novafarma/docs/2.5D_TERRAIN_GUIDE.md

🏔️ 2.5D TERRAIN SYSTEM - COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION

📋 OVERVIEW

Complete 2.5D terrain system with procedural hills, height-based collision, and visual polish.

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✅ PHASE 1: HEIGHT GENERATION & VISUALIZATION (COMPLETED)

Implementation:

• Height Generation: Perlin noise (0.05 frequency) generates smooth hills
• Height Range: 0-5 discrete levels
• Visual Effects:
  • Tint: 0x666666 (dark valleys) → 0xffffff (bright peaks)
  • Scale: 1.0x → 1.5x (50% size increase on peaks)
  • Y-Offset: 0px → -75px (massive elevation)

Code Location:

• Generation: TerrainSystem.js - generateChunk() line ~504
• Visualization: TerrainSystem.js - updateCulling() line ~1031

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✅ PHASE 2: WALKABILITY CONSTRAINTS (COMPLETED)

Implementation:

• Height-Aware Collision: Can't walk over height difference > 1
• Cliff Detection: Checks Math.abs(toHeight - fromHeight) > 1
• Console Feedback: Logs "🏔️ Blocked by cliff!"

Code Location:

• Collision Check: TerrainSystem.js - isSolid(x, y, fromX, fromY) line ~1262

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🎨 PHASE 3: VISUAL POLISH (OPTIONAL)

Planned Features:

1. Cliff Edge Sprites

// Detect cliff edges (height diff > 1)
if (heightDiff > 1) {
    // Add cliff edge sprite between tiles
    const edgeSprite = this.add.sprite(x, y, 'cliff_edge');
    edgeSprite.setRotation(angleToNeighbor);
}

2. Shadow Effects

// Add shadow to lower tiles near cliffs
const shadowAlpha = Math.min(heightDiff * 0.2, 0.6);
const shadow = this.add.rectangle(x, y, tileWidth, tileHeight, 0x000000, shadowAlpha);

3. Gradient Blending

// Smooth color transitions between heights
const neighborAvgHeight = (h1 + h2 + h3 + h4) / 4;
const blendedTint = interpolateColor(currentTint, avgTint, 0.3);

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🎮 USAGE

Reset World (New Seed):

// In browser console (F12):
localStorage.clear();
// Refresh → New procedural world with hills!

Test Height System:

const scene = window.gameState.gameScene;
const tile = scene.terrainSystem.getTile(50, 50);
console.log('Height:', tile.height); // 0-5

Test Collision:

1. Walk around the map
2. Try to climb steep hills (height diff > 1)
3. Console: "🏔️ Blocked by cliff!"

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📊 CURRENT STATUS

Feature	Status	Description
Height Generation	✅ Complete	Procedural hills with Perlin noise
Visual Height	✅ Complete	Tint + Scale + Y-offset
Walkability	✅ Complete	Height-based collision
Cliff Edges	⏳ Optional	Visual borders (Phase 3)
Shadows	⏳ Optional	Shadow effects (Phase 3)
Gradients	⏳ Optional	Smooth blending (Phase 3)

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🔧 CUSTOMIZATION

Adjust Height Intensity:

// In TerrainSystem.js - generateChunk()
const heightNoise = this.noise.noise(x * 0.05, y * 0.05);
const rawHeight = (heightNoise + 1) * 2.5; // Change 2.5 to 5.0 for more extreme (0-10 range)

Adjust Visual Effects:

// In TerrainSystem.js - updateCulling()
const tintValue = 0x666666 + (height * 0x333333); // Adjust contrast
const scaleBonus = 1.0 + (height * 0.1); // Adjust size (0.1 = 10% per level)
const elevationOffset = -(height * 15); // Adjust elevation (15px per level)

Adjust Walkability:

// In TerrainSystem.js - isSolid()
if (heightDiff > 1) { // Change to 2 for more permissive, 0 for stricter
    return true; // Blocked
}

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🐛 TROUBLESHOOTING

Hills not visible?

1. Clear localStorage: localStorage.clear()
2. Refresh page
3. Check console for "🏔️ HEIGHT GENERATION" logs

Can walk through cliffs?

1. Ensure player movement uses terrainSystem.isSolid(x, y, fromX, fromY) with 4 parameters
2. Check console for "🏔️ Blocked by cliff!" messages

Tiles look glitchy?

1. Reduce elevation offset (try height * 10 instead of * 15)
2. Reduce scale bonus (try height * 0.05 instead of * 0.1)

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📚 FILES MODIFIED

• src/systems/TerrainSystem.js - Height generation & visualization
• docs/HEIGHT_SYSTEM_PLAN.md - Implementation plan
• docs/2.5D_TERRAIN_GUIDE.md - This file

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Implementation Date: 2025-12-14
Status: Phase 1-2 Complete, Phase 3 Optional
Author: Antigravity AI Assistant