There have already been a number of posts touching on the general subject of how to create further diversity within, and make planets (as well as their respective biomes) more interesting. Most of these however are about entirely new biome or a specific change to an existing one, the actual issue I am perceiving with the world generation however is somewhat more complex than that. The problem thus far is uniqueness, “personality” if you will, of a planet. How does one make a single planet, or better yet, every planet stand out from the universe? So far, they all suffer from a certain static lifelessness, and generally speaking, if you have seen one desert planet, you've more or less seen them all – bar a few minor variations. I am not proposing just expansive additions of self-contained biomes but rather a greater set of variables and rules which closer define the individual properties of a region, and the overlying theme of a planet, shaping its individual aspects. Through the element of chance and these expanded rules & variables would it then also be possible to have naturally occuring sub-biomes/micro-biomes/biome-variations that feel new, but are still a product of their planet theme and fully synergize with it. For example: These rough ideas are not specific to the type of a planet and hence could be found in variations anywhere, in any frequency and form, (or not at all) further diversifying a single planets unique identity in the universe. Polar regions – these might be present in any number of planet (placed at opposite sides of the looped map) and be unique snow regions which retain some of the features of the specific biome/planet they are located in. Oceans – applies to most planets in different forms, whereas forest/jungle planets might have large visible oceans, arid/desert planets may have them hidden underground, while snow planets could have theirs trapped under thick sheets of frozen liquid (and potentially generate unique phosphorescent life). Other bodies of liquid – need not only be made of water, could also be (planet/biome specific) hazardous elements or if not that then perhaps liquids that provide a slight change colour or viscosity. Elevation – certain materials stack better than others (sand/rock/dirt), certain planets might have more mountainous regions than others, and these regions might then result in harsher living conditions (colder as you get higher, less shelter form elements). Resources – some planets might be home to a number of valuable resources that could be dug out of vast (or not so vast) pockets in the ground (underground oil, etc.) Atmospheres – may be largely breathable, but could also require oxygen, be otherwise hazardous, or due to their composition have very specific effects on certain materials (corrosion, etc.). Settlements – exist already of course, but are mostly repeating stacks of predetermined buildings rather than region/landscape adapted (or defining!) structures. Some could even be multi-layered, (multi-cultural?) and vast enough to warrant a background image change to a more metropolis-like setting (high grade shops, variety in vendors), others could be run down, fallen victim to regional conflicts, natural disasters, etc. Climate Events – are also linked the planet type of course, precipitation may occur on certain planets in varying degree (on snow planets it would of course be frozen) which could bring out sudden temporary changes in flora & fauna (certain plants blooming, specific creatures emerging from their burrows, other creatures seeking shelter. One could go even further and have certain planets where vast regions are subjected to lasting monsoon seasons, ice-ages, or the effects of solar storms. Perhaps there might even be regular intervals of seasons on certain planets... Ecosystems – so far the planets each have largely unique forms of life, but it might be interesting to have some of them form a relationship to one another or the local environment. Certain creatures could prey on others, some may have a parasitic relationship, some may only be found in very specific features of the environment, say in dry/damp caves that see no sunlight, under/around ponds or waterfalls (oh yeah, waterfalls would be neat too!), others may only live on trees, hide in trees, defend their trees from unwary lumberjacks... Now for some slightly more specific thoughts, ideas & variables: Arid/Desert Planets Arid and desert planets are of course by definition rather lifeless and dull, and while it is important to preserve those general features they can also be broken up by new sets of variables: These deserts might, for example, have underground liquid deposits which manifest in small scattered surface springs which then could create a natural surface oasis of some sort. If these deposits happen to be water (and not say, liquid methane or a random poisonous liquid only enjoyed by the local variety of death-monster) there might be a likelihood of a settlement spawn at that location, which is then uniquely crafted into the setting. (In the case of methane lakes, it could of course be a glitch village ). The term “desert” (or arid) is also in itself still rather vague, it could be (and already is) made of entirely different materials, which have certain effects on the landscape and exploratory experience. A desert made largely of sand for example, would - depending on local climate and winds - stack less than rock (leaving largely even surfaces), and occasionally be thrown up into storms (which would be harmful to unprotected organisms and largely obscure sight). The sand/dirt itself may or may not also be a habitat to unique sand dwelling burrowing creatures that use its unique properties to shelter themselves from the surface, potentially leave tunnel systems to be explored and/or nests (with related larvae/guards/queens) to be encountered. The regions of sand/rocky materials might be (varying from planet to planet) clearly defined into mountains valleys and gorges, some of which could even be home to remnants of long forgotten (or sparsely still existing) lakes, streams and rivers, with the local landscape changing accordingly. Perhaps the unique climate properties of such a planet could even allow for an annual duration of sudden precipitation (water or otherwise, dependant on atmosphere), that would bring out a short but dramatic change in certain environments. Jungle/Forest Planets Jungle and forest planets being largely made up of living organisms should have more opportunity to really reflect that. So far, there are no thick jungles with layers of vegetation, but they are rather dirt planets with a few trees. That of course is fine for a number of these planets, but there could be others with varying degrees of vegetation density, some being being so dense that they would have foreground trees or brush that would be impassible until removed, some of the plants might extend deep into the ground in form of roots (also potentially impassible until removed) and cavernous ecosystems that rely on these roots (insects, rodents, lizards). In some cases the foliage might get so thick that it would begin blocking out rays of sunlight, and vast widely branching trees can be climbed, leading to new ecosystems located primarily above ground. The jungle/forest planets might also have regions of swamps/bogs/moors (so could some of the arid/desert ones for that matter, but in a different form) that could potentially envelop & devour unwary travellers. Speaking of enveloping & devouring, there might even be certain plant-life that could pose such a threat to explorers. Jungle and forest planets could also have a diverse elevation map affection their biomes, with a few higher mountains that could be either continuing the jungle, be barren peaks of rock, or just home to new sets of life and ecosystems. Furthermore, these planets may – depending on their proximity to the sun – also have regions of steppe and grassland, or equatorial zones that more resemble an arid, rocky terrain. Steppe/grassland could even be the dominant terrain for some forest worlds, leading into tundras and frozen poles, with only sparse forests in certain warmer areas. Snow Planets These could have varying regions of landscapes with jagged mountainous ice rifts, or endless desolate plains of nothing but smooth snow (perhaps even snow that acts much like the falling, unstable sand or gravel), that provide no shelter whatsoever. Some however might be close enough to their sun to allow for small regions of surface plant-life, (taiga, tundra, steppe etc.), with regions that resemble more a very cold forest biome. Snowstorms could be commonplace in some of these environments, which would be similar to the sandstorms in some ways (just a lot colder ). Moons Harsher, colder, less forgiving. They should feel truly different to anything else out there. (Maybe have a greater range of environmental dangers, temperature, toxicity, etc. than availible anywhere else?) Overall, I would just say there need be a bit stronger distinction in feel and gameplay between different biomes and themes, with greater detail in regional variety of similar planets while creating a strong synergy between its individual aspects. Even the slight blurring of certain lines between possible regions, and content of planets will serve to make them more unique if the overall feel of the themes remains different. ie: The desert planet might not be 100% desert due its oasis and frozen poles, and those areas could even potentially be similar to areas found in other planets... but the actual deserts that make up all but a fraction of the planet, feel and play entirely different than any other biome, and the planet stands out of the universe for being the one with the sand-storms that actually black out the sun, the underground oil deposits that are interlaced with giant death-worm nests - which somehow feed on the oil, and get rather upset when you try to pump it all out - and the oasis in an ancient, mostly dried out lake that is the only shelter from the heat, as not even the poles are frozen here, but just equally hot regions with the added entertainment of an already weak planetary magnetic field the giving away to solar-radiation - fun! Ideally the term “snow planet” or the “forest world” could entail any number of local “snow” or “forest” based environmental variety and sub-biomes, while still being a unique and entirely different feel to the “desert planet” or “moon biome” found in the same system, and hopefully also a uniquely different feel to most other planets of the same type.
I agree that the planets all feel the same, adding your suggested changes to each biome would definitely be helpful. Part of the problem I think is the procedural generation, it generates what feels like a very similar world, Now I have seen some of the planets have things like plateau and other features to distinguish but each planet on the whole feels like it has the same terrain features, on top of the the underground experience is nearly the same for every planet. Adding your changes with additional 'unique elements' such as the ice caps idea or even drawing from a list of events such as a massive crater , a pair nearby warring civilizations, a ship crash site etc . great idea though
Yup, more environmental effects needed, geysers, tile destroying fireballs falling from the sky in some volcanic planets, gravity differences (sometimes almost no gravity on small moons resulting in the need for thruster pack/tech to move around) etc. Also, not all planets / areas need mobs, and as you mentioned, where there are mobs, if possible they should be locally themed when possible (no birds in space, desert mobs should be different than forest mobs, etc)
I like the idea of foreground objects in jungle that would have to be removed. Would love to see planets biomes show off more uniqueness rather than just different tilesets. Would give us more of a reason to like some planets over others and create a homebase on them.
