Building the World from a Development Standpoint

The latest Chronicles of Elyria newsletter has been published that gives fans a bit of insight into what the team has been working on most recently. In this letter, there are brief updates with regard to the hiring process, character art, animation & engineering, environment art and design. Most notably, however, there is a section going into some detail about how the world is (literally) built to give each server its own unique look and appeal.

The process begins with the notion that each server/world is its own unique entity. A number of unique algorithms and formulae are used to create various factors including humidity zones, pressure systems, etc. that lead to the establishment of various biomes. These biomes are then populated with vegetation, wildlife and people.

It's an interesting process that can lead to a map similar to this one:

Check out the full update on the Chronicles of Elyria site.