Not much has happened with MariaEngine64 the last 2 years, but I've created a bunch of cool new systems for my personal projects and I figured it was only fair to let everyone play around with them (especially considering how poorly optimized ME64 was originally), which has finally resulted in this new Open World version!

There's tons of new features:

• Procedurally generate overworlds which are dynamically loaded/unloaded around you
  • Generation is done using a depthmap texture as input data, giving you full control over the end result
• Levels can be assigned to a chunk of an overworld or be used standalone
• Custom scripting language to tie events and NPCs to a level
  • Allows adding new events without recompiling the game, which also makes it easy to make mods or DLC packs!
• New system for editing texture atlases, instead of having to define all the data via code
  • Also is used to assign material parameters to subtextures, allowing for things like footstep sounds or poisoning the player on contact
• New "Bodytype" system which lets you interchangeably use 2D sprites, 3D models and 2½D skeletal animation graphics for objects
• Retro-style skeletal animation system that maps 2D sprites on a 3D skeleton and then renders it as a 2D sprite
  • Unlike the SoulsVania skeletal animation system, this one is fully generic and can be used for non-humanoid creatures
• Wavefront OBJ import for 3D models, models can be used as standalone entities or baked into level geometry for a performance boost
• Volumetric cloud skyboxes!
  • Volumetric shader has support for day/night cycle including variable color, variable sun position, and turning stars on/off
• Ambient Conditions system that easily lets you set lighting, fog and skybox parameters
• Footpath, a system for making curved lowpoly roads easily
• Optimized collision checking to improve performance

This new open world edition is mostly a direct upgrade to the legacy MariaEngine64 in every way, but since some old systems were deprecated I've opted to let the old version stay around for download.