All articles tagged with #procedural generation
Caves of Qud lands on Switch as a massive, systems-heavy roguelike RPG with an expansive open world, a mix of authored content and procedurally generated runs, and deeply crunchy mechanics. While the handheld UI can feel cramped and its difficulty spikes can be punishing, the game remains highly addictive for fans of deep RPG systems and lore-rich worlds.
Darkhaven, from Diablo 1/2 veterans Philip Shenk, Peter Hu, and Erich Schaefer, is an isometric ARPG that abandons incremental loot for bold, expressive items and a fully dynamic, destructible, procedurally generated world. It supports solo, co-op, and PvP play in a persistent realm where terrain, seasons, and events permanently shape gameplay, emphasizing movement and terrain-aware combat over stat-driven optimization, and is being funded via Kickstarter ahead of Steam Early Access.
A former Bethesda designer, Bruce Nesmith, commented that while Starfield is a good game, it doesn't reach the heights of Fallout or Skyrim, partly due to space being inherently boring and procedural generation making planets feel similar. He also noted the lack of enemy variety. Despite this, Bethesda plans to release additional DLC for Starfield.
Former designer Bruce Nesmith considers Starfield a good game but criticizes its reliance on procedural generation and the inherently boring nature of space, suggesting these factors impacted its reception compared to Fallout and Elder Scrolls.
The article revisits The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, highlighting its '90s DOS RPG charm, complex mechanics, and vast, procedurally generated world. While its opaque systems and steep learning curve can be barriers for new players, it remains a beloved, ambitious game that offers a unique simulation experience, especially appreciated by nostalgic fans and those willing to invest time in understanding its intricacies.
PlayerUnknown Productions has launched an open beta for Prologue: Go Wayback, a Rust-inspired survival game featuring procedural worlds, a dynamic weather system, and machine learning-enhanced graphics, with plans for further feature additions before its early access release on PC.
Hello Games has released the Worlds Part I update for No Man's Sky, enhancing the game's graphics with new weather and terrain features to make planets feel more realistic. The update includes improved water effects, atmospheric conditions, and a new mech for combat. This graphical overhaul is part of ongoing improvements influenced by the team's work on their next project, Leave No Trace.
No Man's Sky's latest "Orbital" update introduces procedurally generated space stations, a ship editor, and a Guild system, adding unique and customizable elements to the nearly eight-year-old space exploration sim. The update also includes engine improvements, a UI refresh, and enhanced fleet missions, offering players new ways to engage in the game's expansive universe.
Nightingale, an upcoming survival and crafting adventure game from Inflexion Games, offers an alternative history of magic and Victoriana with a BioWare pedigree. Set in a Victorian-era Earth engulfed in a deadly miasma, players, as Realmwalkers, must survive in hostile fae realms while seeking a way home. The game's early hours offer traditional survival gameplay, but its infinite procedurally generated worlds and mid-game features, such as elemental infusions and intricate construction, promise a richer and more complex experience. Despite a slow start, Nightingale's delightfully refreshing anything-goes personality and romantic world-building may ultimately cast a compelling spell on players.
Nightingale, a new survival game, is poised to be a surprise hit with its Victorian gaslamp fantasy aesthetic and innovative Realm Card system that allows players to determine the environment and challenges they face. The game's rock solid survival mechanics and potential for community-led exploration make it stand out in a saturated genre, offering players the freedom to shape their own experiences within the game.
Inflexion's fantasy survival game Nightingale impresses with its procedural generation, storytelling, and world-building mechanics, offering a unique experience that draws inspiration from British cultural exports and folklore. The game's lush landscapes, diverse biomes, and intriguing creatures evoke a sense of wonder, while its card-based world generation system adds a collectible element. However, Nightingale's survival game elements, such as building and crafting, feel mundane in comparison to its enchanting world concept. The game's UI could use improvement, but overall, Nightingale stands out in the survival game genre and has the potential to offer a captivating and immersive experience.
Hello Games, the studio behind No Man's Sky, has announced their next title, Light No Fire, a co-operative adventure set on a procedurally generated fantasy planet. The game promises a combination of adventure, building, survival, and exploration, with a focus on teaming up to carve a life together. Inspired by classic fantasy, Light No Fire offers an immersive open world with unique enemies and valuable resources. The accompanying announcement trailer showcases the game's richly detailed environments and gameplay. Hello Games also hinted at new features coming to No Man's Sky in 2024.
Starfield players have discovered that the planet Schrodinger III is a prime location for XP farming due to its abundance of resources and alien creatures. By killing these creatures, players can quickly accumulate XP and level up. However, this has led to a cycle of extensive death and destruction across procedurally generated planets in the game, as weaker herbivores are wiped out by predators. While it may be a sad fate for the nonviolent aliens, it presents an opportunity for players to thrive as XP predators.
David Braben, co-creator of Elite and founder of Frontier Developments, revolutionized space games with the release of Elite in 1984. By reimagining the genre beyond simple ship-flying and alien-shooting, Braben introduced the concept of exploration, trading, and procedural generation of galaxies. Elite's success paved the way for a multitude of space games, including the upcoming Starfield, and its impact on the genre is still felt today. Despite technological limitations at the time, Elite's primary directive of exploration and living in the starfield remains unchanged, with players continuing to discover new stars and planets in the vast virtual galaxy.
Unreal Engine 5.2 introduces procedural generation, which allows for more efficient and realistic environment creation. This improves performance, particularly in hardware-accelerated ray tracing. However, CPU limitations and traversal stutter still pose challenges. The engine also includes an improved asynchronous shader caching system, but it is not a complete solution for eliminating stutters. Developers may need to combine it with traditional shader caching methods for a smoother player experience. The impact of these features will be seen in upcoming games like Immortals of Aveum, The Lords of the Fallen, and Stalker 2.