YES! Tradivoro, my thanks! That was it! I could practically expire with relief right now.... when you're dealing with randomly-generated terrain, every minor artistic accomplishment is built on a series of happy accidents... I've been trying half-heartedly to resurrect it, but it just doesn't look as good. Now I can take the lessons I've learned in my additional two days of doodling and put them to fine use (note to self: real shadows are not cardboard-cutout silhouettes; additional note to self; real vegetation does not grow straight up and down... oh, and corroded bronze shows up on blue water much better than flat black). For all the compliments, my thanks. I know it looks stark and unfinished in spots -- surrealistically neat, as it were -- but then again, I got interrupted. I'll post again when I feel the results are worthy of public inspection. Thanks again!