OUT OF THIS WORLD

Senior programmer Dr. Kay Ross on how the planets of Elite DangerouS are generated using real science.

BORN YES TERDAY

“First we simulate the circumstances of a planet’s birth,” says Ross of the planning phase. “You must first know what materials went into making it, how old it is, what its neighbors are doing, and which stars are nearby.”

SPACED OUT

Planets generated by this data likely reflect their real-life counterparts. “If we have information on the position of a star and its luminosity, we can fill in the gaps by calculating the range of properties it might have,” says Ross.

SCIENTIFI C METHOD

Real scientific data fuels the generation. “I studied research papers on the density, age, and masses of stars across the different parts of the Milky Way,” says Ross. “My background as a scientist helped with this.”

REAL GOOD

A sense of realism is important to Ross and the team. “EliteDangerous is a game set in our Milky Way, and I personally feel that to push too far into the implausible detracts from the wonder and connection that this brings.”

COMPUTER LOVE

Using this scientific data, a tool called the Stellar Forge is used to create the planet. “Surface liquids, ground, and tidal activity, be it a gas giant or a terrestrial world. All of this happens in a fraction of a second on your CPU.”

FINISHING TOUCHES

Once a planet has been generated, the game artists can fine-tune its appearance. “Planetary generation has always been a strong collaborative effort between Stellar Forge, the render programmers and the art department.”