Buggy Loop
Member
That's not SC, but yes SC will utilize streaming tech to eliminate loading screens. At least in its initial release there won't be free form interaction with planets, as they're sticking with hand crafted cities/settlements/areas rather than fully generating the hundred or so planets that will be in the first wave. For settled planets you will be forced into a computer guided (on rails) landing sequence, but will still be free to walk about ship and such while it's landing.
They're researching procedural tech to make this feasible at some point down the line, though.
Q : On the topic of procedural generation planetside, when and if this technology comes to fruition post release, what can we expect to see included besides exploration and atmospheric flight? Will we see some new procedurally generated planets in addition to the ones already in the verse that are just barren? Is it also possible that this procedural generation will extend into jump points as well and actually facilitate the creation of new planets and areas.
A : We're doing the R&D right now. Actually the first thing we're doing with the PG is researching asteroid generation, asteroid field generation, the ability to mine asteroids using voxel technology, so finding the seams of minerals inside the asteroids. Then the plan is to extend it to system generation so we can generate different star systems using the PG tech and then move on to celestial bodies like planets in terms of the generation of them from the exterior. The later stages will be procedural work for the environments you'll land in, we would have certain areas we would design and then flesh out the background city or landscape beyond the area you can explore. And then very very very long term if we can actually figure out a way to make the planet actually interesting, we would try to make a planet you can fly around in. THAT'S SORT OF LIKE A PIPE DREAM AT THE MOMENT. because even with PG you have to do a lot of other things like build cities, what happening on the planet and having all that simulated, and that's uh......we're already doing trying to do a whole universe and have an economy and all that work so.... *CR visibly grimaces*. I wouldn't promise anything on that yet. We certainly are going to research on could we extend the areas on the planet, could you fly down onto a planet. If we can do all that, that would be great. I know that there's a couple of demos and games out there that are showing/promising it, but it's one thing to show it as a general concept, it's sort of empty, and it's another to have it be interesting and feel like its properly living, breathing, realistic planet.
I wouldnt hold my breath till 2020