How long would it take you to whip up an MMORPG world? That all depends, of course, on how detailed you want to get and the process that you take to make it. For the Chronicles of Elyria team, creating the titular world is a multi-step process that apparently involves procedural generation and perhaps a touch of sorcery.
Each of the game’s servers will feature its own world that will be shaped through both developer hand-crafting and computer assistance. Factors such as tectonic plates, wind erosion, humidity, watersheds, and the various biomes come into play in shaping the world. Once the world’s geography is set, then the lines of kingdoms and duchies are drawn, using biome divisions and topographical features as dividing lines.
The team also talked about some of the work it’s done on character animation: “When walking, the system is extremely responsive, even allowing you to tightrope walk if you wanted to. This is very important for some of the platformer-like elements we’re planning to integrate into the game.”
