planetsim/BUILD.md

# Planet Sim - World Creation

Fixed icosphere geometry; properties (elevation, plate, age, climate, biome) flow
over it. World creation runs as continuous, overlapping stages on a geological clock:
tectonics (boundary stress forms mountains/trenches) → continental drift & erosion →
hydrology (rivers/lakes) → climate (temperature/precipitation) → biomes → biota
(flora/fauna/funga). Initial
terrain forming is a generator (a couple hundred paced ticks, ~3 s, auto-pauses at
equilibrium), then drift/erosion/etc. continue. Press R to reseed, SPACE to pause.
(The eventual goal is a separate slow real-time "Live World" weather/life mode.)

## Build (Nobara / Linux)

Dependencies (raylib build needs these dev headers):

    sudo dnf install cmake gcc-c++ mesa-libGL-devel libX11-devel \
        libXrandr-devel libXinerama-devel libXcursor-devel libXi-devel \
        wayland-devel libxkbcommon-devel

Then:

    cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
    cmake --build build -j
    ./build/planetsim

raylib 5.5 is fetched automatically via CMake FetchContent.

OpenMP parallelizes the tectonic step (auto-detected by CMake; ships with
gcc, no extra package needed). It's optional -- without it the sim still runs,
serial. The step is memory-bandwidth-bound, so `OMP_NUM_THREADS=4` to `8` gives
the full ~2.8x speedup; the default uses all cores for no extra gain:

    OMP_NUM_THREADS=6 ./build/planetsim

## Controls

    LMB drag    orbit camera (in the 3D view)
    wheel       zoom
    hover       show cell info (works in the 3D globe and the 2D map)
    click       open tile detail panel (subtiles grid, hoverable) + overlay
    C           close the detail panel
    1 .. 7      color by elevation / plate / age / crust type / biome / temperature / precipitation
    8 / 9 / 0   color by biota density: flora / fauna / funga
    B           toggle plate borders (on by default)
    D           toggle per-plate drift arrows + P<id> labels (on by default)
    G           toggle lat/lon graticule (+ degree numbers on the 2D map edges)
    J           toggle rivers (Phase 2.5 hydrology)
    H           start/stop Phase 2.5 (hydrology: rivers, lakes, fluvial erosion)
    L           generate biota population (flora/fauna/funga; settled world; re-press regenerates)
    W           enter / leave Live World (slow real-time clock; settled world)
    N           toggle the day/night terminator (Live World)
    T           toggle the tide-coloured coastline (Live World)
    O           toggle ocean-current arrows (warm = poleward/red, cold = equatorward/blue)
    K           toggle weather clouds/rain cover (Live World)
    V           toggle volcano markers (Live World; cones + eruption glow, build into islands)
    M           toggle place-name labels (names continents/oceans/ranges/rivers/lakes; Atlas tab)
    E           ecoregions colour view (names ecological provinces on first use; Eco tab)
    I           habitability heat map (where civilization can thrive)
    U           settlements: the dawn of civilization on first press, then toggle markers (Civ tab)
    Y           follow-cam: cycle the 3D camera through active storms (Live World; off after last)
    . / ,       step the live clock forward / back by one rate-unit (auto-pauses; back also
                rewinds weather + storms via an undo history)
    wheel       over the 2D map: zoom toward cursor (1-8x); drag pans when zoomed
    SPACE       pause while forming / re-evolve once settled (or the on-screen button)
    [ / ]       drift speed (My/s) -- in Live World: live clock rate (hours/s, hour->month)
    S           single tectonic tick (in Live World: step the clock forward, like '.')
    F           fast-forward Phase-1 forming to settled (instant)
    R           reseed planet (restart forming)
    + / -       subdivision level (detail), 1..7
    F5 / F9     save / load full state (planet.save)
    F12         screenshot to screenshot.png
    F2          reload planet.cfg (validated) and regenerate

CLI flags (applied before the first load/generate):

    --seed N        override the config seed
    --config PATH   use an alternate config file instead of planet.cfg

## Files (written in the working directory)

    planet.cfg   human-editable key=value config of every PlanetConfig parameter;
                 auto-created on first run, reload live with F2. Range-checked on
                 load; an invalid file reverts to safe defaults (not overwritten).
    planet.save  binary snapshot (versioned, currently v17: +geography/atlas; v16
                 +event log; v15 +stateful
                 volcanoes; v13 +Live World clock rate; v12 +step-back history
                 (~40 frames, so a load can rewind storms); v11 +weather systems/storms;
                 v10 +weather fields; v9 +moons; v8 +Live World clock; v7 +biota): seed + config + full planet state; F5
                 writes it, F9 reloads and resumes deterministically. As of v6
                 the config is stored as a self-describing key=value block (like
                 planet.cfg), so adding/removing config fields no longer breaks saves
                 (unknown keys ignored, missing keys default). v6 cannot load pre-v6
                 saves (one-time break) -- regenerate them.

## Config (planet.cfg, or PlanetConfig defaults in code)

    radius        6.371e6 m (Earth)   -- free to change
    subdivisions  5  (~10k cells, ~223 km/cell)
    plateCount    12
    seaLevel      0 m
    axialTilt     23.44 deg  obliquity: leans the 3D globe + spin axis (visual; seasons later)

Tectonic tuning (also PlanetConfig): relief builds gradually toward an
isostatic equilibrium instead of saturating to the clamp.

    continentBase  300 m      resting elevation of continental crust
    oceanBase     -6000 m     deep abyssal floor (oldest oceanic crust)
    upliftGain     1.3e5      m/tick per unit convergence stress
    beltWidth      3          cell-rings a mountain belt spreads inland
    relax          0.02       isostatic relaxation toward base, per tick

Orogeny + seafloor (PlanetConfig): tall, persistent mountains and age-based
ocean depth. The orogeny boosts (collision/arc/persistence) are drift-only --
Phase 1 forms as before; tall mountains grow during Phase-2 drift.

    collisionFactor    1.8    continent-continent uplift (Himalaya); raise = taller
    arcFactor          1.4    continental subduction-arc uplift (Andes)
    isostaticPersist   0.85   how strongly high crust resists relax (0..<1)
    rootScale          2500   m above continentBase where persistence saturates
    peakSoftCapStart   7000 m below this a tick's uplift always takes (P=1)
    peakSoftCapEnd    12000 m at/above this uplift never takes (P=0); also the elev clamp
    peakFailDrop       200 m  max random drop when the grow roll loses (drift-only)
    ridgeDepth        -2500 m shallow elevation of brand-new crust at a ridge
    seafloorSubsidence 280    m per sqrt(My): seafloor deepens with crustal age
    seafloorSeedAge    80 My  initial oceanic age spread at generation

Hydrology (PlanetConfig, Phase 2.5): macro drainage network + fluvial erosion.
Drift keeps running at a finer timestep during hydrology. (Config keys keep the
`phase3*` names for save/cfg compatibility; the UI labels this "Phase 2.5".)

    phase3AfterMy      300 My drift before the "Start Phase 2.5?" prompt
    phase3DtScale      0.2    hydrology timestep = cflDtMy()*this (finer = slower drift)
    rainfall           1.0    uniform precip per cell (drainage-area unit)
    riverThreshold     25     discharge above which a cell is a river (lower = richer network)
    riverIncision      0.02   K in stream-power incision K*Q^m*S^n*dt (raise = carve faster)
    riverDischargeExp  0.5    m (discharge exponent)
    riverSlopeExp      1.0    n (slope exponent)
    riverTransport     0.1    transport capacity coefficient (cap = this*Q*S)
    depFrac            0.25   fraction of excess sediment deposited per cell

Biomes (PlanetConfig, Phase 3): per-cell biome classification thresholds. Temperature
= biomeEquatorTemp - biomePoleDrop*(|lat|/90)^biomeLatExp - biomeElevLapse*elevAbove.

    biomeEquatorTemp   30 C    temperature at the equator, sea level
    biomePoleDrop      58 C    equator->pole temperature drop
    biomeLatExp        1.3     >1 keeps mid-latitudes temperate (cold concentrates at poles)
    biomeElevLapse     0.006   C lost per metre above sea level
    biomeIceTemp      -9.5 C   below -> Ice (polar caps + snowcaps); raise = bigger caps
    biomeTundraTemp    2 C     below (and above ice) -> Tundra/Taiga
    biomeTaigaTemp     10 C    cool + wet -> boreal forest
    biomeSavannaTemp   22 C    warm + moderate moisture -> savanna
    biomeMountainElev  3000 m  above sea level -> Mountains
    biomeHillsElev     1200 m  above sea level -> Hills
    biomeBeachBand     60 m    above sea level + adjacent ocean -> Beach
    biomeLowlandElev   500 m   wetlands only below this elevation
    biomeWetlandMoist  0.72    moisture above this (low lowland) -> Wetland
    biomeDesertMoist   0.28    moisture below this -> Desert
    biomeGrassMoist    0.50    moisture below this -> Grassland/Savanna, else Forest
    biomeTaigaMoist    0.40    cool + above this -> Taiga (else Tundra)
    biomeLakeMinDepth  20 m    filled-basin depth above sea level counting as a Lake
    biomeSeasonWeight  0.6     winter temp weight in the Tundra/Taiga cutoffs (0 = annual mean only)

Seasons (PlanetConfig): axialTilt (above) drives per-cell summer/winter temps; color key 6
cycles temperature -> summer -> winter -> seasonality.

    seasonAmpMax       18 C    max seasonal half-range at full tilt/latitude/interior
    seasonLatExp       1.2     latitude shape exponent (>1 pushes swing toward the poles)
    seasonOceanFactor  0.15    ocean/coast seasonal-swing floor (thermal inertia)
    seasonContinentRings 6     ocean-distance rings to reach full continentality (1 ~ 223 km)

Climate (PlanetConfig, Phase 3): temperature uses the biome* temp params above;
precipitation advects ocean moisture along zonal winds (windward rain, leeward rain
shadow, dry interiors) then diffuses it. Color modes 6 (temperature) / 7 (precipitation).

    climateOceanMoisture   1.0    moisture air carries leaving the ocean (source)
    climateRainEfficiency  0.5    fraction of available moisture*belt that rains per cell
    climateOrographic      3.0    extra rain per unit normalized upslope (windward)
    climateOroRefHeight    500 m  upslope that counts as one orographic unit
    climateContinentality  0.05   fractional moisture lost per inland cell (dries interiors)
    climateWindPasses      50     moisture-advection iterations (steady state)
    climateMoistureSmooth  12     precipitation diffusion passes (raise = smoother, more grass/forest)
    climateCurrentFactor   4 C    max coastal warming/cooling from ocean currents (0 = off; O shows arrows)

Biota (PlanetConfig): flora/fauna/funga. Density scalars drive color modes 8/9/0;
the discrete slot/point population is generated on demand (L) and saved (v7).

    bioVegTempMin        -5 C    below this no plant growth
    bioVegTempOpt        15 C    at/above this temperature isn't limiting (flora)
    bioVegMoistRef       0.5     normalized moisture where water isn't limiting (flora)
    bioFaunaProductivity 0.9     herbivore carrying capacity per unit vegetation
    bioCarnPreyMin       0.30    min local prey (fauna density) to support carnivores
    bioCarnScale         1.0     carnivore weight ramp above the prey threshold
    bioFungaMoistRef     0.4     normalized moisture where fungi aren't water-limited
    bioFungaFloraWeight  0.6     how much fungi lean on flora (organic matter), 0..1
    bioFungaTempMin     -15 C    above this fungi are not cold-limited (cold-tolerant)
    bioRegionBonus       0.5     weight boost for archetypes present in same-biome neighbours
    bioFloraSlots        12      max distinct flora per cell (point budget caps abundance)
    bioFaunaSlots        10      max distinct fauna per cell
    bioFungaSlots        8       max distinct funga per cell
    bioFloraPoints       20      flora point budget at full density (scaled by density)
    bioFaunaPoints       16      fauna point budget at full density
    bioFungaPoints       14      funga point budget at full density

Live World (PlanetConfig): the slow real-time clock (hours -> weeks/months) over the
finished planet -- a moving day/night terminator, a live seasonal temperature cycle and a
moving snow line. axialTilt (above) drives the seasonal declination. Press W to enter.

    dayLengthHours   24      hours in one planetary day (rotation -> day/night)
    yearLengthDays   365.25  days in one planetary year (orbit -> seasons)
    snowTemp         0 C     land below the live temperature shows snow
    seaIceTemp      -2 C     ocean below the live temperature shows sea ice
    tideAmplitude    0.6 m   equilibrium-tide scale per unit tide-raising weight
    tideSunFactor    0.46    sun's tide weight relative to a unit moon (Earth ~0.46)

Moons (1-3, randomized in generateMoons() + saved v9): orbit on the live clock, raise the
tides with the sun, and render as small lit spheres with phases, orbit rings and eclipses.

Weather (PlanetConfig, Live World): a dynamic clouds/rain cycle on the live clock (key K),
saved v10. Evaporate over warm seas -> advect along the wind -> condense -> rain -> dissipate.

    weatherEvapRate     0.4    /h ocean evaporation toward marine saturation
    weatherWindKmh      45     km/h wind speed advecting humidity/cloud
    weatherSatBase      0.4    air saturation at 0 C (lower = cloudier)
    weatherSatTempCoef  0.025  saturation rise per +1 C
    weatherCondense     0.6    /h supersaturation -> cloud
    weatherOrographic   0.0009 extra condensation per m of windward upslope
    weatherRainThresh   0.5    cloud cover above this rains
    weatherRainRate     0.5    /h rain rate from excess cloud
    weatherCloudDissip  0.12   /h cloud clearing
    weatherSystemMax    8      max concurrent moving weather systems
    weatherSpawnRate    0.06   /h genesis probability scale
    weatherSystemSpeed  28     km/h drift speed of systems
    weatherTropicalSST  26 C   min sea-surface temp for tropical genesis
    weatherSystemRadius 0.16   rad angular radius of a system's cloud/rain shield
    weatherSystemCloud  1.2    /h cloud stamped at a system core
    weatherSystemRain   1.6    /h rain at a system core
    weatherHurricaneStr 0.6    strength above which a tropical system is a hurricane/typhoon

Live info tabs (Live World): the panel beside the 2D map has Sky, Tides, Weather and Events.
Events are a saved, capped journal (newest 200) for storm genesis/intensification, volcano
dormancy, eruptions and volcanic-island breaches; clicking an event selects and centres its cell.

Volcanoes (PlanetConfig, Live World, key V): placed by tectonic context on entering Live World,
then integrated as stateful lifecycle agents: grow, go dormant, explode, puff ash, and regrow
weaker. Step-back snapshots include volcano state. Saved v15+.

    volcanoProbRidge    0.55   per-cell placement prob on a young spreading-ridge cell
    volcanoProbBorder   0.06   per-cell placement prob on a normal plate-border cell
    volcanoProbInterior 0.003  per-cell placement prob elsewhere (hotspots)
    volcanoMaxCount     60     global cap (reservoir-sampled, ratios preserved)
    volcanoBuildRate    0.02   m/h of growth at activity=1 while growing
    volcanoFreeHeight   1000 m absolute height below which vents cannot go dormant
    volcanoInitialBuildMax 2500 m max pre-built height when Live World starts
    volcanoMaxHeight    3200 m built height where dormancy becomes certain
    volcanoDormancyRate 1.0    per-year dormancy hazard scale above free height
    volcanoDormantMinYears 120 minimum dormancy before explosion
    volcanoDormantMaxYears 1200 maximum dormancy before explosion
    volcanoExplodeDropFrac 0.20 fraction of built height shaved by explosion
    volcanoActivityDecay 0.70  activity multiplier after each explosion
    volcanoDeadActivity 0.05   growth stops at/below this activity
    volcanoBlastRadius  0.09   radian radius of the instant explosion ash blast
    volcanoBlastCloud   1.5    cloud cover added inside the blast
    volcanoAshMinYears  0.5    minimum sustained ash emission after explosion
    volcanoAshMaxYears  3.0    maximum sustained ash emission after explosion
    volcanoAshPuffCellsPerWeek 2.0 average local cells puffed per week
    volcanoAshCloud     0.9    cloud cover injected by sustained ash
    volcanoAshCooling   6 C    peak local cooling under an active ash plume

Geography / atlas (PlanetConfig, key M): extract + name geographic features from the frozen
terrain (continents, islands, oceans, seas, lakes, mountain ranges, peaks, rivers). Generated
once on a settled world, saved v17. The foundation of the civilization arc.

    geoContinentMinCells 40    land component >= this many cells = Continent (else Island)
    geoSeaMaxCells       60    ocean basin <= this many cells = Sea (else Ocean)
    geoOceanSepRadians  1.4    min angular gap between ocean-basin centres (higher = fewer oceans)
    geoOceanDeep         4     min rings from land for a cell to seed an ocean basin
    geoMountainElev    2500 m  min elevation for a mountain-range cell
    geoRangeMinCells     4     min cells for a named mountain range
    geoRiverMinDischarge 80    min mouth discharge for a named river
    geoMaxRivers        40     cap on named rivers (largest by discharge)
    geoMaxPeaks         40     cap on named peaks (highest)

Civilization (PlanetConfig, key U): settlements placed once on the best fertile cells, then their
population grows/declines on the Live World clock toward a food-driven carrying capacity. Saved v20.

    civMaxSettlements    80    cap on settlement sites
    civMinSpacingRadians 0.10  min angular gap between sites (~640 km)
    civMinHabitability   0.22  don't place a settlement below this habitability
    civSeedPopulation    250   initial village population
    civGrowthRate        0.02  logistic growth rate per year
    civMaxPopulation     2e6   carrying capacity at habitability 1
    civTownPop           5000  population at/above which a settlement is a Town
    civCityPop           100000 population at/above which a settlement is a City
    civAbandonPop        50    below this = abandoned/ruins (can revive)
    civHabWaterWeight    0.45  habitability weight of water access (rivers/lakes/coast)
    civHabFoodWeight     0.40  habitability weight of food (flora/fauna + ecoregion productivity)
    civHabTempOpt        18 C  most comfortable annual-mean temperature
    civHabElevPenalty    2500 m high terrain steeply penalised above this

## Headless logic test (no display)

    g++ -std=c++17 -O2 -Isrc/sim test_logic.cpp src/sim/IcoSphere.cpp \
        src/sim/Planet.cpp src/sim/PlanetTectonics.cpp src/sim/PlanetDrift.cpp \
        src/sim/PlanetErosion.cpp src/sim/PlanetHydrology.cpp \
        src/sim/PlanetBiomes.cpp src/sim/PlanetClimate.cpp src/sim/PlanetLive.cpp \
        src/sim/PlanetOcean.cpp src/sim/PlanetWeather.cpp src/sim/PlanetVolcano.cpp \
        src/sim/PlanetBiota.cpp \
        src/sim/PlanetFloraGen.cpp src/sim/PlanetFaunaGen.cpp src/sim/PlanetFungiGen.cpp \
        src/sim/NameGen.cpp src/sim/PlanetGeography.cpp src/sim/PlanetEcoregions.cpp \
        src/sim/PlanetCiv.cpp \
        src/sim/PlanetIO.cpp -o /tmp/t && /tmp/t

    # Same source list for every suite: swap test_logic.cpp -> test_biota / test_live / test_ocean /
    # test_weather / test_volcano / test_geography / test_ecoregions / test_civ.
    # The CMake build also includes test_events for the viewer event journal.

Verifies geometry, plate assignment, gradual non-saturating relief and
determinism. Run after changing Planet::step().

## Notes for later phases

- Cell has a `subgrid` shared_ptr hook (null in phase 1) for the future
  fine-resolution per-cell mesh (phases 4/5: civilization/culture).
- `neighbors` adjacency already built -> reuse for diffusion, climate,
  cross-cell-boundary interaction.
- elevation is continuous meters (double); climate in phase 3 can read it
  as a smooth function, not coarse bands.