This is pretty much how I play GTA V. I have a Self Radio playlist for a specific vibe. Hop in a random car and cruise around the city, get distracted by some event, cause a little mayhem and escape if I'm in the mood, and keep cruising. Like the Truck Simulator games, it's a good way to go for a drive without actually needing to go for a drive (so less exhausting, wasteful, and dangerous).
This reminds me of Rambalac[0] - a YouTube channel where a guy just walks around various places in Japan (mostly Tokyo) and records it all in 4k+ HDR. No music, no commentary.<p>[0] <a href="https://m.youtube.com/user/Rambalac" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/user/Rambalac</a>
If you were intrigued by the prospect of riding on public transit through a city, there is a game called 4Ever Transit Authority which is literally just that.<p><a href="https://turnfollow.itch.io/4ever-transit-authority" rel="nofollow">https://turnfollow.itch.io/4ever-transit-authority</a>
The concept reminds me of No Man’s Sky, a vast procedurally generated universe of planets with not a whole lot going on. The consensus seems to be it was way too empty at launch, but with the subsequent content additions I have some friends that enjoy it now. Still seems risky.
I wonder how procedural it is - and really what procedural is. Is it that, at some scale, say apartment in a building, there is a polygone'd model - the apartment - and an apartment is only generated and rendered (with some randomness) when you enter it ?
The sense I got from the video was very much what I (we?) expected, in the late 1990s, from the virtual reality that was "just around the corner". Glad it's (almost!) here in 2025.<p>Still very cool!<p>The Matrix has you, Neo ...
I've been following the creator on TikTok for a while as they implemented new features into the city to help bring it to life. Maps and the ability to select a destination and ride there is pretty new, IIRC. It's cool to see this on HN today!
Being alone in this vast city gave me a certain feeling of unease. Reminds me of Stargate episodes where they would find an advanced civilization devoid of life, only to discover they got wiped out in a mysteriously terrible fashion.