v0.31:Advanced world generation

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v50.14 · v0.47 · v0.34 · v0.31.25 · v0.28 · v0.23 This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

Advanced Parameters

To access advanced parameters, press e when at the screen for creating new worlds with parameters screen. This will bring you to an editable list of various guidelines the world-gen process will use when creating your new world.

Parameter sets are stored in world_gen.txt in the \data\init folder, using world tokens. You can copy and paste other player's sets of parameters into your world_gen.txt to use their parameter sets, and some are provided at Pregenerated worlds. Another place to find parameter sets is the Worldgen cookbook thread on the official forums.

Caverns Parameters

Cavern Layer Number

This parameter determines how many cavern systems will be generated, not including the Magma layer or the Bottom layer. Defaults to three.

If this is 0 then you will not have Caverns on your map.

Example:

[CAVERN_LAYER_COUNT:3]

Note that disabling caverns will make it impossible to grow any underground plants because none will exist for your civilization to cultivate.

Layer Openness min\max

Dictates the size of cavern passages. A low value will create a network of small tunnels (like the old 40d caves) while a high value creates large open caverns.

Example:

[CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MIN:0]
[CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MAX:100]

Layer Passage Density min\max

This determines how many passages form the cavern. If openness (see above) is set to minimum and density is set to maximum then you will get a maze like network of small criss-crossing passages. If density is reduced then there will be fewer passages. A high density can cause more open space because the passages will overlap. If you want the largest open spaces possible then increase the density and openness together.

Example:

[CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MIN:0]
[CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MAX:100]

Layer Water min\max

Determines how many caverns will have water at the bottom. Note that, even at 100, there will be some amount of ground in caverns, but each cavern 'bubble' will contain some amount of water.

At 0, there will be no water in your caverns. This may impact future underground plant growth, although maps will still start with underground flora.

Example:

[CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MIN:0]

[CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MAX:100]

Magma Layer

Magma sea 4-5 layers at the bottom of map.

Value 1 forces magma layer, value 0 appears to prevent it.
Appears not have impact on volcanoes, nor vulcanism, so even if 0 there will still be emark locations with magma.
If a volcano exists, it appears to always tap the magma sea, but the magma sea will not be revealed by revealing the volcano.
(Unconfirmed whether magma layer still can occur if HFS exists in a specific embark tile, e.g. Temple).

Example:

[HAVE_BOTTOM_LAYER_1:1]

Bottom Layer

Cavern below magma sea. If "yes" the "HFS" layer is always present. Defaults to "yes".

If turned on, will force the magma layer above it.
(Unknown whether this has any impact on occurrence of HFS temple)

Example:

[HAVE_BOTTOM_LAYER_2:1]

Z Levels

[Previous table clear as mud; this table murky pool.]

Following table based on having 3 cavern layers. The Levels Above Layer settings control how many Z-Levels are above each layer. A layer may itself consist of multiple Z-Levels (and almost always does).

Setting Name	file tag	Description
Above Ground	LEVELS_ABOVE_GROUND	The number of Z-Levels of air above the highest surface level. Has no impact on how many Z-levels deep the surface layer is.
Above layer 1	LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_1	Z-Levels of stone above the first cavern layer. Making this higher will guarantee at least this many levels to build your fortress, but will have no impact on how many z-levels thick the surface layer is. Also, the top of a cavern may be higher than the rest of a cavern, so in practice there will be more levels than this.
Above Layer 2	LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_2	Z-levels of earth between very top of second cavern and very bottom of first cavern.
Above Layer 3	LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_3	Z-levels of earth between very top of third cavern and very bottom of second cavern.
Above Layer 4	LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_4	Z-Levels of earth between very highest magma and very bottom of third cavern. Spoiler Hidden:
Above Layer 5	LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_5	Uncertain. May control the number of levels of "Semi Molten Rock" between HFS and Magma, may control number of levels of magma, may impact both. In experimentation, the overall depth of all magma sea and semi-molten rock levels appears to increase, but not consistent enough to say for certain. Only valid if Magma Layer present. Spoiler Hidden:
At Bottom	LEVELS_AT_BOTTOM	Appears to be number of levels of HFS chamber. Only valid if Bottom Layer present. Often has no impact. Values larger than default results in strange things.

Some implications:

• The number of surface layers (e.g. soil), at this time, can not be controlled. For example, on a map with 1 layer of Peat, then a layer of Silt, then a layer of Obsidian, there is no control to let you increase either one to be, say, 20 z-levels. (though you may get lucky with the Obsidian).
• There can be multiple stone layers between the cavern and the surface. So increasing Levels Above Layer 1 may give you more Conglomerate, or more Granite, and you have no control over which stone layer spans those Z-Levels.
• The layers shown on embark span across the cavern layers in an unknown and inconsistent way. Sometimes those 10 different layers of stone are evenly distributed over your 400 z-level deep map, sometimes the first 9 get 1 z-level each and the last gets the other 391 levels. No way to control found yet.
• The HFS temple, if present, will always extend into the rock layers, and appears to always make contact with the bottom cave. Large values for levels above layer 5 and layer 4 can result in enormous temples, but the number of levels at the top (the part with undead) appears to be unaffected.
• Unconfirmed whether number of levels between caverns has any impact on cavern height. There will be connecting ramps and/or shafts between cavern layers no matter how many levels are between them.
• Very Important: These values appear to apply across a whole 16x16 Region, not just embark areas. That means that if a 16x16 region is completely flat, but has one tall mountain in one far corner, even if you set Levels Above Ground low (e.g. 2 z-levels) you still have all the empty air of the highest mountain in every embark tile (e.g. 200 z-levels). Also can happen to the semi-molten layer, and can lead to unexpected behavior.
• Very large values can cause strange things to happen. Even more true for small values.