The flora parameters, if I am not mistaken
, decides where the trees are placed at different elevations. Again, I have not played with it yet so I'm still figuring that out.
This is FloraPreferences, the one with 256 reps. Very similar to the Texture Table in the INI. It can be imagined as a 16x16 table, but in this case, the top row is the lowest elevation, the columns still go from dry to wet. The bottom row (the last 16 digits) also behaves like the top row in the INI, but in this case the setting for the "end" of the flora elevations is in the FloraTuningParameters. Unless you have snow covered trees (which thanks to Girafe, we do), I wouldn't recommend trees having any value other than 0 in the last 16 reps.
Also to consider is the Water Flora property. If this is set to true, then the flora only uses the first 16 reps of the preferences, and ignores any altitude limitations. It doesn't work the way the description says it does. I don't think it ever could either, the main problem being that underwater is guaranteed to be only the wettest moisture level. (although maybe a rep in the parameters changes the non-workingness of the altitudes).
Values in preferences can be anywhere between, and including, 0-1. The main function of values other than 0 or 1 is to be like a strength modifier, but there is another which I will explain further down.
I would be happy if I could join. I think it's time to make new controllers, as there are many new tree models are out since cp's pack.
Agreed. I will be working on a Girafe only controller, but we haven't seen the last of plants from him (unless the birches broke his spirit

).
Do you have any more information about the FloraParameters property? I think I already read everything available on the SC4D.
1. State change interval [day/2]
6. Cycle length for state change [day]
8. Max allowed slope
11. Radius of exclusivity. Flora only placed, if no other flora exists within this radius
13. Radius occupied. Flora only placed if not intersects with other occupant sizes.
I have been meaning to post this in a tutorial section, but here you go.
CycleDogg did some valuable research into this, and filled in a bunch of gaps.
11- This is the amount of space a flora takes up
after it is plopped, however see rep 14
14- If the height difference between flora is greater than this, then flora will override the 11th rep
At least, 4, 5, 9, and 10 have something to do with RandomSeedingCellsPerMonth property in the Flora Tuning Parameters.
By default, this property is set to "0". By changing it to something other than 0 you will see trees being planted automatically every 24 months pre-mayor mode. The 18 months change be changed to 1 (which is how it is in my seasonal flora patch), at which point you will see however many trees to have set to plant per month appear.
Rep:
9- if this value is less than or equal to the values in the flora preferences, then a tree will be placed. Otherwise, the tree is removed.
10- not too sure. Perhaps speed of seeding, perhaps slope possible. Values between 0-1 seem to make a difference, although Maxis has them at 30
4 and 5- relate to the "spreading" of the flora. There is a point where rather than be placed randomly (also depending upon preferences) flora "spreads", like if you were to pour liquid on a floor.
Without 4 and 5 being high, this random seeding is slow and tedious. It may be some kind of radius. My testing with increasing rep 9 makes large gaps of flora. Changing 4 or 5 effects the gaps, but it also seems to make clustering not work as well.
So that leaves 2, 3, and 12 as being mysterious. All of the god-mode trees have these set the same, so finding differences in behavior is tough.
I have attached a file that will plant Maxis trees at a somewhat manageable rate. The 9th rep is also set to .9 so that in some places, the types of trees can "battle". Within 2 years of running this you can have a fully covered large tile.
The main downfall of this is that it stops working after you enter mayor mode. There is also a moisture simulation that would make trees much more diverse, but this only starts after entering mayor mode. Even if it could, the moisture simulation only seems to be able to last one year (no matter the change in the property that basically says "length of moisture simulation'). If disasters didn't pause the game as well, I could see really neat things happening.