[goldenfort (OP)]

The project is being developed by one person since 2005 (approximately 15 years). Please SUPPORT the author (He really needs financial support) and leave a review on the site Steam, if you WANT to get all this functionality in the future. I think you will be very interesting!

Planned functionality:

This is my global TODO list for SpaceEngine, it is primarily concerned with the graphical development of the engine, with gameplay being the least important at this time. Perfecting the engine is my first priority. As shown below, I have organized each section into priority lists. For example, under the section heading 'Engine,' my priorities are in 'top down' order, with obviously the top ones being my highest priority and the bottom ones my lowest concern. This same rule applies to the other section headings for galaxy, nebulae, stars and planets.

Anyway, I should note: as long as SE is a scientifically accurate Universe simulator, then one day it will implement ALL space objects and phenomenon that are known to modern astronomy (if this would be possible to implement on the personal computers). So you may not bother yourself with questions like "will SE one day have meteor rain implemented". I guarantee that it WILL.

Engine:
Deferred shading
Shadow maps
Ambient occlusion
Global illumination
Environment map lighting, reflections, refractions
On-screen motion blur
Loading of models with animations (spaceships)
Networking
Camera control and physics (including the orbital motion of bodies) in a parallel thread
Recording of flight, its editing and smoothing
Displays the names of objects on the planetary surface (sea, mountains, craters, etc.)
Unicode fonts
Empowering the planetarium (the constellation - the figures, boundaries and names, astronomical coordinate grid, control of the telescope)
Multi-monitor support, customizable "warper" to create video walls (including fish eye view)
Network synchronization for distributed videowall rendering
In the editor: importing of textures, catalogs and models, exporting of procedural textures, catalogs and models (content sharing with other programs and games)
Eliminating the crashes
Proper auto exposure, the real brightness of the surface of planets and stars
Scripts for the autopilot
The galactic map, star map, map of the planetary system, a map of the planet
Built-in editor of planets, galaxies, etc.
Improved interface and control system (control panel, prompts, Bind keys, etc.)
Different materials on the same models / textures (metal, glass, etc.)
Loading/generating resources in a parallel thread
Localization to other languages
Reverse depth buffer
Anti-aliasing

Galaxies:
Unique procedural model for each galaxy
Models of irregular and colliding galaxies
Complex rendering of spiral galaxies (bulge as precomputed texture + disk as sprites)
A closed universe or a universe with a domain structure
Embedding of giant nebulae sprite models into the galaxy disc sprite model
Adaptive level of detail of galaxy sprite model
Render the galaxy by ray tracing
Correct blending of dust with the stars (ray tracing or multipass)
Animation or simulation of galaxy rotation
Simulation of collision of galaxies
Modeling the evolution of galaxies
Correct rendering of dust sprites (extinction effect)
Procedural large-scale distribution of galaxies (clusters, filaments, walls and voids)

Nebulae:
Unique procedural model for each nebula
Animation of accretion disks and jets
Complex rendering (subsystems with independent LODs)
Lighting from any number of stars
Animation of light wave (light echo)
Animation of expanding shells of supernova and planetary nebulae
Render the nebula by ray tracing
Correct blending with the galaxy (ray tracing)
Correct blending with the stars (ray tracing or multipass)
Modeling of evolution of diffuse nebulae: its collapse and the formation of star clusters
Correct rendering of dust sprites (extinction effect)

Stars:
Tidal distortion of shape, filling the Roche limit (taking into account the ellipticity of orbits)
Animation of flowing substance, accretion disks and jets
Quasars with accretion disk
Neutron stars and pulsars with the animated jets, embedding it into the nebula model
Stars velocities in the galaxy (needed for ship's hyperflight physics)
Animation of surface
Semi-transparent red giants and protostars with animation
Magnetic activity
Catalog of binary and multiple stars
Binary file format for star catalog with built-in octree
Compilation of a text script catalog into a binary catalog
Embedding a star catalog in the galactic procedural stars octree
Dynamic loading of stars catalog from the disk (supporting of unlimited number of stars)
Variable stars, supernovae
Catalog of variable stars
The stars floating in the intergalactic space
Prominences, flares, clouds (in the form of magnetic field lines)
Motion of stars in the galaxy
Modeling of evolution of stars
Correct dynamic lens flare effect
Black holes with the effect of the distortion of light rays, Kerr black holes
Super-massive black holes in galactic center, modeling or animation of motion of nearby stars
Triple and multiple systems
Distortion of the shape of the fast rotating stars, gravity darkening effect
Procedural animated stellar coronae

Planets:
Decrease of loading/generation time
Improving the level of detail, reaching of 1 mm per pixel detail
Lighting of planets with quasar, galactic core, clusters and nebulae
Distortion function for elevation map (terraces, horizontal shift)
Modeling of continents
Illumination of planets with globular clusters, galactic core, close nebulae, supernovae
Self-shadowing of the terrain, ambient occlusion, global illumination
Animation of clouds, cyclones
Clouds shadows on the landscape
3D clouds with lighting and self-shadowing
God-Rays from the landscapes and clouds in the atmosphere
3D water with waves animation, simulation of the tides
Refraction and reflection on the water surface
More types of atmospheres, generation of models at run-time, binding to astrophysics
Volcanoes, volcanic eruption, animation of explosions and ash clouds
Glowing lava flow animation
Magnetic field modelling
Lighting of the planetary surface with aurora
Dust and the asteroid belts around stars and planets (rings), animation, or simulation of the motion
The shadows of the satellites and other planets on rings and vice versa; volumetric shadows inside the dust rings and self-shadowing of the rings
Illumination of a planet and satellites by the rings
Improving gas giant atmospheres
Surface components (stones, plants, roads, buildings)
Terramorphing
Landscape with water and thermal erosion
Tectonic plates
Modeling of asteroid collisions with lighting, explosion and the formation of the crater
Animation of meteorites and meteor rains
Holes in the surface (caves, mines)
Right cone of the shadow of the eclipse from moons and rings in the atmosphere
Refraction in the atmosphere (up to the "bow-tie world")
Weather conditions (rain, snow, fog, lightning, rainbow)
Seasonal changes (snow cover and polar caps, dust storms, evaporation or freezing of the seas and the atmosphere)
Climate and surface generation of "lying on its side" planets (like Uranus)
Modeling of 2D gas dynamics of the atmosphere on the GPU
Modeling the tectonics and evolution of planets
Simulation of the collision, tidal or artificial destruction of the planets, formation of the asteroid belt and the dust disk around the sun, its further evolution
Modeling the evolution of the planetary system when the sun goes in the red giant phase
Simulation of destruction of the planetary system in a supernova explosion
Improved modeling of the structure of the planetary system, taking into account migration of the planets, resonances, high ellipticity and inclination of orbits
Different types of clouds, multiple layers
New classes of planets, binding to astrophysics, geology and geochemistry
New classes of surfaces
Linear and radial structures (rivers, grooves, scarps)
Checking of collisions with the surface
Fixing of bugs with ellipsoidal planets
Asteroid belts and comet clouds
Underwater World
Different types of hydrosphere (water, methane, lava sea, etc.)
Different types of terrain in different places
Animated aurora
Asteroids
Comets with an animated tail
Evaporating planets with an animated tail
Planets, tidal locked to their suns
Ocean worlds
Ice worlds with hydrocarbons oceans (titans)
Brown dwarfs
Lights of the night side (hot planets, lava, cities)
The planets floating in the interstellar space (planemo)

Gameplay:
Server database (work in progress)
Network system
Spaceship builder with physical testing of construction
Cockpit devices: orbital transfer calculator, hyperflight calculator, programmable autopilot, etc.
Docking system, remote control of units
Economics, harvesting of resources, refueling, building, etc
Weapons, combat system
Giant alien astroengineering constructions
Destruction of spaceships and buildings (modelling of thousands of fragments on the GPU), animation of explosions (gas dynamics simulation on GPU(?))
Advanced physics: jet propulsion, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics
Procedural life
Procedural civilizations
Local database
Loading of models (spaceships, buildings, etc.)
Internal structure of ships and buildings (indoor-engine)
Physics: collision detection, newtonian mechanics
Space physics: gravity forces, orbital flight, hyperdrive

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I can not leave links here, so I am writing all this here.

[chris]

And you've posted this on the forum because?