Infection Free Zone is a good example of using real map data. For ALIS, though, reconstructing the real world is one of the goals itself — so you’re right that differences in a place you know can become annoying, and reducing those differences is part of the challenge we’re taking on. The reason is that we want the geography, infrastructure and knowledge you encounter in the game to correspond to something real, not just provide a familiar backdrop.

That’s fair — most players won’t recognize the place at first. But recognition isn’t the main goal of ALIS: we’re reconstructing real places so the geography, infrastructure, distances, and practical knowledge you learn in the game correspond to something that actually exists.

Fair point. For ALIS, though, recognition itself isn’t the goal — reconstructing the real world is one of the foundations of the project, with its places, systems, and practical knowledge becoming part of the game.