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Having an absolutely tricked out PC with the latest and greatest technology is the dream for many PC gamers. That pull is especially strong these days with the release of new high-end hardware options like Nvidia’s RTX 4090 Founders Edition GPUs, the new Zen 4 from AMD Ryzen 9 7950Xand CPU Intel Core i9 13900ks (opens in a new tab). PC gamers around the world dream about their next build.
But if we’re honest with ourselves, that dream might be a little further away than we’d like. Between bills, the economy, global shortages, and whatever comes next, it’s a bit of a lofty goal. A new computer that can do everything is probably not in my near future. That’s why I’m so grateful that people make incredible things, like this zen driving game that runs in a browser window.
Slow Roads is an endless procedurally generated driving game that is free to play in your browser. Its developer follows Anslo, who recently posted a video about their game runs to Twitter, announcing that the project is ready to share. The video shows the game in action with different environments and times of day, and it’s immediately very clear that this is a pretty impressive effort that really pushes browser-based gaming.
“Slow Roads exists primarily as an exploration of procedural landscape generation, but also as an experiment testing the limits of a 3D application within JavaScript. As a game, this project is a nostalgic love letter to the rolling hills of the Peak District, and to the arcade rally- games I would play for hours as a child. As a tech demo, I aim to set a high bar and correct the negative idea of what can be accomplished in the browser,” Anslo explains on the Slow Roads website.
Loading Slow Tracks in the browser is a little windy. There’s no login or any hoops to jump through, and the game just works. Perfect for when you just need to take a few minutes away from work and get your head out on the open road. Or to marvel at some impressive creation a developer has come up with that doesn’t matter what GPU you have.
After 16 months of work I’m ready to share https://t.co/8FtBldzYAe, my project to procedurally generate scenic landscapes, packaged as a cool driving game. Built with @threejs to run in your browser – no logins, no installs, just paths… #threejs #procedural #webgl pic.twitter.com/ri9XsypjmfOctober 22, 2022
Once in the game you can choose a few different options for your road trip. Staying on the ground will allow you to explore the hilly roads in all kinds of climates or you can go out to the Moon, Mars or Venus for your driving pleasure. Times of the day can be set freely, and you can choose between car, bike or bus for your adventures.
Anslo specifically wants to keep the game free, but accepts donations that will help bring possible future updates to the game. This includes support for controllers and racing wheels, which would be very welcome. Slow Roads is a nice escape, and getting away from the keyboard would certainly improve that.
Other proposed features include adding more locations, vehicles, and making improvements to weather effects and lighting. If there’s enough interest, competitive modes and leaderboards are also on the menu. There’s also the plan to continue optimizing Slow Lanes for lower-end machines, bringing the infinite drive to even more browsers around the world.
For those curious about how Anslo managed this, they are planning a series of blog posts to help explain the process, and have an FAQ on the Slow Roads website. Pick up and play games like Slow Roads are perfect for a quick browser escape, and the accessible nature is a clear win. Here’s hoping this trend continues. I can’t wait to see what other ideas turned browser-based adventures will be added to my favorites folder.
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