Seeding (Editor)¶

The Seeding workflow places flora and fauna across your terrain based on ratios and filters (height, water, optional slope). It’s the fastest way to boot a living world before runtime propagation and reproduction take over.

This page explains UI, placement rules, reproducibility, and balancing.

Prerequisites¶

Terrain is generated and Water Level is configured.
You have at least one Plant prefab with GrowthAgent, and one Animal prefab with AnimalAgent.
(Recommended) Plant prefabs include a small trigger collider on the root; animals a simple trigger collider.

Note

Underwater placements are skipped by default using your configured Water Level.

Quick start¶

Open the Seeding / Flora and Fauna tabs in the editor window.
Add prefabs to Flora and Fauna lists.
Assign Ratios (weights) and optional filters (height range).
Choose Initial Counts (e.g., 300 plants, 40 deer, 30 birds, 15 snakes).
Click Spawn.
Press Play to watch propagation, foraging, predation, and reproduction.

Seeding UI

UI tour¶

Global
Seed: deterministic random source for placement positions.
Skip Underwater: enforce water-level filter (on by default).
Height Filters: global limits; items can override with their own min/max.
Flora list
Prefab: plant root prefab (with GrowthAgent).
Ratio: relative weight for this species.
Min/Max Height: optional per-species override (e.g., shrubs only on hills).
Count (or % of global): initial instances to place.
Fauna list
Prefab: animal root prefab (with AnimalAgent).
Count: initial instances to place.
(If exposed) Height Filter: avoid underwater/peaks for certain animals.
Actions
Spawn: place all items according to ratios/filters.
Clear Spawned: remove previously seeded content (safety prompt).
Randomize Seed: pick a new source and (optionally) spawn immediately.

Tip

Keep Flora under a Flora parent and Fauna under a Fauna parent in the hierarchy for cleanliness. Many setups auto-create these parents.

Placement logic¶

The seeder samples candidate positions across the terrain and applies filters:

Terrain sample → get world position & height.
Water check → discard if height < WaterLevel (when enabled).
Per-item height band → discard if outside item’s min/max height.
Spacing → jitter to avoid perfect grids; optional min-distance checks.
Instantiate under the correct parent (Flora or Fauna).

Plants with GrowthAgent will later propagate on their own (seeding), and animals with AnimalAgent will forage/hunt/reproduce at runtime.

Flora seeding¶

Use Ratios to control composition. Example:
Grass 60%, Flower 25%, Shrub 15%
Start with a moderate count (e.g., 250–600 total). Runtime propagation will fill gaps.
For cliffs or peaks, restrict shrubs/rock plants with Min/Max Height.

Suggested starters - Grass: Ratio 0.6, Count 300, Height [-5..200] - Flowers: Ratio 0.25, Count 150, Height [0..180] - Shrubs: Ratio 0.15, Count 80, Height [20..220]

Colliders & tags

Plants should have a small trigger on the root and (optionally) tag=Plant. This makes foraging/visits more robust.

Fauna seeding¶

Seed fewer predators than prey/pollinators (e.g., snake counts lower than deer/birds).
Birds (Pollinators) benefit from plant density; ensure enough flowers/grass exist.
Snakes (Predators) benefit from birds’ linger period after visits.

Example mix (per 1k×1k terrain) - Deer (Herbivore): 30–60 - Birds (Pollinator): 30–50 - Snakes (Predator): 12–20

Don’t over-seed

Let energy drain & reproduction drive populations. Too many initial animals can mask balance issues.

Reproducibility & seeds¶

The global Seed determines placement patterns. Same seed + same lists → same seeding result.
Use Randomize Seed to explore options; when you like one, note the seed.

Workflow idea 1. Randomize 3–4 times.
2. Pick the best composition visually.
3. Save the seed in your project notes or Terrain tab.

Balancing¶

If herbivores starve, increase plant initial count or raise plant Seed Chance (in GrowthAgent).
If predators starve, increase birds (pollinators) slightly or ensure birds linger long enough (≈30s).
If world explodes in numbers, lower initial fauna counts and/or increase Energy Drain; reduce plant Seed Chance or Max Local Density.

Height bands & water - Too much of the map underwater? Raise Min Height or lower Water Level in the Terrain tab. - Use per-item Min/Max Height to keep deer off steep peaks and shrubs out of beaches.

Advanced tips¶

Clustering feel: Wider Seed Radius in GrowthAgent will naturally create plant patches over time; start seeding sparser and let growth do the rest.
Hotspots: Want a bird/flower showcase? Seed a denser flower patch (higher ratio in a limited area) and start with a few more birds.
Performance: Large initial counts cost CPU/GPU during the first seconds; seed conservatively and lean on runtime propagation.

Troubleshooting¶

“It still spawns underwater.”
- Verify “Skip Underwater” is enabled in Seeding; confirm Water Level matches your water plane.

“Birds never visit anything.”
- Ensure flowers/grass exist and have triggers. Raise Interact Distance for birds to 2.0–3.0.

“Snakes can’t catch birds.”
- Confirm birds linger on the ground long enough after visits (≈30s). Slightly raise snake Sense Radius.

“Deer ate everything immediately.”
- Seed more grass, increase plant Seed Chance, or reduce deer count/energy gains.

“Everything piles into one corner.”
- Terrain heights/filters may be too restrictive. Widen Min/Max Height and try a different global Seed.