novafarma/docs/STRUCTURE_VISUAL_GUIDE.md

🏛️ STRUCTURE VISUAL GUIDE

Quick reference for structure types and their visual appearance in the game.

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🎨 COLOR CODING:

Landmarks (Gold)

Color: #FFD700 (Gold)
Symbol: ★ (Star)
Size: 15x15 tiles

Grassland Structures (Brown tones)

• Farm: #8B4513 (Saddle Brown)
• House: #A0522D (Sienna)
• Barn: #654321 (Dark Brown)
• Windmill: #D2691E (Chocolate)
• Well: #708090 (Slate Gray)

Forest Structures (Brown/Purple)

• Cabin: #8B4513 (Saddle Brown)
• Ruins: #696969 (Dim Gray)
• Treehouse: #8B7355 (Burlywood)
• Camp: #8B4513 (Saddle Brown)
• Shrine: #9370DB (Medium Purple)

Desert Structures (Sand/Gold)

• Pyramid: #DAA520 (Goldenrod)
• Oasis Camp: #8B7355 (Burlywood)
• Tomb: #CD853F (Peru)
• Pillar: #D2B48C (Tan)

Mountain Structures (Gray tones)

• Mine: #2F4F4F (Dark Slate Gray)
• Cave: #363636 (Very Dark Gray)
• Tower: #708090 (Slate Gray)
• Altar: #9370DB (Medium Purple)

Swamp Structures (Green/Brown)

• Hut: #556B2F (Dark Olive Green)
• Totem: #8B4513 (Saddle Brown)
• Bog Shrine: #6B8E23 (Olive Drab)
• Abandoned Dock: #654321 (Dark Brown)

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📏 SIZE REFERENCE:

Small (2-3 tiles):

• Well (2x2)
• Totem (2x2)
• Pillar (2x2)
• Camp (3x3)
• Hut (3x3)

Medium (4-5 tiles):

• House (4x4)
• Cabin (4x4)
• Shrine (4x4)
• Treehouse (4x4)
• Altar (4x4)
• Tower (4x4)
• Tomb (5x5)
• Mine (5x5)
• Cave (5x5)
• Windmill (5x5)
• Oasis Camp (5x5)
• Bog Shrine (4x4)
• Abandoned Dock (5x5)

Large (6-8 tiles):

• Barn (6x6)
• Ruins (6x6)
• Farm (7x7)
• Pyramid (8x8)

Landmarks (15 tiles):

• All landmarks: 15x15

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🛤️ ROAD COLORS:

Roads adapt to biome:

• Desert: #cda869 (Sandy)
• Mountain: #9090a0 (Stone Gray)
• Swamp: #5a4a3d (Dark Brown Mud)
• Default: #8B7355 (Brown Dirt)

Width: 3 tiles
Pattern: Natural curves (not straight)

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🗺️ IN-GAME APPEARANCE:

Grassland Area:

[🏡 House]  [🌾 Farm]  [⛲ Well]
            [🌾 Farm]
[🏚️ Barn]            [🌬️ Windmill]

Forest Area:

[🏚️ Ruins]         [🌲 Treehouse]
         [⛺ Camp]
[🏡 Cabin]         [⛩️ Shrine]

Desert Area:

         [🔺 Pyramid]
[🗿 Pillar]      [⚰️ Tomb]
         [⛺ Oasis Camp]

Mountain Area:

[🗼 Tower]         [⛰️ Cave]
         [⚒️ Mine]
                  [⛩️ Altar]

Swamp Area:

[🗿 Totem]    [🏚️ Hut]
        [⛩️ Bog Shrine]
[🚢 Abandoned Dock]

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🌟 LANDMARKS:

Ancient Temple (Forest)

    ★
┌─────────────────┐
│                 │
│  ANCIENT TEMPLE │
│   (GOLD 15x15)  │
│                 │
└─────────────────┘
Location: Deep in forest biome
Color: Gold (#FFD700)

Great Pyramid (Desert)

      ★
    ┌───┐
   ┌┴───┴┐
  ┌┴─────┴┐
 ┌┴───────┴┐
┌┴─────────┴┐
│GREAT PYRAMID│
└─────────────┘
Location: Desert biome
Color: Gold (#FFD700)

Mountain Peak (Mountain)

       ★
      /│\
     / │ \
    /  │  \
   / PEAK \
  /________\
Location: Highest mountain
Color: Gold (#FFD700)

Abandoned City (Grassland)

┌──┐ ┌──┐ ┌──┐
│  │ │★ │ │  │
│  │┌┴──┴┐│  │
└──┘│CITY││  │
    └────┘└──┘
Location: Grassland biome
Color: Gold (#FFD700)

Dragon Skeleton (Swamp)

    ★   /\
   ┌─┐ /──\
  ┌┴─┴┐──── >
  │DRAGON   \
  └─────┘
Location: Deep swamp
Color: Gold (#FFD700)

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🎮 GAMEPLAY TIPS:

Finding Structures:

1. Follow roads - they connect major areas
2. Explore biomes - each has unique structures
3. Look for landmarks - gold stars visible from distance
4. Check minimap - structures appear as colored dots

Structure Density:

• Grassland: High (farms, houses common)
• Forest: Medium (cabins, camps scattered)
• Desert: Low (oases rare, pyramids rarer)
• Mountain: Low (mines, caves isolated)
• Swamp: Low (huts, totems sparse)

Landmark Rarity:

• Only 1 per biome type
• 50-tile exclusion zone (no structures nearby)
• Visible from distance (gold star)
• Largest structures in game (15x15)

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📐 TECHNICAL DETAILS:

Placement Rules:

• Minimum 20-tile spacing between regular structures
• Minimum 50-tile spacing from landmarks
• Cannot place on water (rivers/lakes)
• Cannot place on roads
• Biome-specific types only

Rendering:

• Structures render in chunks (only visible chunks)
• Depth = 4-5 (above ground, below trees)
• Landmarks depth = 5-6 (very visible)
• Roads depth = 1.5 (below decorations)

Performance:

• 80 structures = negligible impact
• Chunk-based loading (only active chunks)
• Simple rectangles (fast rendering)
• Future: Can replace with sprites

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🔮 FUTURE PLANS:

Visual Improvements:

• Replace rectangles with detailed sprites
• Add structure variety (different designs)
• Animated landmarks (particles, glow effects)
• Weather effects on structures (snow, sand)

Gameplay Features:

• Interactive structures (enter buildings)
• Structure ownership (claim/build)
• NPC inhabitants
• Loot chests inside
• Quest objectives

Expansion:

• More structure types (20+ per biome)
• Village clusters (grouped structures)
• Dynamic structures (change over time)
• Player-built structures
• Structure upgrades

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Quick Reference: Use this guide to identify structures while exploring the world!

Color Coding: Each biome has distinct colors for easy identification!

Landmarks: Look for gold stars (★) to find epic locations!