Hi! I’m developing a plugin/system to create procedurally generated worlds for GSG-type games in UE 5. After researching industry approaches, particularly looking at how Paradox Interactive handles terrain generation, I’m trying to determine the best technical approach.
From analysing games like Imperator Rome/Victoria 3, it appears they generate their mesh from a height map (see example below), likely optimizing it in different detail levels — with mountains having the smallest grid while flat areas like water use much less detail.
Here’s a view of their map editor for reference:
I’ve done initial testing with Unreal’s Landscape system by importing height maps. While the visual results look promising, I’ve encountered some challenges:
- The system seems very resource-intensive. I assume it keeps just the whole World (which is probably pretty detailed) in Memory with the approach I choose?
- I’m restricted to using exact height map measurements in pixels
- When trying to reduce resolution for optimization, the editor doesn’t allow adjusting these parameters, or other put: i halved the X resolution, and it forced me to have the same for y — despite having another aspect ratio in the original picture. The result is then also just a chunk of the full map, not a scaled down.
My main concern is that Unreal’s landscape tool might be designed for a different use case — specifically games where the player is much closer to the terrain, requiring more detail than a typical GSG would need.
Here’s how such a map typically looks in-game:
Core Question: Can Unreal’s Landscape system be effectively configured for GSG-style world generation, or would developing a custom solution be more appropriate? If Landscape can work, what configuration approaches should I be exploring?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with similar large-scale terrain generation projects or has found ways to optimize Landscape for more strategic-level views.