The path to the finished product defines what is necessary at each step of the creation process. Obviously it is going to take some time to achieve a finished product stage. It’s one step at a time.
The generated landscape needs to be generated in chunks of multiple polyhedra at a time. These must be logged with map reference locations to be able to find specific locations. For example for a character to teleport directly to a specific location.
This is an important feature. Using XYZ location not only for the individual areas of landscape but also so the player can navigate around it. Minecraft has a brilliant prototype, simply measuring how far a person is from location zero,zero,zero. Every block in Minecraft is identifiable by its location. We need that here too.
________________________________________
I anticipate people will want to be using the landscape generator in different ways. I know I do.
Making it into an editor for people to customise their own landscapes as a part of the game is one possible thing which can be done with the basic idea. It should eventually be developed in that direction.
The more open-ended the possibilities the better. The more customisable the better. I intended for people to be able to mod it themselves the same way eg; Minecraft and Skyrim fans customise by adding to the core software. This keeps people playing, it keeps the game alive in the marketplace.
The philosophy involved with creating this game, is wherever possible, to offer multiple choice. This can be at the user options menus and during gameplay. This is also necessary for the game designers within unity.
________________________________________
Imagine this:
The game opens to an option menu.
Start New Game:
(Caves Mode)
(Islands Mode)
(Map Editor)
Let’s choose map editor.
Map Editor
Create New Map
Load Existing Map
Let’s choose create new map.
Another option menu appears:
Select Map Size
Horizontal Options (four options)
1 polyhedra
Small 5x5 (25 polyhedra)
Large 25x25 (625 polyhedra)
Infinite (map auto-generates during gameplay as characters explore)*
*this can begin with a small area of 5x5 or 25x25, the size of a “chunk” as the map generates new chunks.
Vertical Options (four options)
Flat plane (Ocean mode)
Custom (3 or 9 levels)
Caves Campaign Mode**
Infinite
A text banner at the bottom of the screen in muted grey letters asks: “Why anybody would choose to create an infinite stack of one polyhedra wide environments?”
Bizarrely this means the game now has a comedy “thing” which will stick on people’s minds. #Marketing-ploys-which-work.
Doing this can possibly open up a hidden area of the game.
What I have learned from kids and some adults is some people cannot handle complexity of this sort of decision-making thinking and require it to be done for them. Some people feel more confident in products where those choices have been made for them so they can dive into the action. For those people, the original options menu has only Cave Mode and Island Mode to choose between.
There is no Difficulty setting for the game. It is what it is. This game is not measured like dungeons and dragons Character Levels. It’s simpler and more realistic than that.
All custom maps can be saved and uploaded into the other environments to replace existing sections (chunks). There needs to be fluidity between the game modes.
For example, I design a custom island and want to upload it to the online multiplayer ocean. I design a custom cave system and want to upload it to the online multiplayer caves. At this time we are keeping everything simple. Let’s get the basics done before writing any mmorpg code.
________________________________________
**Caves Campaign Mode
The world of tRust has a backstory explaining how it’s environment came to be how it is.
The environment is made of artificial man-made caverns which extend upward from the surface layer toward the edges of the planets atmosphere. It totally surrounds the planet.
Different types of people live in different Regions.
The lower levels are underwater and on the surface of the water. There will be a mechanic for creating flooded areas and for moving water around the environment.
The mid-level is closest to the simple generator as it has been explained already. There is one more caveat to make it interesting as a believable environment: canyons.
The higher regions have more open sky, less horizontal polyhedra, featuring towering stacks which are like mountains, some broad and low others spindly and tall, some broad and tall.
The highest region is not entirely open sky because it does feature polyhedra caves however these are anti-gravity sky-dwellings and ships constructed in the same way as the caves, from the same materials.
One potential is for the game to features a “snap to grid” and “free from grid” to assign both to individual polyhedra and to linked/clusters.
________________________________________
There is another feature which needs to be added. It’s another option toggle.
If a polyhedra is “flat” (less than X% - does this include holes y/n?), no polyhedra can be placed above it on other layers, it has only open sky above it. (Another toggle to distinguish between: Apply to chunk / apply to all chunks above this).
This is important because it means there will eventually be a top to the landscape, with open skies above it.
This is where the importance of having three types of polyhedra, <25% normal and 100%> (to a maximum of 300% where the next level is, three times higher than the normal spherical type polyhedra is tall).
A lot of different types of landscape / biomes can be created, more natural.
Further development:
Set all polyhedra above/below/both of this to
Type a. <25%
Type b. normal
Type c. >100%
Auto@zero% (a hole)
Auto@300% (maxed out / a column)
Per chunk
Per the whole entire landscape
________________________________________
The generated landscape needs to be generated in chunks of multiple polyhedra at a time. These must be logged with map reference locations to be able to find specific locations. For example for a character to teleport directly to a specific location.
This is an important feature. Using XYZ location not only for the individual areas of landscape but also so the player can navigate around it. Minecraft has a brilliant prototype, simply measuring how far a person is from location zero,zero,zero. Every block in Minecraft is identifiable by its location. We need that here too.
________________________________________
I anticipate people will want to be using the landscape generator in different ways. I know I do.
Making it into an editor for people to customise their own landscapes as a part of the game is one possible thing which can be done with the basic idea. It should eventually be developed in that direction.
The more open-ended the possibilities the better. The more customisable the better. I intended for people to be able to mod it themselves the same way eg; Minecraft and Skyrim fans customise by adding to the core software. This keeps people playing, it keeps the game alive in the marketplace.
The philosophy involved with creating this game, is wherever possible, to offer multiple choice. This can be at the user options menus and during gameplay. This is also necessary for the game designers within unity.
________________________________________
Imagine this:
The game opens to an option menu.
Start New Game:
(Caves Mode)
(Islands Mode)
(Map Editor)
Let’s choose map editor.
Map Editor
Create New Map
Load Existing Map
Let’s choose create new map.
Another option menu appears:
Select Map Size
Horizontal Options (four options)
1 polyhedra
Small 5x5 (25 polyhedra)
Large 25x25 (625 polyhedra)
Infinite (map auto-generates during gameplay as characters explore)*
*this can begin with a small area of 5x5 or 25x25, the size of a “chunk” as the map generates new chunks.
Vertical Options (four options)
Flat plane (Ocean mode)
Custom (3 or 9 levels)
Caves Campaign Mode**
Infinite
A text banner at the bottom of the screen in muted grey letters asks: “Why anybody would choose to create an infinite stack of one polyhedra wide environments?”
Bizarrely this means the game now has a comedy “thing” which will stick on people’s minds. #Marketing-ploys-which-work.
Doing this can possibly open up a hidden area of the game.
What I have learned from kids and some adults is some people cannot handle complexity of this sort of decision-making thinking and require it to be done for them. Some people feel more confident in products where those choices have been made for them so they can dive into the action. For those people, the original options menu has only Cave Mode and Island Mode to choose between.
There is no Difficulty setting for the game. It is what it is. This game is not measured like dungeons and dragons Character Levels. It’s simpler and more realistic than that.
All custom maps can be saved and uploaded into the other environments to replace existing sections (chunks). There needs to be fluidity between the game modes.
For example, I design a custom island and want to upload it to the online multiplayer ocean. I design a custom cave system and want to upload it to the online multiplayer caves. At this time we are keeping everything simple. Let’s get the basics done before writing any mmorpg code.
________________________________________
**Caves Campaign Mode
The world of tRust has a backstory explaining how it’s environment came to be how it is.
The environment is made of artificial man-made caverns which extend upward from the surface layer toward the edges of the planets atmosphere. It totally surrounds the planet.
Different types of people live in different Regions.
The lower levels are underwater and on the surface of the water. There will be a mechanic for creating flooded areas and for moving water around the environment.
The mid-level is closest to the simple generator as it has been explained already. There is one more caveat to make it interesting as a believable environment: canyons.
The higher regions have more open sky, less horizontal polyhedra, featuring towering stacks which are like mountains, some broad and low others spindly and tall, some broad and tall.
The highest region is not entirely open sky because it does feature polyhedra caves however these are anti-gravity sky-dwellings and ships constructed in the same way as the caves, from the same materials.
One potential is for the game to features a “snap to grid” and “free from grid” to assign both to individual polyhedra and to linked/clusters.
________________________________________
There is another feature which needs to be added. It’s another option toggle.
If a polyhedra is “flat” (less than X% - does this include holes y/n?), no polyhedra can be placed above it on other layers, it has only open sky above it. (Another toggle to distinguish between: Apply to chunk / apply to all chunks above this).
This is important because it means there will eventually be a top to the landscape, with open skies above it.
This is where the importance of having three types of polyhedra, <25% normal and 100%> (to a maximum of 300% where the next level is, three times higher than the normal spherical type polyhedra is tall).
A lot of different types of landscape / biomes can be created, more natural.
Further development:
Set all polyhedra above/below/both of this to
Type a. <25%
Type b. normal
Type c. >100%
Auto@zero% (a hole)
Auto@300% (maxed out / a column)
Per chunk
Per the whole entire landscape
________________________________________