Starfield procedurally generated map, explained

Bethesda has implemented a notable innovation in Starfield. The space-adventure title has been confirmed to be a game that is wholly coherent, meaning that all locations are procedurally generated. Whether you're landing on a planet, at one of the pre-determined destinations, or at a random point, the RPG generates a tile that has various procedurally generated points of interest.

This article explores Starfield's procedurally generated map and its various aspects.

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What is the procedurally generated map in Starfield?

As players make their way to a planet in Starfield, the game’s procedural generation algorithm kicks in. This generates a unique planet with randomized terrain. Additionally, the planet will have a number of handcrafted points of interest that are based on biogeographic units.

When generating environments in Starfield, the algorithm takes into account biome metrics. This means that a planet with a past history of intelligent life will probably have artificial ruins integrated into its environment, while uninhabited worlds located in remote regions will have no signs of life whatsoever.

The diverse components of Starfield's procedural generation offer players exceptional singular experiences. In the realm of gaming technology, procedural generation can alleviate the developers' workload when creating meticulously designed landscapes. This frees up resources to enhance the handcrafted aspects of the titles, ultimately highlighting their uniqueness.

Given that Starfield boasts a large number of planets, the use of procedural generation for some of them was practically mandatory. Fortunately, the majority of these procedurally generated planets are distinct and captivating.

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Tiles in Starfield's procedurally generated map are fully connected

A multitude of factors must be taken into account when it comes to the implementation of a procedurally generated map in Bethesda's RPG. A crucial point to note is that, with the exception of the primary planets that are integral to the game's plot, the majority of tiles are fully connected.

Some of the noteworthy characteristics of the procedural generation algorithm and tiles are outlined below:

• All players share a consistent planetary geography, but the points of interest that are generated are unique to each player and not the same.
• Theoretically, it is possible to circumnavigate a planet by selecting the adjacent tile after reaching a boundary.
• The surfaces of planets are tangible entities that exist in reality and are interconnected despite the limitations of boundaries.
• The size of each tile is vast, comparable to the size of Skyrim's map.

Importantly, tiles on a planet are essentially the size of a single pixel, leading to difficulty in precise movement. Additionally, the elimination of boundaries through the use of mods enables one to advance into adjacent tiles. However, it may result in a system crash due to the potential overload of memory because of the excessive number of areas.