I was just wondering how map generation is going to be handled, if the planet will be generated if you choose to land on it, or if its rendered during map creation. Also, is each map held in seperate files, or are they just kinda like placed on a different z (think three dimensional point plot plane.)
Based on how Terraria and Minecraft handle procedural generation, each world will be a separate file. Each of those worlds will likely be chunk based like current Terraria/Minecraft worlds. The developers have stated that worlds could feasibly be infinite in size, which would mean the worlds would be generated as they are explored. The developers have also stated that worlds can be bookmarked and shared with friends. The fact that they can be shared with friends would mean that each world has its own seed value, such that any world that is "randomly" generated from the same seed will be identical. This would allow you to share an unmodified world with friends. Sharing a modified world would require giving them a world save file, possibly through a yet-undisclosed multiplayer feature, or just through the traditional external file sharing methods.
