islaApocalypse/Tools/README.md
beezm d72ffc0183 docs: bring all READMEs current with actual code (post-sweep-10 truth pass)
Every README was read first, checked against the code in its directory, then
rewritten to describe what the code actually does now.

Corrected throughout: map size is config-driven (8192 default) not a fixed
4096; chunks are 24x24x256 not 32x32; road carving is implemented for all four
tiers, not a 'next step'; Data/ and Resources/ are empty, not populated.

Also fixed MATH_MARCHING_CUBES.md, which documented the density sign convention
exactly backwards — it claimed positive was underground, where the code treats
positive as above the surface and counts a corner inside when density < iso.
Getting that backwards inverts every normal, a bug this project has hit before.

The root README now carries accurate run steps: F5 runs the map generator (not
the game), F6 on Scenes/Main.tscn runs the 3D world, and ChunkRadius is a load
radius that should be dropped to 4-8 while iterating.

Docs only. No code changed.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-08-05 05:23:58 -04:00

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# /Tools
Offline developer utilities. **Nothing here ships.** These generate the source data that `/Server`
and `/Client` later consume, which keeps world-generation logic out of the shipped client.
## The 2D world generator
**Script:** `Tools/Scripts/MapGenerator.cs` · **Scenes:** `Tools/Scenes/MapPreview.tscn` and
`Scenes/MapCaptureTool.tscn`
Builds the topographical and logistical foundation of the island before any 3D exists.
- **Resolution is config-driven**, from `ServerConfig.json`'s `MapProfile`: `4K`/`6K`/`8K`/`10K` →
4096 / 6144 / 8192 / 10240. **Shipped default is 8K.** 1 pixel = 1 in-game metre = 1 voxel
footprint. (The `MapSize` field initialiser in the script says 4096, but it is overwritten from
config before use.)
- **Topography:** FastNoiseLite plus distance-falloff maths for a guaranteed mainland island, a
mountain spine, dynamic temperature-driven sea level, and an impact crater pushed into the northern
coast (carved at 80 % of its radius so a landbridge always survives).
- **Logistics:** `AStarGrid2D` pathfinding producing a looping continental highway, a branch to the
mountain hub, and county roads daisy-chained outward with Prim's algorithm. Paths are decimated
(RamerDouglasPeucker) then smoothed (4 Chaikin passes).
- **Zoning:** biome mapping and tiered town/POI placement by slope, temperature and proximity.
### ⚠️ A\* is the known bottleneck
The grid is one node per pixel — **67 million nodes at 8K** — and the weight-setup pass walks every
one of them. A full generation can stall long enough that runs get abandoned. `await` yields are
sprinkled through the road stage, but they cannot interrupt a single engine-side `GetPointPath` call,
so they only help between paths. Expect a regeneration to take minutes, or to need abandoning.
### Outputs — written to `user://`, not into the project
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
| `MapData_Seed_<seed>.dat` | The binary blueprint the server reads (~512 MB at 8K) |
| `Map_Seed_<seed>.png` | Visual snapshot of the map, for reviewing and picking seeds |
On Linux: `~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata/islaApocolypse/`.
### Running it
Open `Tools/Scenes/MapPreview.tscn` and press **F6**. It is also the project's main scene, so
**pressing F5 anywhere runs this** — which is why F5 regenerates your world instead of starting the
game. Use `Scenes/MapCaptureTool.tscn` when you specifically want the full-resolution PNG.
## Rules
1. **No client dependencies.** Nothing here may reference UI, player controllers or shaders in
`/Client`.
2. **Data out, nothing in.** Tools emit `.dat`/`.png`/`.json`; they never write to a live server save.
3. **No magic numbers.** Distances and radii scale off `MapSize` or the derived `scaleFactor`, so the
generator behaves the same at every profile.