Index Expressions

Outer Index 3D

In development

Outer Index 3D is a third-⁠person horde game set on alien worlds that are generated whole from a single seed.

A figure in silhouette on snowy ground at sunset, with a tall dark stone on the horizon.
The player stands on a generated snowfield at sunset, with a tall dark landmark against a teal and gold sky. We took this before the lighting fix, so the shadows are much heavier than they are now.

Each world is built in one go. The seed decides the terrain and caves, along with the landmarks and the routes that link them. Before a route ever reaches you, the generator has checked that you can cross it.

When a run starts, the horde comes for you, and the pressure climbs the longer you survive. The only way to get items is to pick them up off the ground during the run. We call those pickups motes, and you’ll usually be grabbing them in the middle of a fight.

The routes come in a few forms. Some arch over a ridge or bore through it, and others dive under and come up somewhere else. There are galleries cut open along cliff faces too, and hidden pockets that you have to spot for yourself.

A few screenshots here were taken before we fixed a lighting problem, so they’re darker than the game looks today. Our news post about the fix has the details.

What you’ll find

  • Alien worlds generated whole from one seed
  • Routes that arch over ridges, bore through them or dive underneath
  • Galleries cut into cliffs, and hidden pockets to find
  • Motes, the pickups that supply every item in a run
  • Pressure that rises as time goes on

Where it stands

We’re still working on the worlds and the art. Outer Index 3D hasn’t been released, and there isn’t a build you can download.

A generated island floating in a purple night sky, shown as plain untextured shapes.
A generated island floating in front of a purple starry sky. Everything on it is untextured test geometry, which makes the shape of the coastline easy to see.
A generated snowfield with large rock outcrops and a lone figure walking toward them.
The player crosses a generated snowfield toward a group of weathered rocks. The materials here are placeholders, and the shot is from before our lighting fix.
The same generated island under a daytime sky, shown as plain untextured shapes.
The same island under a daytime sky, where you can follow its coastline and the rough edge where the ground stops. It’s untextured test geometry as well.
See our games

From the news

Includes AI-made models

Some of the rock and landmark models in Outer Index 3D’s scenes were made with an AI tool called Meshy. We picked the ones we use by hand, and Meshy is listed on our credits page.

Credits