Pre-rewrite reference checkpoint — final state of the salvage/prototype codebase (C0/C0b complete)

The rewrite (D-049) starts from a clean slate; this commit is the reference
implementation of the graduated design.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Scenes/Main.tscn

@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ ground_bottom_color = Color(0.16, 0.15, 0.14, 1)
 ground_horizon_color = Color(0.58, 0.56, 0.5, 1)
 ground_curve = 0.05
 sun_angle_max = 12.0
-sun_curve = 0.15
 
 [sub_resource type="Sky" id="Sky_main0"]
 sky_material = SubResource("ProceduralSkyMaterial_sky0")
@@ -27,7 +26,6 @@ script = ExtResource("1_r150o")
 
 [node name="DirectionalLight3D" type="DirectionalLight3D" parent="." unique_id=1569534216]
 transform = Transform3D(-0.7071068, 0, 0.7071068, 0.5572077, 0.6156615, 0.5572077, -0.4353384, 0.7880108, -0.4353384, 0, 0, 0)
-light_energy = 1.0
 shadow_enabled = true
 directional_shadow_max_distance = 2500.0
 

Server/Scripts/ServerChunkManager.cs

@@ -84,11 +84,8 @@ namespace IslaApocalypse.Server
 						break;
 					}
 				}
-
+				// Manual Test point
-				// Old original png map coords
+				// Vector2 capitolPos = new Vector2(6852, 6241);
-				// Vector2 capitolPos = new Vector2(2405, 3296); // hardcoded for now since we know exactly where it is in this seed, which is the "paradise" biome hub
-				// New Manual Test point
-				// Vector2 capitolPos = new Vector2(4487, 4424);
 
 				GD.Print($"[Server] Capitol found at {capitolPos}. Generating chunks...");
 

ServerConfig.json

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 {
-  "WorldSeed": 1409879727,
+  "WorldSeed": 1280587109,
   "MapProfile": "8K",
   "TownDensity": "Normal",
-  "ChunkRadius": 32,
+  "ChunkRadius": 64,
   "SeaLevelModel": "flat",
   "SeaLevelValue": 0.15
 }

Tools/Scripts/MapGenerator.md

@@ -1,57 +1,57 @@
-# MapGenerator.cs - Architecture & Historical Decisions
+# MapGenerator.cs - Architecture & Historical Decisions
-
+
-**Date:** March 2026
+**Date:** March 2026
-**Purpose:** Generates the 2D topographical blueprint (Topography, Biomes, Cities, and Road Networks)
+**Purpose:** Generates the 2D topographical blueprint (Topography, Biomes, Cities, and Road Networks)
-to be parsed and translated into a 3D Voxel World.
+to be parsed and translated into a 3D Voxel World.
-
+
-> ⚠ **Historical document — read it as a record of decisions, not as current spec.** It was written
+> ⚠ **Historical document — read it as a record of decisions, not as current spec.** It was written
-> when the map was 4096², and references to that size throughout should be read as "the map size of
+> when the map was 4096², and references to that size throughout should be read as "the map size of
-> the day". **Map size is now config-driven** (`MapProfile` in `ServerConfig.json`; 8192 by default),
+> the day". **Map size is now config-driven** (`MapProfile` in `ServerConfig.json`; 8192 by default),
-> and the reasoning it describes — scaling everything off `MapSize` rather than hardcoding — is
+> and the reasoning it describes — scaling everything off `MapSize` rather than hardcoding — is
-> exactly what makes that work.
+> exactly what makes that work.
->
+>
-> For the current behaviour see `Tools/Scripts/README.md`. For design rationale and the decisions
+> For the current behaviour see `Tools/Scripts/README.md`. For design rationale and the decisions
-> behind the project, see the design vault.
+> behind the project, see the design vault.
-
+
----
+---
-
+
-## 1. Topography & The Impact Crater
+## 1. Topography & The Impact Crater
-* **Base Generation:** Uses `FastNoiseLite` to generate standard heightmaps and temperature maps, which drive dynamic biomes.
+* **Base Generation:** Uses `FastNoiseLite` to generate standard heightmaps and temperature maps, which drive dynamic biomes.
-* **Dynamic Sea Level:** Sea level is calculated based on the temperature map (simulating ice caps/equatorial swelling).
+* **Dynamic Sea Level:** Sea level is calculated based on the temperature map (simulating ice caps/equatorial swelling).
-* **The Crater:** A massive (radius 400) blast zone is forced along the northern coast. Surrounding it is a `Biome.Wasteland` with a noise-driven "fray" on its borders.
+* **The Crater:** A massive (radius 400) blast zone is forced along the northern coast. Surrounding it is a `Biome.Wasteland` with a noise-driven "fray" on its borders.
-* **Design Choice:** We allowed the crater to occasionally spawn slightly inland rather than strictly on the beach. This creates natural topographical "pinch points" that will result in highly memorable, claustrophobic 3D driving mechanics.
+* **Design Choice:** We allowed the crater to occasionally spawn slightly inland rather than strictly on the beach. This creates natural topographical "pinch points" that will result in highly memorable, claustrophobic 3D driving mechanics.
-
+
-## 2. City Placement & The Capitol Tether
+## 2. City Placement & The Capitol Tether
-* **The Challenge:** The Capitol City must spawn inside the radioactive Wasteland, but it MUST be connected to the contiguous mainland for the A* highway to reach it. Early iterations spawned the Capitol underwater or stranded it on offshore islands caused by the Wasteland noise bleeding over the ocean.
+* **The Challenge:** The Capitol City must spawn inside the radioactive Wasteland, but it MUST be connected to the contiguous mainland for the A* highway to reach it. Early iterations spawned the Capitol underwater or stranded it on offshore islands caused by the Wasteland noise bleeding over the ocean.
-* **The Solution (Smart Tiered Spawner):** We abandoned a rigid `while` loop in favor of a tiered attempt system. 
+* **The Solution (Smart Tiered Spawner):** We abandoned a rigid `while` loop in favor of a tiered attempt system. 
-    * **Tier 1:** Searches for ideal (Wasteland + Coastal + Mainland).
+	* **Tier 1:** Searches for ideal (Wasteland + Coastal + Mainland).
-    * **Tier 2:** Relaxes the coastal requirement.
+	* **Tier 2:** Relaxes the coastal requirement.
-    * **Tier 3:** Scans the entire array for the closest valid pixel to the impact center.
+	* **Tier 3:** Scans the entire array for the closest valid pixel to the impact center.
-    * **Tier 4 (Doomsday):** Walks strictly south until it hits the mainland.
+	* **Tier 4 (Doomsday):** Walks strictly south until it hits the mainland.
-
+
-## 3. The Pathfinding Wars (A* Road Optimization)
+## 3. The Pathfinding Wars (A* Road Optimization)
-The road network generation was the hardest logistical hurdle. Standard grid-based `AStarGrid2D` math does not scale cleanly to a 4096 map. 
+The road network generation was the hardest logistical hurdle. Standard grid-based `AStarGrid2D` math does not scale cleanly to a 4096 map. 
-
+
-### Phase 1: The 16-Minute Bottleneck
+### Phase 1: The 16-Minute Bottleneck
-* **The Flaw:** To force the highway to create a large loop connecting our 3 Hubs, we used an `ApplyRepulsion` function that penalized pixels in a 400px radius around the first drawn road.
+* **The Flaw:** To force the highway to create a large loop connecting our 3 Hubs, we used an `ApplyRepulsion` function that penalized pixels in a 400px radius around the first drawn road.
-* **The Math:** Repelling a 2,000-point path with a 400px radius resulted in over **1.3 Billion** nested loop iterations. The CPU choked, and generation took 11–16 minutes. 
+* **The Math:** Repelling a 2,000-point path with a 400px radius resulted in over **1.3 Billion** nested loop iterations. The CPU choked, and generation took 11–16 minutes. 
-* **The Result:** Unusable generation times, extreme stair-stepping (zig-zagging), and roads cutting straight over mountains.
+* **The Result:** Unusable generation times, extreme stair-stepping (zig-zagging), and roads cutting straight over mountains.
-
+
-### Phase 2: The Speedrun & The Double-Back
+### Phase 2: The Speedrun & The Double-Back
-* **The Flaw:** We ripped out the repulsion completely to save CPU time, dropping the render to **1 minute**. 
+* **The Flaw:** We ripped out the repulsion completely to save CPU time, dropping the render to **1 minute**. 
-* **The Result:** Because A* is deterministic, the pathfinder just used the exact same pixels to return to the start, completely breaking the 3-point loop and causing the highway to double back on itself.
+* **The Result:** Because A* is deterministic, the pathfinder just used the exact same pixels to return to the start, completely breaking the 3-point loop and causing the highway to double back on itself.
-
+
-### Phase 3: The Over-Engineered Spaghetti (The LLM Trap)
+### Phase 3: The Over-Engineered Spaghetti (The LLM Trap)
-* **The Flaw:** We brought in an external LLM to fix the pathing. It introduced a "Midland Sweet Spot" to force roads off the coast, and a "Daisy-Chain" mechanic for branch roads.
+* **The Flaw:** We brought in an external LLM to fix the pathing. It introduced a "Midland Sweet Spot" to force roads off the coast, and a "Daisy-Chain" mechanic for branch roads.
-* **The Result:** The highway started tracing narrow elevation contour lines like a drunk driver. The branch roads turned into a game of "Snake," meandering wildly to connect to each other instead of taking logical paths to the highway. Furthermore, adding a soft weight to the crater combined with our loop repulsion created a "Wasteland Phobia" where the A* algorithm mathematically folded and refused to complete the loop.
+* **The Result:** The highway started tracing narrow elevation contour lines like a drunk driver. The branch roads turned into a game of "Snake," meandering wildly to connect to each other instead of taking logical paths to the highway. Furthermore, adding a soft weight to the crater combined with our loop repulsion created a "Wasteland Phobia" where the A* algorithm mathematically folded and refused to complete the loop.
-
+
-### Phase 4: The Tactical Revert (Our Final State)
+### Phase 4: The Tactical Revert (Our Final State)
-We executed a deliberate tactical revert, stripping out the over-engineered LLM spaghetti and keeping only robust, simple math:
+We executed a deliberate tactical revert, stripping out the over-engineered LLM spaghetti and keeping only robust, simple math:
-1.  **Direct Branches:** Black roads path directly to the closest highway pixel. No daisy-chaining.
+1.  **Direct Branches:** Black roads path directly to the closest highway pixel. No daisy-chaining.
-2.  **The Iron Curtain Repulsion:** We restored a `+10000f` penalty to old highway segments with a radius of 120px to physically force the 3-point loop. We optimized it by only applying the penalty to every `step` (half the radius) pixel. Render time remains at ~1 minute.
+2.  **The Iron Curtain Repulsion:** We restored a `+10000f` penalty to old highway segments with a radius of 120px to physically force the 3-point loop. We optimized it by only applying the penalty to every `step` (half the radius) pixel. Render time remains at ~1 minute.
-3.  **Simple Elevation Weights:** Instead of a complex U-curve, we use `Mathf.Pow(normalizedElevation, 3.0f) * 400.0f` to aggressively punish mountains, and a flat `+15.0f` penalty to gently push roads off the beach sand.
+3.  **Simple Elevation Weights:** Instead of a complex U-curve, we use `Mathf.Pow(normalizedElevation, 3.0f) * 400.0f` to aggressively punish mountains, and a flat `+15.0f` penalty to gently push roads off the beach sand.
-
+
-## 4. The AAA Smoothing Pipeline
+## 4. The AAA Smoothing Pipeline
-Standard A* creates jagged, octagonal stair-steps that look terrible in a 3D voxel world. We completely eradicated this using a 2-step geometric smoothing pipeline:
+Standard A* creates jagged, octagonal stair-steps that look terrible in a 3D voxel world. We completely eradicated this using a 2-step geometric smoothing pipeline:
-1.  **Ramer-Douglas-Peucker (RDP):** Decimates the raw A* path, removing thousands of useless straight-line grid points and leaving only the major turns.
+1.  **Ramer-Douglas-Peucker (RDP):** Decimates the raw A* path, removing thousands of useless straight-line grid points and leaving only the major turns.
-2.  **Chaikin's Algorithm:** Performs 4 passes of corner-cutting on the decimated points, resulting in buttery-smooth, sweeping, AAA-style highway curves ready for 3D mesh generation.
+2.  **Chaikin's Algorithm:** Performs 4 passes of corner-cutting on the decimated points, resulting in buttery-smooth, sweeping, AAA-style highway curves ready for 3D mesh generation.