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ArcheAge upgrading to CryEngine 3
Development on XL Games' ArcheAge continues apace, and several fan sites are reporting that the fantasy sandbox MMORPG will be adding a spiffy new graphics engine to its lengthy list of features. Prior to this year's GDC, ArcheAge was being marketed as a CryEngine 2 title -- and was already somewhat renowned for its lush visuals and hyper-detailed environments. Apparently XL and lead developer Jake Song saw room for improvement, though, since ArcheAge will be transitioning to CryEngine 3 according to a reputable South Korean gaming news website. There is also some fan speculation regarding when the new engine will see the light of day. ArcheAge will be kicking off its third Korean closed beta phase in April (still using CryEngine 2), with deployment on the newer technology coming later this year (and possibly coinciding with open beta). Head past the cut for a CryEngine 3 demo video from this year's GDC (the ArcheAge footage begins at the two-minute mark).
NetherRealm and Rocksteady using Unreal Engine 3 for 'the next few years'
Epic's Unreal Engine 3 will power any games developed by Rocksteady Studios (Batman: Arkham City) and NetherRealm Studios (Mortal Kombat) through 2014 as part of a deal announced today by parent company Warner Bros. Interactive. Sure, the news in and of itself isn't all that exciting, but it does hint at the future of the Unreal Engine and the timeframe for the dawn of the next console generation. Specifically, this news would suggest that we're not going to see Unreal Engine 4 for at least a couple of years. Given that Epic has said UE4 is being targeted "exclusively" at next-gen consoles, it gives us some insight into when Epic -- and developers -- are expecting to be creating games for successors to PS3 and Xbox 360. Sometime around, say, 2014? Of course, there's no saying Unreal Engine 3 won't be used for next-gen games -- one look at the GDC 2011 demo of new UE3 features and it's obvious the engine still has a lot of miles left on it.
Toyota developing new type of electric motor in an effort to escape dependency on rare earth metals
Toyota's not too pleased with the general scarcity of rare earth minerals and China's near-monopolistic grip on the world's supply, so it's decided to act before it's too late. A company spokesman has been cited as saying the Prius maker is hard at work on a new electric motor design that should dramatically reduce (though seemingly not eliminate) the need for rare earths in its production. Aside from being made of less price-volatile materials, the new electric ticker is expected to be generally cheaper to manufacture. Further details aren't yet available, but we hope this turns into a classic case of necessity breeding innovation -- that Prius C concept deserves a set of internals that can keep up with its bodacious exterior.
THQ reveals the dark engine powering Warhammer 40K
Hungry for information -- any information at all -- on Vigil Games' upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online? Did you watch the Imperium of Man trailer and gibber, "More! MORE!" So did we. Unfortunately, it was looking like we'd have to be content with hints... ...but fortunately, Games On Net cornered David Adams, Vigil Games' GM, and pumped him for further details. While Adams was reluctant to go into the specifics of gameplay, he did open up about WAR40K's engine, which is the same one the company used for Darksiders. The engine is being tweaked for the MMO, although Adams testified that it was already great with portraying a seamless world, which should be perfect for WAR40K's needs. DirectX 11 is also slated for inclusion. So will the graphic requirements be low enough that the game could run on a toaster, or will it be a high-performance-only excursion? While Adams admits that the necessary graphic options will take a decent machine to run well, he's hoping to have as many visual toggles as possible so that WAR40K can reach a wider audience. He wouldn't say how many characters he expects the engine to handle in a certain area, other than to claim: "Big, it's 40K, it's all about big giant battlefields." You can watch the full video over at Games On Net.
Hello Kitty engine oil: because not everyone can drive electric cars
If you're going to emit noxious fumes into the air each time you step on the pedal, at least have the decency to emit cute noxious fumes.
WWDC 2010: GameSalad brings game creation to everyone
I've seen GameSalad around before (they had a big booth at this year's MacWorld, and we've mentioned them here on TUAW a few times), but I've never actually spoken to anyone who works for the Austin, TX based company. Fortunately, senior platform director Michael Herring found some time to come say hi at WWDC this week, and he spoke with me about the development system that hopes to bring iPhone and iPad app creation to everyone. He did walk me through the app quickly, but since it's a free download over on their website, you can go see it for yourself if you want. The idea is that you set up a series of "actors," and then you add a set of rules for those actors (what happens when they touch or get directions from the keyboard, etc.) that will eventually make up a full game. GameSalad doesn't actually require any coding knowledge, but Herring told me that it did require a little bit of know-how in terms of how games work. You can easily make a game system with the app (and even veteran developers often use it for quick prototyping), but to actually make a working game that people will want to play, you'll have to bring your own trial-and-error patience and balancing effort.
IBM seeks patent for intelligent traffic lights
In the great pantheon of things unlikely to happen, this IBM idea ranks pretty highly, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad one. Big Blue has applied for a patent covering a sophisticated new traffic lights system, which judges how long cars have to wait and sends them ominous-sounding "stop-engine notifications" when the pause is long enough to make switching off optimal. This is done by communicating with queuing vehicles and collecting their positional data, and subsequent start-engine notices are also distributed intelligently, as the first car in the queue gets it earlier than the second and so on right to the back. We don't know how many dudes would abide by the instructions of a lightbox up in the sky, but it's still a neat little concept -- maybe we'll see it in action when hovercars go mainstream. [Thanks, Yuka]
Phoenix Wright, Hexen II coming to the iPhone
Good news for fans of good games: the terrific DS courtroom simulator (which, trust me, sounds much less fun than it actually is) Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney is coming to the iPhone, and Slide to Play has posted some hands-on video. The game takes the two DS screens and stacks them on top of each other rather than converting the game into a landscape version, so it's basically a straight port of the DS game. It'd be interesting to see a more iPhone-specific version of the game (maybe something that uses the camera or the accelerometer to show off evidence in the courtroom), but we'll take just the port, too -- if you haven't played any of the Phoenix Wright games but enjoy a good adventure yarn, you're in for a treat. The game should be out "soon." Hexen II is on its way to the iPhone as well, and Touch Arcade has a few screens and video of that one. I was much more of a Quake fan, but Hexen, with its medieval setting and RPG elements placed in the same game engine, had its share of followers back in the day, too. Unfortunately, Vimov doesn't yet have the rights to Hexen II -- they're just working with an open-sourced version of the engine. To actually release the data on the App Store, they'll need to make a deal with Activision, so we'll have to wait and see if that can happen before you can start hacking and slashing through the world of the Serpent Riders again.
Building MMO landscape scenes
Landscapes have been a staple component of almost every MMO in recent memory. With the exception of some sci-fi titles, most MMOs take place on the land of some imagined island or continent. Some use stylised fantasy landscapes that run smoothly on even low-end computers while others have managed almost photo-realistic visuals at the cost of performance. But have you ever thought about what's going on behind the scenes in your favourite MMO? Most of us don't think about how the computer is actually drawing the terrain we run around on. We don't give much thought to the different ways each MMO renders the water in lakes, rivers and oceans. And just how does your computer render so many trees and plants without grinding to a halt? As part of my masters degree in computer science, I got to grips with a number of these techniques and found it a fascinating thing to learn about. Now when I play a new game or see MMO screenshots, I can't help but think about what the computer is doing in the background and how particular visual effects could have been achieved. In this technical article, I talk about some of the components of an MMO landscape scene and a few of the techniques used in creating the graphics behind them.
Building MMO landscape scenes, part 2
From oceans and rivers to ponds and puddles, water is one of those things that really improves an MMO's visual quality. Practically every fantasy MMO makes use of water in one way or another and they all do it a little differently. This gives the appearance that the water is moving and I've seen the technique in World of Warcraft, EverQuest 2 and a few other MMOs.
Rumor: Capcom adapting next-gen MT Framework for Wii
We're marking this as a rumor due to the third-hand nature of it: Andriasang summarized an article on Inside-Games about a Nikkei Industrial article (phew), which states that Capcom is working on bringing an engine designed for PS3 and Xbox 360 to Wii, to save time and money. This is likely the MT Framework that drives the majority of Capcom's works including the Lost Planet series and Resident Evil 5. Nikkei reports that simultaneous development of games across the platforms could cut 1/5 off of Capcom's development costs, and 1/3 off development time. The inclusion of those stats makes it seem like Capcom is eyeing simultaneous development of 360, PS3, and Wii games rather than Wii ports. That approach should end in better results than the "hand the game to TOSE and forget about it" approach.
Ion propulsion engine could take you to Mars in 39 days
Ready for some interplanetary exploration? We've had the force shields, currency, and refuel stations all sorted out for a while, and now here come the ion thrusters we've been missing to make manned trips to Mars really viable. Currently, a return journey to Mars can take up to two years, with crew members having to wait a full year for the planets to realign, but with ion propulsion -- which uses electricity to accelerate ions and produce small but longevous thrust -- ships can get there within a reasonably tight 39-day window. Ion propulsion rocket engines were first deployed successfully by NASA in the Deep Space 1 probe in 1998, and the latest iteration's successful Earth-bound testing has led to plans for a flight to the moon and use on the International Space Station as test scenarios for the technology. It's all still very much in the early stages, of course, but should all that testing, checking, and refinement bear fruit, we might finally have a whole new world to colonize and sell sneakers on. [Thanks, Davis]
Ready at Dawn releasing self-titled middleware engine
Fact: Ready at Dawn has never made a bad game. Sure, the company's repertoire, which includes Daxter and God of War: Chains of Olympus for PSP and Okami for Wii, is limited. Still, look at those games. Not exactly the worst developer to take a cue from, right? Soon, developers large and small will be able to do just that when Ready at Dawn releases its own game development platform for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP, appropriately titled the Ready at Dawn Engine. (How delightfully narcissistic!) The new engine will attempt to set itself apart from competing middleware services by offering a one-stop shop for cross-platform game development, merging its "proprietary code-base with the top providers of 3D content editing, audio, user interface and asset management systems." We suggest checking out Gamasutra's recent interview with Dawn co-founder Didier Malenfant to learn about the brazenness required to inspire a company, with three games under its belt, to make its own game-crafting engine.
Vicious Engine offered to PSP Minis developers
We've seen a few titles which will soon be offered as bite-sized PSP Minis, but a recent Vicious Cycle Software press release makes us think we're about to see a whole lot more. The company recently partnered up with Sony to grant access to its Vicious Engine to PSP Minis developers in order to "create quality downloadable titles both quickly and cost-effectively." Though you may not be familiar with the technology, you've probably played a title or two built upon the Vicious Engine -- Puzzle Quest, Dead Head Fred and Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard all used the engine as their building blocks. Sounds like fairly versatile programming -- it even caters to the increasingly popular "hotel training sim" genre.
Capcom to provide Lost Planet 2's game engine to its external studios
Capcom's practices haven't changed much over the years. The company has been using MT Framework -- an internal engine designed for multiplatform use -- for quite some time now. It's powered many games over the years, including Dead Rising, Devil May Cry 4, and Resident Evil 5. With the release of Lost Planet 2, however, the company is poised to introduce the next evolution of its multiplatform engine, MT Framework 2.0. Capcom has high hopes for 2.0, and is actually going to provide the engine to its external contract studios, RE5 producer Jun Takeuchi told Game Watch. This is a first for the company, which used the first engine as its be-all, end-all means for making games. MT Framework 1 was always designed to be an internal engine; Capcom saw MT Framework 1 as an essential tool of its own to create games. After having great success with the engine over many years, however, folks started asking about using it. So, Capcom kept that in mind when creating the new engine, which the company said won't be outsourced as part of its business (like Epic does with its Unreal Engine, for example), but, again, will be provided to its external contract studios for use. [Via Andriasang]
Heat2power sucks on exhaust gases for extra mileage
The concept of turning waste heat into energy is hardly new, but it looks like it's getting a little closer to your engine these days. Heat2power is similar to other systems that are designed to take the excess heat that normally goes out the exhaust pipe and turn it into go power, but the claim is that this one bests them on efficiency -- to the tune of reducing fuel consumption 20 percent in the city and 35 percent on the highway. The best news is that the device, which hooks right into the crankshaft, is compatible with "any" internal combustion engine. Of course, that's big talk for a company that doesn't have an exact product yet. It also seems like retrofitting would be a bit rough. The estimated additional cost to a vehicle is in the range or 300 to 400 euros (about $500 US).[Via Autoblog Green]
Infernal Engine licensees will get Ghostbusters, in spirit
Terminal Reality, developer of Ghostbusters: The Video Game and the newly commercialized Infernal Engine which powers it, will be helping licensees ease into using the middleware by providing them the framework for Ghostbusters -- sans the Ghostbusters. VP Joe Kreiner explained the dea in an interview with Gamasutra."Once Ghostbusters ships in June, we'll be providing Ghostbusters the game as a framework to our licensees," he told the site, adding, "We'll have to remove the talent and any copyrighted items, but we will be distributing that to our developers once the game ships." So, developers who've licensed the engine will be able to build on what Terminal Velocity learned during the game's development process. Or, they could make a game just like Ghostbusters, with some minor tweaks here and there. Call it Phantom Squad or Spirit Snatcher. Psst! Hey, From Software -- thought you could use those after playing your latest game.
Square Enix using Gamebryo engine, let's guess what for
Square Enix today announced that it has licensed Emergent Game Technologies' Gamebryo engine, the backbone of such titles as Fallout 3 and Warhammer Online. The press release contains no mention of Square's intended use for the engine, but we have our suspicions. We've ruled out Final Fantasy XIII, since even though work on the Xbox 360 version won't begin until the PS3's is finished, Square is using its cross-platform Crystal Tools engine to develop the title. The most likely candidate, then, would be the yet untitled "original action game" being produced at the publisher's new El Segundo, Calif. dev studio. The specific variant of Gamebryo licensed -- Floodgate -- is intended to make porting multi-processor code written for one platform onto another an effortless task, providing extra time to optimize the game for the unique capabilities of each individual platform. Sounds perfect for a new team working on a new title from a Western (read: multiplatform) mindset. When contacted, a Square Enix rep told us the company "will hopefully have something to announce soon."
Moar Graffix! Vicious Engine 2 announced
The somewhat popular Vicious Engine (primarily a PSP and Wii development tool set) will be giving up its spotlight soon, with the announcement of the much newer and powerful Vicious Engine 2. Vicious Cycle Software revealed the Vicious Engine 2 will make its debut at this month's Game Developer Conference and is targeting next-gen consoles. Vicious promises their updated engine will allow for development on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously, which not only speeds up the dev cycle, but also makes the entire process cheaper. (That deserves a manly Tim Taylor grunt.) Will this new Vicious Engine make developers forget about the omnipresent Unreal Engine 3 or the crazy-powerful Crytek Engine? Highly doubtful, but who knows. We could be surprised at GDC with a hefty helping of graphical beauty and devs turned into true believers. [Via Big Download]
Dead Space engine being primed as middleware tool
The development team working on Dead Space is hoping its engine becomes a new middleware tool in the vein of Unreal Engine and id Tech. Speaking with Gameplayer, Executive Producer Glen Schofield said the company is in the process of working with lawyers to figure out the legalese for officially naming the engine, which was originally used for The Godfather and From Russia with Love. It's unclear if the intention is to use the engine in-house for EA or market it to other developers for licensing, although according to the article Schofield cited the success of Unreal Engine 3 and how other studios have contributed to its success by adding more technology. Dead Space's engine, which we'd suggest be called simply "Dead Engine," is currently being used for Godfather 2. Dead Space will try to administer a dose of the heebie jeebies (to most places) on October 14.
