About
This small application generates a set of possible biomes for a planet. The biomes are based on the planet's size, atmosphere, hydrographic percentage, min/average/max temperature, and the presence of indigenous life (which is itself affected by the other factors). It is intended for use with classic 2D6 SF games, but could be used for other systems too. The ultimate intent is to also incorporate it within my larger Port2Jump application as part of a fuller experience for 2D6 space travellers!
Instructions for Use
For each of the parameters you can either choose a fixed value, or set to random. For the UWP (Universal World Profile) leave blank for random, or enter in a 3 hex digit (e.g. 878 - Size/Atmos/Hydro) form, or in the full 8 hex digit hyphened form (e.g. C878321-8). Note that temperatures are in Centigrade.
The output shows the percentage of the planet covered in each biome. It also shows how many hexes (based on a standard 492 hex icosahedral map) would be of each biome, and the size of a standard hex for that size world. It also shows a random location/biome on the world in case players are crashing on it, and a random location (ignoring water) if they are landing on it. Just click on the Generate Biomes button to start generating!
Life Definitions
The model of evolution used here is a very simple one, and may be improved over time. It is very linear and terra-chauvanist, so primitive life leads to plant life which leads to animal life, and all of one branch must develop before moving onto the next. Later versions will allow for parallel branches with different maturity levels. The levels are:
1. Primitive Life
- 1.1 - Single Cell
- 1.2 - Primitive Multi-cellular
- 1.3 - Microscopic Life (e.g. Plankton, possibly algaes)
2. Plant Life
- 2.1 - Lichen
- 2.2 - Grasses
- 2.3 - Shrubs & Ferns
- 2.4 - Fungi
- 2.5 - Non-Flowering Trees
- 2.6 - Flowering Plants
- 2.7 - Flowering Trees
3. Animal Life
- 3.1 - Primitive Invertebrates
- 3.2 - Fish
- 3.3 - Insects
- 3.4 - Amphibians
- 3.5 - MesoFauna (e.g. up to dog/sheep/deer size)
- 3.6 - MegaFauna (e.g. elephant/big dinosaur size)
- 3.7 - Proto-Sentient (e.g. higher apes, dolphins, octopus
In addition, the planet's ecology has been categorised by biological compatibility with humans:
- Poisonous - poisonous to humans. You could roll 2D6 for how poisonous.
- Poisonous but source modifiable. If the tech and manpower is available geneering can be used to make the life can be made inert or even human-compatible.
- Poisonous but consumer modifiable. If the tech is available geneering can be used to adapt humans to tolerate or even thrive on the biomass.
- Neutral - the stuff just passes straight through!
- Edible - humans can eat and derive nutrition from the biomass.
Of course this is just the general situation, even ecologies with edible life are still likely to have poisonous things!
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Biome Definitions
No formal biome model has been used, just a selection of biomes that seem to me to give a typical and interesting ange, and which can be easily described to players. I may try and better map these on to the T5 Terrain Types in due course. The biomes are:
- *Vacuum - No atmosphere, just a lump of rock
- *Icecap - Solid ice, may be over an ocean or rock
- Tundra - Frozen soil with some small plants and grasses
- *Frosty Desert - Desert but with most grains frozen together
- Taiga Forest - A forest of hardy shrubs and small trees typically found at the edge of the Tundra
- Shrub Forest - A forest of shrubs and small trees, more lush than the Taiga
- Forest - a temperate forest of trees
- Marsh - an area of wet land
- Plains - an area of grassland, also includes Steppe type landscapes over rolling hills
- Rural - an area of fields and trees, good for farming
- Savannah - a hotter, drier version of the plains
- Jungle - a hot, humid and very lush area of shrubs and trees
- Shrub Jungle - a hot, humid and very lush area of shrubs
- Mangrove Swamp - a hot, humid area of wet land with shrubs and smaller trees
- Thorny Desert - a desert with sparse, small shrubs
- *Rocky Desert - a desert which is more rock than sand
- *Sandy Desert - a desert of rolling dunes
- *Sea/Ocean - large expanses of water
- Coral Reef - areas of shallow, warm sea with rich underwater life
Items marked * are all that can appear if world has no life more developed than multi-cellular.
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(c) 2020 David Burden/Tau Noyen Publishing - david@burden.name
Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Portions of this material are © 1977-2020 Far Future Enterprises.