The game SpaceEngine has millions of stars and planet in the galaxy, how did they catalog that in a program that only ranges in GB size?
SpaceEngine uses procedural generation techniques to create its vast universe. This means that the game uses complex algorithms and mathematical formulas to generate the stars, planets, and other celestial bodies in the game world. This allows the game to represent a seemingly endless universe while keeping its file size relatively small.
Instead of storing every object in the game as a separate file, SpaceEngine uses a system that generates them on-the-fly as you explore the universe. When you move through space, the game generates new objects and discards those that are no longer visible. This allows the game to maintain its huge scale while keeping its memory usage and storage requirements relatively low.
Additionally, SpaceEngine uses a combination of procedural generation and pre-generated data to create its universe. For example, the game uses data from astronomical surveys to accurately represent known stars and galaxies, while generating the rest of the universe procedurally.
Overall, the use of procedural generation techniques and a combination of pre-generated and generated data allows SpaceEngine to represent a vast universe in a relatively small program size.