Games

Dev Dive: Building Edge of Chaos with HyperScale

We are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in supermassive online gaming by using our HyperScale Engine to build the medieval game Edge of Chaos.
Dev Dive: Building Edge of Chaos with HyperScale

Key takeaways:

  • Edge of Chaos is an upcoming MMO that uses MetaGravity's HyperScale Engine to enable unprecedented player numbers and scale.
  • The game aims to support tens of thousands of players in a single, persistent world, allowing for massive battles and complex social interactions.
  • Designers are rethinking game systems to ensure meaningful gameplay even with thousands of simultaneous players.
  • The large scale is expected to create an emotionally impactful experience, likened to the feeling of being at a huge concert or sports event.
  • Edge of Chaos is inviting players to participate in alpha playtests to help shape the game's development and experience its revolutionary scale firsthand.

With Edge of Chaos, we are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in online gaming. Beneath your in-game experience lies MetaGravity's HyperScale Engine. This technology enables multiplayer experiences with scale and scope unseen before. So, let's dive into how HyperScale shapes the development of Edge of Chaos and what it means for you as a player.

Scaling Up: From Hundreds to Thousands

Traditional MMOs often hit a wall with player numbers in a single area and the server costs required to support. HyperScale completely solves these limitations and makes network integration as simple as possible for game developers. Jacek Gołębiowski, Lead Producer of Edge of Chaos, highlights the impact:

"HyperScale fundamentally alters the gameplay experience. The shift isn't just about player numbers; it's about the game design growing to accommodate thousands of real-life players and the surprising, unexpected group effects that spontaneously occur when players interact at this scale."

Imagine battles involving not just dozens but tens of thousands of players. This scale transforms not just the gameplay but the entire feel of the world.

Large-scale battle in Edge of Chaos ©

However, supermassive player counts aren't just important on the battlefield. They also allow for true economic and social interactions. Gareth Wilson, VP of Games at MetaGravity, explains how this ‘critical mass’ helps create a living, breathing game world:

"Interesting things happen when you have what's called a network effect. There's a reason why humans come together and live in cities. In cities, many people come together to share ideas and ways of doing things. If you want a game that evolves over time and really surprises you, you need to accommodate player numbers that match the real-world human scale of villages, towns and cities."

Designing for Scale: New Challenges, New Opportunities

Building a game using the HyperScale technology isn't just about making things bigger. It's about fundamentally rethinking game design, Gołębiowski explains:

"Edge of Chaos is built from the ground up with HyperScale in mind, pushing our designers to create systems that handle thousands of players at once. This means we must think big and ensure every player's actions are meaningful and fun. The challenge is ensuring that even with thousands of players, every moment feels impactful and part of a wider group goal."

This approach opens up new gameplay possibilities that weren't feasible before, as Gareth adds:

"We designed the game to support epic-size medieval fighting. Without HyperScale, we'd be limited to a game that deliberately avoids massive-scale combat battles and focuses on a smaller scale. So yeah, the technology allows us to make the game we’ve always wanted to make and not be artificially restricted.”

The Emotional Impact: Feeling the Scale

Numbers and technology are one thing, but what does this actually mean for your experience as a player? This is how Wilson sees it:

"What constantly surprises me is the euphoric feeling of going into battle with thousands of players. That's what’s really exciting when you play it. You capture a particular zone. You come in with a large team of players, charge into a zone, defeat whoever's there, and then move on to the next capture point as a group. You get this kind of mob feel, like when you've been to a big concert or a football match - that excitement of being at an event with tens of thousands of people."
Battle scene from Edge of Chaos ©

Gołębiowski echoes this, emphasising the emotional depth that comes with such scale:

"Imagine a massive battle where two armies strive to conquer a castle. But instead of them being AI or fake cinematics, they're all real people who need to work together to achieve a particular objective set for them by their human commander. And each time this castle is fought over, players will devise new strategies and ideas to defeat the enemy, meaning you'll never know what will happen next!"

Looking to the Future

There are immediate size and scale benefits of HyperScale. It enables thousands of concurrent players. However, it also sets the stage for long-term growth and evolution, as Wilson notes:

"When you're building a simulation world with complete freedom, eventually that game will result in people building towns, villages, cities, and you'll end up with a huge population. You need a networking system that will scale to accommodate that. Without it, you'll reach a hard limit where people won't be able to go into certain zones because they're full. Having the HyperScale technology, even if you're not using it immediately, prepares you for future growth."

A New Frontier in MMO Gaming

Edge of Chaos, powered by the HyperScale Engine, isn't just another MMO. It's a glimpse into the future of online gaming. By offering massive player interactions within a single, persistent world, it aims to deliver previously impossible experiences. 

Landscape from Edge of Chaos ©

As development continues, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in online gaming. If you want to build a digital world with similar depth and scale, contact us to see how we can make it a reality. 

Are you a player hungry for an authentic medieval world that truly feels alive? We’d love you to help us shape Edge of Chaos into an experience unlike any other. If you haven’t already done so, please join the HyperScale Alpha playtest community. These tests allow you to visit the world of Edge of Chaos before anyone else and give us feedback.

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