuclearEfficiency, DEFCONLevel, Construction, CurrentResearch, NextResearch, SpyTech, SpyUnit, DisassembledUnits, Relations, CeaseFire, PartnershipFrom, MyAlliance, Agreements, Reparations, Score, stats, History, …	The faction's state.
City lines stat, OccupiedSince, captured, OriginalOwner, InRangeOfCheckedMissile…	City state.
UID … (after the map part)	Units, explosions, plans and the rest of the game state; the map part ends here.

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13. Map-specific mods

A map can bring its own mod: data changes that apply only while this map is played. The campaign missions use one to adjust the economy or a few units for their story. A map for a special scenario can do the same with any data file: units, technologies, explosions, AI files, espionage.txt, language files.

MAP
Name idx "Border Crisis"
MapSpecificMod "Maps/BorderCrisis.virtual/Mod"
…

MapSpecificMod "folder" names a mod folder, relative to the game folder, with an info.txt like any mod (12 §2) and files laid out like the game folder. The folder is looked up like any file — first in Documents/My Games/ICBM-Escalation, then in the enabled mods, then in the game folder — so it can live inside your own mod. A folder without a valid info.txt (ICBM MOD "Name") is skipped without a message.

When it is active. The mod is switched on when the map is loaded:

• when the map is picked in the game-setup screen;
• when the game starts;
• when a game saved on this map is loaded (the saved map part keeps the MapSpecificMod line).

It is switched off when another map is loaded or the game ends. It doesn't appear in the mod list, the player can't turn it off, and it doesn't affect achievements. The map list itself (name, description, preview) is read without it.

Priority. The map's mod is searched before everything else: before the game mode's mod (12 §8) and before the player's enabled mods. Start its files with USE PREVIOUS to change the current data rather than replace it, so that it works on top of any game mode and mod:

// Maps/BorderCrisis.virtual/Mod/Tech.txt
USE PREVIOUS "tech.txt"
[TECHNOLOGY] "BORDER_CRISIS_ECONOMY"      // no Points, no parent: every faction has it (05)
  Name "BORDER_CRISIS_ECONOMY"
[END]

// Maps/BorderCrisis.virtual/Mod/Units/Units.txt
USE PREVIOUS "Units/units.txt"
[UNIT] "VirtualCity" MODIFY
  ImprovedBy "BORDER_CRISIS_ECONOMY" Production 2.0
[END]

This is the pattern of the main campaign's Scenario/Main/GDP-Mod. A zero-cost technology without parents is known to every faction from the start (05), and the modifier attached to it changes the value on this map only.

ForceLoading. Before a campaign mission starts, the screen where the player spends the mission's starting points reads the map without its mod. Add ForceLoading to load the mod there too. You need it when the starting setup or the point costs depend on units or technologies that only the mod defines (the SNARE campaign uses it). A game saved on such a map keeps MapSpecificMod but not ForceLoading. If you turn the save into a mission map, add it back.

Multiplayer. Every player needs the same map-mod files, just as they need the map itself; the game compares the data before the game starts.

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14. Pitfalls

• Order at the start of the file. MAP, then the Name lines, then Description, then Restrictions, or the map is not listed. Keep the remaining order of the shipped maps (§1).
• relocate and rename belong to Cities and must follow it directly; elsewhere they stop loading.
• Names must match exactly: faction names in DefaultEnemy, AIConfig.txt and events; city names in rename and the relocation file. Region names in the default file are matched ignoring case.
• Regenerate the derived files (ConditionalWaterMap, LandingPairs, AI cache) after changing regions or cities, or ground movement, landings and AI placement will not match the map.
• Generated files in Documents/ICBM/maps take priority over the map's own folder. Delete them after moving the files into your mod.
• At most 10 Player blocks.
• An unknown word stops loading the rest of the map file (§1); check the line number in the message.