[DD] Terrain types

[Hyronymus]

Terrain types

Terrain types define the costs of clearing or terraforming a tile. They also define which buildings can be built on a terrain type. All terrain types belong to the terrain class.

Question 1: what terrain types should Transport Empire have by default?

[Purno]

I can imagine terrain types is merely a texture which is part of some bigger 'class', I mean, you could have different colors of rocks (some are more brownish, some more greyish), but I guess removal costs and whatever can be built on them are quite equal?

Anyways, I'd like to start the collection with;
- Grass
- Sand
- Snow
- Rock

It all depends on how big we want the terrain collection to be, as there are quite an amount of different grasses, for example.

[Hyronymus]

We shouldn't loose ourself in shades of grass, we should "define" basic terrain types. All the colouring etc is up to artists. Do you mean desert with sand by the way? I wonder if farmland needs to be defined as a terrain type or as an industry type.

[Purno]

Well, you could define certain terrain classes, each being able to have multiple textures.

That way artists can make custom types of grass (graphical wise), and add them under the 'grass class', which means TE will handle them just as any other grass.

And sand could either be desert or beaches.

If farmland is treated differently compared to other terrain types (for example, the quantity of farmland around a farm determines how much the farm produces), I'd guess it'd be better seeing it as an industry type. (Or, as something like trees, which influence on town ratings or whatever (just loudly thinking now)).

With TE Development, we could just make one type of grass, but make it possible for artists to add more types of grass.

[Hyronymus]

That's the approach I would like to take too. But you said beaches are a type of sand terrain and I think it's better to add something like coastal terrain as a type and have beaches as a "type" of coast.

[Purno]

Could be, tho wether a piece of ground is adjacent to the sea or not, doesn't really influence what can be built on them, does it?

I mean, rocks could be coastal too, couldn't they?

[m4rek]

dont forget that we need mountains

[Dave]

dont forget that we need mountains

Yes.... Purno did point out Rock.

I think there should be a seperate definition of "Desert sand" and "Beach sand" since there is often something of a difference. But as you say, this would be upto artists and is not for discussion here.

Also - Concrete. It's unusual to have much grass in a city.

[Purno]

dont forget that we need mountains

Terrain type is independant from Terraforming (the height of the terrain, and height differences).

I think there should be a seperate definition of "Desert sand" and "Beach sand" since there is often something of a difference. But as you say, this would be upto artists and is not for discussion here.

It is. I think we should have pre-defined groups of terrain types. As buildings and all kind of stuff depend on several groups (e.g. buildings can't be built on rock, for example). It would be a mess if someone (contributor) would add a new terrain group, as TE doesn't know for all existing buildings wether they can be built at that new group (since, I think, that should be a property of the building (tho, that's discussable)).

[m4rek]

ice
desert sand
beach sand
"rock"
"grass"
concrete

[Hyronymus]

Why do we need concrete? Isn't concrete a road type?

[Purno]

I disagree on the term "ice". Ice is frozen water, and would be more relevant for a lake or something. That's not really a terrain type. I guess, water on the snow terrain could be automatically be frozen ice (you'd need some heavy ships to break the ice then). Or, ice could just be a texture under the group snow.

Tho, are snow covered mountains rock or snow?



btw, concrete is indeed a good one.

EDIT: @Hyronymus, concrete could be pavement where buildings are built. Concrete could be something which could be built. E.g., whenever a building is demolished, the concrete stays, and forms a good foundation (cheap) for new buildings, tho trees and such can't be built.

At least, that's how I imagine it.

[m4rek]

ice, you know, for arctic... they actually have really heavy lorries running those routes.


as for snow covered mountains and such, they should be whatever they are, but covered with snow and considered as (xterrain+snow100%4ft)

that means terrain + snow - snow coverage (% of TILE) + snow height/depth

[Hyronymus]

EDIT: @Hyronymus, concrete could be pavement where buildings are built. Concrete could be something which could be built. E.g., whenever a building is demolished, the concrete stays, and forms a good foundation (cheap) for new buildings, tho trees and such can't be built.

At least, that's how I imagine it.

That's odd though as it never happens like that. Buildings have a foundation, you don't build a house/an office by just pooring concrete over ground.

[Purno]

Well, call it foundations then. It looks like concrete from the top

[Hyronymus]

But always part of a construction process and thus not a terrain type.

[m3henry]

when you excavate rock, it will be costly and the opposite for earth, but if you add to that terrain, you will put on earth, so increasing height will only be affected by the amount of earth placed, although if decided to put rock on instead (optional) you could have steeper grades and higher cost?

[Hyronymus]

m3henry, the question is which types of terrain we should include by default. Terraforming costs, grade of slopes etc. is not part of this discussion.

[m4rek]

hyro, you really dont take no sh!t, do ya?

ok, any of the following can be covered in snow, as well as trees and undergrowth etc...or even water

• desert sand
  beach sand
  shingle
  *grass*
  mountain (rock)
  other rock
  concrete/foundations etc
  ice

you may notice grass is indicated by **, that is because grass is the ultimate of "broad terms". there need to be at least 5 different types of grass (graphically) in the first release

you may also notice that all these can be covered by snow, i explained this in a post somewhere above. they can also be covered by whatever life and constructions. and even by water. if you flood an area, the sea* bed remains the same material

*any other body of water you can think of.

for now, this concludes my suggestions

[Hyronymus]

I still disagree but I would like more input from different people too so I'll shut it for now.