I am looking into this and thought might as well ask here too
How do you achieve this, for example… Archeage… the world seems like one big slab of ground… which holds different zones and they all fit seamless on eachother.
Like mountains… they can run thru multiple regions and look seamless.
How do you craft something like that?.. do you make a tiled raw world creator world with everything and then craft and carve out paths and stuff?
Or do you craft your world in detail into a piece of software and then import it into Unreal?
I am probably not the first to ask… but i could not find any good answers.
There is one thing, about your idea: if you need to ask how to do it, your skills are not yet there.
So better start with smaller projects, learn. Then go back to this idea in a year or so.
You can create it just to create, or you can do it in optimal way. First way is waste of time (you can learn faster by doing tiny projects), second way requires solid knowledge of multiple systems.
PS.
To make such thing in optimal way, you need solid skills in C++, linux, probably databases, networking, virtualization, it is a lot.
The answer provided by Newrot is a very good, simple, short answer.
The actual answer is very long and drawn out, and, subject to argument …
i will sum it up like this:
can you (personally) build a Rocket?
The answer is: Yes, you can.
Can you just build one right now? like with the current skill set and knowledge you have? No, you cant. (assuming your not an engineer of that type lol)
Can you build one with a ton of time and learning and understanding of the math and concepts and tons of drawings and examples and papers? Sure, that i do not doubt.
Building a massive MMORPG style landscape is much more then slapping down a 5,000km x 5,000km landscape and high-fiving your best bud thinking you just broke the world record in game creation.
Even games like World of Warcraft dont do this.
Now, to make it easy … i want you to think of a couple things that i am guessing, you missed in your MMORPG days.
What your thinking about is the transitions between areas. They are usually set between paths where you cant see behind where you just came from.
Early example: EverQuest “zones”. Would happen between cut out areas, and, have a turn then a long run, then a turn again. This would remove the place you were, and, make it so you cant see it go invisible.
WOW is the same way. They removed the “zoning” aspects and allow for smoother transitions, but, its still that way.
You can do as you wish, but, i will also tell you … that the task of a world that big, is not in your grasp. I am not trying to downplay your intellect, or, just say “you cant do it” for the sake of saying it. I am telling you because you will waste TONS of time and effort and you will destroy your learning curve (you wont learn shiz from this task). It will be painful lol. Very … very … painful.
I know… and putting a small island in unreal with some textures on it, is not difficult… i did that a lot already.
Next step is, bigger world with zones and ocean… and i am just looking for some information on how to do that
for landscape, i suggest:
world machine + learning to create materials like “auto” materials. self adjusting materials that will look at height and all that and apply accordingly. There are tons of references out there on how to make them.
Stay away from things like “Landscape Auto Material” setups (the marketplace item). They endup so overly done and complicated they will endup eating 25% of your overhead (read: fps) for almost no reason at all.
