Biome Regeneration Timers

[L33LEE]

I have a working theory but im unsure of the numbers and would also like to get some others views.

Biomes regenerate after being dug over, this is a 100% fact, but im curious to how fast / what causes it to regenerate.

I have a base, which was created at the start of October but still has 50% of the bases mini map as dirt and not regenerated, and its only a smallish area. Yet i have seen newer bases with a 100% regenerated map.

The only difference between them is activity, my October base is hardly active any more, which leads me to believe, that Biome regeneration is related to activity through the map ? Meaning the more the map tile is loaded, the faster the biome regenerates ?

Thoughts ?

[Chiprel]

The only difference between them is activity, my October base is hardly active any more, which leads me to believe, that Biome regeneration is related to activity through the map ? Meaning the more the map tile is loaded, the faster the biome regenerates ?

I made same observations.
I would say that is more about being online(map never unloading) than map being reloaded. Seems that terrain only regenerates when someone is online around that place.

[MagicManICT]

It used to be based on decay ticks when the same thing occurred in HnH. From what I've seen, I'd be surprised if it was anything different here.

[L33LEE]

It used to be based on decay ticks when the same thing occurred in HnH. From what I've seen, I'd be surprised if it was anything different here.

Do decay ticks happen when a map tile is not loaded though ?

I think as OP said, I have observed map regeneration ticks happen when im online standing over it. It would make sense adding to my first post, that biome regeneration only happens when the tile is loaded for a period of time.

[MagicManICT]

Do decay ticks happen when a map tile is not loaded though ?

Yes, as is evidenced by buildings and such decaying.

When I played HnH quite a bit and farming required you to plow the ground constantly, you could see the map update when you plowed. Several tiles would suddenly change revert. It was most evident when the map hadn't updated in a while and you tried to plant something on what looked to be plowed land but had been hit by a tick and then you couldn't plant on it. (frustrating and annoying thing this was, especially if you had JUST plowed the tile a few minutes prior!)

With that small explanation out of the way (for those that hadn't played HnH), I don't know of anything that forces a map update while a player is viewing it other than digging in Salem. As of yet I haven't seen tiles change like this as I haven't done enough digging and haven't paid close attention to the detail.

Here's where I have observed differences. In Salem, terrain only regrows back in from the edges. In other words, the grass creeps back in so that if you have an area completely surrounded by paving, it will never regrow (my observation, not sure of it in actual fact). In HnH, you could get a regrown tile no matter how much paving you had around it.

Back in alpha, I used to leave "bread crumb" lines to help guide me back to my settlement after foraging for a long while. Once the decay and regrowth was implemented, I noticed that some of my original markings, although only a few tiles in size (would drop 1 unit of dirt on a corner to "dirty" a 2x2 section, and dug from center of a tile for a 3x3 dirt patch), it would take a few days for some markings to almost disappear, yet others were still viewable after a few weeks.

[robert]

the growth rate is based around open "grass" tiles i think. as my old town was completely paved around for the wall, while the houses had dirt/grass tiles (dirt for building as you cant build on "wild" grass) breaking some of the road ways that separate grass-tiles caused the grass to slowly grow in those broken tiles and connect to the others. with the houses now destroyed the grass has almost 100% regrown on those tiles.
so grass patches that are built on are slower to regrow then tiles just paved around. as long as there is 1 grass tile, in a paved in square it should regrow a-bit very slowly.

the area used to be very active. both in players and wild life so i dont think its activity based. unless its less active areas regrow faster :/

[Weeddog]

From my observations I have to say I also believe the area has to see activity for regen to happen. Actually think I'll make a trash character to AFK in my homestead and see if that helps me be invisible again.

[Chiprel]

From my observations I have to say I also believe the area has to see activity for regen to happen. Actually think I'll make a trash character to AFK in my homestead and see if that helps me be invisible again.

It helps A LOT

PS. Tested it on 2 50x50 places.

[MagicManICT]

From my observations I have to say I also believe the area has to see activity for regen to happen. Actually think I'll make a trash character to AFK in my homestead and see if that helps me be invisible again.

I can state with almost certainty that this is false. I had absolutely nobody living near me during that time and I certainly didn't wander as far as or in all directions every day. A large patch of dug up dirt someone had made as a space for coal clamps didn't grow over any faster from the frequent activity than some of the areas out in the wilderness I had dug up to make a path through hills and such.

[Jalpha]

Different terrain regenerates at different rates. In order to properly compare regeneration rates one must take this into consideration.

The only reason I can think of for more active areas regenerating faster would be if decay ticks were tied into how often the map updates to the server. I'm not sure that it does.