Weather

 'Do you have a suggestion? Discuss this topic on the forums !' Tohm's weather system is a key element in simulating a world that "feels" realistic. Weather changes gradually over time, and players who are in a position to see the outdoors receive transition text. For now, Tohm's weather is entirely aesthetic, but there's a tentative plan to eventually tie it into combat so that it becomes an even more interesting game element, and also possibly to have weather status block or open travel routes to keep navigation interesting for longer-term players.

Gradual Change
The weather in a region of the world need not randomly jump around from rain to clear skies to storms and back. Tohm's weather patterns may include any number of states, so players get the gradual transitions typical to real life, and a very observant player might even become familiar with the patterns in an area such that he can predict with moderate certainty what the weather will be in the near future.

Directional Transitions
Instead of just telling players the new weather state, like "It's raining now", each of Tohm's weather states has two transitions, one from each direction - "The heavy clouds finally burst, drenching the canopy overhead." vs. "The torrent of precipitation finally relents." By keeping information about which weather state we were previously in when moving into a new state, we keep a level of detail in weather messages that gives players a sense of continuity.

Patterns by Region
Each of Tohm's regions may have its own unique weather pattern and state. This makes it possible for us to build a wide variety of climate zones, including deserts, fields, glaciers, forests, tropics, islands, and more. Even two regions which have a similar climate may have region-specific weather messages - for example, a message about fog evaporating might mention that a major landmark in the region (like a big shiny tower) is newly visible on the horizon.

Intersections with Time and Season
Weather messages may also take into account the current season and time of day. A region need not be perpetually snowy - one locale may see rain in the summer and snow in the winter.