Planets: Difference between revisions

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[https://www.reddit.com/r/MMORPG/comments/1dqodoo/im_raph_koster_creator_of_ultima_online_and_star/ Reddit /r/MMORPG AMA with Raph Koster]
With Stars Reach being a game set in space, we can expect there to be hundreds, if not thousands of planets. Planets have been compared to large zones being able to support several cities.<ref name="rMMORPG">Reddit /r/MMORPG AMA [https://www.reddit.com/r/MMORPG/comments/1dqodoo/im_raph_koster_creator_of_ultima_online_and_star/ Link] 28 June 2024]</ref>


"I will say, the planets are large enough for multiple areas to have cities."
In order to maintain core elements of the galaxy and lore, there is a high possibility of many permanent PvE planets existing for these purposes.<ref>MMORPG.com [https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/comment/7812897#Comment_7812897 Link] 8 July 2024]</ref>


"You can literally flatten a planet to the bedrock, and drive all the plants and creatures extinct."
One example described was of a cool desert topography with caves. However, when generated a second time, the planet became a completely different, albeit desert, planet.<ref name="rMMORPG" />


"Yes, you can build pretty tall buildings too. I think there are a few in some of the screenshots..."
=Planet Creation=
Planets will be able to be created and destroyed.<ref name="rMMORPG" /> It is still unknown if players will have the ability to create planets, but they can certainly strip them to their core. Mining a planet to its bedrock and driving all the plants and creatures extinct will render a planet uninhabitable and barren. Assuming these planets will be removed from the galaxy, how the planet will be removed is not yet known. Planets could despawn, be destroyed in a supernova-esque explosion that affects nearby planets and objects in space, or other means.


"[Planets] are each actually unique. We have a really cool proc gen system. Basically, level designers can create templates for data like the preferred slope of mountains, width of canyons, etc. We call these topographies. Think of it like authoring the "rules" to generate areas like Bolivian salt flats, or the Grand Canyon, or those cool mountains in China, or whatever.
=Planet Design=
Every planet in Stars Reach is unique. Level designers can create topography templates that describe with data the preferred slope of mountains and width of canyons. These act as authoring "rules" to generate landscapes that can mimic or mirror the Bolivian salt flats, the Grand Canyon, and more.<ref name="rMMORPG" />


Then for a given world, we grab some of these, not all, and blend them. And in the process, we place mineral veins underground, carve caves, drop points of interest in, etc. And we select the gravity, the length of the year and impact of the seasons, etc.
Using a topography, level designers can select a set and blend them to create a new planet. Caves, mineral veins, and other points of interest can then be dropped in. They can even define the level of gravity, length of the year, and impact of the seasons.<ref name="rMMORPG" />


We had a cool desert topography with awesome caves. I wanted to go take more video exploring there... but we had pressed the button again, and now it was a completely different desert world. Its caves were not as cool :( And that is fine -- it may well have been much more valuable to mine even though it was less interesting to map."
=Planet Resources=
Every planet will have different environments and resources, encouraging players to explore and trade.<ref name="rMMORPG" />
 
=Planet Travel=
If a player receives an invite to another planet whose government has deemed it a player vs. player (PvP) zone, they'll get a popup saying something to the effect of, "You are about to enter an area in which you are vulnerable to getting killed. Do you want to proceed?"<ref>MassivelyOP.com [https://massivelyop.com/2024/08/08/stars-reachs-raph-koster-on-mmo-trust-fear-and-freedom-we-understand-how-nervous-players-are-about-griefing/ Link] 12 August 2024</ref>
 
===Wormholes===
More research is needed, but wormholes have been mentioned as being able to spawn and collapse.<ref name="rMMORPG" /> While generally associated with fast travel, wormholes will bring a very dynamic element of travel to the Stars Reach galaxy and we look forward to learning more about them.
 
=References=

Latest revision as of 20:05, 14 August 2024

With Stars Reach being a game set in space, we can expect there to be hundreds, if not thousands of planets. Planets have been compared to large zones being able to support several cities.[1]

In order to maintain core elements of the galaxy and lore, there is a high possibility of many permanent PvE planets existing for these purposes.[2]

One example described was of a cool desert topography with caves. However, when generated a second time, the planet became a completely different, albeit desert, planet.[1]

Planet Creation

Planets will be able to be created and destroyed.[1] It is still unknown if players will have the ability to create planets, but they can certainly strip them to their core. Mining a planet to its bedrock and driving all the plants and creatures extinct will render a planet uninhabitable and barren. Assuming these planets will be removed from the galaxy, how the planet will be removed is not yet known. Planets could despawn, be destroyed in a supernova-esque explosion that affects nearby planets and objects in space, or other means.

Planet Design

Every planet in Stars Reach is unique. Level designers can create topography templates that describe with data the preferred slope of mountains and width of canyons. These act as authoring "rules" to generate landscapes that can mimic or mirror the Bolivian salt flats, the Grand Canyon, and more.[1]

Using a topography, level designers can select a set and blend them to create a new planet. Caves, mineral veins, and other points of interest can then be dropped in. They can even define the level of gravity, length of the year, and impact of the seasons.[1]

Planet Resources

Every planet will have different environments and resources, encouraging players to explore and trade.[1]

Planet Travel

If a player receives an invite to another planet whose government has deemed it a player vs. player (PvP) zone, they'll get a popup saying something to the effect of, "You are about to enter an area in which you are vulnerable to getting killed. Do you want to proceed?"[3]

Wormholes

More research is needed, but wormholes have been mentioned as being able to spawn and collapse.[1] While generally associated with fast travel, wormholes will bring a very dynamic element of travel to the Stars Reach galaxy and we look forward to learning more about them.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Reddit /r/MMORPG AMA Link 28 June 2024]
  2. MMORPG.com Link 8 July 2024]
  3. MassivelyOP.com Link 12 August 2024