Hm..here is the history.
When SC and sq42 were in very early conceptual design, the process of making the game maps (or grids if you may) was different. Essentially, the game would use single precision to render the maps, and utilize Cryengines3.6 Shattered Worlds approach to populate a star system with a number of grids centered around the actual point of interest (an asteroid field, a station etc). Maps would have no boundaries per se, but it would be impossible to render the object outside a SFPP barrier, so texture LoDs would be used for faraway objects.
As the game moved on in development, two things changed.
1. It was decided that the actual grids would be centered around the entity of reference (player ship), and that the grid boundaries would dynamically move together with the player. This solved the entity popping and rendering problems.
2. It was decided to move CRYENGINE to DFPP which would allow enough accuracy to render and interact with larger or further objects.
So now, the plan is to have a seamless star system (with scaled distances and sizes, CIG does not need or want 1:1) in which there are no separate set rooms or grids (all objects are anchored to the same star system map), just instances or "player bubbles". To do this, CIG needs DFPP so they are going for it.
Technically, the change in tech and mechanics is about the same as FDEVs approach change to the FSD concept. We are going from rooms in space connected via obfuscated loading screens (warp in SC, jumps in ED) to a seamless playing field encompassing everything.
Which is really cool btw, for both games.
