Assuming I’m making this a 3d game, I think trees works be a good example of entropy. For a tree to be memorable, it needs to have a lot of variables. It needs a location, orientation, type and status. To be truly unique though, it needs to have the individual boughs follow rules on their formation without bogging down the system as a whole. If we create the tree using the location and orientation as a seed, and then run it through the creator for the individual tree type, it would mean each tree could be created and destroyed each time it was needed, reducing the burden of remembering each tree. If something were to affect the tree, that could be kept as a modifier in the grid database.
If we extend this to houses, now we’re getting somewhere useful. The seed is made of the location, which then is consumed by the constructor itself. Only when things change will there be a need for more info… no that’s a bad idea. Gah! Buildings nd to be able to change, but… I’ll have to think about this some more.
Peter's stuff.