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Author Topic: Continents  (Read 2834 times)

mutant mell

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Continents
« on: January 28, 2008, 12:35:00 am »

I would like the ability to determine if there are continents on the generated world, and perhaps how many are created.  Would be especially interesting with the new army/civilization stuff going in.
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Capntastic

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Re: Continents
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2008, 12:47:00 am »

Considering the game world is currently a hunk of land about the size of the UK, there aren't really continents.   Though I've bugged Toady about fiddling with things and making the gameworld a globe, a few times.

I think continents will be a must if we're ever to have piratical adventures on the high seas.

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Draco18s

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Re: Continents
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2008, 02:52:00 am »

I thought that a game world was 1/8th of a planet...
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Capntastic

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Re: Continents
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2008, 02:59:00 am »

I'm not sure on the exact figures, but I've heard 'about the size of the UK' tossed around.
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Toady One

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Re: Continents
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2008, 03:09:00 am »

The 1/8 of a planet comes from the desire for a diverse set of biomes, and the UK statements come from the tile size of the world (197376x197376).  If you throw out a, say, 2 meter side to a tile (no need to start the tile size discussion again...), then you arrive at 155,829 km^2.  The island of Great Britain is 209,331-215,595 km^2 according to different parts of wikipedia.  The quest for a more representative island can begin at this time.  South Island, New Zealand is looking pretty good.  We can go all LotR movies there.  That assumes the 4m^2 tile size of course, which is arbitrary.  My calculations, are, as usual, suspect, so don't hold me to them.

[ January 28, 2008: Message edited by: Toady One ]

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Capntastic

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Re: Continents
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2008, 03:42:00 am »

Next we'll need to know which world currencies and weight systems DF match most.
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Kagus

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Re: Continents
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2008, 03:42:00 am »

Not just LotR, King Kong as well.

And almost any other Peter Jackson movie, for that matter...


However, seaborne merchants do seem like a necessity.  Maybe if you were to set up a port-fort, you'd be able to trade with new and exciting races from far away lands.  Like the cultivated slugmen who live on the isle of slugopia, and whose merchants insist aren't selling you their slime, and that's it's authentic giant cave spider venom.

Capntastic

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Re: Continents
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2008, 03:51:00 am »

LoTR had a lot of different biomes.  From the Shire to Mordor, it is all achievable within DF.
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Sean Mirrsen

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Re: Continents
« Reply #8 on: January 28, 2008, 05:11:00 am »

I think the game calls any large enough island a continent.
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Multiworld Madness Archive:
Game One, Discontinued at World 3.
Game Two, Discontinued at World 1.

"Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems."
- Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India

Javis

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Re: Continents
« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2008, 10:38:00 am »

Aren't the only islands one region tile in area and caused by oceanic volcanos?
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mutant mell

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Re: Continents
« Reply #10 on: January 28, 2008, 10:54:00 am »

Maybe for now, a long, narrow ocean right down the middle would be cool.  Nothing too big is necessary.
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Sean Mirrsen

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Re: Continents
« Reply #11 on: January 28, 2008, 10:55:00 am »

Nope. Any piece of land not connected to any other piece of land is an island. If it sufficiently large, tha game calls it a continent. I had thus far seen one separated continent that went along the map edge (it was actually tucked in a corner), and one full-fledged "continent" the size of a medium mountain range, with several biomes, surrounded by water.

I must have tired out everyone with my "worldgen improvement ideas", but maybe since Toady set up the worldgen to follow a specific pattern, he could add some more patterns, like island conglomerates? Although, no. This will not work until ships and seafaring is in...

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Multiworld Madness Archive:
Game One, Discontinued at World 3.
Game Two, Discontinued at World 1.

"Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems."
- Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India