Mechanics & Systems
The game allows you to sculpt terrain (raise/lower land, shape mountains, valleys) and then apply natural‑forces simulations like weather, erosion, ecosystem growth.
You can alter tectonic activity: the game supports simulating plate tectonics (convergent boundaries creating mountains, divergent creating rifts, etc).
Climate control is a key system: you can tweak rainfall, temperature, snow‑melt, water levels etc, and these shape biomes (desert, forest, tundra, etc) based on elevation/moisture/temperature conditions.
Ecosystems emerge: plants and animals respond to the conditions you set, so rather than purely decorative, the world evolves dynamically.
The world size is very large: up to ~16,000 km² maps in early access, simulating large scale natural evolution though still in development.
It’s currently in Early Access: so while many of the systems are in place, they indicate many features (e.g., more animals, more realistic tectonics) are planned but not yet final.
Users have reported some quirks/bugs: for example, issues with the plate tectonics menu not responding after first use, and HDR/display settings not resetting correctly.
Graphics & Visuals
The game leverages “modern GPUs” for large‑scale simulation and visualization of terrain/erosion/climate.
The visuals emphasise realistic terrain: mountains, rivers, erosion features, biomes growing based on climate/terrain.
Because it simulates large maps and heavy terrain/erosion systems, performance may vary depending on hardware (some user reports mention “poor performance for larger maps”).
As a user comment:
“Pretty landscapes … very active and transparent developer.”
Settings & Tips
When starting a new world, you’ll likely access settings for: map size, tectonic activity, climate parameters (rain/temperature), initial terrain shaping.
Adjust your hardware/graphics settings depending on your machine: large maps + high detail = more GPU/CPU load.
If you run into issues (e.g., tectonic menu not working), check that the game is updated and your graphics drivers are recent.
Because this is early access, expect feature additions and possibly some instability; saving your work often is advisable.
If you have a weaker system, consider smaller map sizes / lower detail settings for smoother performance.
How it Works: Step‑by‑Step (simplified)
-
Choose or create a map / world size.
-
Sculpt basic terrain: raise mountains, dig valleys, set initial shape.
-
Set tectonic behaviour: decide how plates should move/interact to influence mountains/rifts.
-
Define climate: rainfall, temperature, snow/ice levels, water levels.
-
Let simulation run: erosion begins, rivers form, soil develops, biomes emerge, plants/animals spawn/respond.
-
Zoom in/out: From large‑scale to local detail, observe how the world evolves over time.
-
Adjust settings mid‑game if needed (e.g., increase rainfall, change temperature) to see different biome outcomes.
-
Export or save your world if you want to use it elsewhere (some features exist for exporting heightmaps or to voxel games).