HYPERBOREA » Weather generation app

gizmomathboy · 4/30/2019 10:26 am

Ok, if I do tackle this beast. How would you want the flow to go?

The input variables are:

* Latitude
* terrain
* year

I could do something like the Encounter app. The flow there is: Location->Terrain. I can then add a Year choice in there somewhere.

In a side note looking at the "starting" table. Would 10d4 be an equivalent for 2d4x5? I think so, just to make my use of specific module easier. It is less chunky stat-wise however.

Chainsaw · 4/30/2019 10:59 am

City, town or village name might be a input. For example, would be cool if I could type in "Khromarium, 11/2/576" and get weather for the area that day.

gizmomathboy · 4/30/2019 3:12 pm

Chainsaw wrote:
City, town or village name might be a input. For example, would be cool if I could type in "Khromarium, 11/2/576" and get weather for the area that day.

I was thinking the less folks have to type the better.

For reference the web app-ified version of BA's Hyperborean Encounter Tables:

http://gizmomathboy.com/he_app

Chainsaw · 4/30/2019 6:19 pm

Yeah, I guess I was confused about the project. Thanks for that link!

gizmomathboy · 4/30/2019 6:46 pm

I could add something like that still as I get it built.

achiriaco · 4/30/2019 7:19 pm

Chainsaw wrote:
City, town or village name might be a input. For example, would be cool if I could type in "Khromarium, 11/2/576" and get weather for the area that day.

I like this idea as an option too.

gizmomathboy · 10/02/2019 12:27 pm

So...I've made some work towards this project now.

For those that are curious, City in the Clouds is at 6 degrees latitude. Which coincidentally is the same as Pandoros.

Not that it matters for the purposes of this exercise since anything below 18 deg lat is treated as 18 deg lat.

I only note this since I think I will have a way to put in a location and get the weather.

Last edited by gizmomathboy (10/02/2019 12:32 pm)

Ynas Midgard · 10/03/2019 11:41 am

When I automated it for myself, I did it with buttons for Terrain, Year, and Latitude - any combination goes. Sample output:

Base temp is 80 F (26.67 C)
Rain
Light Breeze
Wind chill is 75 F (23.89 C)

Having an alternate set of input (i.e. location and year) is a great idea!

BlackKnight · 10/03/2019 2:20 pm

It might be easier to do a numbered outline of the main map hexes, with a drop-down of the major city locations for easy access. Or even (with Jeff's permission) put a map with a clickable hex layout as the opening page of the app. Then for the 26-mile hex that my adventurers are in you would know the terrain and be able to modify the randomized weather accordingly.

gizmomathboy · 10/04/2019 6:46 am

Ynas Midgard wrote:
When I automated it for myself, I did it with buttons for Terrain, Year, and Latitude - any combination goes. Sample output:

Base temp is 80 F (26.67 C)
Rain
Light Breeze
Wind chill is 75 F (23.89 C)

Having an alternate set of input (i.e. location and year) is a great idea!

Yeah, for the most part it will like that.

However, I think I will also have locations in there as well (to cover the Anomalous Regions). I think that will have the latitude range for each region (if applicable) and a default if no latitude is given.

Also, I'll think about how to do the input that Chainsaw suggested. I think it's doable.

gizmomathboy · 10/04/2019 8:46 am

BlackKnight wrote:
It might be easier to do a numbered outline of the main map hexes, with a drop-down of the major city locations for easy access. Or even (with Jeff's permission) put a map with a clickable hex layout as the opening page of the app. Then for the 26-mile hex that my adventurers are in you would know the terrain and be able to modify the randomized weather accordingly.

I don't think there is any practical way to do a clickable map. Anything that might be doable for the web doesn't have the resolution to be useful to see what hex you mean. Anything with the proper resolution to properly select a hex is way to large.

Also, a hex could have multiple terrain in it which can have an influence.

I think the interface I'll very roughly go with is something like my Encounter app:

https://www.gizmomathboy.com/he_app

I think it will have location choices, or text input, or lat/year/terrain menu choices.

kane · 3/11/2020 11:53 am

I'm curious is this project alive?

gizmomathboy · 3/11/2020 1:56 pm

kane wrote:
I'm curious is this project alive?

Indeed it is.

It's just on the back burner because of getting ready for Gary Con and such.

Plus...there are some fiddly bits about how I won't to code it up and such.

I have a decent amount done. I'm mostly wading through the tables that modify the base result.

So, look for something hopefully in mid to late April

Handy Haversack · 3/11/2020 2:48 pm

gizmomathboy wrote:
kane wrote:
I'm curious is this project alive?

Indeed it is.

It's just on the back burner because of getting ready for Gary Con and such.

Plus...there are some fiddly bits about how I won't to code it up and such.

I have a decent amount done. I'm mostly wading through the tables that modify the base result.

So, look for something hopefully in mid to late April

But keep the pressure on him, Kane, for gods' sake! He can rest during year Bat!

gizmomathboy · 7/13/2020 12:27 am

Welp, I finally had some time to put into this.

My command line app is working well enough for me.

This:

weather.pl --latitude 54 --longitude cape_calencia --year 577 --terrain ocean

Spits out:

conditions:
base: Fog
effects:
    - Visibility reduced to 20 feet
temp: 45
wind:
effects:
    - missile fire at -2
    - flying creatures at 1/2 MV unless moving with wind
    - sail at +33% movement if moving with/across the wind
    - 5% chance of torn sail and/or fouled rigging
wind_force: strong breeze
wind_speed: 23

Now to find time to web-ify it so y'all can use it.

gizmomathboy · 7/21/2020 8:13 am

Ok, now it's time for UI questions.

I have a sketch of the app (it doesn't do anything...other maybe start generating an encounter since I'm stealing that html for this) at:

https://www.gizmomathboy.com/weather_gen/

Terrain and Year are required.

Latitude isn't required if you specify location. Then it will take an average of what I consider to be the extreme ends of the latitude that location occupies.

Location, yeah there are 100 locations to choose from.

I'm ok with Terrain being a drop down list.

Year I think has to be a text entry.

The problem is location.

Long drop down list or just a lot of radio buttons laid out like in the sketch?

So while I'm cogitating on it, I'll take suggestions from the peanut gallery.

gizmomathboy · 7/21/2020 11:53 am

I think for latitude I'll also do a drop down.

By definition latitudes less than 18 degrees are 18 degrees and latitudes greater than 72 degrees are 72 degrees, for the purposes of the base temperature chart in Appendix B.

I think I will go with 3 degree steps even though there are only 4 zones for base temperature. Give folks the illusion of choice :-)

I've also got some interesting suggestions for handling selection location for other places I've asked.

Caveman · 7/22/2020 4:05 am

Looking good, enjoying the dropdown lists, etc.

I guess we on a countdown to launch?

gizmomathboy · 7/22/2020 7:11 am

Eh....that was just sorting out the front page :-)

Which, I think works well enough.

I asked my more skilled front end web dev friends for better ways to do the location selection. There are 100 locations and that's a long drop down list.

I think you should be able to do a typeahead search for location. At the least the first letter gets you close to that grouping.