The Pieces are Finally Coming TogetherFor quite a long while now, I've been evaluating and collecting mods to combine into one, special, main, singleplayer world that I could retreat to and relax in.
Watershed's mapgen is the foundation of that new world.
Now if you've ever tried to add landscape mods to Watershed generated world, you will have discovered that Watershed is
incompatible with most of them. The landscape mods require nodes that
do not exist in Watershed. The landscape mods, including Watershed have to be customized to work together.
Back when Watershed was in it's v0.2.9 stage,
I made an attempt to add my favorite tree and plant mods to Watershed. The results were encouraging. However, Watershed's development was still tumultuous so I decided to wait till things stabilized a bit.
About the time of v0.4.1, I felt comfortable enough with Watershed's stage of development to take another crack at setting things up. Finally I've been able put many of my notes and ideas into motion for this project.
The following screenshots are from the prototype, "scouting/surveying/overview-map making/planning" version of my new world. No builds, just beautiful scenery.
(Three worlds total, a "tinkering" version for testing and trying mods, a "scouting" version for exploring, and the main world itself. Yeah, I'm serious about this project.)Landscaping Mods Used* I see VanessaE has very recently incorporated Ferns and DryPlants into PlantLife and has made some code updates.Many thanks to Blockmen/PilzAdam, MirceaKitsune, Mossmanikin, Bas080, VanessaE, and especially paramat for creating the mods that make my long-time Minetest dream a [virtual] reality.
; )Fog BanksOne of the many features of Watershed are fog banks. Here is a day-time shot of a tiny island engulfed in a fog bank. On the island is a solitary, MoreTrees fir tree. The island next to it has apple trees from MoreTrees. In the background is a Watershed snow biome and conifers along with some MoreTrees spruce, firs, and pines. In the foreground left, are plants from two mods, Ferns and DryPlants.
On a Dark and Spooky Night...The same scene in a night-shot. The fog makes things look more spooky at night. It would be great to be able to add this fog to haunted builds and graveyards.
Extreme and FantasticIn the foreground are Watershed's signature acacia trees and drygrass. However, the most defining feature of them all is Watershed's extreme terrain. In the background you can see MoreTrees beech, oak, and giant sequoia trees growing atop of Watershed's high-altitude floatlands.
Serene and Not-So ExtremeNot all of Watershed's landscapes are extreme verticals. Watershed also generates rolling hills and vast seas. Here is a serene night-shot with acacia trees and drygrass in the foreground. Watershed's jungletrees, Fern's tree ferns, and MoreTrees palms from edge-to-edge in the middle-ground. paramat's fork of Conifers produced the tall, slender trees jutting out against the nighttime sky in the background.
Tinkering, Persistance, and Level-Upon-Level of Scenic BeautyAs you have seen already, Watershed and other flora mods can be made compatible with each other,... with some tinkering. Persistence pays off with views like this natural apple orchard at the base of floatlands, under a thick MInetest cloud, under the thin, cirrostratus clouds of Watershed, under even more plant and tree covered floatlands.
The Stuff Fantasy Stories are Made ofLooking down from far above, you can see that the high-altitude floatlands are by no means barren. Ranging from a small cluster of stone to islands large enough to build farms, villages, and towns on, Watershed's floatlands present many creative possibilities. Imagine connecting the populated islands with bridges, water ways, and fanciful airships. For the sculptors of Minetest, envision riding large, winged creatures from one floatland province to another.
Are You Up to the Challenge?Watershed is a radical and stunning break from the typical mapgen that most Minetest players are accustomed to. Watershed
embodies "epic".
Are
you up to the challenge?