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Space Engine - Space is freaking huge.
lennylightspeed
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Yeah, like this big. That's how space rolls. (Now with 300% less table breaking)
Here is a new 'game' that lets you explore the entire universe. Most of it is procedurally generatated so most things look one-of-a-kind and in a simulator with millions of stars and planets that's something.
Newest version available here
http://applesforgeeks.com/space-engine-free-universe-simulator/
Installation
After you have the .zip file you simply double click the file, drag the folder inside to where you want it on your computer, then open the folder and click on the Space Engine program to start.
Quick Start Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpnucN12uBQ&
Basic Controls
Left Mouse Button – Click to select object, Click and hold to look around
Right Mouse Button – Click and hold to rotate around selected object
Mouse Wheel – Change velocity
F1 – Options
F2 – Solar System Browser
F3- Find-by-name menu
G – Go to an object
Shift + G – Go to an object’s surface
There are a ton of controls for the game. Simply open the ‘readme09_eng” file in the Space Engine folder to find a full list.
The program is in beta, meaning there are bugs aplenty and it has a tendency to crash…a lot. Small price to pay to view the cosmos unabridged, but something to be aware of none the less. You can visit the creator’s site here http://spaceengine.org/ but be warned it’s a bit hard to read…
Special thanks to zombii and the others who first found this.
Update:
If it's crashing too much for you try one of the following:
-Go into the config folder and open the file "main". Set the r_VideoMemory to what your vram is.
-Try running it in XP compatibility mode.
-While in-game press F4 and turn off some of the procedural options.
Also, other possible things to try for crashing on start:
try set these to true (or false depends on experimenting) in main.cfg
r_BugClipping false // distant galaxies clipping
r_BugCraters true // procedural craters bug on ATI
r_BugMipmaps true // mipmap generation bug on ATI
also ensure You don't increased some values too much
e.g. r_VideoMemory 950
instead of 1023/1024
if you have enough freespace and memory increase the cache values
r_gal_ModelCacheSize 300 // galaxy models cache size
r_gal_SysModelCacheSize 300 // galaxy subsystem cache size
r_cl_StarModelCacheSize 900 // star cluster subsystem cache size
lennylightspeed on
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It reminds me of Noctis, a very cool but very obscure little game (that's free, by the way) where you pilot your spaceship to a near-infinite number of galaxies. You can land on most (possibly all, it's been a long time since I last played it) planets and even find the occasional ruin or two. It has an incredible atmosphere to it.
Updated the OP with more info that doesn't suck
http://applesforgeeks.com/space-engine-photos-from-the-virtual-universe/
PSN: theIceBurner, IceBurnerEU, IceBurner-JP | X-Link Kai: TheIceBurner
Dragon's Dogma: 192 Warrior Linty | 80 Strider Alicia | 32 Mage Terra
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
Now if only I could stop playing Noctis long enough to check out Space Engine. Then maybe I could answer your question Bri.
You can make out some pretty interesting features on planets. Large terrain features are observable like valleys and stuff. I'm totally impressed with this thing. It's totally neato.
YES
Sir, for knowing what I am talking about I award you the highest of high fives, which (according to a risky GIS at work*) I suppose looks like this
*does anyone else feel like such an activity, even with safe search active, is like running through a minefield? The further I scroll down to find something appropriate, the more likely I feel I'll run through some kind of porn tripwire.
That's why i usually use someone else's login when performing such tasks.
Also i totally just tore a hole in spacetime causing the universe to crash back to windows by speeding up to a parsec while it was sending me to earth.
edit: PROPER CRATERS!
Why is the screenshot upside down and backwards?
I'm just curious if that's just the way it does screenshots, or if image shack decided your picture needed to be fucked up.
I just figured the text was still in Russian. Whoops..
At first I had assumed it was just random symbols to make it look all sciencey and what not. Then I looked again and could read it.
Still, it's a pretty looking game either way.
That's the keyboard shortcut and I've used it with mixed results. Usually you get a nice horizon view. Sometimes you get zoomed inside of the planet.
Although now I want something like this in a game. Get your own ship and explore the planets then drop down onto any part of the planet's surface. The ability to walk for years in real time on a generated planet should not excite me as much as it does.
Space Engine gives my my "Ooooh Space is pretty" fix and Noctis is great for my lone exploration in a vast and silent galaxy fix. Both of them are really hitting my happy spot in different yet similar ways.
http://applesforgeeks.com/space-engine-version-93-released/
Mainly bug fixes. It crashes a lot less for me making it easier to fly out to other galaxies. You need to toggle auto-exposure (press V) to see other galaxies clearly.