Mediterranean-type island biome

Right now we have a forest template and a forested island template, and I assume that in the future, we're going to see this branch out to include all of the different types of forests in the game. We have pine forests in the game, for instance, but not a pine forest template or pine forest island template; though the mountain template is forested with pine trees.

However, one type of forested biome we haven't seen yet in the game is one that includes these types of trees, which we can now see in Brittany and purchase ourselves in the add-on store,



Juniper trees. One would suppose if they exist in the game, that they'd exist not just in cities and towns, but somewhere in the wild.

When I was laying out the design for Owl's Rest, I lined the avenues with cypress trees -- cypress trees were one of the trees I would have requested from the devs, one that I would purchase on add-on. The junipers, I guess, are a good enough stand-in. This brought up another idea, though, that the island might infact have a Mediterranean type climate in which cypresses or junipers naturally grow.

For example, as those in some of the more famous paintings of Arnold Böcklin, which I think are a great style for a fantasy game,


Isle of the Dead


Villa by the Sea

I think this would be a nice type of island biome in the game, even apart from POTs; just to have in adventure scenes.

At any rate, in fact, you have small islands like this particularly in the Adriatic, off the coast of the Balkan states, with small towns, villages, monasteries,


Visovac



Sveti Đorđe


Sveti Stefan




Ošljak

Of course, there are a broad range if you go across the entire Mediterranean, but I think this Adriatic-style island is probably the most fitting, and most atmospheric, and it could take advantage of using the juniper trees we now have in the game. You can call it "Juniper forest" Or "Juniper scrub"; ie "Juniper forest island"/"Juniper scrub island."

The biome ideally would have rocky shores, though some beaches, possibly grottoes... although I expect unless the devs want to put work on it, it would be mainly replacing the flora.

Besides the juniper, there are other trees available on the speedtree store, including the original idea of the italian cypress,



Which could include a range of sizes, from tree to scrub, as seen in this Unity asset store version,


White Oaks (which we already have, of course) would also be an appropriate tree for the biome, since there are oaks in the Mediterranean,


So would Monterey Cypress,


Italian Stone Pine,


And maybe a good place to grow Olive trees,


Anyway, I think it would be really cool to have this Böcklin-inspired, Adriatic type biome in the game, even just in the wild.

 

Excellent idea.

 

I like the idea. I'm hoping for a swamp island soon though.

 

Lot of different sizes and shapes possible for the juniper, too, from looking at the speedtree store, that would be nice shrubbery around such an island (darker color is nice too),

 

+1

 

My original post had an image limit that I met, so I wanted to throw in a couple of more images of Mediterranean environments with cypress trees.

I could obviously include a lot of pretty pictures of fields and vinyards in Tuscany or Provence But I don't think that would help with the concept. So I'm going to post some more islands, places with natural forests, things that are good inspiration for the game, fantasy settings, etc.

The Sacred Pool, by Ferdinand Keller, another Symbolist and contemporary of Böcklin,


Arco castle in Italy (crenelations look familiar),


Church of St. John at cliffs by lake Ohrid in Montenegro,


Medieval village of Callian, Provence, France


Cistern at Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore in Tuscany,


Funerary monument on San Michelle


Medieval clock tower in Italy,


Church in Tuscany with some naturally forested cypress around it,


Castello del Trebbio


Olive and cypress trees near Jerusalem,


Baglion tower, Umbria, Italy


Filerimos Monastery


Pienza, Italy


Another view of St. George (Sveti Đorđe)


Another view of Visvac

 

Cypress trees in countryside near Chalki, Greece


Visovac


St. George



Ošljak


Sveti Stefan


Dubrovnik


The islands can have nice grottoes

 

~Maybe There Will Come A COTO Cost For Swapping?~

Get ready for the new biome everyone...
It's also one way to flush out your neighborhood...
Because some day you may be finding your POT's politics getting a bit too dry...
~Time Lord~

 

Something like this screenshot from Xenos is kind of in the direction I was originally going with this,

 

I love the Mediterranean biome idea. I would also love a desert Oasis biome as well

 

I am personally a fan of Siwa Oasis (Egypt). Beautiful place in real life and was location of one of the ancient Oracles (where Alexander the Great ventured and had himself proclaimed Pharaoh). So many places in real life for inspiration. I imagine the Mediterranean biome would be more popular however. If either Mediterranean or Oasis biomes came in I'd probably start hunting down a PoT to purchase

 

The Boreas Colossus scene is another example,