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[G-Flex]

I was wondering exactly how the game decides whether you get a "tropical" forest/savanna/whatever versus a temperate one.

It can't just be temperature, since you can get freezing-to-scorching temperate biomes, but what else is there?

And has anyone managed to consistently create them in a 128x128 (standard-sized) map without resorting to anything hideously extreme?

[Proteus]

Usually I would assume that it is based on humidity (i.e. rainfall) as well

[G-Flex]

I don't know about that, though, because I've seen hot, wet regions before that are also temperate. In fact, EVERYTHING on the maps I've genned seems to be temperate, despite temperatures ranging from "freezing" to "scorching" and a wide variety of moisture.

[Spoggerific]

I remember seeing it on the wiki somewhere, but I can't find it now. It had the exact numbers, too. I'll edit it in if I do find it...

Anyway, there are a few main things that determine what biome an area is:
Rainfall, from 1-100
Drainage, from 1-100
Temperature (not sure on the numbers)
and height

High rainfall with medium drainage, for example, creates a forest - higher temperature forests will become a jungle. High rainfall with low drainage becomes a swamp or marsh. High rainfall with very high drainage can become badlands, or a plain. Low rainfall and high drainage can become a desert, etc.

[Koji]

Tropical climates appear on the equatorial edge of the map, and temperate ones appear further away from it.

[G-Flex]

I remember seeing it on the wiki somewhere, but I can't find it now. It had the exact numbers, too. I'll edit it in if I do find it...

Anyway, there are a few main things that determine what biome an area is:
Rainfall, from 1-100
Drainage, from 1-100
Temperature (not sure on the numbers)
and height

High rainfall with medium drainage, for example, creates a forest - higher temperature forests will become a jungle. High rainfall with low drainage becomes a swamp or marsh. High rainfall with very high drainage can become badlands, or a plain. Low rainfall and high drainage can become a desert, etc.

I've seen this on the forums before, but it didn't distinguish between temperate and tropical biomes. For instance, it made it clear how something like a coniferous forest was formed, but not what determined whether it was tropical or temperate.


Also, I'm pretty sure people HAVE created standard-sized maps with tropical biomes... my question is, how?

[Mohreb el Yasim]

are you looking for an all tropical standard map or a standard map containing tropical region? becouse the second i think is always the case (but since few version i haven't made standard map so it migth changed since)

[G-Flex]

I just mean a standard-sized map with at least some tropical regions.

Keep in mind that in newer versions, "standard" size is no longer the largest option, it's 128x128 or whatever it is.

[inaluct]

Well, I have a map with some tropical dry forests on it, and some human traders brought by gibbon leather, so I know there's a tropical wet forest somewhere. If you guys want, I can upload it. Or I can gen a new one with more tropics.

[G-Flex]

If you could, I'd be interested to know what worldgen parameters you used.

[inaluct]

I set the maximum temperature to 600 in world gen. I've done it with 1000 maximum, and the results are basically the same. I still get live animals from caravans, too.

If you want something really awesome, turn the minimum temp to -1000 and the max to 75. The world is a blue black tundra, interspersed with forests and mountains.

Or you can turn the max to 1000 and the minimum to -1000, and you'll get a starry field of icy wasteland with mountain-encapsulated regions with warm temperatures. I even have a tropical moist broadleaf forest in one of these worlds.

If you have problems with worldgen not placing a dwarven civ, add to the initial forest count.

Oh yeah, if you really want tropics, fool with rain and drainage.

Also, I've just got to say this; I highly recommend Tropical Dry Forests. The wood types are refreshing, there are wet and dry seasons, and the main fauna?

Elephants.

Plump, juicy elephants. Seriously, I have three guys churning out wooden barrels, and about half of my huge food stockpile is filled with stacks of unbarreled elephant meat.

All from one hunter, who started as a cheese maker.

Plus, you'll get lungfish, which are really cool.

Edit: Those humans are offering me whale shark leather, siamang leather, manta ray leather, rubber tree logs, kapok logs, cacao, etc. But no traditionally temperate logs, except pine, cedar, and willow.

So now I know there's a tropical ocean somewhere on here. Should I upload the world for those of you who don't want to try and get lucky with worldgen?

[inaluct]

Okay, new post.

I just realized: one of my worlds has a freezing tropical broadleaf forest right next to a glacier.

You can literally embark and get a TROPICAL BROADLEAF FOREST and a GLACIER on the same embark. If you're willing to take a coniferous forest or a larger map, you can also get a stream. No aquifer. Marble is present.

FINAL DESTINATION

How should I upload this world? I have to. I must.

Edit: Oh yeah, the world map has five mountainhome icons visible on it. THE WORLD MAP. And guess what?!? They're all adjacent.

Holy shit, this is a kickass world. Also, it's virgin. Unembarked on.

Edit:

Okay, uploaded. It's on Dwarf Fortress File Depot. I named it "World woth Tropics" just in case there was already a "World with Tropics."

http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=563

[G-Flex]

That's pretty great, although I'm thinking of taking a break from DF until the new version comes out (due to save compatibility). It might be a while, but being able to actually get my college coursework done will be a good idea. So I probably won't be using that world, although that is pretty excellent.

I'm definitely wondering how you managed to get a freezing tropical broadleaf forest though. Seems weird as hell to me that you can get what is essentially Saskatchewan but full of apes and elephants.

Oh, by the way, how do you catch lungfish? They seem to be vermin but I'm curious as to how your fisherdwarves manage to capture them on land.

[jones]

Okay, new post.

I just realized: one of my worlds has a freezing tropical broadleaf forest right next to a glacier.

You can literally embark and get a TROPICAL BROADLEAF FOREST and a GLACIER on the same embark. If you're willing to take a coniferous forest or a larger map, you can also get a stream. No aquifer. Marble is present.

FINAL DESTINATION

How should I upload this world? I have to. I must.

Edit: Oh yeah, the world map has five mountainhome icons visible on it. THE WORLD MAP. And guess what?!? They're all adjacent.

Holy shit, this is a kickass world. Also, it's virgin. Unembarked on.

Edit:

Okay, uploaded. It's on Dwarf Fortress File Depot. I named it "World woth Tropics" just in case there was already a "World with Tropics."

http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=563

This is absolutely awesome, thanks! What were the world generation parameters? It needs just a few more volcanoes.....

[inaluct]

Sorry, guys. I have absolutely no idea what the worldgen parameters were exactly, except that the minimum temp was -1000 and the maximum was 1000. I think I also removed the minimum square counts for everything and then put in 200 or so for forests. If you want to try to gen up something like that, I guess those parameters with some added volcanoes would be a good place to start. I'm not sure how I got a tropical forest near a glacier.

I'm not exactly sure how to catch lungfish either. I'll experiment with cage traps and animal traps, though. I haven't (personally) seen a fisherdwarf actually catch one yet, but I think I have some lungfish bones, so I think they've caught one. If you want to try it, embark on a warm dry tropical forest. You should see them crawling around during the dry season.
You need to make a staircase for them to leave the pond, though.

Edit: Also, I just embarked on that freezing tropical forest, and everything is covered with snow. All the water is frozen. There are mini-glaciers everywhere and nothing grows but trees.

White, crystal covered trees.