How To Get Trees Growing in waterfalls or water
Idea contributed by Jason Overland and greatly expanded upon by Patrick Coston

Quicky Description: Raising or lowering the sea-level in the terrain editor will allow you to plant trees in your water-falls.


Although that will work, there's more to it than that ...

Just so you know what the heck I'm talking about, you need to understand what I mean by Shallow Water, Deep Water, Water Falls, Ponds and Tree-able.

  • Shallow Water - water created with the place-water tool or place-stream tool in the terrain editor, or the landscape tool in the city-editor.
  • Deep Water - water created with the raise or lower sea-level buttons on the tool bar in the terrain editor.
  • Water Fall - shallow water created on a hill
  • Pond - shallow water created on flat ground
  • Tree-able - water fall or pond able to plant trees on

Which versions can have trees planted in water?
  • Mac version 1.0 - unknown
  • Mac version 1.1 - unknown
  • DOS version 1.0 - trees in waterfalls and ponds
  • DOS version 1.1 - unknown
  • Windows version 1.0 - unknown
  • Windows version 1.1 - unknown
  • Windows version 1.2 - trees in ponds only
  • Windows 95 version 1.0 - trees in ponds only
  • SCURK for Mac version 1.0 - unknown
  • SCURK for DOS version 1.0 - trees in waterfalls and ponds
  • SCURK for Windows version 1.0 - no trees allowed in waterfalls or ponds
Please help us figure out the unknowns above.
The following is true:
  1. Raising or lowering sea-level in the terrain editor sets all shallow water to be tree-able.
  2. Any shallow water created after you raise or lower sea-level is not tree-able.
  3. Once you press DONE to leave the terrain editor and enter the city-editor, you can still plant trees in any shallow water that is tree-able.
  4. Any new shallow water you create while in the city editor is not tree-able.
  5. You will not be able to plat trees in deep water regardless of whether you are in the terrain-editor or city-editor.
Notice the trees growing right out of the pond and water-falls.
This Web Page was created by Patrick Coston October 4, 1995, Last updated April 4, 2006