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[Lord Dullard]

Today I was looking at the regional shading algorithm I'd made up for deserts/highlands and realized it was just plain better than the one I'd had in place previously for all other types of terrain that need shading. The results of switching it over to the world map:

Spoiler: Before: (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: After: (click to show/hide)

ETA:
I think I may put terrain diversification on hold for a bit while I work on the building system. The reason? I can't stop thinking about the damned thing, and I'm afraid some of my ideas for it might slip out of focus if I wait too long. At any rate, getting it into a workable state will allow something much closer to 'play-testing', which is a boon.

[nenjin]

Is the second a more accurate representation of the topographical layout of the world? Because it looks very hilly now whereas the first implied lots of wide open plains.

[Lord Dullard]

Is the second a more accurate representation of the topographical layout of the world? Because it looks very hilly now whereas the first implied lots of wide open plains.

Yep. Essentially the only thing being shaded prior to this change were the mountains themselves, and those rather primitively; now all terrain is shaded, although most of it is shaded less drastically than mountains, given the fact that the incline in elevation isn't as sharp. There are still plenty of plains, though - I'll post a zoomed-in map in a moment to give you an example of what I mean.

Here we go:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[nenjin]

Splendid!

[magikmw]

Posting to watch, this looks very promising!

[Lord Dullard]

Currently trying to wrap my brain around the new Python multiprocessing module.

[Nistenf]

This is beautiful. Will it be open source?

[Lord Dullard]

No, I think not. Honestly, you probably wouldn't want to look at my code, anyway.  I suspect by the time Cult is close to completion it might have the same sort of sanity-draining effect as browsing the Necronomicon. That said, I think one day when I'm a little less busy I'll do a series of tutorials for Python/libTCOD.

[Fniff]

Ah, not exactly the same.

Man reading necronomicon: Aaaaaagh!
Man reading Cult source: Wow. I mean... wow. I think I'm blind now.

[Neonivek]

No, I think not. Honestly, you probably wouldn't want to look at my code, anyway.  I suspect by the time Cult is close to completion it might have the same sort of sanity-draining effect as browsing the Necronomicon. That said, I think one day when I'm a little less busy I'll do a series of tutorials for Python/libTCOD.

And we arn't even on the gameplay features yet... like Spirits (which may or may not actually make the cut) or magic (assuming that will be randomised)

[Vesperum]

I fell in love with this project the moment I set eyes on it, and I will be thoroughly impressed and happy when it's finally done.  However, I do have a couple of questions regarding certain aspects of the game.

1 - Will we be able to have control over the generation of certain aspects of our worlds?  What I am asking is, will we be able to, for example: add humans into the world or create our own races altogether?  I remember in your preview videos you mentioned that humans and other high fantasy races might have to be modded in, but could it be possible to give the player the option of developing certain species to their specifications?  I would love to see this feature because I would be able to guide the development of the world to suit my play-style.  As much as I love alien worlds and what-not, I also would like the option to make that world have that touch of familiarity, so that I may feel more connected to the world.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't know a whole lot about coding, but, hopefully, a feature such as this wouldn't be too hard to implement.

2 - How will you handle aspects regarding magical elements? Will spells or magical practices also be procedurally generated? Will certain things like alchemy be present in each world, or will these aspects also be procedurally generated?  Also, will the game procedurally generate magical symbols, if you add such things at all?  I am rather curious about this, because I am always a mage when I play fantasy games

3 - How will the ethics, laws, architecture, etc. be handled in civilizations?  I would assume that the customs of each civilization will be procedurally generated, but what about architecture? Will each civilization use pre-made architecture, or will it be procedurally generated? If it is the latter, how will these buildings look in-game?

[Lord Dullard]

I fell in love with this project the moment I set eyes on it, and I will be thoroughly impressed and happy when it's finally done.  However, I do have a couple of questions regarding certain aspects of the game.

1 - Will we be able to have control over the generation of certain aspects of our worlds?  What I am asking is, will we be able to, for example: add humans into the world or create our own races altogether?  I remember in your preview videos you mentioned that humans and other high fantasy races might have to be modded in, but could it be possible to give the player the option of developing certain species to their specifications?  I would love to see this feature because I would be able to guide the development of the world to suit my play-style.  As much as I love alien worlds and what-not, I also would like the option to make that world have that touch of familiarity, so that I may feel more connected to the world.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't know a whole lot about coding, but, hopefully, a feature such as this wouldn't be too hard to implement.

I intend for the player to be able to do these sorts of things, yes. I'm not *EXACTLY* sure how I'll implement that yet, mostly because there are still some big segments of history and creature generation that need to be built upon once the game engine is looking more sturdy, but I'd like for people to be able to insert premade races and such with relative ease (probably just by copy-pasting some definition files, many of which I'll include as optional material for people who want it).

2 - How will you handle aspects regarding magical elements? Will spells or magical practices also be procedurally generated? Will certain things like alchemy be present in each world, or will these aspects also be procedurally generated?  Also, will the game procedurally generate magical symbols, if you add such things at all?  I am rather curious about this, because I am always a mage when I play fantasy games

I think spells and magic will be more akin to those in Morrowind. The 'stock' spells will be procedurally generated, but a trained mage character will be able to create their own customized spells via some kind of spellmaking interface. Spells/abilities gained through the worship of a deity, on the other hand, will all be completely procedurally generated, and will probably not be customizable in the same way magic is (although they may well be very potent in comparison with most types of 'normal' magic).

3 - How will the ethics, laws, architecture, etc. be handled in civilizations?  I would assume that the customs of each civilization will be procedurally generated, but what about architecture? Will each civilization use pre-made architecture, or will it be procedurally generated? If it is the latter, how will these buildings look in-game?

All procedural, eventually, yes. I had already considered procedural architecture to be one of my goals, and I have quite a few thoughts on how I want to implement that. I don't really want to say too much yet, though - mostly because I would enjoy showing off the results tangibly with a video or images much more than writing about the concepts here and spoiling them.

I will give away one small spoiler just for the sake of teasing, however: if you see a procedurally generated architectural design you like, you'll be able to copy it directly as a blueprint into the building system and replicate it with just a few clicks wherever you'd like to build.

[MorleyDev]

The Necronomicon just makes you realise "Well, reality is screwed. I may as well be the one to screw it!". I imagine the source for this will be more like the Lost Ark...

[Lord Dullard]

Currently designing the inventory system. Deciding on a suitable layout for the damned thing is much more difficult than I thought it'd be.

[Neonivek]

Currently designing the inventory system. Deciding on a suitable layout for the damned thing is much more difficult than I thought it'd be.

There is a reason why a lot of people give up and just outright copy.