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Biome Transitions

GenericViking

New Viking
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While I really love the terrain generation in this game, something that's always been out of place for me is how sharply biomes transition into one another. I think in particular going from swamp to meadows/plains can be a little jarring, not only because of the drastic change in terrain but also the instantaneous change of lighting and the sky. Moving in and out of the mistlands is also pretty funky for this reason.

My thought was to have more smooth transitions by having mini-biomes that are mixes of the two biomes bordering each other. For example, if you had plains adjacent to meadows, the border could have smaller patches of trees and more birches than meadows, but some mobs from each of the biomes. In this example, maybe most of the meadows mobs appear, but there are also roaming Lox. If a biome borders with mountains, maybe only wolves (no golems or drakes) could spawn outside the actual biome. The terrain could also be a mix of the two biomes, with meadows gradually turning from green hills into misty moors and eventually becoming swamp lands. I think the transition to the mountains biome is an example of a good terrain transition.

By having a longer transition, and including only some of the mobs from each biome, I also think this would make the jump in difficulty between certain biomes to be easier to expect, and remove some annoying circumstances. With a plains transition biome, players would likely be scared off by the Lox (the most dangerous looking thing in the plains), without getting oneshot by deathsquitos. Having a buffer would also mean it would be less likely that highly dangerous mobs from one biome (deathsquitos) wander into an adjacent area and go on a killing spree, but it would still allow for conflict between the mobs of different biomes.

Anyways, I'm not sure how feasible a terrain generation overhaul like this would be, but tell me what you think of the idea.
 

Eruelest

Local Viking
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I really hear you on that one A more smoothie blending say, between Meadows and the Swamp...with perhaps a subtitle blending until finally the other biome takes over. That would be great But I can bet you a nickel to a hole in a donut development is pretty overwhelmed atm (hehe)
You figure when they went to "early access", their 7M influx for a game technically still in development is to this day, I'm sure... mind boggle. They just start making a game and the basic mechanics, need "tweeking", graphics to be finalized or more detailed, and your not even ready for full release.
I too hope that someone, somewhere is taking notes on all the great suggestions like yours, and really puts them on a "to do list". In 21 yrs of gaming, I have never seen a game "just born" with So much potential for growth!
 
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