Writing An Open-World Engine For The Nintendo 64

Developer James Lambert demonstrates how to build an open-world engine for the Nintendo 64, overcoming the console's hardware limitations. Key challenges include the N64's 15-bit Z-buffer causing Z-fighting at long draw distances. The solution uses two render passes: far objects rendered back-to-front with Z-buffer disabled and low LoD, followed by nearby objects with Z-buffer enabled. A new fog rendering method is also introduced. Source code is available on GitHub, and a full game using this engine is planned.