Pioneer Terrain Survey

A utility for rendering biome maps of any size, scale, and position without generating chunks. These maps can be viewed in a web browser or downloaded for offline use.

Originally developed for mod development, particularly when creating ATG. In the previous version for Minecraft 1.6, it was used by the Biomes'O'Plenty team to analyze biome distribution. Version 2.0 has been completely redesigned, offering more detailed maps, enhanced data visualization, and improved controls.

Usage

The mod adds a command for creating maps, available in single-player worlds with cheats enabled or when hosting a LAN world. Does not work on dedicated servers.

Command syntax:

/pioneer |stop [] [ ]

• Radius or stop: Rendering radius in blocks around the center point. Takes scale into account, rounding values - the map will show at least this distance from the center. Stop cancels the current map creation task.
• Scale: Optional parameter that determines sampling density - every blocks in each direction will be sampled. Value of 2 - every second block, 16 - one sample per chunk. Works with radius, so doubling the scale halves the map dimensions. Default is 1 - minimum value.
• CenterX and centerZ: Optional coordinates for the map center. Default is the player's current position.

Very large maps may take a long time to create - a progress indicator is shown in the top left corner. Do not pause the game while creating the map, as the process will stop. If you need to switch focus from Minecraft, use another interface like the inventory, or F3+P to disable auto-pause.

Command Examples

/pioneer 50 - attempts to create a map with 50-block radius around the player with scale 1. Not very useful. Rounds up to a single 128x128 tile.

/pioneer 2000 4 - map with 2000-block radius at scale 4. Equivalent to 500 for map size. Creates 8x8 tiles, where each 4x4 area represents a chunk.

/pioneer 1000 200 200 - creates a 1000-radius map centered at 200,200. With three numbers, the command interprets them as coordinates rather than scale.

// Example: /pioneer 8100 16 0 0 - Most commonly used settings
// When developing ATG creates a 16x16 km map,
// where each pixel represents a whole chunk centered at 0,0
// Creates 64 tiles

After Creating a Map

Load it in the online viewer or download it for local use.

Created maps are located in the /pioneer/ subfolder of the Minecraft installation. When using the Curse launcher, find the instance folder through settings. For quick access, use the resource packs menu - going up one folder will lead to the main directory.

Compatibility

Unlike the old 1.6 version, Pioneer no longer causes dedicated server crashes - doesn't load on them at all. To create maps from server worlds, request the seed and settings, generating a local copy of the world. Required due to dependencies on graphics code that doesn't load on dedicated servers.

The map creation method ensures compatibility with any biome mods, world types, and dimensions without additional configuration. Colors for each biome are generated from limited in-game data and may not match the colors seen in the actual game. In 1.8, explicit biome color values were removed, so current solutions either require pre-defining colors (reduces compatibility) or select colors dynamically (complex, sometimes produces unusual results).

Features

Efficient generation of large territories without performance impact

Advanced viewing system with zoom and data analysis capabilities

Videos

Feature overview

Developer guide