Last time I created a tileset-based game with a greenery scenario, I had two ground layers. One for floor tiles and one for flowers (and similar decorative objects like small rocks, mushrooms etc). It did allow a lot of cool things by combining different kinds of floor tiles with different kinds of decoration tiles.
Ages ago I used TileEd.
I'd say layers help, so first the background shapes the basic tiles.
Then we have some choices, like adding a layer of flowers in the editor on a layer above the grass (or even stone, as desired) or defining that layer at rather at runtime and generating / spreading the flowers as desired using some randomization and/or rules.
I think if I'd start a tile-based game again I'd work with those kinds of approaches, still in Godot or Unity I'd look more into the existing tooling and extend it to help me with whatever I want to achieve in my "levels".
So I'm saying: Try to also think about the tools you could create from scratch, on top of TileEd, or within your specific engine (on top of existing tile and sprite tooling right in that engine).
Yeah, there are probably better ones even now, and having built-in tooling and a quick way to play the level in you editor for example is better.
Well, when I worked with Tiled the game could reload the level in a fraction of a second anyway. The simpler the game logic (that wasn't even an "engine") the simpler is the hot reloading of stuff.
For that example, I'd make the grass tiles and the flowers tiles separately then put the flowers on the grass using Godot tilemaps.
This way I can reuse the same flower tileset on another variation of grass/ground tile without making another set with the new grass with the flowers on.
I tried my best with explanation. My English is not very good...
Last time I created a tileset-based game with a greenery scenario, I had two ground layers. One for floor tiles and one for flowers (and similar decorative objects like small rocks, mushrooms etc). It did allow a lot of cool things by combining different kinds of floor tiles with different kinds of decoration tiles.
Ages ago I used TileEd. I'd say layers help, so first the background shapes the basic tiles. Then we have some choices, like adding a layer of flowers in the editor on a layer above the grass (or even stone, as desired) or defining that layer at rather at runtime and generating / spreading the flowers as desired using some randomization and/or rules. I think if I'd start a tile-based game again I'd work with those kinds of approaches, still in Godot or Unity I'd look more into the existing tooling and extend it to help me with whatever I want to achieve in my "levels". So I'm saying: Try to also think about the tools you could create from scratch, on top of TileEd, or within your specific engine (on top of existing tile and sprite tooling right in that engine).
Wow Tiled really brings me back... at the time it was such a cool and wonderful tool but I could never ever go back to it
Yeah, there are probably better ones even now, and having built-in tooling and a quick way to play the level in you editor for example is better. Well, when I worked with Tiled the game could reload the level in a fraction of a second anyway. The simpler the game logic (that wasn't even an "engine") the simpler is the hot reloading of stuff.
Either/Or. Personally, I like to use layers for little background details like that.
16 colors, allocated to shift colors to meet the animation i want
For that example, I'd make the grass tiles and the flowers tiles separately then put the flowers on the grass using Godot tilemaps. This way I can reuse the same flower tileset on another variation of grass/ground tile without making another set with the new grass with the flowers on. I tried my best with explanation. My English is not very good...
Two ground layers. One for base material, one for decor. Additional "Objects" layer that blocks vision and holds large foliage such as trees.