This new thread is intended to pull together some of the terrain specific matters which have been spread around the ecology thread, the military movement thread, the map AI thread and the map graphics thread. I am concerned here with specific terrain issues, and in particular how they are classified and coded for D5.
In the ecology thread (which is reaching the maximum number of posts) I tried to extend Simon's model to cover the bits required. My terrain list (slightly modified here) was:
1. Landform. This is the physical shape of the land. The categories I propose are: flat, rolling, broken, massif. Visible on map.
2. Material. What the land is made of: soil, sand, rock. Visible on map, unless covered.
3. Altitude. In metres, rounded to 100.
4. Landcover. None, crops, pasture, scrub, forest, jungle. Visible on map.
5. Climate. As specified by Simon. Not visible on map.
6. Watertable. Ocean, sea, mudflats, swamp, arid. The arid category covers the various types of desert.
Linear features can be superimposed. Natural ones:
7. Rivers.
8. Passes.
Human generated linear features:
9. Roads, including causeways.
10. Railroads.
11. Canals.
Other human artifacts:
12. Urban areas.
13. Settled areas (mainly affects movements - the area is full of minor roads.)
Considering these in detail, with a heavy focus on D5:
1. Landform.
1.1. Flat. The normal flat land. Standard for D5.
1.2. Rolling. Low hills or downs. Implemented in D5.
1.3. Broken. Rough hills. Not implemented in D5 (only for lack of a terrain tile).
1.4. Massif. Mountains. Implemented in D5.
2. Material.
2.1. Soil. Normal cultivable or pasture land. Implemented in D5.
2.2. Sand. Dune deserts. Not implemented in D5.
2.3. Rock. Mountains, rock deserts. Implemented as mountains in D5.
3. Altitude.
Not included in D5, though mountains can be assumed to be highish.
4. Landcover.
4.1. None. Bare (usually rock or sand). Found on mountains, no real implementation needed.
4.2. Crops. Cropped land, usually combined with settled land. Could be implemented in D5 using one (or more) of Fiera's farm tiles.
4.3. Pasture. Grazing land. May be in D5.
4.4. Scrub. Low vegetation of little commercial value. Not implemented in D5.
4.5. Forest. Wooded areas. Hopefully implemented in D5.
4.6. Jungle. Thick, generally impassible vegetation. Not implemented in D5.
5. Climate.
Not implemented in D5.
6. Watertable.
6.1. Ocean. Blue water. Not implemented in D5.
6.2. Sea. Coastal shallows.
6.3. Mudflats. Not implemented in D5.
6.4. Swamp.
6.5. Arid. Very dry land - deserts of various kinds. Not implemented in D5.
7. Rivers.
As a lone voice crying in the wilderness for rivers to run along square boundaries (which has oh so many advantages including that rivers could then be political boudaries, as the often are in real life), I propose to postpone rivers.
Not implemented in D5.
8. Passes.
Sadly, not implemented in D5.
9. Roads.
Not implemented in D5.
10. Railroads.
Not implemented in D5.
11. Canals.
Not implemented in D5.
12. Urban areas.
An important part of D5. Incidentally they will not affect movement, after all they are only a small part of the 10,000 km2 square.
13. Settled areas.
Could be implemented in D5 if a suitable terrain tile is availbale. Would be quite nice.
Cheers
In the ecology thread (which is reaching the maximum number of posts) I tried to extend Simon's model to cover the bits required. My terrain list (slightly modified here) was:
1. Landform. This is the physical shape of the land. The categories I propose are: flat, rolling, broken, massif. Visible on map.
2. Material. What the land is made of: soil, sand, rock. Visible on map, unless covered.
3. Altitude. In metres, rounded to 100.
4. Landcover. None, crops, pasture, scrub, forest, jungle. Visible on map.
5. Climate. As specified by Simon. Not visible on map.
6. Watertable. Ocean, sea, mudflats, swamp, arid. The arid category covers the various types of desert.
Linear features can be superimposed. Natural ones:
7. Rivers.
8. Passes.
Human generated linear features:
9. Roads, including causeways.
10. Railroads.
11. Canals.
Other human artifacts:
12. Urban areas.
13. Settled areas (mainly affects movements - the area is full of minor roads.)
Considering these in detail, with a heavy focus on D5:
1. Landform.
1.1. Flat. The normal flat land. Standard for D5.
1.2. Rolling. Low hills or downs. Implemented in D5.
1.3. Broken. Rough hills. Not implemented in D5 (only for lack of a terrain tile).
1.4. Massif. Mountains. Implemented in D5.
2. Material.
2.1. Soil. Normal cultivable or pasture land. Implemented in D5.
2.2. Sand. Dune deserts. Not implemented in D5.
2.3. Rock. Mountains, rock deserts. Implemented as mountains in D5.
3. Altitude.
Not included in D5, though mountains can be assumed to be highish.
4. Landcover.
4.1. None. Bare (usually rock or sand). Found on mountains, no real implementation needed.
4.2. Crops. Cropped land, usually combined with settled land. Could be implemented in D5 using one (or more) of Fiera's farm tiles.
4.3. Pasture. Grazing land. May be in D5.
4.4. Scrub. Low vegetation of little commercial value. Not implemented in D5.
4.5. Forest. Wooded areas. Hopefully implemented in D5.
4.6. Jungle. Thick, generally impassible vegetation. Not implemented in D5.
5. Climate.
Not implemented in D5.
6. Watertable.
6.1. Ocean. Blue water. Not implemented in D5.
6.2. Sea. Coastal shallows.
6.3. Mudflats. Not implemented in D5.
6.4. Swamp.
6.5. Arid. Very dry land - deserts of various kinds. Not implemented in D5.
7. Rivers.
As a lone voice crying in the wilderness for rivers to run along square boundaries (which has oh so many advantages including that rivers could then be political boudaries, as the often are in real life), I propose to postpone rivers.
Not implemented in D5.
8. Passes.
Sadly, not implemented in D5.
9. Roads.
Not implemented in D5.
10. Railroads.
Not implemented in D5.
11. Canals.
Not implemented in D5.
12. Urban areas.
An important part of D5. Incidentally they will not affect movement, after all they are only a small part of the 10,000 km2 square.
13. Settled areas.
Could be implemented in D5 if a suitable terrain tile is availbale. Would be quite nice.
Cheers
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