Changes

1. The ninth (extrapolated) zoom on the maps was removed.
2. Models of the example planets are made with hillshading relief geotiffs. In the future, they will be made with biomes, ocean sectors, and possibly other vector objects.
3. Hillshading relief is done with multiplying of all heights by 10 times. This is only for better visualization.
4. Biomes on example planets are filled with solid color followed by pixel multiplication with the underlying relief layer. As a filler for polygons, you may also apply any texture.

Currently known issues of the project maps

1. The relief is generated by a renewed method, the algorithm of which is currently implemented with significant simplifications and therefore is marked as experimental. The simplifications made lead to linear and clamp-like details in the relief (see picture below). We will talk about the algorithm itself in the following posts.
   
2. The implementation of the biomes is also done with simplifications from the original model. Therefore, it is also marked as experimental and we will talk more about it in other posts. A bug has been noticed with incomplete coverage of areas near the ocean shores.
   
3. The strange behavior of the rivers where they enter lakes (rivers on the high ground). This is one of the consequences of the section 1, and should be eliminated with the full implementation of the algorithm.
   
4. Too sharp turns and loops of large rivers. This is due to the fact that currently each segment of the river is smoothed separately. The boundaries of the segments are the confluence points of tributaries. This issue can be resolved by smoothing the rivers as a whole.
   
5. The flow of large rivers in small lakes. Most often this happens with lowlakes and in the current model of terrain generation does not have a general solution. Some of such problems can be solved by raising the water level in a lake or by shallowing the inflowing rivers. Perhaps a common solution should include a combination of raising the lake water level and creating rivers flowing out the lakes. But the flowing out rivers are not planned to made in the near future, it would require a significant change in the current model.
   
6. There are many rivers in the desert. This is not a problem of the relief generation, but only the choice of map style. You can always refuse to draw a specific river on the map, for example, through the determination if its source is within a desert biome.
   

P.S. The users registration on this site will remain prohibited. Unfortunately, I am not able to combine a social activity with the work on the project. But, as before, you can always contact me via the email specified on this site. And, as before, I can make a planet at the request and free of charge (no more than two per month). But only if you intend to use the maps in any interesting way. For test purposes feel free to use example planets from this site.