It is
supposed to be a type of streaming of the world around you, like a more complex version of what the Elder Scrolls games have done from Morrowind and onwards. It is actually supposed to do the exact opposite of what the name suggests: to be very tiny and to not use “maps” in any conventional sense at all. If done correctly and cleverly, it could even completely do away with stuff like physics grids, “network LoD” and — to some extent — even instancing. But as Asp mentions, they're not doing that — they're making a very daft pre-fetch/force-run process that almost creates more problems than it solves, just to create an illusion of something pointless.
Also, Archering time…
Here is what the 3.0 schedule page says about Megamap and streaming item/object containers which will include planets as containers (comments about mega-map questionable working state and utility not-withstanding);
Crusader Converted to Object Container Setup
With the transition to Object Containers, the Crusader map was completely re-designed. Each Point of Interest is now an object container laid out via the Solar System Editor. This is in preparation for Object Container streaming and seamless transitions from different POI’s and between Star Systems. Mission Flowgraphs are converted over to use Subsumption and the new Mission System.
Mega Map for Persistent Universe
Mega Map tech (also used in Crusader for seamless loading between different gamemodes) is now possible in the new PU map, which is setup in the Solar System Editor. This allows the utilization of Mega Map technology.
Hair won't be "hand crafted" per character but similar to what ED does:
Shared hair assets (instead of bespoke asset per head) for character creation
Still
seem to be claiming Amazon work as their own- they could word this so the origins are clear and how it affected whatever money CIG spent on this type stuff previously:
Diffusion is our second-generation cloud-oriented back-end service architecture. It dramatically simplifies the effort required to implement, maintain, and interact with services, while simultaneously providing major enhancements in the areas of scalability and redundancy.
ETA is 16th June
If the game is as broken as 2.n then there could still be fallout- depending on how broken. But if they deliver on most of this stuff 3.0, will be interesting and likely satisfy most backers as sufficient progress.
Derek Smart was 100% spot-on in his first blog; CR could not deliver the game on the time and budget he claimed for years that he could do; and he also did not have the tech to do it at that time.
Whether the project collapses due to financial distress after wasting so much time and backer money is still TBD. It sure would be interesting to know how much of the $150 MUSD has been flushed vs. actually represented in what they deliver in 3.0.
