In my learning process so far, I repetadly stumbled upon phrase that something can or cannot (or can with difficulties) be done during runtime. If we take as example a game with map/terrain uniquely generated for each game/session - I understand, that if this map would further generate (expand, for example) during the time the player is already running around and the function calculates the new segments of terrain as the player approaches them - that definitely constitues as “at runtime”.
But what if my intention is to press new game in the menu, then have the whole random map generated, the objects on it generated, then player spawns in it and after that the map doesn’t further change. Does this counts as “runtime” or do we talk about this as “pre-calculated”? The game as program itself is running. The game as player’s experience of actually playing is not yet running. Perhaps it’s this semantics that confuses me. It would help me to know where exactly the border lies, as I move forward with my education in this.
Also, what would be considered good practice for this intent? Having let’s say small island generated before every new game? In the terms of unreal blueprints, as I’m far from delving into c++. Having this “island generating” function in game mode’s Event BeginPlay? In it’s Construction script? Somewhere else entirely? I’ve developed a simple example, where the island’s DynamicMeshActor is in editor manually placed in the world already, and the whole generating function starts via this actor’s construction script. It works, but I dont know yet, if this way is a good one. I suspect not.