I usually go with the boring 'mountain, dessert, jungle etc' biomes. But for a future project I decided to get a little creative and create a snowy Jungle. I haven't thought much about the mechanics of the environment but that project isn't until a ways off. Reason I decided not to go with an icy volcanic region is cause I've seen it before and executed in a cool way. I'm trying to think of some other interesting mash ups to use that kind of fit with the 'wait, this doesn't seem normal' vibe.
I believe how your characters & world interacts with a biome is far more important than how it generally looks. The specific "fantasy biomes" I greatly enjoy and respect have all been regions with history & influence on many characters. My all-time favourite is Shattered Draenor in the Warcraft universe. It is not one specific biome but multiple ones contained within a shattered planet that was destroyed by the actions of a major character. Technically, its a heap of floating debris in outer space that is heavily irradiated and tainted with magical energies, slowly crumbling into nothingness. It's got devastated areas as well as some areas that are still largely intact. My favourite there is Zangarmarsh, which used to be a sea filled with mushrooms but - with the crumbling of the world - has been drained and is pretty much dying away. What gives "Outland" life and a special place in its universe is not precisely the creativity in its design - mushroom forests, spiked mountains, devastated crumbling areas or stretching plains with floating landmasses - but the deep connection to the storyline and the characters. It was the home of the orc race, who in their demonic-induced savagery tore it apart with dark magic. It was the refugee of the Draenei whose race was largely extinguished and wiped out by the orcs there. And it's also where the major characters of the video game WC3:TFT fled; characters most fans of the universe liked. TL/DR, I believe the history of a region contributes far more than the looks. A frozen jungle is one thing, but how was it created? Perhaps it is artificial. Perhaps it was site of a grand magical kingdom who in their folly tried to rule weather itself - but instead caused such a great anomaly that their lush forests and meadows turned into a frozen jungle of unnatural proportions. Maybe a prospering kingdom used to be seated there, but their great rival - realising his armies could never take the kingdom - instead cursed the lands by depriving them of the Sun and casting eternal night over the lands, which slowly froze the heart of the Jungle and turned the region into a rime-marred wasteland.
I have a semi-intelligent marsh that has spread across half a continent, it leaves areas of forest and other things in its spread. The marsh releases sleep inducing fumes every now and then that makes animals who happen to wander in it fall asleep and drown, then the marsh feeds on their carcass to grow itself further. It is a very beautiful marsh, with lots of colours and flowers, the grass that grows there is very nutritional. It doesn't kill all the animals in a group, it keeps some of them alive to allow them to reproduce, like livestock. The marsh can move its roots up and down to create more solid ground for animals before drowning them. It also has great roots that take water from the seas and channels them to its inner areas.
I have one in the idea stage right now. It is a desert that is actually an ocean, home to silicone-based life and was created to separate one culture from another. I agree with the others. It is much more important to depict how your characters interact with the environment than to have a super imaginative environment and no story. Look at Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom series for a really cool environment and a good adventure.
This is a really cool idea. Very creepy. How would the characters circumvent the effects of the marsh?
I’ve had fun with the biomes for one specific story world. The basic premise is that the surface of the planet was destroyed millennia ago and is now coated by a magic-infused ash cloud. Humanity lives of scattered flying islands, which have a largely giant insect based ecosystem: massive pill-bug like creatures that eat through solid rock and leave behind elaborate mazes of tunnels, glowing beetles the size of a fist which the inhabitants keep in lanterns, etc. They have to deal with bizarre weather and fierce storms due to the constantly changing location of their islands. Unbeknownst to the islanders Beneath the fog the surface isn’t the wasteland they imagine, it’s a deadly, bioluminescent wonderland based on the deep sea. Deep sea forest might be close to what you’re looking for?
Nintendo developer Anouma approves of this idea XD (It's basically the premise of Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword) I get what folks are saying about showing the characters interacting and the backstory. I just like to think of the general stuff before I work on the main details like wildlife. And a Snowy Tundra Jungle sounded interesting to me heh.
I've yet to decide how the characters will navigate the marsh. I'm writing on book one in a series, the marsh will be in a book further on in the series.
A not so closet Minecraftian? I also suspect @naruzeldamaster. Of which I am. It'd be a good idea to get yourself off to Hawaii mind you, from what you've alluded to above, you know, for research purposes and a taste of Bear Gryllsing it in a grass skirt. Good concept btw.
I dip into creative mode to dick around once in a while, and I like to generate random seeds and explore, that's about it really. I mostly just watch youtubers (Mumbo Jumbo is a genius and nobody can change my mind, Grian and GoodtimeswithScar are also great builders) because I lack the creative mind to truly create the sort of nonsense that builders get away with haha. I initially thought of an icey volcano, but that's been done before in Mario Galaxy.
Survivalist here (create with the risk of what I make being destroyed), just half hour a day but it all adds up. Agree with the Mumbo Jumbo statement. I watch that fella with very receptive eyes. FWIW I world-build for stories/scenes , okay micro world-build , on occasion – it proves viability of the layout, seeds ideas, and is a good ‘go to’ if I drop a project for a while and need reminding of err lay of land when returning to it. The biomes too, with the weather passing over them, the sunrises and sets…well that’s a degree of inspiration too.
There are cold rainforests on the coasts of Canada and the US that might be worth a look. And it's possible that a warm area from volcanism or a sheltered valley might change the environmental conditions in a small area (like the Savage Land in Marvel Comics). And that's before supernatural elements come into play. If you haven't already, look up some images of Mount Erebus, one of the biggest and scariest volcanoes in the world, found in Antarctica. Also, look up Cryovolcanoes. They're found on worlds or moons like Enceladus and Europa, where they work exactly like volcanoes, but expel high-velocity water rather than lava. Cryovolcano - Wikipedia It would depend a lot on what sort of genre you're writing. Sci-fi and fantasy have a lot more scope to get weird, but there's some pretty crazy stuff even on Earth. For example: Catatumbo lightning - Wikipedia
