diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a03de08..903da13 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,80 +1,51 @@
 
 ## INTRODUCTION
 
-this is a library for using hexagonal grids in amulet/lua.
-it is extremely incomplete. the following list of features is
-either implemented shoddily, or not at all.
+This is a small and simple library for using hexagonal grids in amulet + lua. I wrote it for a tower defense game I'm making.
 
-if you want an actual good resource, go to [amit's guide to hexagonal grids](#resources-used-to-develop-this-library,-and-for-which-i-am-grateful).
+It's not really well documented. If you want an actual good resource, go to [amit's guide to hexagonal grids](https://redblobgames.com/grid/hexagons).
+So much of what is here I derived from amit's work.
 
-## GETTING STARTED
 
-1) initialize a map.
-2) iterate over the map and draw some hexagons.
-
-## COORDINATE SYSTEMS
-
-As much coordinate manipulation as possible is done internally.
-Depending on the task, uses either Axial, Cube, or Offset coordinates.
-
-## MAPS & MAP STORAGE
-
-Some map shapes: parallelogram, rectangular, hexagonal, triangular. (and more)
-The storage system used is based on the map shape - see chart:
-
-|       SHAPE       |                  MAP STORAGE                  |
-| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
-| parallelogram     |   unordered, hash-like                        |
-| rectangular       |   unordered, hash-like                        |
-| hexagonal         |   unordered, hash-like                        |
-| triangular        |   unordered, hash-like                        |
-| ring              |   ordered, array-like                         |
-| spiral            |   ordered, array-like                         |
-| arbitrary         |   unordered, hash-like                        |
-
-    * note that a spiral map is just a hexagonal one with a particular order.
-
-By default, the unordered, hash-like maps have pseudo-random noise stored
-as their values. This can be useful for a whole bunch of things, but if you
-wish, you can simply iterate over your map and set every value to 'true'.
-
-## CONVENTIONS AND TERMINOLOGY
-
-If you have read amit's guide to hexagon grids, (see TODO LINK), a lot of the
-terminology will be familiar to you - I utilize many conventions he does in
-his guide. That being said...
-
-Because so many similar kinds of data structures with different goals are used
-in this library it can be hard to remember precisely what they all refer to.
+## CONVENTIONS & TERMINOLOGY
 
+If you have read amit's guide to hexagon grid, a lot of the terminology will be familiar to you - I utilize many conventions he does in his guide. That being said,
+because so many similar kinds of data structures with different goals are used in this library it can be hard to remember precisely what they all refer to.
 The following table shows what each table/vector/array refers to in the code:
 
 | NAME |                       REFERS TO                              |
 | ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
-| cube | xyz, *vector* used for most maps, with constraint x+y+z=0.   |
+| hex  | xyz, *vector* used for most tasks, with constraint x+y+z=0   |
 | pix  | xy, *vector* true screen pixel coordinates                   |
 | off  | xy, 'offset', *vector* used for UI implementations           |
 | map  | xy, *table* of unit hexagon centerpoints arranged in a shape |
 
-    * note that 'axial', vec2() coordinates are a subset of cube coordinates,
-    where you simply omit the z value. for many algorithms this is done, but
-    instead of using a seperate reference name 'axial' in these cases, I used
-    the name 'cube' for both. I found this to be simpler. when an algorithm
-    asks for a cube, give it a cube. if you want to know if it works with axial
-    as well, look at the code and see if it uses a 'z' value.
+    * note that 'hex' here is a catch-all term for cube/axial, as they can often be used interchangeably.
+
 
-Other terminology:
+## MAPS & MAP STORAGE
 
-* TODO
+The storage system used is based on the map shape - see chart:
 
-## RESOURCES USED TO DEVELOP THIS LIBRARY, AND FOR WHICH I AM GRATEFUL
+|     SHAPE     |      STORAGE TYPE      |     KEY      |     VALUE     |
+| ------------- | ---------------------- | ------------ | ------------- |
+| ring          |  ordered, array-like   |    index     |   vec2(i, j)  |
+| spiral        |  ordered, array-like   |    index     |   vec2(i, j)  |
+| parallelogram |  unordered, hash-like  |  vec2(i, j)  | simplex noise |
+| rectangular   |  unordered, hash-like  |  vec2(i, j)  | simplex noise |
+| hexagonal     |  unordered, hash-like  |  vec2(i, j)  | simplex noise |
+| triangular    |  unordered, hash-like  |  vec2(i, j)  | simplex noise |
 
-* [Hex Map 1](https://catlikecoding.com/unity/tutorials/hex-map/) - unity tutorial for hexagon grids with some useful generalized math.
+    * note that a spiral map is just a hexagonal one with a particular order.
 
-* [3Blue1Brown - Essence of Linear Algebra](https://youtube.com/watch?v=fNk_zzaMoSs&list=PLZHQObOWTQDPD3MizzM2xVFitgF8hE_ab) - amazing series on linear algebra by 3Blue1Brown
+The noise values on the hashmaps are seeded. You can optionally provide a seed after the map's dimensions as an argument, otherwise it's a random seed.
+
+
+## RESOURCES
+
+* [Hex Map 1](https://catlikecoding.com/unity/tutorials/hex-map/) - unity tutorial for hexagon grids with some useful generalized math.
 
 * [Hexagonal Grids](https://redblobgames.com/grid/hexagons) - THE resource on hexagonal grids on the internet.
 
 * [Amulet Docs](http://amulet.xyz/doc) - amulet documentation.
 
-
diff --git a/src/hexyz.lua b/src/hexyz.lua
index 81563ef..7414eb9 100644
--- a/src/hexyz.lua
+++ b/src/hexyz.lua
@@ -156,9 +156,6 @@ end
 -- returns ordered ring-shaped map of |radius| from |center|.
 function ring_map(center, radius)
     local map = {}
-    local mt = {__index={center=center, radius=radius}}
-
-    setmetatable(map, mt)
 
     local walk = center + HEX_DIRECTIONS[6] * radius
 
@@ -168,137 +165,118 @@ function ring_map(center, radius)
             walk = hex_neighbour(walk, i)
         end
     end
+    setmetatable(map, {__index={center=center, radius=radius}})
     return map
 end
 
 -- returns ordered spiral hexagonal map of |radius| rings from |center|.
 function spiral_map(center, radius)
     local map = {center}
-    local mt = {__index={center=center, radius=radius}}
-
-    setmetatable(map, mt)
 
     for i = 1, radius do
         table.append(map, ring_map(center, i))
     end
+    setmetatable(map, {__index={center=center, radius=radius}})
     return map
 end
 
 -- returns unordered parallelogram-shaped map of |width| and |height| with simplex noise
-function parallelogram_map(width, height, frequencies)
-    local map = {}
-    local mt = {__index={width=width, height=height, frequencies=frequencies}}
-    local frequencies = frequencies or {1}
+function parallelogram_map(width, height, seed)
+    local seed = seed or math.random(width * height)
 
-    setmetatable(map, mt)
+    -- fill the map
+    local map = {}
 
     for i = 0, width do
         for j = 0, height do
 
-            -- calculate noise
-            local idelta = assert(i / width, "width must be greater than 0")
-            local jdelta = assert(j / height, "height must be greater than 0")
+            -- generate noise
+            local idelta = i / width
+            local jdelta = j / height
             local noise = 0
 
-            for _,freq in pairs(frequencies) do
-                noise = noise
-                        + assert(1/freq, "frequencies must be non-zero")
-                        * math.simplex(vec2(freq * idelta, freq * jdelta))
+            for oct = 1, math.max(width, height) do
+                noise = noise + 1/4^oct * math.simplex(vec2(idelta + seed * width, jdelta + seed * height) * 2^oct)
             end
 
             -- straightforward iteration produces a parallelogram
             map[vec2(i, j)] = noise
         end
     end
+    setmetatable(map, {__index={width=width, height=height, seed=seed}})
     return map
 end
 
 -- returns unordered triangular map of |size| with simplex noise
-function triangular_map(size, frequencies)
-    local map = {}
-    local mt = {__index={size=size, frequencies=frequencies}}
-    local frequencies = frequencies or {1}
+function triangular_map(size, seed)
+    local seed = seed or math.random(size)
 
-    setmetatable(map, mt)
+    -- fill the map
+    local map = {}
 
     for i = 0, size do
         for j = size - i, size do
 
-            -- calculate noise
-            local idelta = assert(i / size, "size must be greater than 0")
-            local jdelta = assert(j / -size, "size must be greater than 0")
+            -- generate noise
+            local idelta = i / size
+            local jdelta = j / size
             local noise = 0
 
-            for _,freq in pairs(frequencies) do
-                noise = noise
-                        + assert(1/freq, "frequencies must be non-zero")
-                        * math.simplex(vec2(freq * idelta, freq * jdelta))
+            for oct = 1, size do
+                noise = noise + 1/3^oct * math.simplex(vec2(idelta + seed * size, jdelta + seed * size) * 2^oct)
             end
+
             map[vec2(i, j)] = noise
         end
     end
+    setmetatable(map, {__index={size=size, seed=seed}})
     return map
 end
 
 -- returns unordered hexagonal map of |radius| with simplex noise
-function hexagonal_map(radius, frequencies)
-    local map = {}
-    local mt = {__index={radius=radius, frequencies=frequencies}}
-    local frequencies = frequencies or {1}
+function hexagonal_map(radius, seed)
+    local seed = seed or math.random(radius * 2)
 
-    setmetatable(map, mt)
+    -- fill the map
+    local map = {}
 
     for i = -radius, radius do
         local j1 = math.max(-radius, -i - radius)
         local j2 = math.min(radius, -i + radius)
 
         for j = j1, j2 do
-
-            -- calculate noise
-            local idelta = assert(i / radius*2, "radius must be greater than 0")
-            local jdelta = assert(j / (j2-j1), "radius must be greater than 0")
-            local noise = 0
-
-            for _,freq in pairs(frequencies) do
-                noise = noise
-                        + assert(1/freq, "frequencies must be non-zero")
-                        * math.perlin(vec2(freq * idelta, freq * jdelta))
-            end
-
-            -- populate
-            map[vec2(i, j)] = noise
+            map[vec2(i, j)] = true
         end
     end
+    setmetatable(map, {__index={radius=radius, seed=seed}})
     return map
 end
 
 -- returns unordered rectangular map of |width| and |height| with simplex noise
-function rectangular_map(width, height, frequencies)
+function rectangular_map(width, height, seed)
+    local seed = seed or math.random(width * height)
 
+    -- fill the map
     local map = {}
-    local mt = {__index={width=width, height=height, frequencies=frequencies}}
-    local frequencies = frequencies or {1}
-
-    setmetatable(map, mt)
 
     for i = 0, width do
         for j = 0, height do
 
-            -- calculate noise
-            local idelta = assert(i / width, "width must be greater than 0")
-            local jdelta = assert(j / height, "height must be greater than 0")
+            -- generate noise
+            local idelta = i / width
+            local jdelta = j / height
             local noise = 0
 
-            for _,freq in pairs(frequencies) do
-                noise = noise
-                    + assert(1/freq, "frequencies must be non-zero")
-                    * math.simplex(vec2(freq * idelta, freq * jdelta))
+            for oct = 1, math.max(width, height) do
+                noise = noise + 2/3^oct * math.simplex(vec2(idelta + seed * width, jdelta + seed * height) * 2^oct)
+
             end
 
             -- store hex in the map paired with its associated noise value
             map[vec2(i, j - math.floor(i/2))] = noise
         end
     end
+    setmetatable(map, {__index={width=width, height=height, seed=seed}})
     return map
 end
 
diff --git a/src/main.lua b/src/main.lua
index aed94e7..de321ea 100644
--- a/src/main.lua
+++ b/src/main.lua
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 
 require"hexyz"
 
+math.randomseed(os.time())
+
 --[[============================================================================
     ----- COLOR CONSTANTS -----
 ============================================================================]]--
@@ -24,7 +26,7 @@ local BLUE    = vec4(0.14, 0.54, 0.82, 1)
 local CYAN    = vec4(0.16, 0.63, 0.59, 1)
 local GREEN   = vec4(0.52, 0.60, 0   , 1)
 
-am.ascii_color_map =
+table.merge(am.ascii_color_map,
 {
     E = EIGENGRAU,
     K = BASE03,
@@ -35,15 +37,42 @@ am.ascii_color_map =
     S = BASE1,
     w = BASE2,
     W = BASE3,
-    y = YELLOW,
-    o = ORANGE,
-    r = RED,
-    m = MAGENTA,
-    v = VIOLET,
-    b = BLUE,
-    c = CYAN,
-    g = GREEN
-}
+    Y = YELLOW,
+    O = ORANGE,
+    R = RED,
+    M = MAGENTA,
+    V = VIOLET,
+    B = BLUE,
+    C = CYAN,
+    G = GREEN
+})
+
+local beetle =
+[[
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+. . . . . . . . . y . . . . . . . . .
+. . . . . . . . y . y . . . . . . . .
+. . . . . . . . y y y . . . . . . . .
+. . . . . . . y y . y y . . . . . . .
+. . . . . . . y y . y y . . . . . . .
+. . . . . . y O y O y O y . . . . . .
+. . . . . . o O y o y O o . . . . . .
+. . o . . o y o O O O o y o . . o . .
+. . . o . o W o O O O o W o . o . . .
+. . . . o O o O O O O O o O o . . . .
+. . . . o o O O O O O O O o o . . . .
+. . . . . . o O O O O O o . . . . . .
+. . o o o o O o o o o o O o o o o . .
+. . . . . o O O o o o O O o o . . . .
+. . . . . o O O O o O O O o . . . . .
+. . . . . o O O O o O O O o . . . . .
+. . . . . . o O O o O O o . . . . . .
+. . . . . o o o O o O o o o . . . . .
+. . . o o o . . o O o . . o o o . . .
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+]]
 
 --[[============================================================================
     ----- SETUP -----
@@ -57,7 +86,7 @@ local win = am.window
     clear_color = BASE03
 }
 
-local map       = rectangular_map(45, 31, {2, 4, 8})
+local map       = rectangular_map(45, 31)
 local layout    = layout(vec2(-268, win.bottom))
 local home      = hex_to_pixel(vec2(23, 4), layout)
 
@@ -159,7 +188,7 @@ function game_init()
 
             -- passable
             elseif noise < 0 then
-                color = vec4(0.10, 0.25, 0.05, (noise + 1.9) / 2)
+                color = vec4(0.10, 0.25, (noise + 1.9) / 18, (noise + 1.9) / 2)
 
             -- passable
             elseif noise < 0.5 then
@@ -188,18 +217,14 @@ function game_init()
             -- sleep
             --am.wait(am.delay(0.01))
         end
-        -- home base
-        world:append(am.translate(home)
-                     ^ am.rotate(0):tag"homer"
-                     ^ am.circle(vec2(0), 22, ORANGE, 3)):tag"home"
 
+        -- home base
         world:append(am.translate(home)
-                     ^ am.rotate(60):tag"homer2"
-                     ^ am.circle(vec2(0), 22, YELLOW, 3)):tag"home"
+                     ^ am.rotate(0):tag"home_rotate"
+                     ^ am.circle(vec2(0), 22, MAGENTA, 5)):tag"home"
 
         world:action(function()
-            world"homer".angle = am.frame_time / 6
-            world"homer2".angle = am.frame_time / 3
+            world"home_rotate".angle = am.frame_time / 5
         end)
 
         show_coords()   -- mouse-hover events