Some semi-random thoughts on terrain generation

[PureTryOut]

Today I saw this post on /r/minecraft, and I have to agree with the thread. Default MC land generation is boring.

Is it an idea for Cuberite to have 2 generation modes: default MC generation, and "enhanced" generation? The enhanced generation could be used for more interesting land generation: bigger and deeper oceans, bigger and higher mountains, fjords, mountain deserts, etc.

I would think this attracts some new users, as there are a lot of people thinking the default MC land generation is boring.

EDIT: I was thinking stuff like these:

• proper mountains with stone on top and snow covered
  
• actually high mountains, reaching to just below the sky limit. maybe emeralds on top to make it worth climbing
  
• mountain lakes, high up (100+ and above?)
  
• mountain... fields? Like this. Valleys, but high up (100+ and above?)
  
• deep oceans, to just above the bedrock, it would make for awesome underwater bases. Maybe more chance for diamonds in the bottom of those deep oceans, to make it worth risking drowning. These deep oceans could also hold the ocean monuments, so they don't get too easy to conquer like it is now
  
• sandy ocean floors (so less gravel like it is now)
  
• atols in oceans, like this
  
• fjords like this, possibly when an extreme hill biome borders an ocean?
  
• cliffs, possibly when an extreme hill biome borders an ocean? Maybe in combination with fjords. Example
  
• icy coasts like you have in Antarctica, with icebergs and such, possibly when an ice biome borders an ocean? Example
  
• tropical coasts like this. Maybe  when an jungle hill biome borders an ocean?
  
• deserts with proper rock formations like this, maybe combined with clay generation
  
• jungles with a variation thicker threes, 3x3 and more, so they actually look old
  
• jungles with floating islands possibly? Less realistic, more like the landscape from the movie Avatar. Example
  
• northern, cold, giant, forests with mountains distributed in them like here
  
• proper volcanos, with lava chasms beneath it like this
  

[NiLSPACE]

Cuberite's generator is better than just 2 modes. You can configure almost everything. We do need new shape/composition/finish-generators for almost everything you asked for though.

[PureTryOut]

Should I create a Github issue? I'm willing to put up a bounty for it.

[NiLSPACE]

Well, this sounds more like something a plugin should do. We first need a way to allow plugins to add new generators though.

[PureTryOut]

Ooh that would be fine as well. In that case I could even look into doing it myself.

[NiLSPACE]

That's a bit harder to do though. The world generator/settings is loaded before the plugins are loaded. You can do it by using the OnChunkGenerating/ed hooks, but that would mean overriding the default generator completely instead of defining different Biome/Composition/Shape/Finisher-generators.

[NiLSPACE]

@xoft, I was wondering if the Grown biome generator can also be easily written in Javascript. If so, then instead of using pictures you can use a canvas to visualize the process. Then you can add a zoom and a smooth button next to it so people can toy with it themselves.

[xoft]

That should be possible, but I don't know my way around JS, so it won't be me implementing that. Feel free to try it yourself

[NiLSPACE]

Whatcha think?: http://javascript.nilspace.nl/Cuberite/G...index.html

[xoft]

I think there is some error, because some of the colors disappear when zooming in. That shouldn't happen.