  We use a tangent method approach to obtain the arctic curve in a model of
non-intersecting lattice paths within the first quadrant, including a
q-dependent weight associated with the area delimited by the paths. Our model
is characterized by an arbitrary sequence of starting points along the positive
horizontal axis, whose distribution involves an arbitrary piecewise
differentiable function. We give an explicit expression for the arctic curve in
terms of this arbitrary function and of the parameter q. A particular emphasis
is put on the deformation of the arctic curve upon varying q, and on its
limiting shapes when q tends to 0 or infinity. Our analytic results are
illustrated by a number of detailed examples.
