islaApocalypse/Data

🗄️ Data Directory - Isla Apocalypse

Overview

The /Data directory is the static repository for all generated world files, visual previews, and configuration structures. It acts as the handoff point between the offline /Tools (which write the data) and the live /Server (which reads the data).

Core Philosophy: "The Immutable Source of Truth." Files stored in this primary directory are considered Base Blueprints. They are the starting point of the world before any player interacts with it. The Game Client should almost never read from this folder directly; it receives this data via the Server.

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📦 Current Contents (Phase 1)

1. Binary Blueprints (.dat)

• Format: Custom serialized binary (MapData_Seed_[X].dat).
• Purpose: Contains the highly compressed, raw mathematical output of the 2D Generator (Map Size, Height floats, Biome IDs, POI coordinates, Highway vectors).
• Usage: Read by the Server's Chunk Manager at startup to construct the untouched 3D voxel world.

2. Map Previews (.png)

• Format: 1024x1024 RGBA Images (Map_Seed_[X]_[Time].png).
• Purpose: High-resolution visual snapshots of the generated seeds.
• Usage: Used by the developer/server admin to visually review and select the best island layout before spinning up the 3D server.

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🚀 Future Roadmap & Planned Additions

As the game expands, this folder will be subdivided to organize different types of static game data:

3. /Prefabs (Planned - Phase 2/3)

• Format: .json or custom .prefab binaries.
• Purpose: 3D building templates (e.g., GasStation_Tier3.json) created by the Prefab Editor. The Server uses these files to spawn structures at the coordinates dictated by the master .dat blueprint.

4. /Configs (Planned - Phase 3)

• Format: .json or .cfg.
• Purpose: Human-readable configuration files for game balance.
  • LootTables.json: Defines what items spawn in which containers based on POI Tier.
  • VoxelPalette.json: Maps the 2D Biome IDs to 3D Voxel types.
  • SpawnRates.json: Defines zombie/animal spawn limits and Blood Moon horde scaling.

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⚠️ Directory Rules & Best Practices

1. NO Scripts or Code: This directory must strictly contain data files (.dat, .png, .json, .csv). It contains zero executable logic.
2. Live Saves vs. Base Data: * This folder holds the Base Game Data.
   • Live Player Saves and Terrain Deformation Diff Files should generally be saved to Godot's safe user:// path on the host machine, NOT in this project folder. This prevents live server saves from accidentally being bundled into the game's base code.
3. Version Control (Git) Warnings:
   • .dat and .png files can become very large.
   • Rule: Only commit the "Official Release" seed files to your repository. Use a .gitignore file to ignore random test generations so you don't bloat your project repository with gigabytes of discarded test maps.