How to Define a Biome?

[D.A.R.K.]

TL;DR: What defines the biome is the background or the OST playing?





Well, back at 1.3 I wouldn't care, but now we have the Luck system, and this implies I must use the right torch to illuminate the right biome, but the catch is that my world is mess up, Corrupt and Tundra are mixed together, and Corruption and Jungle as a mess as well.

In 1.3 I used to know which biomes I was in based on the background and/or the song, but I'm reaching spots on those messed up biomes where I see a biome's background and hear the music of the other biome.

TThere's a spot in my world, on the left side where Tundra and Corruption are mixed up, that I can see the Tundra background but the OST playing is from Corruption... Another part of the same mess I'm around snow and ice blocks (not the purple one, the blue one) with the Corruption OST playing and with Corruption background.

I know the blocks around me don't matter, but I could recognize which biome I'm in based on the OST and the background, even if I got a world with mixed biomes, I wouldn't care, NOW I'm caring and I'm ♥♥♥♥♥♥ .

So... How do I define a biome, is from the background image, or the OST playing?

[Voltaire]

Judging by the changelogs, they removed torch luck in 1.4.0.3, so biome specific torches shouldn't be a problem anymore.

[JustAGamerPerson]

Originally posted by Reverend Revenant:

Judging by the changelogs, they removed torch luck in 1.4.0.3, so biome specific torches shouldn't be a problem anymore.

When you realise that the question you have is useless.

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally posted by Reverend Revenant:

Judging by the changelogs, they removed torch luck in 1.4.0.3, so biome specific torches shouldn't be a problem anymore.

They only removed the bad luck from the Torch, not torches, only from the default Torch so you can use in any biome without having bad luck, but yet you won't get good luck from it.

By the way, that isn't my question, I know how luck works, I know how torches works, I just want to know how to know which biome I'm in.

[K1: LION]

If you just want additional luck and don't want to constantly worry about which biome you are in, use ocean torches or cursed torches (depending on where you are in the game). They both give positive luck modifiers when placed in liquids, cursed torches not taking away positive luck when not placed in liquids (don't know about the opposite evil torch).

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally posted by K1: LION:

If you just want additional luck and don't want to constantly worry about which biome you are in, use ocean torches or cursed torches (depending on where you are in the game). They both give positive luck modifiers when placed in liquids, cursed torches not taking away positive luck when not placed in liquids (don't know about the opposite evil torch).

Again... That's not the question. I think I should remove the luck thing about it... Nah, probably people will reply saying "why do you wanna know" and would be the same.

PLEASE, READ THE THREAD, READ WHAT I'M ASKING.

[Asmosis]

you need to know the biome for those teleporter things, so it'd be handy for that right? ppl sidetracked on the luck thing.

[Ayaguna]

i don't know exactly the technical part it, but if you make a fishing pound depending on the fish items you get i would assume is the place the game think you are......

since enemys may spawn depending on background maybe what matter is the music i don't know really, but the fish method may work..

im afraid i don't have any conclusive info on this, just the fishing tip.

[K1: LION]

Originally posted by D.A.R.K.:

Originally posted by K1: LION:

If you just want additional luck and don't want to constantly worry about which biome you are in, use ocean torches or cursed torches (depending on where you are in the game). They both give positive luck modifiers when placed in liquids, cursed torches not taking away positive luck when not placed in liquids (don't know about the opposite evil torch).

Again... That's not the question. I think I should remove the luck thing about it... Nah, probably people will reply saying "why do you wanna know" and would be the same.

PLEASE, READ THE THREAD, READ WHAT I'M ASKING.

My assumption was that you wanted to know what biome it was for torches, not for another reason that wasn't stated. I'll explain what I know, please clarify if it is something else.

For biome keys/rare biome drops, fishing and torches (I would assume) the background environment and music is what matters when it picks from random generation effects (fishing might pull from multiple biomes, but I haven't tested it).

All that matters with specific enemy spawns is the background walls and blocks. Only those need to be the type you want to spawn the enemy types you desire, the music does nothing (at least on the surface, underground might be slightly different).

As a general rule of thumb, if a certain biome's music is playing yet most of the blocks you can see are a different biome, it probably means there are more of said biome's music in the vicinty than the type that can be seen.

[Chronusaur]

It's determined by the nearby blocks, and the background and music will reflect this. If you see a certain background with the matching music, you're in that biome/sub-biome.

[Zemecon]

I would say there are four things you should look out for that will help determine the biome for you:

1. Background - This is easier above ground than below but each biome has its own background and you will know which is which when you learn what to look out for.
   
   
2. Biome theme track - Each biome has its own theme music and once enough blocks of a particular biome have been placed or converted you should hear the theme playing. It is a pretty good indicator of how big your biome is, as if you don't hear the theme then the biome is either too small oryou aren't close enough to it.
   
   
3. Water colour - Every biome has its own colour of water and if there is a pool of water in the biome then it will change to that colour if the biome is big enough.
   
   
4. Mobs - each biome has its own mobs and you can usually tell a biome is big enough to count as a proper biome when mobs belonging to that biome start spawning in it. Mobs only spawn off-screen so if you are getting mobs coming in on both sides of your screen then you know you have more than a screen's worth of biome space. However, mobs are typically the last indicator you will get due to the factor of your screen so if you're trying to create your own artificial biome then you may not get mobs right away. You may need to be patient but you might also need to make your artificial biome bigger.

Usually these four factors coincide but if you are building your own artificial biome then you may get some and not get others. All four factors indicate you are definitely in a distinct biome.

[D.A.R.K.]

Ok, I think there are 3 points to define in which biome you are in, but doesn't mean they are definitive. I took some SS to show my point and understand that number of blocks, or background, or OST (this one I can't prove in a SS) alone can't define the right biome, but together they should work to tell you that.


We do understand that 500 more blocks can create your artificial biome, but I'm talking about natural spawn. In my world blocks DO define which biome it is, but isn't a major factor because I can stand in a place, majority of a biome, and see the background of it, but once I do one single step, the background changes, showing I'm in another biome.


Here you can see my world map, and there's a Desert in the left side of it. I'm underground in a pool and take a look at what happens when I do a single step aside:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113559609

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113562594

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113562129


You could say "you took a step left, now there are more desert blocks, so the biome has changed" but this won't explain why this is happening in the next images, also enemies keep spawning from the biome, we don't need to stay in the biome to enemies from that biome to spawn.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113562967

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113562827

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113563132

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113563253


Here you can see there are only forest blocks around me when I take a single step, it changes, but you almost can't see the Corruption:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113563532

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113563829

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113564106

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113564194



Also, I'm playing with other 2 friends in another world where I "created" an artificial tundra biome using snow blocks, yet the background doesn't change, enemies keep spawning, the OST keep the same as hallow (because that's how lucky we are) but I can't take SS right now, we just play at night, so the SS will take a while to come.


Sometimes the background just changes color, but the image is the same, this prompts to change the OST of the biome to the other one, for some reason, and sometimes it doesn't.

In the SS that I'm in the desert, then I take a step and the background changes color, the OST didn't change, the background is still desert, with the purple corrupt color, and the OST is desert.

In the SS that I'm in the lake, the background changes, the color of the lake changes, and the OST changes, which is what should happen, as normal, BUT... In the SS I'm in the forest and then I do a step to Corruption, the background changes, the "mood" changes but the OST is still the same. I took the opportunity to do that coming from the right and coming from the left, the OST keeps the same from I came in.

In the Tundra - Forest everything is working as it should, background changes, color changes, OST changes.

[D.A.R.K.]

In my previous world, a world completely messed up, everything mixed, I just deleted it and start a new one, there was a spot that I could hear OST from a biome and see background from another biome, Jungle and Tundda were mixed together, Tundra and Corruption were mixed together and I couldn't know which biome I was in to place the right torch.

I know we can know the biome by using the item, that I don't remember the name now, but until there, I can't define for sure which biome I'm in based on OST and Background because sometimes they don't sync.

[D.A.R.K.]

In those situations, how to define which torch to place? Because a think the torch works the same way as Sunflowers, the torch gives luck in a radius around the player, probably based on the shade of the light...

I didn't get the mixed biomes in this world, at least not until the part that I explored, but think about a spot that Corruption and Tundra get together, you do one step, literally one block, and the biome changes. Which torch should you place there?

If you place Ice Torch you will get luck at the Tundra side, but a single step will change to Corruption and you will get bad luck from it, same occurs if you use the Corrupt Torch, because of the radius of the torch, you can't place the right torch to get luck from that spot.

Of course, we don't HAVE TO place the torch there, but this is the experiment and the situation.

[D.A.R.K.]

Here, I found the perfect spot where the Background changes but the OST is the same as before:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2115508701

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2115508725

[Zemecon]

Blocks create biomes. They don't define a biome already in existence, for two reasons: 1) we don't know exactly how many blocks of any one type are in the biome, and 2) oftentimes biomes intersect and you get hybrid varients. That artificial snow biome you tried to create might have been placed in a Corruption, Crimson or Hallow biome. If that is true then you won't get any "pure" underground snow biome themes or significant background changes.

If you place down 400 - 500 blocks somewhere on a map you should get the associated biome. It might take a while to get any corresponding mobs to spawn and with an unconverted underground biome it can be tough to know exactly what you are getting but if you know what is supposed to be there and you have enough blocks to make it then you won't be far off.

Granted, if the intention of this thread was for you to tell others like myself what a biome is (and it's looking like that from all your screenshots there) then I am probably wasting my time. So, whatever.