Re: [Freecol-developers] Too many mountains in TerrainGenerator

[Michael B. <Mic...@gm...>]

Ryan Richard Faith wrote:
> Hi all,
>
>   
>> Olivier Schmitt wrote:
>>     
> - temperature:
> Currently, the map generator creates 4 horizontal slices of latitudes
> between the equator and the poles.
> As a short term implementation I am thinking the temperature parameter
> could influence the height of each slice.
> A colder map would have the effect of moving the pole region limit more
> toward the equator.
> Similarly, a warmer map would reduce the thickness of the polar slice,
> but increase the equator slice latitude range.
> What do you think about this?
> Ideally I think we should not use 4 slices because it is not enough
> precise, we should have a smoother transition between climate zones, but
> I do not have any concrete implementation in mind.
>
> I would go with using the slices, but not as a hard dividing line. As
> it approaches the line the boundary is blurred. Say our magic divide
> is an arbitrary 50 and X is the current latitude. When X = 50-10, it
> is all zone 1, when X = 50+10, it is zone 2. In between 50-10 and
> 50+10, the probability of zone 1 = 50% + (50-X) * 5%.
>
> So when we've decided which 'temperature zone' the current tile should
> be, then we can choose the tiletype to place.
>
> Well if we move away from slices, we could always have each tiletype
> with a temperature range, say plains from 0 to 30, desert from 20 to
> 50. Then build a 3D temperature gradient map where we could seed low
> temperature points (ice/tundra/etc) and high temperature points
> (deserts/swamps). Couple the temperature gradient map with a humidity
> map and we'd get a rather dynamic map system that has some arid areas,
> some wet, some hot, some cold. It would be a grander scheme of things,
> but overall it's doable...
>
>   
>> Michael wrote:
>>     
> Another approach would be to allow the player to select the maximum
> northern and southern latitude of the map. The standard map (from pole
> to pole) would have the parameters 90, 90. A map with 90, 0 would only
> include the northern half of the western hemisphere, a map with 20, 20
> would be limited to the tropics and sub-tropics.
>
> I figure that would be for a random map? We wouldn't allow that with a
> fully defined map like the Americas or so (or then again we could.. it
> would be a much shorter game). It could be interesting to have a map
> that has no extremities or is played out in a 45, 90 range.
>
> Cheers,
> Ryan
>
>   

I mainly referred to (randomly) generated maps, but it would not be too 
difficult to select a slice of a larger map on the basis of latitude 
(provided that we know the latitude range of the whole map).

Regards

Michael