I would like the server code to build the initial world map as much as possible including NPC buildings and quests. V1/V2 did a decent job making a natural world then admins would mess it up with pre-built stuff. I want the server code to be able to make/add the pre-built stuff as well.
I was able to do this in V5 for the modern worlds. If you played the zombie/modern then you saw the roads, sewers and buildings there. The system set them all up randomly. The buildings (10x10, 20x20), road and sewer parts, were made by me in a map editor. Then the server had a building.ini file it used to know what map was designated for what use. The maps were even rotatable so the front doors faced the roads. Each item had 3-4 images so it could rotate around: walls, doors, toilets, beds, sinks, furniture, etc.
I never brought it to the fantasy worlds cuz I hoped that NPCs and players would build the cities themselves. Maybe the NPCs would use a building map to follow. But that was V5, this is V6 and I need to get player approval for just about everything
, soooo...
How should natural world maps get created?
1 - V1 - original maps, all one biome/terrain, blocky elevations
2 - V2 - photoshop cloud made elevation maps, all one biome/terrain, smoother, more organic elevations
3 - V5 - a biome per sector, each having own elevation variations and plants and animals, blocky at sector edge but nice variations
4 - biome variation map but smooth/organic transitions, no sector edge boundaries, maybe using modified original map generator
5 - something else, please specify, that I can implement
I would post sample map images for ppl to see.
Then what about pre-built NPC stuff like cities?
Also, it is the trend in other games that quest maps are randomly created. Caves, mazes, dungeons, etc. I can set them all up at initial creation and they remain static. For some, they could be dynamic, changing once per week or day. If once per day then the treasure could just be non-respawn items too.