In the video "Trying to Improve My Geography Game with More Real-World Data" by Sebastian Lague, the creator shares his journey of enhancing his geography-based game by incorporating more real-world data, such as higher-resolution maps, city lights, and atmospheric effects. He also optimizes the game's performance and adds new features, such as the moon and stars, to create a more immersive experience.
Sebastian begins by addressing performance issues on certain computers, which he resolves by optimizing his code and using precomputed images instead of computing certain elements every time the game runs. He then improves the game's visuals by increasing the resolution of the maps and using a higher-resolution height map to generate more detailed terrain.
The creator also explores the Eye of the Sahara, a fascinating geological formation in West Africa, as a potential area for further experimentation. He considers adding detailed color maps to enhance the game's visuals but ultimately decides against it due to technical challenges.
Sebastian then focuses on optimizing the game's world mesh, reducing the number of vertices from 8.6 million to just over 1 million. This optimization helps maintain the perceived detail of the mesh while improving performance. He also incorporates city lights into the game, using a compute shader to create and position the lights based on a downloaded map of city lights.
The video also covers the addition of atmospheric effects, such as the moon and stars, to the game. Sebastian uses real-world data for the moon's height map, normal map, and orbit, as well as star data to accurately position and render the stars in the game's sky. He demonstrates the game's improved visuals, including the Earth's shadow on the atmosphere, and the addition of undulating waves on the ocean surface.
In conclusion, Sebastian Lague's video showcases the numerous improvements made to his geography game, resulting in a more immersive and visually appealing experience. He shares the game's source code with the community, encouraging others to explore and contribute to the project.
