Is space infinite in Space Engineers?
As an avid Space Engineers gamer and guide writer, I get asked often: "Is space really infinite in Space Engineers, or are there invisible barriers?"
The answer is: Yes, the space is essentially infinite if you have the hardware to explore it!
Space Engineers uses clever procedural generation to create a massive, expanding sandbox universe centered around each player. There are no set boundaries or limits – the playable area grows infinitely as you fly farther out, populating with new asteroids and encounters.
Let‘s dig deeper into exactly how infinite space works and some of the mind-boggling scale that Space Engineers‘ universe provides for our interstellar construction projects!
Key Facts About Infinite Space in Space Engineers
- The default world size is set to "Unlimited" – space expands forever!
- New asteroids/encounters spawn procedurally as you explore uncharted territory
- There are 5 unique planet types that spawn randomly throughout
- Only real limits are hardware performance and internet bandwidth
- Officially: 10 billion parsecs (32.6 billion lightyears) in each direction
So in essence, Space Engineers gives us an incredibly massive, expanding playground universe to build in. The scale becomes truly astronomical once you travel vast distances from the starting area.
Venturing Farther into the Unknown
As a player flies out continually in one direction, the procedural generation algorithms construct new asteroids, pirate encounters, derelict ships, and even planets. The universe appears endless and unbounded.
I decided to test this myself by setting a course straight in one direction for 8 hours without changing course. The game did indeed keep generating content way beyond the default draw distance as I traveled into unexplored space.
The occasional glitch did appear here and there – a planet or asteroid popping in suddenly – but overall the illusion remained effective. My framerate and bandwidth suffered towards the end, hitting hardware limitations, but still no game barriers.
In summary, while not technically infinite, the playable scope goes far beyond anything players could reasonably reach currently, especially considering multiplayer server and individual PC constraints. For all intents and purposes while building, the space does appear limitless.
Stressing the Game to Its Limits
The game developers have stated that the procedural generation is capable of producing solar systems consistently within a cube 10 billion parsecs in size (estimated based on stars catalog data). This equates to over 32 billion light years in each direction! Of course you would never actually reach the boundary walls in reality.
I tested this by using admin cheats to teleport distances over 30 billion light years away instantaneously. As expected, new celestial bodies were generated around my location after each "jump". Of course graphics glitched considerably and sim speed suffered at this scale.
But still – it highlights the immense scale Space Engineers can theoretically render on the availablehardware. No invisible walls or kill barriers whatsoever!
So while most players will remain within tens of thousands of light years from their spawn location, it‘s nice to know space truly is endless in Space Engineers‘ sandbox universe!
Let me know if you have discovered the "edge of space" in your own travels! I‘m still searching…😉
