VIVIA: Beyond the Known
A commercial voxel survival sandbox with AI-powered terrain, multiplayer networking, and a custom embedded neural network — built from scratch in Rust. Shipping on Epic Games Store, August 2026.
Overview
VIVIA (internally NV_ENGINE) is a shipped commercial voxel game written entirely
in Rust — 47 source files, 15,800+ lines, 282 tests. It features:
- Procedural world generation with real-world NASA climate data
- Embedded neural network (MeMLP) that learns vegetation placement while you play
- Full mob system with AI-generated 3D models, 10 hostile types, 60 animal species
- Multiplayer TCP networking with entity sync, chunk streaming, anti-cheat
- Procedural audio engine with spatial 3D sound
- GPU rendering via wgpu with custom WGSL shaders
Developer: Terra Nova Gameworks · Version: 1.0.0 · Price: $9.99 (launch $7.49) Platforms: Linux, Windows · Stores: Epic Games Store, itch.io
Tech Stack
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Language | Rust 2021 |
| GPU | wgpu 0.20, WGSL shaders |
| Window | winit 0.30 |
| Math | cgmath 0.18, OpenSimplex2 |
| Parallelism | rayon, tokio |
| Neural Net | ndarray (MeMLP embedded MLP) |
| Mesh Opt | meshopt, bincode |
| Audio | rodio |
| Text | fontdue |
| ECS | bytemuck |
| Online | Epic Online Services |
| Tools | C#/.NET 8 (content), Python (AI/texture) |
Feature Highlights
🌍 Procedural World
OpenSimplex2 heightmaps, caves, ores, 9 climate-driven biomes. 16×512×16 chunks with async streaming and rayon parallel generation. Real-world NASA temperature and humidity data drive vegetation, fog, and ambient color.
🧠 MeMLP Neural Network
Modular embedded MLP with 4 specialist heads: vegetation (8→24→16→4), biome classification (8→12→9), texture style (8→12→6), and creature animation (8→16→6). Learns online during gameplay from synthetic + Open-Meteo API data. 0.01ms inference.
🎨 Procedural Rendering
Custom wgpu pipeline: instanced voxel geometry, per-fragment lighting (Blinn-Phong), ACES tonemapping, procedural sky with sun/moon, fog, weather, day/night cycle. GLB model loading with automatic decimation and procedural skinning.
🦠 60 Creature Species
Full bestiary: 10 hostile types with AI-driven behavior (melee, ranged, combo, slam), and 60 passive animal species across 8 biomes. Each species has unique body, color, speed, walk cycle, and loot drops. AI-generated GLB models with pose fixes.
🌐 Multiplayer
TCP networking at 20 Hz: entity sync, chunk streaming, block updates, chat, combat events. Anti-cheat validation (coordinate bombs, NaN positions, rate limiting, handshake timeouts). Client-side interpolation for smooth remote player movement.
⚔️ Survival Gameplay
Hunger/thirst/warmth systems, tool durability, crafting (NVCrafter), quest chains, rarity tiers (Common → Mythic), prestige system (Lv50+ reset with stacking bonuses), and RPG progression with stat allocation.
Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ VIVIA Engine │
├──────────────┬──────────────┬───────────────────────┤
│ Renderer │ World Gen │ Game Logic │
│ wgpu + WGSL │ OpenSimplex │ Survival + Combat │
│ Instancing │ 9 Biomes │ 60 Creatures │
│ ACES Tonemap│ Caves/Ores │ Quests + Crafting │
├──────────────┼──────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ AI Stack │ Audio │ Networking │
│ MeMLP (4) │ rodio │ TCP 20 Hz │
│ Online train│ Spatial 3D │ Entity/Chunk sync │
│ GLB models │ Procedural │ Anti-cheat │
└──────────────┴──────────────┴───────────────────────┘
Performance
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Frame time | 16.6 ms (60 FPS target) |
| AI inference | 0.01 ms per prediction |
| Chunk generation | Async, rayon-parallel |
| Model decimation | 40K → 6K triangles per mob |
| Memory model | 1.2 KB neural network |
| Instance budget | 2048 cubes, 256 AI meshes |
See also: Architecture · AI Engine · Rendering · Multiplayer · Gameplay · Performance