Talk:Weather

Development and editorial material moved from the article — 27 October 2026

The following original passages were moved or rewritten to keep Weather focused on operating in Vieneo. They are preserved here as development history, editorial context or source material, not as current operating instructions. Player-facing limits and controls are retained in the article where applicable.

Source: Weather, revision 5067. The excerpts below preserve the original wikitext, including any obsolete statements and links.

Experience the first truly planetary, physics-driven weather system in a game—where every cloud, storm front and fog bank is born of real-world thermodynamics, moisture advection and atmospheric circulation. We don’t just simulate weather, we simulate a planet’s climate.

Vieneo is a tidally locked exomoon with a dense, high-pressure atmosphere and perpetual cloud cover, resulting in a uniquely complex and dynamic climate. The weather simulation in ''Rise: The Vieneo Province'' has evolved into a sophisticated planetary model with dynamic interactions between temperature, humidity, convection, terrain, wind, and time of day. Weather conditions are calculated per-location using global environmental maps and physical models.

** Comparable to light-to-moderate convective activity on Earth. Peak turbulence occurs near equatorial storm zones, with transient strong updrafts.

* '''Precipitation''':
** Avg: 0.076 mm/hr
** Max: 16 mm/hr (severe storm cells)
** Scale runs from 2–16, aligning with mm/hr intensity

== Core Models Used ==
* '''Vapor Layer''': Relative humidity and dew point derivation
* '''Temperature Deviation Layer''': Surface temperature variation based on season and time
* '''Convection Layer''': Storm potential and turbulence
* '''Wind Speed Layer''': Baseline surface and aloft wind speeds
* '''Wind Direction Layer''': Orographic and directional wind effects
* '''Elevation Map''': Terrain height for ceiling and visibility calculations

* Dew point derived from vapor map via exponential approximation

The weather model derives relative humidity from the rotating vapor layer and adjusts it for convection and daytime drying. Dew point is then calculated from humidity and temperature. This humidity value is a regional weather input; the current model does not provide a separate humidity profile through the upper cloud towers.

* Simulates jet stream drift via Rossby wave patterns

* More widespread than on Earth due to dense atmosphere and solar heating dynamics

The global cloud-height map combines regional humidity and convection. With Vieneo's normal cloud layer, black (grayscale 0) represents a regional cloud-top height of 10 km MSL and white (255) represents 22 km MSL. Intermediate map values correspond linearly to intermediate heights: grayscale 128 is about 16.02 km MSL. Black retains the baseline cloud deck; it does not mean clear sky.

The connected cloud sheet follows this regional height. Smaller rounded billows, wind-shaped streaks and uneven surface relief give it local texture; erosion makes the visible surface slightly lower than the mapped regional height in many places. The map does not produce a perfectly flat opaque surface at each height.

These cloud shapes are a visual approximation using the server's calibrated humidity and convection inputs, not a calculation of buoyancy, electrical charge or upper-cloud microphysics under [[Vieneo]]'s atmosphere. Cloud height alone does not specify rainfall or a flight-turbulence value. [[#Cloud lightning|Cloud lightning]] follows the existing cloud bodies and global cloud map. The in-world [[Flight Simulators|simulator]] retains its baseline cloud appearance.

* Precipitation depends on moisture and convection together. The modeled storm potential is adjusted relative humidity multiplied by convection; lift potential alone does not imply rain.
* Rain generation begins when this product exceeds 0.3475 below 10 km MSL. Cloud formations can occur where precipitation has not begun.
* The internal precipitation index ranges from 2 (no-storm baseline) to 16. It is not a direct rainfall rate in mm/hr; precipitation classification treats values below 2.5 as none.
* Rain cooling can lower the modeled temperature by up to 6°C.

== Wind Modeling ==

== Visibility Calculations ==

* '''Final Clamp''': Visibility range: 0.05–25 km

== Ceiling Calculations ==

* Minimum ceiling enforced over Deois

== Sanity Checks and Constraints ==
* Fog forces min precip to 2.0
* Syncs ceiling and visibility to avoid logical conflicts

* '''Winds Aloft''': Jet-stream equivalents exist—expect wind shear
* '''Turbulence''': More persistent than Earth; strong convection common

Above the clouds, lightning appears as brief illumination scattered through existing cloud moisture. Sources follow the occupied cloud bodies, including raised convective billows. A discharge can illuminate one to three connected sections in sequence, with irregular repeat pulses; exposed bolts are not required to see this orbital effect. Look down toward active storms, preferably at night or twilight. Flashes have less contrast against directly sunlit clouds and remain easier to see in darker cloud regions. This depends on the illumination at the clouds, not simply whether the ship is on the day or night side. The irregular glow is a client rendering approximation, not a calculation of electrical charge layers or Vieneo aerosol optics.

The natural client-local generator targets about 100 events per second across the entire planet, weighted strongly toward higher values in the global cloud-height map. This is not 100 visible flashes per second from one ship: the horizon, camera direction, weather distribution and cloud obscuration reduce what is visible. Chained sections and repeat pulses belong to one event. The global cloud map and cloud geometry are not altered by lightning.

Lightning is disabled in the in-world [[Flight Simulators|simulator]], including transient illumination on entering it. Administrators can use <code>000COMMANDCLOUDBOLT1</code> for a 30-real-second orbital visibility test and <code>000COMMANDCLOUDBOLT0</code> to stop it. This forces nearby cloud events without changing weather or the natural event stream, and produces no server event, thunder or damage. See [[Special Commands#Admins Only|Special Commands]] for requirements and reset conditions.

| Precipitation || 0 mm/hr || 16.0 mm/hr

* [[:File:WeatherRealismAnalysis.pdf|Weather Simulation Realism Analysis]]

== Notes ==
The system is designed for future upgrades including airborne radar, storm particles, and localized weather patterns. Orographic effects and fog are computed dynamically using directional wind sampling.