Deon, it is good to see you back and so active
If there is anything I can do to help, let me know. You know how I do the change in the init, I dont replace the init, but have it linked to the tileset, then replace the tileset without changing names. This way you keep the init settings when you update tilesets.
I am curious to see how you will do savegame-updates with different tilesets once you have optional settings. I never could get it right, because the set of raws you copy over must have the same reactions, inorganics and so forth then the old set with the other tile numbers. I couldnt figure out how to automate that, and people can break so much with this, I decided to leave it out entirely.
I wondered about the blocks/boulders as well. The dfhack plugin is great, but I think most people would just stockpile-feed the catapult, its a lot easier when you have several of them.
Nice trick with the dragon deities.
Mind if I borrow this to give each race a distinctive megabeast that might rule them/is worshipped? Could you please tell me if this is correct:
It must be a megabeast/semimegabeast.
It must have CAN_SPEAK.
It must have a symbol/sphere shared with an entity.
And something about secrets/slabs, but you might have to give me a nudge in the right direction.
caverns, crystal caves, abyss
Sounds familiar.
The caverns themselves wont mix much in color, because the ground is already covered, but your soil-levels will look really odd, if the colors dont match well. I have dark green, bright blue and grey/dark blue, and the bright blue already looks odd when mixed with the dark green. Previously I had moving red "magma maggots" as 3rd cavern floor, it looked awesome, at least till they started to grow guess what I am trying to say is: Try to keep it neutral.
Do you have any problems with your rare powerful castes, the clockworks, arriving as migrants?
If you have any powerful construct pets that you have that arrive with migrants as pets, I did find a solution for that: IMMOBILE stops that. You can then buy immobile creature variants from the caravans, and transform them in a workshop. Thats how I fixed my golems. Migrants no longer bring them, and the caravans bring "inactive golems" which cant move, but still fight. The workshop then "activates" the golem to the former creature I used. Maybe this helps.