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Origen provides extensive control over terrain generation through various parameters in customization.yml. You can adjust base terrain height, continental distribution, elevation scales, and more.

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Terrain Height

Control the base height and vertical scale of terrain generation:

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Base Terrain

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terrain-base-y-level
number
default:"65"
The base Y level for terrain generation. This is the approximate height of flat terrain like plains.
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terrain-height
number
default:"100"
The maximum height variation above the base Y level. Controls how tall mountains and hills can be.
customization.yml
terrain-base-y-level: 65
terrain-height: 100
Effective terrain range: Y 65 to Y 165 (65 + 100)

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Ocean Terrain

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terrain-ocean-base-y-level
number
default:"60"
The base Y level for ocean floor generation.
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terrain-ocean-depth
number
default:"100"
Maximum depth variation below the ocean base level. Controls how deep ocean trenches can be.
customization.yml
terrain-ocean-base-y-level: 60
terrain-ocean-depth: 100
Effective ocean range: Y -40 to Y 60 (60 - 100)

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Continental Distribution

Control the scale and distribution of continents versus oceans:
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continental-scale
number
default:"0.8"
Controls the scale of land/coastal/oceanic distribution. Increasing this produces larger landmasses and larger oceans. Decreasing it creates more fragmented continents.
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continental-offset
number
default:"0.2"
Shifts the continental distribution, affecting the overall ratio of land to ocean. Positive values create more land, negative values create more ocean.
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continental-coast-width
number
default:"30"
The width in blocks of coastal transition zones between land and ocean.
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continental-coast-threshold
number
default:"0.05"
Threshold value that determines where coasts begin. Affects the sharpness of land-to-ocean transitions.
customization.yml
continental-scale: 0.8
continental-offset: 0.2
continental-coast-width: 30
continental-coast-threshold: 0.05

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Example: More Land, Less Ocean

continental-scale: 1.2
continental-offset: 0.4

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Example: Archipelago World

continental-scale: 0.4
continental-offset: -0.1
continental-coast-width: 50

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Elevation Settings

Control how elevation varies across the terrain:
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elevation-scale
number
default:"1"
Controls the scale of the elevation noise map. Larger values create more gradual elevation changes over distance. Smaller values create more sudden changes.Note: This does NOT affect individual biome height. Use terrain-height for that.
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elevation-highlands-threshold
number
default:"0.4"
Threshold value for determining highland areas. Higher values create fewer highlands.
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elevation-flatlands-threshold
number
default:"0.1"
Threshold value for determining flatland areas. Higher values create more flatlands.
customization.yml
elevation-scale: 1
elevation-highlands-threshold: 0.4
elevation-flatlands-threshold: 0.1

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Example: Mountainous World

elevation-scale: 1.5
elevation-highlands-threshold: 0.2  # More highlands
terrain-height: 150  # Taller mountains

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Example: Flat World with Gentle Hills

elevation-scale: 2.0  # Very gradual changes
elevation-flatlands-threshold: 0.3  # More flatlands
terrain-height: 60  # Lower height variation

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Spawn Island

Origen supports a customizable spawn island feature:
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spawn-island-origin-x
number
default:"0"
X coordinate of the spawn island center.
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spawn-island-origin-z
number
default:"0"
Z coordinate of the spawn island center.
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spawn-island-radius-inner
number
default:"20"
Radius where continental value is set to 1 (inland). The guaranteed land area.
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spawn-island-radius-middle
number
default:"125"
Radius where continental value is set to 0 (coast). Where the coastline forms.
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spawn-island-radius-outer
number
default:"400"
Radius where continental value is set to -1 (deep ocean). Where deep ocean begins.
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spawn-island-elevation-scale
number
default:"0.3"
Scales elevation within the spawn island. Lower values create flatter spawn areas. Range 0-1.
customization.yml
spawn-island-origin-x: 0
spawn-island-origin-z: 0
spawn-island-radius-inner: 20
spawn-island-radius-middle: 125
spawn-island-radius-outer: 400
spawn-island-elevation-scale: 0.3

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Example: Large Flat Spawn Island

spawn-island-radius-inner: 100
spawn-island-radius-middle: 200
spawn-island-elevation-scale: 0.1  # Very flat

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Complete Configuration Example

Here’s a complete terrain configuration for a dramatic, mountainous world:
customization.yml
# Tall, dramatic terrain
terrain-base-y-level: 70
terrain-height: 150
terrain-ocean-base-y-level: 60
terrain-ocean-depth: 120

# Large continents
continental-scale: 1.5
continental-offset: 0.3
continental-coast-width: 40
continental-coast-threshold: 0.05

# Varied elevation with many highlands
elevation-scale: 1.2
elevation-highlands-threshold: 0.3
elevation-flatlands-threshold: 0.1

# Comfortable spawn island
spawn-island-origin-x: 0
spawn-island-origin-z: 0
spawn-island-radius-inner: 50
spawn-island-radius-middle: 150
spawn-island-radius-outer: 400
spawn-island-elevation-scale: 0.2
Extreme terrain height values (> 200) may cause generation artifacts or performance issues. Test incrementally when making large changes.

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World Y Levels

World Y level boundaries are configured in meta.yml:
meta.yml
top-y: 319
ocean-level: 62
deepslate-top: 2
deepslate-bottom: -12
bedrock-top: -60
bottom-y: -64
These values define the absolute world boundaries and material transitions. They should generally not be modified unless you understand the implications for world generation.

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Climate Distribution

While not strictly terrain settings, these parameters affect which biomes can generate where:

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Temperature

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temperature-scale
number
default:"0.4"
Controls the scale of temperature zones. Increasing this value increases the distance between temperature changes, resulting in hot and cold biomes generating further apart.
customization.yml
temperature-scale: 0.4

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Precipitation

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precipitation-scale
number
default:"1"
Controls the scale of precipitation zones. Same concept as temperature zones - humid biomes generate away from arid biomes.
customization.yml
precipitation-scale: 1
Adjust temperature-scale and precipitation-scale together with terrain settings to create cohesive climate zones that match your terrain generation.

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