IbizaPocholo
NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
Planetary Simulator Outerra World Sandbox Announced
VR support is also included.
www.dualshockers.com
Publisher MicroProse has announced the sandbox simulator "Outerra World Sandbox" is currently in development by Outerra, a Slovakian software company that has produced a highly detailed and seamless planet rendering engine. A Steam page is already available, but a release date is yet to be confirmed.
Outerra World Sandbox is set on an Earth where there are no man-made objects or traces of civilization, and players can experiment with different types of assets like buildings and transportation tools that do not necessarily conform to any time period. There are natural terrains that are featured by default, like Mount Everest, the Sahara Desert, and the Mariana Trench, as the developers have collected satellite data from a variety of resources to generate a credible version of our own planet with realistic terrain, roads, buildings, forests, and many other geographical details.
The game also includes tools that use the palette of nature, such as changing the height of the land and creating forests. The Steam Workshop is also supported, and players can download their own content and create a wide variety of buildings and structures. With these tools, it's possible for example to recreate New York in the 1930s, or Paris in the 19th century before vehicles were introduced, and even dye them in a different color palette to create a fantastical and anachronistic atmosphere.
The project is very similar to Anteworld, the studio engine's previous whole Earth simulation tech demo, which had flight dynamic models, unlimited visibility and other featured worlds such as Mars and an alternate Middle-Earth. As such, it's easy to assume that Outerra will be a new demonstration of how far their engine has developed throughout the years, especially because it allows players to immerse themselves in the world they created with VR tools like Valve Index/HTC Vive.
The end goal for the studio is to license this technology to other developers and help them craft their own detailed words, but ultimately they want everyone to have fun and let their imagination run wild.
