Size of the "game world"

[zenryoku]

Just wondering if there have been any posts or hints on how many star systems they game world will have?

Thanks!

[Capt._D]

No posts and no hints but it's likely to be a "nice size" of 100 planets or so, some explored others unexplored.

[Kinjiru]

After watching the webcast and listening to Jack, the answer seems to be... Huge.

They're specifically working on a system large enough for the (hopefully) thousands of players to discover worlds and systems, even new lifeforms. --- Each of us that play will be going into uncharted space and seeing things that no other players have... That means it will be pretty big. :)

[Kinjiru]

No posts and no hints but it's likely to be a "nice size" of 100 planets or so, some explored others unexplored.

And what do you base that on? He specifically mentioned each player having the ability to discover new previously unknown races, planets and entire systems.

[SiskoBell]

If I understand what Jack Emmert said in yesterday's webcast correctly, there should be a practically unlimited number of worlds to explore. He mentioned an exploration system allowing for an "infinite" number of worlds to explore and exploit.

I'm not sure how this applies to NPC content per se, as in would there be hundreds/thousands of completely different civilizations to discover. But players looking for new resource world would always find news ones. And I suppose a static NPC species system could be in place where many of these worlds would dynamically spawn a species type native to the region, ones which operate from a pre-coded social script.

[arosenau]

There has not been any specific mentions, but its space, they are not bound by land limits or geography, so there is infinite room for expansion and additional worlds.

[Sowelu]

A big reason I'm interested in this game is because I was a fan of "Noctis", a freeware game that stopped getting updated forever ago. You could go to any star in the sky, like, millions, and each star can have lots of fractally generated planets around it to explore.

I'm hoping I can send an away team to lots of places like that!

[Capt._D]

And what do you base that on? He specifically mentioned each player having the ability to discover new previously unknown races, planets and entire systems.

Zenryoku asked a specific question; “…how many star systems…” [will the game have], and I attempted to give as specific an answer as I could with the information I had.

It’s clear from the web cast that as I said there will be explored and unexplored planets. The fact is the game at launch can’t have an infinite number of planets.

I do concede that “100 planets” was in some ways specific and in other not enough and has no previously establish data to legitimize it, and for that I apologize. If my use of the word planets was incorrect I’m sorry but for the most part planets and systems go hand in hand. I used a non-specific word to describe a specific subject, again in error.

So to review…

No posts and ONLY A FEW HINTS but it's likely to be a "nice size" of 100 SYSTEMS or so, some explored others unexplored.

-Capt._D

[staticblue]

I really think for them to create new star systems, planets, etc will be very easy from the view point of space. Generating terrain is usually a pretty easy and, automatic process as well. With the CoX character creation as an example they will easily be able to create new races on the fly. Heck we can make our own races as Jack mentioned. So adding new content should be pretty quick.

They are also using a very polished engine they designed to make the game. I really think the content can be easily over whelming if they do it right...and if we are lucky. ;)

[zenryoku]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

[Zelkar]

EvE online was mentioned so hopefully it will be similar to that, anyone whos played EvE knows what im talking about, it has an almost infinite universe that you can explore.

Granted you cant land on any planets or anything in EvE but it wouldnt be hard to still have the infinite universe with explorable planets, even if they started out low like a couple hundred at launch, have a core system of explorable planets than spread them out farther and farther and with every patch they add a couple hundred more and eventually you could have a Massive Universe with thousands and thousands of explorable planets.

[Stopher87]

You would thing though that after a week of the game being live that all the planets would be explored.

[yaosio]

It’s clear from the web cast that as I said there will be explored and unexplored planets. The fact is the game at launch can’t have an infinite number of planets.
-Capt._D
You are correct, it would be physically impossible to have an infinite number of planets, as storing an infinite amount of information would require and infinite amount of storage space. There is no technical reason they can not have millions of planets. There would be gameplay reasons though. One would be if somebody were to fly off and keep going until they were months away from populated space. The easiest way to get around this is to only allow new planets/systems to be found during missions.

[soups]

Unfortunately size is a relative thing.

I'm sure it will be huge compared to other major title sci-fi games (not very many) but just how huge we will have to wait and see.

There are tricks that can be employed to make the galaxy feel larger and take less data space.

I just hope they have figured out how to incorporate variety into the game for the planets. My only real gripe about the "City" games was the repetitive interiors. I really don't want to beam down to a planet and have the same layout as the last 100 planets I visited.

Unfortunately, that type of approach uses the least amount of data space.

We will just have to wait and see I reckon, and I can't wait to see

[ngille]

You would thing though that after a week of the game being live that all the planets would be explored.


You would think, however, as has been hinted at, it looks as though space will be dynamic.....so I would emagine it will be either expanding based on server load (or accomplishments) or you'll discover planets through missions which will dynamically create the area of space where you do said mission.

No one knows for sure and I can't wait to see it in action.