RPSland Mapgen [rpsland]

RPSland is a custom map generator. It creates terrain in the shape of the 3D rock-paper-scissors fractal from [this paper](<https://aten.cool/documents/papers/A rock-paper-scissors Mandelbrot set [2026].pdf>), as well as for the Mandelbrot set analogues for other 3-dimensional real algebras.

Features

• Explore jagged and dramatic fractal landscapes. Floating islands, talus fields, and natural winding staircases abound.
• Use the default rock-paper-scissors fractal or choose your own 3-dimensional real algebra. The possibilities are literally endless!
• Control usual fractal plotting parameters like iteration steps, zoom level, and bailout threshold.
• Add embellishments to create infinite, almost-repeating patterns from finite ones. Why live on one fractal island when there could be a whole sea of them?

Compatibility

• Tested extensively with Mineclonia. Many features, such as Nether portals, generate normally, but Villages and the Nether itself do not. Villages may be generated on demand by using /grantme debug followed by /spawnstruct village.
• Also tested with Minetest Game.
• Not currently working with Voxelibre.

Dependencies

• Biomegen (Optional, but needed for placing biomes in both Mineclonia and Minetest Game.)

Embellishments

The fractals one obtains by the method used here may only occupy a finite part of 3D space. This means that a single island or interesting feature will be generated, outside of which is and endless expanse of ocean or flat land, depending on the options used. One method for dealing with this is using the scaling settings to zoom in really far on the fractal, creating a single massive continent. This still tends to produce large uniform areas, so a better method is called for.

In the settings for this map generator, one can select from a number of "embellishments". These are functions which are applied in order to make the underlying fractal stretch or repeat, allowing for exploration only limited by the size of a Luanti world. A list of the available embellishments follows, along with a description of a typical world generated with each one, assuming that default rock-paper-scissors fractal is used.

• none: Just show the fractal itself, albeit cut off at the bottom by the sea floor and at the top by the height limit, which is 150 by default. This is an island with all the essential features reproduced by using the embellishments. There are relatively smooth hills, winding, jagged staircases, floating cobwebs of stone or earth, and irregular talus fields of stone on the land.
• sine: Use the sine function to reproduce the basic features of the landscape seen with the none setting endlessly. Creates a series of roughly regularly spaced islands of that general type. Tends to produce hollow "amphitheaters" surrounded by floating stone.
• cotangent: Most terrain lies high above the water, with only a few thin, steep staircases winding their way up to it.
• logarithmic: Produces land along the coordinate axes. Gives dramatic results which may be difficult to navigate.
• epicycle: Creates accessible islands connected by numerous natural bridges.
• nova: Results in large, flat areas interspersed with irregular valleys and caves.

License

RPSland is distributed under the terms of the GPL version 3.0 or any later version.