SixTimesEight

Genesis

August 9, 2006 – 8:44 pm

I have just read about a new game, being written by an independent programmer by the name of Gavan Woolery.

“Hello, my name is Gavan Woolery, and I am about to show you something impossible,” his website states (currently being served in a plain vanilla style to save bandwidth with the hordes of new readers).

This game promises to be a one-of-a-kind, truly dynamic, player created, interactive virtual world. You’ll be able to plant a seed and watch it grow into a tree over time, then harvest it for lumber. Plant crops for food. Build your own house or even a castle from the ground up.

He claims that the terrain is volumetric, unlike the SimCity style where you are limited to raising or lowering the ground. In this game you’d be able to hollow out the inside of a hill to make your home, or create a cave for a hide out.

Start a family and reproduce. Or just hit up the brothels if family isn’t your thing. Your children will have a mix of traits from both parents, opening up the possibility of selective breeding to create a better avatar within the virtual realm.

Your avatars will also apparently be susceptible to death, and cannot, except in rare cases, be resurrected. I haven’t read anything about whether or not age will play a factor. Your actual presence within the game would be that of a spirit which can inhabit an available body. So if your avatar croaks, you can just move on to the next host body.

Also, Gavan hopes to release this game for free if he can find an alternate way to pay the bills.

Screenshots and a google video for your viewing pleasure. The rendering engine he has created appears to be capable of some absolutely breathtaking effects.