Cataclysm biome is a proof-of-concept biome. After a massive strike of antagonistic magic, this formerly livable area has been converted into an unrecognizable wasteland! Lava, thorns, barricades and traps litter the area, whether from magical corruption or some long-gone army's attempt at containment.

Instructions

To see the biome, create a new world, give yourself creative priviledges with "/op self", then press "b" and select the cataclysm instance from World>Instances. Explore the area, but make sure to play a bit in survival mode to get a real feel for how punishing the environment is!

Design Philosophy
Although Hytale already has biomes with similar themes (and this borrows heavily from those prefabs), this biome is designed a bit differently. The zones in Hytale are designed to provide new areas to explore and discover, with an escalating danger. The cataclysm biome is designed to be added to existing zones to encourage players to path or explore elsewhere. In the future, high reward items can be added to encourage exploration, but at the moment, the cataclysm is designed to be an area that the player deliberately avoids, regardless of armor and equipment.

Why do this? Most survival experiences in games like Hytale involve exploration, whether random or guided (treasure maps, compass markers, npc text). In these cases, most often the most difficult blocker to progress is a mountain, or possibly a large ocean. Players often

What Next?

The original concept for the mod covered a series of biomes, which wasn't completed due to my lack of time. I'd like to create at least a half dozen such "hostile biomes" for the game, as my schedule permits.

Future biome ideas include:

Evil Forest: A thick and choking forest, filled with poison and brambles, almost impossible to cross without vegetation clearing.
Tidal Plain: Wide, flat estuary, completely covered in sucking mud and quicksand. Impossible to cross quickly, and who knows what might give chase?
The Great Wall: Exactly what it sounds like: Tall, wide, and impenetrable with basic equipment. Will you build over, or dig under?

CataclysmBiome