Edge of Chaos aims to push the boundaries of what's possible in online gaming. The game is built with MetaGravity's HyperScale Engine, enabling multiplayer experiences with unseen scale and scope. Read on to learn more about how HyperScale shapes the development of Edge of Chaos and what it means for the player experience.
Traditional MMOs often hit a wall with player numbers in a single area. HyperScale breaks that limit. 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.
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."
Building a game using HyperScale technology isn't just about making things bigger. It's about fundamentally rethinking game design, Jacek 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.”
Numbers and technology are one thing, but what does this actually mean for the player experience? This is how Gareth 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."
Jacek echoes this sentiment, emphasizing 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!"
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 Gareth 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."
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.
As development continues, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in online gaming with your help. If you are 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 register for the next HyperScale Alpha playtest - these tests allow you to visit the world of Edge of Chaos before anyone else and give us feedback.
Stay tuned for more updates, and get ready to be part of something massive.
For More:
Join our Discord
Join our Reddit
Follow us on X
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Subscribe to the Edge of Chaos newsletter.
