I'm finding that snow biomes, mountain biomes, and deserts are rather dull and bare because they lack natural props.
Forests have tons of trees, which makes the landscape less plain, and even grasslands have nice tall grass coverage. But snow, mountain, and desert biomes have so many completely flat featureless surfaces because they don't even have decent grass or tree coverage.
One thing that could help would be boulders around the landscape, basically just roughly spherical blobs of smoothstone strewn about. It would give easy smoothstone access in those biomes without have to dig down through dirt or sand or snow, and block the view a bit and make things less bare. Could even have a single random ore at the center to make them like treasure eggs lol.
Snow biomes could really use thick snow block layers around too, and maybe odd ice and snow block formations as well.
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Evidence suggests that many people quote posts without reading them in their entirety.
Still no infinite strongholds D:
I don't have any problems with the biomes, but Strongholds really need a huge overhaul. They're almost always destroyed by a mineshaft or cave.
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"Science isn't a matter of WHY, it's a matter of WHY NOT? WHY is so much of our science dangerous? Why don't you marry safe science if you love it so much? In fact, why don't you invent a special safety door that won't slam you in the butt on your way out? BECAUSE YOU ARE FIRED!" -Cave Johnson
I'd like to see some shipwrecks in Ocean Biomes, preferably some with air pockets and whatnot. Then you don't need to have trees, you can just claim the planks and maybe there could be chests that contained dirt blocks and tree saplings and whatnot.
I agree that shipwrecks in the ocean biome would be awesome, as well as coral. Some mobs maybe, even some fish that only function as a complex particle effect would be cool.
Although I think what they should first fix is that awful swamp->anything else transition. I love the new muddy grass and murky water, but it needs to blend. I'd also like to see that water biome color chart found before 1.8 get implemented.
Increased height limit would be amazing, but I understand the reason why Notch might want to avoid it (lag issues, though you could argue that the option to toggle would be best).
I dunno about anyone else, but weather sound effects cause massive lag when rapidly travelling, especially from an above ground to deep underground location. It's even worse in SMP. Would love a fix for that.
I'm really surprised beaches haven't been included. At the least, have a sandy beach with shrubs. Would be neat if each biome had its own beach type too (rocks/stones vs sand, for instance).
I am in favor with the biome-biome transition. For example, a snow biome should not just turn into a desert biome (yes, I am aware that deserts can have snow) an a forest biome shouldn't just almost immediately transform into a plains biome. I think that each biome should be surrounded by what I like to call a 'transition biome' (I made a topic on it, but I won't bother to post the link, because I'm essentially regurgitating what it says.) For example, you can change the plains-desert transition by simply changing the grass texture, having it have little golden granules that get more numerous as it approaches the desert.
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There are very few people I like and/or respect.
You are not one of them.
I'd like to see some shipwrecks in Ocean Biomes, preferably some with air pockets and whatnot. Then you don't need to have trees, you can just claim the planks and maybe there could be chests that contained dirt blocks and tree saplings and whatnot.
They should be rare, and have a boss monster (giant squid, anyone?) And the chests should contain gold, lapis lazuli, even the rare diamond.
EDIT:Goddammit, double post. Sorry 'bout that.
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There are very few people I like and/or respect.
You are not one of them.
I agree. I especially hate how every biome other than the mountain biome lacks vertical variation. Everything is too flat. Personally I like the overall new biome code, but there are alot of improvements that could be made.
I'm finding that snow biomes, mountain biomes, and deserts are rather dull and bare because they lack natural props.
Forests have tons of trees, which makes the landscape less plain, and even grasslands have nice tall grass coverage. But snow, mountain, and desert biomes have so many completely flat featureless surfaces because they don't even have decent grass or tree coverage.
For grassland or similar terrain under snow as well as the sand dunes type of arid biome, I think a fairly featureless landscape is expected. Having lived many years in the Great Plains, I can tell you the landscape looks quite flat and featureless under a foot of snow. The problem is really that there is only one type of arid biome, and only one redundant biome (Plains+snow=Snow biome) with snow.
I do agree that some biomes could use more secondary foliage or more varied surface geology. With an improved weather system, adding snow onto them would change their character significantly, and help increase the perception of more varied terrain types.
Snow biomes could really use thick snow block layers around too, and maybe odd ice and snow block formations as well.
For a better Mountain biome, or an improved Snow biome, I think adding a layer of snow blocks would be a great addition. Not just the little layer of snow (although that could remain) but a nice layer of blocks, especially in the low areas like valleys and clefts of those terrain types.
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More Ocean Life: Kelp, Coral, Crabs and Jellyfish; Coconut Palm trees for beaches and islands. Terrain Generation Changes: Which biomes and world-building features are most in need of change?
When i saw the poll results a few days ago i couldn't believe what the lead results were, but seeing it now looks more like what I had expected to see those few days ago.
bio2bio transitions need much more work, coastlines need a lot and all biomes need to be overhauled.
not to even mention shafts and all of that.
Seriously, nobody thinks the thousands of oasis and cacti in the desert looks bad?
While I don't think all arid terrain should be full of cacti, there are some arid regions that areveryverdant.
That's why I would support breaking the current single Desert biome into three arid biomes, as I detail in a post on the second page of this thread. The Dunes biome is the classic cliche type of arid biome that would perhaps appeal more to you. I think it reasonable to split the arid and wetland biomes up more than they are currently to match the diversity of our arboreal biomes.
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More Ocean Life: Kelp, Coral, Crabs and Jellyfish; Coconut Palm trees for beaches and islands. Terrain Generation Changes: Which biomes and world-building features are most in need of change?
Just thought I might point you guys over to this fun little tool, lets you make your own generator using psuedo code. Its supprisingly challenging to get something as complex as the current map generator, but trying to think about how changing it will effect what it generates is rather fun. http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/100820-togoss-programmable-minecraft-map-generator/
Personaly, I think that the biome in most need is the mountain one, it looks kinda nice but I think it would be better as more of mountain chains
and what I realy want for the map generator, is to have it literaly generate Continents with mountain ranges and deserts downwind of the mountains and jungles upwind and rivers that start high up in mountains and go down to sea level where the seas are realy huge and can get close to bedrock depth.
I kind of think all of it could use some tweaking, to an extent.
Ravines don't feel exciting. They're too common and not big enough. I'd vote they make them their own biome, but more rare, kind of like Shroom-biome is. Then make them larger/wider and exciting to explore, build in/on, etc. A 2-4 block wide tear in the ground just becomes something for me to run around. A 10-15 block wide (or larger) gaping ravine becomes a neat feature.
Tree-less mountains is pretty much a bummer. They either need to be SO high they're snowy on top, or they need trees again. I basically have to import trees to make my mountain areas less dull right now. Plus the trees stopped the creepers from just falling on your head (lol).
Deserts can seem really boring too. Need sand/sandstone? .. strip-mine the desert. Otherwise, its just a flat area that is easy to Sprint through to get to something better.
What I'd like to see (the shipwreck idea set it off in me) is a lot more neat random "features" or "places of interest" that can appear in biomes. Shipwrecks in the ocean would be neat. Wreckage on the beaches would be awesome too. Throw a zombie spawner and a chest in it and it becomes a neat place to explore, or take apart if you need/want wood.
What about cemeteries that can pop up in land biomes? Either "modern" ones with headstones and crypts to explore, or older burial-mount style places?
Pyramids or ruins in sand areas to explore?
The ruins of old buildings in places? Like an old wood shack that is all half-caved in.
Little rarities like that could make more ho-hum biomes seem more alive, and just by reusing current things in game (current monsters, current blocks) to create "places of interest". Things to make the world feel more exciting to explore and less empty. Strongholds and mineshaft areas are a good start, I'd like to see more, though.
I kind of think all of it could use some tweaking, to an extent.
Ravines don't feel exciting. They're too common and not big enough. I'd vote they make them their own biome, but more rare, kind of like Shroom-biome is. Then make them larger/wider and exciting to explore, build in/on, etc. A 2-4 block wide tear in the ground just becomes something for me to run around. A 10-15 block wide (or larger) gaping ravine becomes a neat feature.
I suspect the ravines have much the same problem that the rest of the 1.8/1.9 terrain generator has, and that is very little variation within a given biome or type of terrain feature. I don't think ravines need to be a biome to give us their full potential, they can remain a secondary terrain feature. There just needs to be more variance in their depth and width to allow both a small creek at the bottom of a canal, and Grand Canyon like outcomes, as well as ravines that looked more like a cliff (one side shallow, the other steep). If the biomes were changed to have a deeper impact on the geology, we could see ravines that had stone sides, as well as earthen and sandstone.
Tree-less mountains is pretty much a bummer. They either need to be SO high they're snowy on top, or they need trees again. I basically have to import trees to make my mountain areas less dull right now. Plus the trees stopped the creepers from just falling on your head (lol).
The current "Extreme Hills" biome does seem entirely undesired. It takes the place of what could be a true mountain, rocks and snow above the trees and clouds, while leaving us with no expectation for hills in our forests and deserts.
Deserts can seem really boring too. Need sand/sandstone? .. strip-mine the desert. Otherwise, its just a flat area that is easy to Sprint through to get to something better.
I'll admit that I rarely go into the Desert except to collect sand and a couple cactus. Some unique mobs like giant scorpions, or if cactus only produced flowers in a Desert biome, and they had desireable properties for potions or whatever would give us some more reasons to want to go there.
What I'd like to see (the shipwreck idea set it off in me) is a lot more neat random "features" or "places of interest" that can appear in biomes. Shipwrecks in the ocean would be neat. Wreckage on the beaches would be awesome too. Throw a zombie spawner and a chest in it and it becomes a neat place to explore, or take apart if you need/want wood.
What about cemeteries that can pop up in land biomes? Either "modern" ones with headstones and crypts to explore, or older burial-mount style places?
Pyramids or ruins in sand areas to explore?
The ruins of old buildings in places? Like an old wood shack that is all half-caved in.
Little rarities like that could make more ho-hum biomes seem more alive, and just by reusing current things in game (current monsters, current blocks) to create "places of interest". Things to make the world feel more exciting to explore and less empty. Strongholds and mineshaft areas are a good start, I'd like to see more, though.
I certainly like the idea of having a shipwreck with a zombie spawner in it to give it a "haunted shipwreck" feel (I think zombies can drown for some reason, that would need to change). In general, having more places of interest, like the new villages, is certainly a good addition to the secondary features of the terrain generator. As the bigger issues are finalised, these later addons to the terrain will become more numerous and varied I hope.
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More Ocean Life: Kelp, Coral, Crabs and Jellyfish; Coconut Palm trees for beaches and islands. Terrain Generation Changes: Which biomes and world-building features are most in need of change?
I agree with just about everything this topic has to do with.
The Biome and Terrain Generation coding is horribly unpolished and could do with some refining. I believe one of the most noticeable changes from 1.7.3 to 1.8/1.9 terrain generation was the exclusion of beaches and the disappearance of the tropical rain forests. These should be added first. Also with terrain variety: I dislike it entirely due to the lack of variety and predictability. Tree density should be far more varied in terms of density than biomes either having trees or no trees entirely (e.g. Mixed forests and Extreme Hill Biomes).
One of the most distinct terrain generation features of Pre-1.8 was the fact that the terrain was far more varied in vertical limit (as you would put it), and thus we had mountains in every biome, with bright green grass, dull green grass, and sand. Trees would also be situated all over these mountains and overall, seemed more "mountainous" and impressive then. Now, mountains, or rather, "extreme hills," don't hold the same splendor to me as they used to. Overall, I just think the biome code is too bland and predictable.
Also what's with the generation of clay, sand, and dirt in shallow water? You have probably noticed this already, but those three block-types seem to generate in circular patterns underwater and they just don't look right to me. This is really apparent and rather ugly as well when seen from bird's-eye-view or from a mapping program. Circular patches of sand and clay can be seen under lakes and other shallow bodies of water, which doesn't look right at all.
While I am perfectly tolerant of the new terrain generator, I just wish it could be more like how it was Pre-1.8. I haven't (and I'm sure you'd agree with me) seen landscapes so majestic and awesome as those found in seeds like Gargamel at all.
And how about that really green grass that we used to find in tropical rainforests? Seeing the old terrain generation makes me want to cry.
In my opinion, the current state of minecraft terrain generation is repetitive and boring. I've been playing nomad-style hardcore mode lately, and so basically have just been running across the world. I've walked through every biome currently available, and simply do not feel inclined to explore the landscape as I used to in older patches. Generation has become very repetitious (overhead topographical views only ascertain this fact- every map looks pretty much the same). It seems that everything has been changed to some sort of extreme; too flat, too mountainous, too many trees, or not enough trees. I've noticed three particular tree densities: extremely thick, extremely scant, and absent.
Beaches are entirely missing.
Plains are flat, and rolling. This is fine and all, except for the fact that the scattering of trees across them is near the same in any area; not so much.
Forests/pine forests are covered by a uniform and overpopulated growth of trees, offering little room for the cozy lakes and neat clearings we used to see.
The snow biome is an utter letdown, and features absolutely nothing besides snowy plains and icy coasts.
The swamp is pretty plain and mostly pointless, and once you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all. However, I am fond of the occurrence of barely subsurface cave systems about 10-20 blocks down which open up in various places amongst the islands of the swamp; they provide the only reason to actually explore this biome.
The desert is... well, its the desert. I personally think it could use some kind of structure, but this is low priority compared to the terrain itself.
Honestly, I like the mushroom biome, and feel its a nice treat to be boating the ocean for days when suddenly - BAM giant mushroom on the horizon. It still needs either its own exclusive reagent, and hostile mob, as well as some sort of unique cave system... I wish.
The mountain biome is way too extreme, and obviously lacks trees. Perhaps Notch thought it would be cool to take every mountain and interesting formation out of all the lands of minecraft and compress them into their own biome of gargantuan super-formations. Now, instead of scouting the landscape for cool mountains, you go to the mountain biome, get blown away for 5 minutes, and then you've seen it all.
The mountain biome is way too extreme, and obviously lacks trees. Perhaps Notch thought it would be cool to take every mountain and interesting formation out of all the lands of minecraft and compress them into their own biome of gargantuan super-formations. Now, instead of scouting the landscape for cool mountains, you go to the mountain biome, get blown away for 5 minutes, and then you've seen it all.
With the terrain generation the way it is now, you could say that for just about every biome. All forests look the same, all deserts look the same, all swamps look the same, and of course, all mountains look the same. /:
Forests have tons of trees, which makes the landscape less plain, and even grasslands have nice tall grass coverage. But snow, mountain, and desert biomes have so many completely flat featureless surfaces because they don't even have decent grass or tree coverage.
One thing that could help would be boulders around the landscape, basically just roughly spherical blobs of smoothstone strewn about. It would give easy smoothstone access in those biomes without have to dig down through dirt or sand or snow, and block the view a bit and make things less bare. Could even have a single random ore at the center to make them like treasure eggs lol.
Snow biomes could really use thick snow block layers around too, and maybe odd ice and snow block formations as well.
Still no infinite strongholds D:
May the force be without you.
Although I think what they should first fix is that awful swamp->anything else transition. I love the new muddy grass and murky water, but it needs to blend. I'd also like to see that water biome color chart found before 1.8 get implemented.
Increased height limit would be amazing, but I understand the reason why Notch might want to avoid it (lag issues, though you could argue that the option to toggle would be best).
I dunno about anyone else, but weather sound effects cause massive lag when rapidly travelling, especially from an above ground to deep underground location. It's even worse in SMP. Would love a fix for that.
I'm really surprised beaches haven't been included. At the least, have a sandy beach with shrubs. Would be neat if each biome had its own beach type too (rocks/stones vs sand, for instance).
You are not one of them.
They should be rare, and have a boss monster (giant squid, anyone?) And the chests should contain gold, lapis lazuli, even the rare diamond.
EDIT:Goddammit, double post. Sorry 'bout that.
You are not one of them.
For grassland or similar terrain under snow as well as the sand dunes type of arid biome, I think a fairly featureless landscape is expected. Having lived many years in the Great Plains, I can tell you the landscape looks quite flat and featureless under a foot of snow. The problem is really that there is only one type of arid biome, and only one redundant biome (Plains+snow=Snow biome) with snow.
I do agree that some biomes could use more secondary foliage or more varied surface geology. With an improved weather system, adding snow onto them would change their character significantly, and help increase the perception of more varied terrain types.
For a better Mountain biome, or an improved Snow biome, I think adding a layer of snow blocks would be a great addition. Not just the little layer of snow (although that could remain) but a nice layer of blocks, especially in the low areas like valleys and clefts of those terrain types.
Terrain Generation Changes: Which biomes and world-building features are most in need of change?
bio2bio transitions need much more work, coastlines need a lot and all biomes need to be overhauled.
not to even mention shafts and all of that.
imho
While I don't think all arid terrain should be full of cacti, there are some arid regions that are very verdant.
That's why I would support breaking the current single Desert biome into three arid biomes, as I detail in a post on the second page of this thread. The Dunes biome is the classic cliche type of arid biome that would perhaps appeal more to you. I think it reasonable to split the arid and wetland biomes up more than they are currently to match the diversity of our arboreal biomes.
Terrain Generation Changes: Which biomes and world-building features are most in need of change?
https://secure.worldcommunitygrid.org/index.jsp
Personaly, I think that the biome in most need is the mountain one, it looks kinda nice but I think it would be better as more of mountain chains
and what I realy want for the map generator, is to have it literaly generate Continents with mountain ranges and deserts downwind of the mountains and jungles upwind and rivers that start high up in mountains and go down to sea level where the seas are realy huge and can get close to bedrock depth.
Ravines don't feel exciting. They're too common and not big enough. I'd vote they make them their own biome, but more rare, kind of like Shroom-biome is. Then make them larger/wider and exciting to explore, build in/on, etc. A 2-4 block wide tear in the ground just becomes something for me to run around. A 10-15 block wide (or larger) gaping ravine becomes a neat feature.
Tree-less mountains is pretty much a bummer. They either need to be SO high they're snowy on top, or they need trees again. I basically have to import trees to make my mountain areas less dull right now. Plus the trees stopped the creepers from just falling on your head (lol).
Deserts can seem really boring too. Need sand/sandstone? .. strip-mine the desert. Otherwise, its just a flat area that is easy to Sprint through to get to something better.
What I'd like to see (the shipwreck idea set it off in me) is a lot more neat random "features" or "places of interest" that can appear in biomes. Shipwrecks in the ocean would be neat. Wreckage on the beaches would be awesome too. Throw a zombie spawner and a chest in it and it becomes a neat place to explore, or take apart if you need/want wood.
What about cemeteries that can pop up in land biomes? Either "modern" ones with headstones and crypts to explore, or older burial-mount style places?
Pyramids or ruins in sand areas to explore?
The ruins of old buildings in places? Like an old wood shack that is all half-caved in.
Little rarities like that could make more ho-hum biomes seem more alive, and just by reusing current things in game (current monsters, current blocks) to create "places of interest". Things to make the world feel more exciting to explore and less empty. Strongholds and mineshaft areas are a good start, I'd like to see more, though.
I suspect the ravines have much the same problem that the rest of the 1.8/1.9 terrain generator has, and that is very little variation within a given biome or type of terrain feature. I don't think ravines need to be a biome to give us their full potential, they can remain a secondary terrain feature. There just needs to be more variance in their depth and width to allow both a small creek at the bottom of a canal, and Grand Canyon like outcomes, as well as ravines that looked more like a cliff (one side shallow, the other steep). If the biomes were changed to have a deeper impact on the geology, we could see ravines that had stone sides, as well as earthen and sandstone.
The current "Extreme Hills" biome does seem entirely undesired. It takes the place of what could be a true mountain, rocks and snow above the trees and clouds, while leaving us with no expectation for hills in our forests and deserts.
I'll admit that I rarely go into the Desert except to collect sand and a couple cactus. Some unique mobs like giant scorpions, or if cactus only produced flowers in a Desert biome, and they had desireable properties for potions or whatever would give us some more reasons to want to go there.
I certainly like the idea of having a shipwreck with a zombie spawner in it to give it a "haunted shipwreck" feel (I think zombies can drown for some reason, that would need to change). In general, having more places of interest, like the new villages, is certainly a good addition to the secondary features of the terrain generator. As the bigger issues are finalised, these later addons to the terrain will become more numerous and varied I hope.
Terrain Generation Changes: Which biomes and world-building features are most in need of change?
The Biome and Terrain Generation coding is horribly unpolished and could do with some refining. I believe one of the most noticeable changes from 1.7.3 to 1.8/1.9 terrain generation was the exclusion of beaches and the disappearance of the tropical rain forests. These should be added first. Also with terrain variety: I dislike it entirely due to the lack of variety and predictability. Tree density should be far more varied in terms of density than biomes either having trees or no trees entirely (e.g. Mixed forests and Extreme Hill Biomes).
One of the most distinct terrain generation features of Pre-1.8 was the fact that the terrain was far more varied in vertical limit (as you would put it), and thus we had mountains in every biome, with bright green grass, dull green grass, and sand. Trees would also be situated all over these mountains and overall, seemed more "mountainous" and impressive then. Now, mountains, or rather, "extreme hills," don't hold the same splendor to me as they used to. Overall, I just think the biome code is too bland and predictable.
Also what's with the generation of clay, sand, and dirt in shallow water? You have probably noticed this already, but those three block-types seem to generate in circular patterns underwater and they just don't look right to me. This is really apparent and rather ugly as well when seen from bird's-eye-view or from a mapping program. Circular patches of sand and clay can be seen under lakes and other shallow bodies of water, which doesn't look right at all.
While I am perfectly tolerant of the new terrain generator, I just wish it could be more like how it was Pre-1.8. I haven't (and I'm sure you'd agree with me) seen landscapes so majestic and awesome as those found in seeds like Gargamel at all.
And how about that really green grass that we used to find in tropical rainforests? Seeing the old terrain generation makes me want to cry.
Beaches are entirely missing.
Plains are flat, and rolling. This is fine and all, except for the fact that the scattering of trees across them is near the same in any area; not so much.
Forests/pine forests are covered by a uniform and overpopulated growth of trees, offering little room for the cozy lakes and neat clearings we used to see.
The snow biome is an utter letdown, and features absolutely nothing besides snowy plains and icy coasts.
The swamp is pretty plain and mostly pointless, and once you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all. However, I am fond of the occurrence of barely subsurface cave systems about 10-20 blocks down which open up in various places amongst the islands of the swamp; they provide the only reason to actually explore this biome.
The desert is... well, its the desert. I personally think it could use some kind of structure, but this is low priority compared to the terrain itself.
Honestly, I like the mushroom biome, and feel its a nice treat to be boating the ocean for days when suddenly - BAM giant mushroom on the horizon. It still needs either its own exclusive reagent, and hostile mob, as well as some sort of unique cave system... I wish.
The mountain biome is way too extreme, and obviously lacks trees. Perhaps Notch thought it would be cool to take every mountain and interesting formation out of all the lands of minecraft and compress them into their own biome of gargantuan super-formations. Now, instead of scouting the landscape for cool mountains, you go to the mountain biome, get blown away for 5 minutes, and then you've seen it all.
With the terrain generation the way it is now, you could say that for just about every biome. All forests look the same, all deserts look the same, all swamps look the same, and of course, all mountains look the same. /: