One thing I haven't seen mentioned is what options will exist for this? I suspect spectator mode is something that is obviously possible in PA with the async model. With the more strategic style of PA I could even see something like real time spectating with a spectator even being on a team and calling out issues they see. I question how replays will be done, if they are done at all. In other games replays are just a map reference plus a bunch of actions. Obviously with generated maps you'll need to include the map structure with the replay. This makes it much more heavy weight. Does Uber intend to implement replays?
You wouldn't need a complete description of the planet, just a very long number that is fed into the algorithm and produces the same result each time. Even a very long number (say 256 characters) would take up a negligible amount of space.
Yeah makes sense. You put the planet seed in. However you obviously then have to be careful that any changes to the world generator are versioned. In SC2 they literally ship every version of the game so that old replays still work.
I havent seen much mentioned in relation to spectating (certainly an interesting consideration) I could see that particular idea causing some grief if a spectator doesnt have to deal with the intel limitations that the player has and the spectator gives the player they are talking with an unfair advantage. Dont think many people would go for that. As for replay options, they are something that I am quite excited about, check this out (Bolded for the emphasis on the part I am excited about). Quoted from this thread http://forums.uberent.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=38054&p=580100#p580100
