Report this post
|
|
 
Novice Member
Joined: 5/02/04
Posts: 1045
|
FYI
http://ap.ofganareth.com/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=22&t=261&s=3959356e471ae870f346905ae2bfca98
WEATHER
The weather is indeed a very important factor in the day to day life in Ganareth. We are now dynamically managing air temperatures and cloud cover as well as wind speed and direction.
With these three parameters, we can go on to deduce many more, for example, cloud + cold = snow; cloud + wind = storms; cloud + high temperatures = hurricanes.
Weather conditions are not managed randomly. Like land formation, the weather is created procedurally. It is roughly defined and then evolves daily. Using procedures, they manage to determine weather conditions at an exact point. There is some degree of random input so as to guarantee the developers more diversity, but they always obtain the same result at a given point in a given place. In fact, they use four dimensions, x, y, z, and t (for time). With this equation we determine a random value that guarantees we will always have the same result at location xyzt.
The developers can set weather rules, thus determining that in certain areas over 2500 meters altitude, snow never melts.
There are plenty of microclimates in Ganareth. Within 2 square kilometres, we can have two very different climates and yet remain completely logical.
At the moment there are two main seasons, winter and summer (even though we do in fact manage mid-seasons too). They each have their own realistic characteristics: in winter, snow lays; in summer, snow melts.
Weather forecasts can be made. Even though the weather is procedural, the weather can be determined to an infinite date and to the closest millimetre. In order to help the players, weather forecasting (more or less reliable) will be presented in advance, in the significant places of communication such as cities and villages.
The layer of snow builds up according to how much snow has fallen; similarly, it melts according to temperatures. To make things more realistic, each type of object on the ground has its own snow roughness coefficient. As an example, snow melts less quickly on grass than it does on rock.
Snow also lies on branches and man-made objects (house roofs for example). In contrast with other games, snow doesn’t just mean a whitening of the texture: we really do build up a snow layer so that, for example, a small house may have snow up to its windows.
The vegetation can also be snow-covered.
When it is windy, leaves move and trees sway. Every kind of tree has its own stiffness coefficient, so that with the same wind force, a coconut palm will sway more than an oak.
When certain places are subjected to extreme weather conditions (150km/h winds, blizzards), the 3D sound coupled to the weather visuals provide a really interesting immersion.
Weather is a great asset as far as gameplay goes. Some characters will find it harder to get around in snow: a fairy will attract fewer problems than a dwarf when the snow is knee-deep, but the opposite will apply when there are high winds, since wind speed and direction also affect character motion.
Apart from any graphical benefits, the weather gives the players a chance to take their game into a new strategic dimension, since there is the same field of vision for the land as there is for the weather. A player can see whether a mountain 50 kilometres away is cloud covered or not.
An of course, all these weather phenomena are linked to gameplay via quests, craft, etc.
Twisters are being developed, which act according to real rules: wind, pressure, ground temperature, etc.
Hailstorms will also have a physical impact on players - imagine a fairy bombarded by hailstones.
Sandstorms in the desert, rainbows, and auroras, apart from being visually exciting, will be trigger items in the gameplay.
Celestial vault phenomena - shooting stars and comets - will also have a trigger effect.
The landscape is created dynamically from a set of parameters, set by the developers. We could fear, that this would cause repetitive landscapes, but the developers promise that that is not the case.
Snow isn’t just a graphic overlay on an existing surface. Snow builds up according to how much has fallen. This means that the player may experience his house being covered with snow all the way to the windows. Like this wasn’t enough ‘coolness’, the system is programmed so that snow melts faster on stone than on for example grass - like in the real world.
You can see the weather as far ahead as the landscape, you’re able to see if a storm is raging on the top of the next mountain you have to pass 50 kilometres ahead. If that’s the case, you might want to find another way, or wait till things have settled down.
We currently implemented a weather management layer which is based on the location (North, South…) and the altitude. The temperature and wind are also involved. All of these parameters give us the ability to create snow, rain, storms, hurricanes, tornados, and frozen lakes. Clouds are moving in the sky and the 2 half moons influence the weather. Finally, you also find micro-climates (showers).
Weather conditions certainly make you play differently, especially when you have to walk in snow. Depending on the weather conditions, some monsters can be popped or not, and be more or less aggressive. For crafts you also have bonuses or disadvantages in regard to weather conditions. Certain areas are accessible during winter thanks to frozen lakes. When spring arrives, the snow disappears, and hidden items will be revealed.
The developers are also very proud of their ambitious weather system, which will limit access to some areas depending on the season.
|
