Terraforming

Terraforming is done using the Artisan skill, allowing you to modify the terrain in the game world using a Shovel.

Observe
Observe allows the player to view the terrain height in an 11 x 11 grid. When the player enters Observe mode the camera goes above facing downward. Players cannot interact with other objects and cannot see other players that are not in the immediate vicinity of the player. If the players leaves the 11 x 11 grid, Observe mode will be cancelled.

Each tile in the Observe mode within the grid has a number representing their height (above sea level) and these numbers are color-coded to denote the height difference between the other tiles within the grid. The tiles are highlighted with either white for unflattened tile, or green for flattened tile. The material taken off or poured on the ground also affect the texture of the tile an example would be unscathed fertile soils are textured as green grasslands in the world, but if a player decides pour a fertile soil on top it the texture will be shown as brown.

It is required that the player must have at least 30 skill points before the action appears.

TIP: Observe mode is extremely hindered by trees, buildings, etc. To avoid this:
 * Go into observe mode
 * Press TAB to remove the cursor
 * Press C to go to first person view!!! This takes you OUT of the "overhead" (through the trees, etc) view

Modifying Terrain
Terrain can be modified by either lowering or raising the tile by 0.1 from its height. When lowering terrain the players gains a chunk of material removed from the ground while it costs 1 chunk of material in raising the ground. However only soft ground material can be raised or lowered and there are limitations in modifying the terrain depending on the fall off mechanics of the material. Solid substances (e.g. rock, marble, granite, ore) can not be lowered. You can only pour other substances on top of them to raise ground level, or tunnel through them. Once you have tunneled/mined a substance, it can be poured on the ground and shoveled like regular soil.

You can usually pick up ("lower ground level") what you have dropped (An exception is paving, which takes 30 units of rock, but lowering gives you only 15 back).

Fall off mechanics
For soil/clay/ore/... Looking at a tile, if any of the 8 surrounding tiles becomes more than 2 meters lower or higher than the respective tile, 0.1 meters of substance of that tile will be transferred to the lower or higher tile.

For snow Looking at a tile, if any of the 8 neighboring tiles becomes more than 5 meters lower than the respective tile, 0.1 meter of snow of the tile will be transferred to the lower tile.

Flattening Terrain
Flattening the terrain lets the player flatten tiles to a specific height and allows some structures to be built on top of it. The action works by copying the height of the tile the player is standing to the tile that is being flattened, which means that the player will either lower or raise the ground first before the tile will be flattened. The player can also flatten the terrain in an upward or downward slope where these tiles are sloped in a specific direction based where the player is facing, but only a few structures can be built. Flattening will usually require you to have 30 units of soil, except when the flattening will result in you picking up soil.

Understanding Terraforming
Terraforming terrain to raise, lower and flatten can be very confusing for both new and experienced players. To understand the mechanics it helps to think of each tile as a grid of 9 points: the four corners, the center of each side, and the center of the tile. The height shown in Observer is basically the height of the center point, but the other 8 points of a tile may actually be different unless the tile itself is level, flattened ground. Note that since the common points of adjacent tiles are in fact the same point on the map they are the same heights, and modifying a point on one tile can affect the adjacent tile.

Raise ground level and Lower ground level will raise or lower the center point as well as the middle points of the 4 sides of the target tile. The 4 corner points will remain the same height unless the slope in the adjacent tile(s) become too great (as described in the "fall off" mechanics described above).

Flatten ground will adjust these 9 points so they eventually will all match the height of the tile upon which you are currently standing. This may change some of the adjacent tiles, as the common side points change in height. It will only change the common points and not the other points of the adjacent tiles, unless the slope in the adjacent tile(s) become too great. In mathematical terms flattened ground is a plane, and Flatten ground will eventually make the target tile a level plane.

Flatten ground with an upward slope or Flatten ground with a downward slope will eventually transform the target tile to a plane. Continuing to flatten the target tile will raise or lower the plane (think of it rising or lowering the far side of the tile. This has the effect of changing the whole sides of the target tile once they are straight lines, causing the sides of the adjacent tiles to change as well, up to a certain limit, after which it will no longer will have any effect. Flattened slopes are planes but not necessarily level planes.