03/27/2024

I'm writing this to discuss a significant design change to TerraForma that I believe will pay dividends in both production time and quality of the game environment.

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The original conception of TerraForma revolved around a vast-but-finite procedural continent. The decision to procedurally generate the world was based on the discovery and exploration value that an infinite number of game worlds bring. I love exploring a world that feels unique, but it is impossible to deny that the feeling of uniqueness in procedurally generated worlds tends to fade over time.

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My initial implementations were technically viable, and I was able to experiment with a variety of generation techniques. Unfortunately, none of these results compared to what I was able to achieve in a few hours of manual Unity terrain sculpting.

Rather than writing a system for infinite worlds that will eventually feel bland, I decided my efforts are better spent by painting the features of one fixed environment. Not only does this allow for MUCH more realistic geographic features, it also allows for me to control the flow of the game, and the presentation of new areas and enemies.

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Dungeons are still slated to be fully procedural, as these call for a grid-based system that I have a handle on.