Stunning New Game Engine Turns Planet Into Virtual Playground

Sure, we all like our open-world games big, but how you'd like to explore a map that's a big bigger than what you're used to. How about a game world that's… oh, I don't know… the entire Earth? That might sound a bit crazy, but thanks to the new Outerra engine, it might be happening sooner than you think.

According to its creators, Outerra is a "planetary engine that can be used with elevation dataset with arbitrary resolution, while being progressively enhanced by parametrized fractal refinement algorithms." So, magic then.

All joking aside, Outerra is a remarkably impressive accomplishment, combining real world height-map data with procedurally generated detail at the ground level. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that the engine downloads the data on demand, as you play, meaning the client itself clocks in at a miniscule 200MB.

The Outerra team is also using the engine to build a game of their own. Anteworld, as they're calling it, is a city-building game set in an Earth that's been abandoned by humanity. At the moment, it's still in the very early alpha stages, but they've already implemented some promising gameplay mechanics, including driving, flying, and some basic construction elements. Future updates promise to bring some hefty new features, including with online multiplayer that allows everyone to collaborate on rebuilding the planet.

If you'd like to experience Outerra firsthand, you can download the newly released tech demo from the official website. You can putz around with the basics for free by clicking the small "Demo Mode" link in the lower righthand corner, but if you want to try out some of Anteworld's gameier features, you'll need to put up $15 for a pre-order. It's a bit pricey for what you get right now, but future updates should make it worthwhile, and it's always nice to support a talented dev team.