Genesis (Planet Tech V5): first Evocati NDA test on Nyx I, Vulkan only (October 3, 2026)

CIG opened an Evocati NDA test dedicated to Genesis, the new pipeline for generating and rendering planets, also called Planet Tech V5, overnight from October 2 to 3 (US time). According to the test description published by the studio, it is strictly limited to Nyx I: no other planet or moon has been converted to this system yet.

Vulkan only, on a deliberately empty planet

CIG is explicit about the technical requirement: only Vulkan works correctly on this build. DirectX 11 has been removed from the test because the new terrain does not render correctly under it. The studio also recommends starting from a clean user.cfg file to avoid configuration conflicts.

The version of Nyx I offered is deliberately empty: no locations, no missions, no NPCs. The test focuses on the terrain technology, not on content. A ground vehicle is required for collision tests with the ground. CIG also acknowledges that visual polish and the reduction of Genesis's VRAM consumption are still in progress.

What Genesis changes

According to CIG's description, the new system rests on five components:

• Physics-based object placement: plant species and geology types are distributed across the planet according to rules that mimic real-world patterns.
• GPU scattering: trees, rocks and other elements are placed directly by the graphics card, from the scale of the entire planet down to ground level. The server recalculates the same logic on the CPU so that physics can apply to these objects.
• Layered material terrain: substrate, soil, scree, bedrock, sand and debris are blended in physically realistic proportions.
• Continuous distant representation: rendering gradually shifts from real assets to a distant representation.
• Virtual terrain tile atlas: the terrain is cached in a continuously updated tile atlas, to lighten the rendering of complex surfaces.

The two goals of the test

On the server side, CIG wants to put the planetary tile activation system, the WorldBuilder V5, under pressure. To do so, testers must spread out across the planet, keep moving and frequently change altitude.

On the client side, the expected feedback covers three areas:

• distance and density: pop-in, level of detail transitions, vegetation at a density considered abnormal;
• collisions with the terrain: landing a ship, driving, walking, crashing;
• performance: framerate, frame time, stuttering, especially during fast, low flight, the most demanding case for data streaming.

What has leaked, to be taken as unofficial

The NDA prohibits detailing what has been seen in game, but some elements have circulated through datamine and testers. None of the following has been confirmed by CIG, and everything could change.

According to datamining, the build files reference 10 sectors and 97 location archetypes on Nyx I (74 "normal", 23 "criminal"), split across 10 factions: Civilians, Criminals, Rayari, People's Alliance, Shattered Blade, Covalex, First Legion, Foxwell, Moraine and Shubin. First Legion would be a new faction. The same sources mention an underground facility at Area 18, the Area 18 Municipal Works, as well as new creatures, the StarBugs. They also point to the renaming of the Atlas vehicle platform to HM6, which would turn the Anvil Ballista into an Anvil HM6 Ballista.

Testers also claim that Nyx I's atmosphere reaches 62 km, that quantum travel would drop players at 50 km, and that the planet is significantly larger than those in the current game, a point relayed on Reddit. These accounts have not been verified.

The context

The test arrived after several days of rumors. A Reddit thread announced final checks of a possible Genesis build for the Evocati a few hours before the launch.

This work comes while the build schedule remains unchanged: the PTU is still on Alpha 4.10.2 Wave 3 and Live on Alpha 4.10.1. On October 1, CIG had also announced an Evocati-only build to resume the TTK/TTD rebalancing tech preview, which was ultimately postponed to the following day. Genesis is therefore a second Evocati testing effort, of a very different nature.

What we still don't know

CIG has not communicated the duration of the test or a date for lifting the NDA. It is also unknown whether other planets or moons will be converted after Nyx I, and in what order. Nothing indicates which version Genesis could reach on the PTU or Live, or whether the removal of DirectX 11 will extend to the full game. Creator Evenlease commented on the launch in a video without being able to show any content.

The next signal to watch for is a possible partial lifting of the NDA, or a statement from CIG on the results of the WorldBuilder V5 server test. Until then, the figures from datamining remain unofficial indications.