NextGame has got some growing pine trees today.
This was not a small bit, here’s why:
MapObjects format is largely reworked and now each tree knows what it will become on the next age step and how long that would take. Also it knows which terrain types it prefers (e.g. grass and dirt for pines, but sand for palms). The way growing trees are managed is changed too, now they are all written in a list and their ages increased from there (instead of iterating over a whole map, checking each and every object if it is a tree and if it should become bigger).
Connected to that there’s a very raw woodcutters hut sketch. Someone has to live somewhere to plant and cut those trees, right? I figure that we will need a woodcutter irregardless of tech tree changes 😉
On the screenshot you might as well see all 4 pines ages – 1/2/3 sections and a stump.
Nice work 🙂 Instead of using discrete age steps we could make object growth continious, so the model keeps scaling larger and larger all the time, but very slowly so the player doesn’t notice. Although that’s probably more complicated to implement and might look funny (like a balloon inflating :P)
I think we can combine both approaches in a way, since young trees have a noticeably different shape/proportions (especially those from Savanna biom).
I also haven’t thought about animation yet, which would be much desired 🙂
Good idea from liquid developments of trees. It is worthwhile also thinking about converting areas into forest with lot of trees because the Middle Ages is forests full of animals.
I’m not sure I understand the idea. Could you please explain it in more detail?
I sent you the mail with the image what I meant, about a lot of trees and forest.
Thanks. I see the idea now. We could try something like that later in development 🙂