Snow Physics

[Ice Hole]

Snow Physics

Hearing about The Long Dark for the first time seemed this was going to be a survival type RPG set in endless Winter.  The road map indicates seasons but for my preference and hopes is for the Winter season to be showcased.  Making snow physics is something I would enjoy discussing and by doing so could entice the developers interest who then might utilize some of this research.  Bear in mind the goal is to create a system that would not overly stress out a CPU and detract from the gameplay.

Some key factors for the SP (snow physics) would include dynamic snow that morphs based on temperature, applied pressure, humidity and sun.  These factors combine to alter the crystalline nature of the snow.  The sharp freshly fallen snow crystal is rounded smooth over time.  Layering of each snow fall applies pressure and can turn lower snow layers into an ice sheet.  Snow falling can contain different moisture levels.  Sunshine can melt the upper layers of snow and be turned into ice.  The snow changing over time due to weather conditions would impact the utility of snowshoes and skis.

The issue for players would involve falling or sinking into snow drifts or deep snow

This short gif from Frozen illustrates walking over shin deep snow.

http://i.imgur.com/h3m3nI1.mp4

If skis and snowshoes are added to the game then having this type of physics would be an obstacle for players to overcome.  Brute force walking through the snow drifts would burn more calories compared to using snowshoes to walk over the top of them.  Already the game has thin ice although it is not simulated using physics.  Simulating snow physics would add another dimension to The Long Dark.

This article details how the movie Frozen simulated snow.

http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/making-of-disneys-frozen-snow-simulation/

A Houdini simulation.

These are rendered simulations and only offer a guide.  For SP purpose it all has to happen in real time.

 

Not too many games offer a challenge to the player when snow or ice is involved.  The only game I found was Spintires and using a snow mod. 

This game simulates some of the obstacles a player could face.

 

 

Having Snow Physics such as in the example above would add to the computers cycles.  The goal is to achieve some of these snow physics effects and have them incorporated into The Long Dark game to provide obstacles for the player to overcome.  Snow drifts should block doors and players would need to dig.  Trails leaving a path for you and Fluffy to follow.  Trails being covered over due to blowing and falling snow.  Avalanche risk in mountainous regions. 

Additionally since the game would have seasons then this code could be useful to simulate muddy conditions.

These are just some ideas I wanted to consolidate.  Please add to this discussion.  i am not a computer programmer but would love to read about how this might be accomplished.

[FatheriatorCZ]

Great idea but very graphic heavy. This would be very difficult to implement

[nicko]

Looks awesome if it works, with Unity and TLD game mechanics? just saying. Guess that's up to them to find out.

[Mikhail_Reign]

Honestly I would take a half baked version of this, over Seasons any day. Who gives a shit about Spring? Once you survived Winter, your golden. The rest of the year is cake, while you prepare for the next Winter.

 

Anything and everything that makes that adds to the 'cold' aspect of this game is all good for me. Snow, avalanches, mountains, ice - this is what they should focus on.

Like I'm already upset I couldn't use this cool mechanic to track animals.