The creators of the indie Minecraft claim that they are going to revolutionize the procedural world generation system

Hytale, the highly anticipated open-world game that has captured the attention of the gaming community, will launch in early access next week. The developers are revealing more details about their vision and plans just before this much-anticipated launch. One of the most significant features to be introduced after the launch is a renewed approach to world generation, which, according to founder Simon Collins-Laflamme, represents a “fundamental shift” in how sandbox games, similar to Minecraft, will create their play spaces in the future.

A sandbox that wants to take the virtues of Minecraft to another level

At the beginning of early access, Hytale’s exploration mode will still use the “V1” world generation system, which was developed between 2016 and 2020. However, the new “V2” system, in development since 2021, will eventually replace the former, promising significant changes. Although V2 will still be a procedural generation system, it will introduce more meaningful patterns defined by the designers. This will allow, for example, generators to create certain environments, such as dark-leaved trees over caves, which will guide players during their exploration.

Developers aim to provide modders with tools that allow them to create world generation parameters easily, without the need for programming knowledge. With a node-based editor, users will be able to modify world generation variables and see the changes reflected in real time. Collins-Laflamme states that “this new approach will redefine the block game genre”, giving artists and game designers complete control over the final outcome of world creation.

To carry out this ambitious vision, the Hytale team is hiring more than 15 world designers, an unusual decision for a procedurally generated sandbox game. “The vision of Hytale is to feel carefully crafted while remaining infinitely procedural,” adds Collins-Laflamme. The journey of Hytale has been challenging, and the leadership has admitted that “it’s a miracle that we were able to save” what was once a canceled project.

Steam DOWNLOAD