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Crytek hunting for developer who can bring CryEngine to Linux
The penguin has been getting awfully cozy with game developers lately. This time it's with the company known to make GPUs melt at the faintest whisper of its name: Crytek. According to a recent job listing, the German shooter shop is looking for a programmer to work on a Linux version of CryEngine. Of course, you need to relocate to Deutschland and have a few years experience in software development under your belt. Seeing another major PC studio devoting resources to the open-source OS only increases the growing momentum for Valve's Steambox ecosystem of choice. To answer the eternal question, it appears that yes, even the Tux can run Crysis.
Crytek's CryEngine 3 supports PlayStation 4, surprises no one
Crytek has a reputation for pushing the limits of hardware with CryEngine -- witness the will-it-run-Crysis jokes -- so it's only logical that the company would leap on new consoles with enthusiasm. Sure enough, the company has followed up talk of Xbox One support in CryEngine 3 with word that its extra-pretty engine will also run on the PlayStation 4. Crytek isn't saying which developers will use the code, although cross-platform games make sense when the PS4, Xbox One and PCs share the same basic x86 architecture. We may hear bit more about early partners next week.
CryEngine 3 already runs on Xbox One
Crysis has thrown its card into the hat of today's Xbox One announcements, to say that CryEngine 3 does indeed run on Microsoft's new console. The company is already licensed to provide middleware and tools for Xbox One, which means that any developers looking to use CryEngine 3 to make their games will have no problem running the code on the new box. There are a number of titles already announced for the Xbox One, but nothing using CryEngine 3 just yet. Don't weep, though; We're sure to hear about something soon.
Cloud Imperium unveils Star Citizen hangar module
Cloud Imperium has taken the wraps off Star Citizen's hangar module, a standalone app that's scheduled to be released to early adopters later this summer. Pledgers will get a chance to walk through their hangars and ogle their pledge ships, as well as climb inside them and invite their friends over for a spaceship-themed soiree. The hangar module is "about 50 percent fleshed out right now," according to the spiffy Cloud Imperium video tour that you can watch after the cut. [Thanks Eric!]
Warface begins operation Closed Beta
Warface. Warface never changes. Except when it does, such as how it's gone into closed beta today in anticipation of a spring launch. Trion Worlds and Crytek announced that the online shooter has now progressed into the beta phase, where it'll stay for the time being. Crytek General Manager Publishing Dirk Metzger says that players should be drooling over this ridiculously good-looking title: "We look forward to making the experience even more engaging as waves of pre-registered players are invited to join the closed beta and play their part in shaping Warface ahead of its final launch." The studio describes Warface as taking part in "a vast and frequently updated PvE universe." If you're interested in joining the beta test, you can apply on Warface's site. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
The Phoenix Project aims to give a new home to City of Heroes expats
In the wake of City of Heroes' closure, one group of fans has decided that it's not enough to move on to a new game. The Phoenix Project aims to become a spiritual sequel and recreation of the game for players and by players, with a new trailer showcasing concept art as well as serving as a statement of purpose. Formed by several regulars of the Save CoH movement, The Phoenix Project is the work of Missing Worlds Media, a studio composed of several independent designers, programmers, and artists united by their love of the lost game. The game is still very early in the concept stages, but the studio has already announced that it will be built using the powerful CryENGINE 3. If you're looking forward to the prospect of running around in Titan City, check out the trailer past the break, and keep your eyes peeled for an interview with the staff from our regular superheroic column, A Mild-Mannered Reporter.
MMObility: Project Theralon puts players deep in the browser sandbox
If you're a sandbox fan who's not familiar with the browser-based sandbox called Project: Theralon, become familiar with it. For sandboxers as well as browser-based MMO fans, this game will nudge the genre up in quality and help undermine the notion that browser-based gaming is limited, linear, and boring. In Project: Theralon, players will be able to make characters how they want and can eventually become dragon-riders, powerful characters who can fly through the environment causing havoc as they go. During my interview with the game's Associate Creative Director Sven Ehrentraut and Public Relations Director Piotr Pilich, I watched live as the game was loaded in a browser and a character mounted a dragon, flew through the landscape, and hopped off into a fight. The game has been in development for only six months, but there's already plenty to get excited about. Click past the cut and I'll give you all the details!
Crysis 3 trailer shows off Crytek's CryENGINE 3, blows your mind in the process (video)
Now, the real question is this: can you run Crysis 3?
Crytek's CryEngine 3 makes it easier than ever for devs to build games as pretty as Crysis
It's not every day you get to speak with the folks who make one of the most advanced game engines in the world, but today at E3, Crytek (you know, the folks responsible for Crysis) let us in on some of the secrets behind its latest game platform, CryEngine 3. We sat down with Kirthy Iyer, an animation technologist at Crytek, and had him walk us through some of CE3's tools that are enabling publishers to build games for any platform -- including PC, PS3 or Xbox 360 -- faster and better than ever. Among the highlights are a "multi-layer navigation mesh" that automates the movements of AI-controlled game characters, and super realistic water rendering technologies. We could go on singing CryEngine's praises, but instead we'll let you get all the details from Mr. Iyer in the video after the break. Enjoy.
MechWarrior Online to use the CryEngine
A game like MechWarrior Online positively screams for a good graphical engine. You want something that can show you every single scorch mark you leave on your enemy's chassis, after all. So if you're one of the many players looking forward to getting into the cockpit, you'll be happy to know that the game has just such an engine for its graphics. Piranha Games officially announced today that the game will be using the CryEngine 3 by Crytek. According to the company's president, Russ Bullock, the engine perfectly delivers the functionality that the team was looking for, especially in the realm of physics-based modeling. It's all but an assurance that whatever else might be right or wrong with the game, a salvo of LRMs will still produce an appropriately satisfying fireball and falling debris. Unfortunately, players will still have to wait some time to see the graphics in action -- but with any luck, they'll be worth the wait.
CryEngine 3 SDK hits 100,000 downloads in just five days, we expect 100,000 new games to play
It hasn't even been a week since Crytek announced the availability of a free (for non-commercial use!) CryEngine 3 SDK and already the German developer is touting over 100,000 downloads. With everything you need to make a great looking game, Crytek's gamble is that by lowering the barrier to entry, it will increase the number of developers comfortable with its technology. The worst (best) case scenario is that if a developer strikes it rich using the freely available tools, they need only license the technology for a 20% cut of the revenues. It remains to be seen if this approach will result in seeing more CryEngine 3-powered AAA games on retailer's shelves, but with steady (and ubiquitous) competition from Epic's Unreal Engine and its oh-so-similar free-for-commercial-use UDK, Crytek is at least staying competitive. Now, let's see if we get 100,000 beautiful indie games anytime soon.
Class3 runs on CryEngine 3, has some lazy zombies
The above video of Undead Labs' Class3 isn't exactly what we'd call gameplay per se, but it is our first glimpse at what the survival simulator will roughly look like once it eventually shambles its way onto XBLA. The game will run on CryEngine 3, and despite still being in the earliest of development stages, things are looking pretty solid for an XBLA game. Don't these zombies have anything better to do than to stand around all day, though? Get a job, zombies!%Gallery-131241%
Undead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3
Following last week's dev diary featuring Undead Labs' art director Doug Williams and his talk on the "heart of horror," the most recent dev diary from the studio shifts in a more technical direction. In particular, executive producer Jeff Strain focuses on the game's engine. Even more particularly, he announces that the tentatively named Class3 will be running on the powerful CryENGINE 3. Of course, the devs over at Undead Labs are quite familiar with the traditions of the internet and anticipate shouts of "pics or it didn't happen" with a lovely screenshot from an early version of the game. But wait, there's more! Call now and you'll receive not just a single screenshot, but an entire video! Just click past the break and check out an early version of Undead Labs' Class3 in action, then skip on over to the dev blog to read the full entry.
Wii U has last-gen Radeon inside, still more advanced than PS3 and Xbox 360
Slowly, but surely, we're starting to piece together what's going on inside that mysterious white box known as the Wii U. IBM was a little coy about the multi-core CPU it was providing, but did tantalize us by mentioning the name "Watson" in describing some of its underlying tech. Now details about the custom Radeon GPU are starting to surface and, while certainly capable, it's not exactly cutting edge. At its heart is a chip similar to the R770 found in AMD's last-gen cards like the 4890 and, before you dismiss it, remember the PS3 and Xbox 360 are still capable of pumping out impressive visuals while packing five-year-old silicon (The 360 is essentially running a souped up ATI X1900). The custom core also supports Direct X 10.1 (Microsoft runs out of steam with Direct X 9) and Eyefinity-like multi-display tech for up to four SD video streams -- though it'll be up to Nintendo and developers to put that to good use. In case you're still not convinced of the Wii U's graphical prowess, Crytek has said its advanced CryEngine is "pretty much" up and running on Nintendo's upcoming console -- and, if it's good enough for Crysis, it should be good enough for you.
Over 250 universities sign up for CryEngine 3 educational license
Back in November of 2009, Crytek detailed plans to offer free licenses to universities wishing to work with CryEngine 3. Apparently quite a few showed interest -- more than 250 different institutions over the last year, to be exact. A missive on Crytek's site reads: "Academic institutions in a wide variety of fields including physics, computer science, architecture, film-making, art and design use Crytek's all-in-one game development solution for their projects." This should ensure that not only will future video games feature gun-wielding super soldiers in billion-dollar nanosuits, but also movies, paintings, science projects, book reports, fashion magazines and all of the skyscrapers downtown. [Thanks, Andreas]
Crytek considering free distribution of CryEngine dev kit for 'mod community'
In a recent interview with Develop, Crytek co-founder Anvi Yerli talked about the possibility of releasing a version of its software development kit, akin to Epic Games' UDK, that would be accessible to small-time developers. Yerli explained Crytek wants to "release a specific SDK for the mod community," adding, "The barriers for entry will be very low, and perhaps even for free." "We have a business model in mind for this -- which I can't get into details of right now -- but it will be extremely user-friendly," he said. Sounds promising, but we're not sure how they're supposed to turn the CryEngine into a user-friendly experience. Isn't that the engine that's powerful enough to allow the user to see time?
GDC 2011: Joymax weighs Karma
Imagine a world where World War II -- also known as "That War With All Them Movies" -- never ended. Imagine that while the conflict raged, weapons development continued to advance well into the 1950s. Now imagine that this war-ravaged landscape is your new virtual playground. Joymax, the studio behind Silkroad Online, revealed at GDC that its next MMO will take place in such a world. Code-named Karma Online, this massively multiplayer online first-person shooter will attempt to provide the ultimate PvP battleground for players sick of bows and arrows and futuristic plasma rifles. Karma Online seeks to meld the best of both RPGs and FPSs by introducing a skill tree system that allows soldiers to specialize in preferred weapons and tactics. Although we're not quite sure what Joymax means by this, the studio promises more immersion by requiring the use of both hands for combat instead of just the mouse. The game will also come with the popular Call of Duty-style zombie mode if you want to switch up player-killing for undead slaughter. The shooter is scheduled to go into closed beta this May. Hit the jump to see Karma Online in action and get the skinny on Joymax and WeMade Entertainment's other projects-in-progress! %Gallery-118470%
Crytek seeking iOS developers, leaves us guessing at the reason
Are you interested in and capable of developing "complex, integrated iPhone/iPad applications"? Crytek will want to hear from you, then, as the author of the CryEngine has this week advertised its intention to leap into the Apple orchard known as iOS via a job posting. Sadly, there's no direct mention of a mobile version of Crysis, though given the limited range of Crytek's activities, the company is clearly looking to develop either an iOS game or a game companion app. Aside from the job requirements, the "preferences" section is also illuminating as it lists Android and Windows Mobile development expertise -- potentially suggesting that whatever developer leads the iOS charge might then transition to bringing Crytek's goods to the other major mobile platforms. Hey, if the Unreal Engine can be crammed inside an iPhone, why not the CryEngine?
ArcheAge beta video highlights naval battles
ArcheAge is something of a mysterious title here in the west. We know it's being developed by XL Games, and is the brainchild of NCSoft veteran Jake Song (who also created Lineage). We've also heard tell of destructible architecture in the gameworld as well as the fact that the developers are powering the game with the CryENGINE 2 (a more advanced variant of the graphics powerplant behind Aion). Beyond that, we didn't know much else about ArcheAge before we stumbled on a new beta video recently posted to YouTube. The brief clip features some rather jaw-dropping footage of player ships and an in-game naval battle. While player ships have been done before (notably in Vanguard and Darkfall), you've never seen them like this. Aside from the impressive visuals, the video shows player characters in different crew positions (including the crow's nest) as well as recoiling cannons and a host of other interesting details. Stay with Massively for the latest ArcheAge news as it develops, and check out the footage after the jump.
The robots are rising on Planet Calypso
It's not one of the largest games out there, so most people might not know what you're talking about if you mention Planet Calypso. Those who do might well only think of the highly publicized auctions and trades, in which players have spent large amounts of real-world money to purchase land and facilities (which bring in plenty of real-world money themselves, for the record). But beyond that there is an actual game world, complete with an ongoing storyline. As spotlighted in the newest game newsletter, that storyline is being turned up by a new event -- an ominous approach by robots. The last major assault by the robots left the previous capital city a smoking ruin, and not coincidentally coincided with the game's graphical update to CryEngine 2. This time, the colonists have begun decoding messages sent by the robots, and defenses are gathering to ensure that a repeat of the last event doesn't take place -- even as the robots field a new technology known as "Hydra." Several helpful links for information may be found within the newsletter, which promises plenty of enjoyment for the players in Planet Calypso.
