Systems and techniques for generating an artificial terrain map can compute a region of a noise map in an N-dimensional space and define a terrain characteristic in correspondence with a value of the noise map at each of a selected plurality of positions within the region of the noise map. The terrain characteristic can be projected at each of a selected plurality of positions within the region on a lower-dimensional sub-space. A map of an artificial terrain can be rendered based on the projection. The map of the artificial terrain can be scaled or otherwise manipulated in correspondence with scaling or otherwise manipulating the lower-dimensional sub-space. Generated maps in machine-readable form can be converted to a human-perceivable form, and/or to a modulated signal form conveyed over a communication connection.