[Freeciv-Dev] Re: New River Generator

[Erik Sigra <freeciv@xxxxxxx>]

Paul Zastoupil wrote:
> 
> On Wed, Sep 06, 2000 at 08:36:52PM +0200, Erik Sigra eloquently wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I have improved my river generation algorithm very much today. I think
> > the rivers can't be made much better than this with the current
> > terrain system. Now the rivers are much smarter. If they start at a
> > sea corner, they no longer usually fow far away somewhere. That is
> > because they now prefer to flow away from mountains and hills, and
> > flow towards oceans, rivers and swamps, as you can see on these
> > pictures:
> 
> I really like it.
> 
> This is nitpicking, but I think it would be nice to have rivers have a
> higher chance of starting in the hills and mountains rather than in
> random plains locations.  This seems more geographically interesting.

My intention was to generate sailable (from the ocean) rivers. Real rivers are 
usually not sailable from the ocean and up to the spring in the high mountains. 
Like Thue said in another context:

Jerzy>> Sailing through mountain disabled (though opinions vary)
Thue>I will register my vote that it should be allowed; if the river wasn't big
Thue>enough for it it shouldn't be on the map! Besides, it is simpler if it is 
Thue>allowed.

The rivers often start at the base of mountains. The Freeciv rivers represent 
such rivers as the Nile, Amazonas, Mississippi, Rhine, Danube, Volga, .... 
Mountain streams (representing for example Inn (Alps), Drau (Alps), Aare (Alps),
Salmon R. (Rocky Mts.), Madison R. (Rocky Mts.), Sungai Mahakan (Borneo) and 
perhaps the first parts of the firstmentioned rivers) are below the scale of 
simulation.

However, we could make a new terrain feature called stream, with its own 
graphic. It would not be sailabe but big enough to irrigate from. They could 
start in mountains. (Of cours even streams could be sailable with even smaller 
boats, but that is REALLY belwo the scale of simulation!)

> Paul Zastoupil

Erik Sigra