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'''Flattening''' is the [[digging]] process of making a [[tile]] flat. A tile is considered flat when all four corners of the tile are of the same height, which can be seen by examining tile borders. If all 4 borders around a tile are reported as "level", the tile is flat. == How to flatten a tile == You can go about flattening a tile using 2 methods: manual and automatic. While "automatic" sounds nice, it's actually quite a bit more complicated to get right than doing it manually until you get the hang of it. === The automatic way === The automatic way is to use the '''Flatten''' command by right-clicking on a tile with your [[shovel]] activated. If the tile is too steep to stand on, you can still use flatten successfully from an adjacent tile. '''Note''': You cannot flatten a corner which is shared with a tree tile (or other immovable object). If it says "some corner can't be raised" then this is why. In a nutshell, the flatten command takes dirt from high corners and and puts them on lower ones than the calculated average from the server zero-plane. The zero-plane is the lowest point possible in wurm, where digging further would result in you falling through the world. This plane is absolutely flat, and all dirt and rock heights are calculated from this plane by means of simple addition. This sounds a bit abstract, I know, but read on and all will be explained. ==== An example ====Imagine that you are on the continent of flatland on flatten flats. This imaginary land has no slopes whatsoever, anywhere, and no water. You are standing in the middle of one tile in this land with a cart containing 40 dirts.You walk over to one of the 4 corners on that tile and drops 10 dirt on it from the cart. It now has a height of 10 dirt. Next, you repeat the procedure on the other 3 corners and suddenly you have a tile that is elevated 10 dirts above the rest of flatland. The height of each corner is 10. *Corner 1: 10*Corner 2: 10*Corner 3: 10*Corner 4: 10 Ok, now imagine that you decide to mess things up by digging up 5 dirt from one of the corners and put them on one of the 3 others. This could result in... *Corner 1: 5*Corner 2: 10*Corner 3: 15*Corner 4: 10 But you realize that doing this was a mistake, and want the tile flat again. You ''could'' just dig up the extra 5 dirt from corner 3 again and drop them on corner 1 and it would be taken care of, but instead of that you position yourself on the tile and select "flatten". ==== How it works ===Flattening made easy= What the game now does is calculate the height of your tile's corners based off the absolute zero plane of the game, in the example above the zero plane is the continent of flatland, so... 5+10+15+10=40. Divide that by 4 corners and you get, surprise, 10! So, the game now knows that the target height for the 4 corners is 10 dirts each, and begins to gradually take dirt from those corners ''above'' the target height and put it on the corners ''below'' it. It will continue to do this until one of the following conditions are met upon which it will stop: * The tile is flat* The tile corners have run out of dirt to make it completely flat (this will happen if the calculated average corner height isn't divisable by 4). Add extra dirt or dig away the surplus, then try again.* It tries to alter a corner which is connected to a tile with an obstruction on it. The most common are [[tree]], [[clay]], [[marsh]] and [[moss]].* It tries to alter a corner which is obstructed by a wall of any type.* It tries to alter a corner which would create a slope that is steeper than your digging skill * 3.* It hits rock in a corner 

===Assumptions===# Area In the instance of case 2 above, there is free dirt either missing or too much of obstacles (eit to make the tile completely flat.g. no trees)# Shovel As stated, if the sum of the heights of the corners is active# You have a cart to put multiple of four, then the tile can be flattened. Otherwise, there are 1-3 dirt intoextra that prevent it from being completely even. The different results are listed below:

===Actions===* If there is 1 extra dirt, you attempt to assemble.* If there are 2 extra dirt:# Pick a single ** If the dirts are on the same corner as you reference (you could place a small barrel or some container on it0-0-0-2), so you know the reference corner)attempt to assemble once.# Right-click on a tile border that adjoins the reference point and see which end of *** In this case, '''the tile border needs is not flattened completely'''. You must flatten again to be dug,finish.#* If the reference corner is the highest* Otherwise, then drop the required if you have at least one dirt at the lowest endin your inventory, you attempt to fill twice.#* If the reference corner is the lowest* Otherwise, then dig the required amount from the highest endyou attempt to assemble twice.# Repeat until area is flat* If there are 3 extra dirts, you attempt to fill.

The times given when '''Fill''' means you start to flatten correspond attempt drop one dirt on a low corner. If you have a dirt to drop, the number message "You use some of the dirt in one corner." is displayed and you lose one dirt. Otherwise, the message "If you carried some dirt 'difference' these are :, it would be used to fill the 1 corners that need it" is displayed.

*0 = If the flattening action successfully flattened the tile completely, the message "The ground is flat nowhere."*1..3 = 9 secs*4..7 = 19 secs*8..11 = 29 secs*12..15 = 39 secs*16will be displayed.If this message is not displayed, you either failed to perform an assemble or fill, or it was a 0-0-0-2 spread.19 = 49 secs*etc

So the ==== Flattening time ==== The action time is based on the "number of dirt height differencein " / 4, rounded down, * 10 + 9. <br>The "number of dirt differencedirts" is the difference between the highest and lowest pointscorners of the tile. <br>The time is 9 seconds plus an additional 10 seconds for every 4 dirts difference. Examples:So a * 0 = "The ground is flat now."* 1..3 = 9 secs timer could be from tiles like this* 4..7 = 19 secs* 8..11 = 29 secs* 12..15 = 39 secs* 16.. <br>19 = 49 secs* etc Examples of tiles that would give 9 seconds flattening time (the number below is the height difference):

1 = "You assemble The flatten option can also be used to flatten cave floors, but there are some dirt from a corner." (and you get one dirt added to inventory).differences:

2 = Depending * When flattening cave floors, you have to stand on how many dirt the tile you are carrying you get..flattening. 0 = "You assemble some dirt cannot flatten from a corner." (twice) and you get 2 dirt added to inventoryadjacent tiles. 1 = "You use some of the dirt * The flattening option will not raise corners in one cornercaves." and "If you carried some dirt, it would be used It will mine down all corners to fill match the 1 corners that need it." Note the tile is '''NOT''' flat. 2 = "You use some of the dirt in lowest one corner." (twiceNeeds confirmation) and the 2 dirt in inventory Confirmed: The corners are usedlowered.

3 = Depending if you are carrying any dirt you get... 0 = "If you carried some dirt, it would be used to fill the 1 corners that need it." Note the tile is '''NOT''' flat. 1 = "You use some of the dirt in one corner."Manual flattening ===

Manual flattening is the act of making an area flat through manually [[Category:Guidesdigging]]and dropping [[Category:Babel/Fdirt]]. While the process requires more interaction by the digger, it is vastly superior when flattening large areas of land.

Lets say you have a four tile area you want to be completely level. You stand in the center of that area at point 'x' below, and examine the tile borders leading to 'a', 'b', 'c', and 'd' showing how high or low each point is compared to yourself. <pre>=== Summary ===

e -------- b -------- f | | | | +1 | | | | Understand that the world is made up of pillars, and that the tiles are merely thin textures stretched out from the pillar's highest points. When you dig or drop dirt, all you do is adjust the height of the pillar (ie, a -- -1 -- X -- +2 -- c | | | | -3 | | | | g -------- d -------- hcorner) you are standing nearest. When digging, all that matters are the corners. Tiles only matter when you use the "flatten" command, in which case the selected tile only decides which 4 corners (or pillars) should be compared to eachother and adjusted. Otherwise, ''forget about the tiles, only think about the corners''. Also, never forget that when digging and dropping dirt, it doesn't matter where you click, '''only where your feet are located'''.

Since B The limitations of manual flattening is one dirt higher than X , of course, that it may take more time and interaction to complete, and A also is one subject to dirt lower than X, go dig a dirt from B and flow. Dirt flow is what happens when you try to drop it on A, making both of those borders level. Dig two dirt from C and drop them on D and X->C will be level as well, a corner with D still needing one a slope diagonally that exceeds 40 in steepness (For example: You're dropping dirt from elsewhere (go dig outside your four tile areanortheast, then slopes N+W or E+S shouldn't be higher then 40 together). You'll need to do When using the same thing now observing e"flatten" command, f, g dirt flow ''does not apply'' and h relative you can use it to create extreme slopes by the use of a, b, c and d to make the edges level (don't digtechnique known as [[Guides/dump from points you've already leveled).FlatRaising|flatraising]]

--[[UserCategory:Maluraq|MaluraqGuides]] 12[[Category:39, 4 February 2007 (CST)Babel/F]]