Hello!
This is my first post here, and to start I am hugely impressed with the work being done on Outerra and am fascinated to see the direction this technology will take. I'm under the impression, perhaps falsely, that Outerra is destined to become a game of some kind, or possibly a flight simulator, and that soon other planets will be modeled and what not. Just take this post as the viewpoint of a new member who just wanted to share his take on it.
I'm going to make the argument that Outerra should not be a flight simulator, should not be a space simulator, should not be a game, should not be a tool to explore cities and drive boats, planes, etc. I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to do that, but rather I'm saying all of that stuff should be left purely to third-party development.
What should Outerra be? In short, the goddamned best World Simulator ever developed for widespread use. Outerra's mission, in my opinion, should be to focus squarly on simulating the natural state of the world untouched by man as accurately as possible. Imagine Outerra with:
-Unprecedented diversity in biomes accurately constructed and correctly mapped throughout the world with extreme attention to detail placed on accurate vegetation.. being able to see Palm-trees along the beaches of Mexico; desolate, tree-less tundra across Alaska; tropical rainforests in Thailand, and vast broadleaf forests swept along the rolling hills of the Appalachians.
-Massive database of wildlife accurately modeled and scattered around the world based on natural habitats.. being able to visit a region in the forested mountains of Idaho and seeing Grizzly Bears, Deer, Wild Horses, etc.; or being able to jump into the Pacific Ocean and finding whales, jellyfish, orcas, schools of fish; or even being able to visit the Serengeti and seeing Zebras, Giraffes, etc. Of course, you wouldn't find Giraffes in Idaho, or Grizzlies in the Serengeti. Find a way to make this possible.
-Realistic weather simulation. Perhaps based off of real world weather? Or even making it so that the user can have full control over the weather. Here's an idea, I don't know the logistics of it, but would there be any way of connecting Outerra with the internet to access real-time weather data and cloud-maps, and use procedural generation to create ultra-detailed clouds based on the weather maps? Similar to what MSFS does, but broadly enhancing it with procedural generation.
-Of course, it's not up to me, but just purely in my view, development should focus only on the above three things. The current assortment of planes, cars, and UFOs to explore is great! I don't think anything else is needed.
Basically what I'm getting at is that Outerra should rise and be something more than just a game. It should be an experience. A fully absorbing, vastly detailed simulation of the real world far beyond any similar programs have ever come. Outerra can be more than a game, it can be an escape from the real world. And that's something that I think people would really buy into. Why? Because Human Beings are explorers, and what a joy it would be to have a tool to explore the great planet earth in ways that we are unable to as human beings.
Just my two cents.
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Topic: What Outerra Will Eventually Become (Read 4302 times)