Too Fried to Think

I'm too fried to think up much of a post today.  I'll just post a few pictures of approaches toward planet-wide terrain generation I've tried in past, but haven't liked the results of.  They started with a blobby (multiple, overlapping, roughly-circular shapes) supercontinent.

Split and plates moved randomly

Split and move plates toward "points of attraction" using a vaguely gravity-like model

Random movement with overlap limitations

Movement after splitting was random forced not to overlap.

Patterned movement (toward four corners) worked but produced results that were too similar each time

The next batch had a similar approach as the above examples, but added islands.  Again, I wasn't happy with the results.

Nearly-random movement, with overlap constraints, and islands

Another example with nearly-random movement, with overlap constraints, and islands

The next batch added simple mountain ranges along (roughly) the medial axis of the larger landmasses, and had smaller numbers of randomly-placed individual islands, but added island arcs.  I event attempted to simulate Aleutian-like archipelagos extending from continental mountains ranges into the sea. I think that worked out. . . poorly.

With island arcs and mountains

Another planet-wide map with island arcs, mountains, etc.