Building N64 Open-World Engine For Skyrim-Size Games

James Lambert, best known for Portal 64 demake running on actual N64 hardware, has released a video breaking down his latest game jam project, Junkrunner 64. It runs on a real Nintendo 64 and shows off something pretty cool: a large open world with long draw distances actually working on the system.

As the developer puts it, "This game has a draw distance on the scale of games like Skyrim. You can stand on one corner of the map and see all the way to the other side." Essentially, James draws the world map twice, one for distant objects and one for nearby ones, while splitting the world into tiles that use multiple LODs based on their distance from the player and visibility.

Watch the video for a deeper dive into this approach, and if you want to try Junkrunner 64 yourself, it's available to download here. To play it, you'll need either an actual console or an emulator. James plans to bring this technology into his larger N64 project, so watching how it unfolds should be interesting. And if you'd like to support him, consider joining his Patreon.

If retro games are your thing, don't miss David Reinig's article on the rendering technology used in Tomb Raider III. Also, explore an online model viewer for the 1999 Dreamcast classic Shenmue and fly through the levels of Sega's Crazy Taxi.

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