unreal-engine-3
Latest
Leaderboard: Do you play around with game development tools?
For some reason that I can't quite fathom, I now have the Unreal Development Kit installed on my computer. I'm certainly no developer, nor would I make much of a designer I'm afraid, but something nonetheless compelled me to download the toolset and muck about with its documentation and various tutorials. Call it curiosity, or boredom, or whatever you like, really, but there it is. What about you, Massively readers? Do you play around with game development tools (assuming that you're not really a developer), or does your obsession only extend to finished games? Let us know after the cut. Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
APB Reloaded survives GTA V, engine upgrade coming
Did Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online impact APB Reloaded? Well, of course. Rockstar's juggernaut affected the entire industry via its total sales and its mind-boggling ascent to the top of the all-time 24-hour sales chart. And that's "all-time" as in the history of all entertainment. Ever. Anyway, APB Reloaded. There's a new blog post on the game's official site that addresses the GTA impact as well as the addition of community management veteran Diane "Tiggs" Migliaccio to the team. Reloaded's Bjorn Book-Larsson also mentions the firm's plans for an APB engine upgrade. The game currently uses Unreal 3, which is basically the same engine that powered the 2008 edition of Epic's Unreal Tournament 3. Book-Larsson says that a "massive engine upgrade" has been in the works since July 2013 that will ultimately move APB to the same version of the Unreal engine that powers Epic's Gears of Wars 3.
New Bless clip shows off boss transformation
Bless is shaping up to be quite a pretty game, and developer Neowiz is intent on showing off what harnessing the power of Unreal Engine 3 truly means for a fantasy-based MMO. This latest trailer focuses on the transformation of a giant wolf boss into an uglier giant wolf boss, and while short, it offers a glimpse of what players can expect in terms of Bless's bad guy design. Check out the video after the break, and take a look at our interview with lead producer Jacob Han for more information on the future of Bless.
Unreal Engine 3 licensed to contractor for US Army training sims
Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 is now in the hands of Intelligent Decisions, a company that creates virtual training simulations for the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. Intelligent Decisions wants to use UE3 to polish the movements of autonomous avatars in its Dismounted Soldier Training System, and add haptic feedback from incoming fire, full skeletal controls and environmental variation, VP of Simulation and Training Clarence Pape says. Intelligent Decisions secured the license from Applied Research Associates, Virtual Heroes and Epic via the Unreal Government Network, a program that handles government contracts for the Unreal engine. Insert your own "gears of war" joke here.
Mozilla unveils browser-based Unreal Engine 3 using JavaScript
Firefox producer Mozilla teamed up with Epic Games to bring Unreal Engine 3 to the web, without the need for plugins such as Flash. Mozilla and Epic took only four days to port Epic's engine to the web by using JavaScript code. The results, as demonstrated by this video unveiled at GDC, certainly look impressive.Mozilla engineer director Vladimir Vukicevic told TechCrunch his company's intentions to make the web viable for high-performance games. Mozilla also said it's "opening up the path to web-based games on mobile," revealing it's working with partners that include Disney, EA, and Cut the Rope creator Zeptolab who are using the same JavaScript tech to "bring performance optimizations to their top-rated games."Mozilla's intentions aside, while Unreal Engine 4 may be all shiny new and around the corner, its predecessor is showing it still has the ability to learn new tricks.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z uses Unreal Engine 3
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, the collaborative Comcept/Team Ninja/Spark Unlimited action game, isn't just undead, it's also Unreal. Tecmo Koei has licensed Unreal Engine 3 from Epic Games Japan for use in the new zombie-filled spinoff."In the past I have been involved with numerous projects built upon Unreal Engine 3, so I understand its benefits and reliability," Keiji Inafune said. "Unreal allows us to focus on making the game fun, and to push the boundaries of visuals and gameplay in the shortest time possible." Team Ninja Ichigaya Development Group 1 studio head Yosuke Hayashi pointed to Unreal's potential usefulness for refining gameplay, saying that "Unreal Engine allows us to quickly and efficiently iterate on countless ideas, and 'YAIBA' is now taking on a life of its own."Of course, these are both marketing-y press release quotes, but they point to UE3 as a choice made to keep development quick and economical.
Oculus Rift dev kit includes access to free Oculus version of Unreal Development Kit
To help Oculus Rift developer kit owners develop things, Oculus will give a custom version of the Unreal Development Kit to everyone who has purchased the VR goggles. It will be released through the Oculus Developer Center in April. The UDK will include a VR-enhanced version of the Epic Citadel demo.Even if you don't have an Oculus, you'll be able to develop games for its stereoscopic display, as all full source licensees of Unreal Engine 3 will be provided with code to integrate Oculus support into UE3. Oculus is now part of Epic's "UE3 Integrated Partners Program." Of course, if you're developing for Oculus without an Oculus, we don't know how you'll test the 3D. Perhaps scoot two monitors right up into your face?
Too Human pulled from Xbox Live Marketplace
Even an electronic god is no match for Xbox Live administrators, apparently. Too Human and all related content has been removed from Xbox Live Marketplace. Though the game's Xbox.com listing is still active, containing screenshots, an overview and a trailer, all downloadable content has been removed. That includes both the full Games on Demand download of the game as well as items like themes and gamer pictures.The action is likely the result of the recent court ruling against developer Silicon Knights, demanding that all copies of its Unreal Engine 3 games be recalled and destroyed. As of this writing, however, another Silicon Knights UE3 game, X-Men: Destiny, remains available via Games on Demand. We've contacted Microsoft for official comment on the matter.
Neowiz releases new Bless intro trailer
Unlike the most recent video releases showing off combat or the beauty of the world, the newest Bless trailer does not offer any gameplay footage. Instead, Neowiz released an official introduction trailer in HD to give a hint of the story. Unfortunately for those who do not speak Korean, the clip doesn't include any English subtitles, but the HD images can be enjoyed in any language. The upcoming Korean MMO features 10 different races and eight classes, and will be powered by the Unreal 3 engine. You can watch the trailer after the break.
Here's another impressive Bless trailer, this time with a huge world boss
Another day, another new Bless trailer from G-Star 2012. This time around it's a two-and-a-half-minute clip that's heavy on action, combat, and the game's stunning fantasy visuals. Steparu reports that in spite of all the eye candy, the trailer is composed entirely of in-game footage. Said footage includes a range of AI mobs and powerful player avatars as well as a slew of varied environments and a truly massive world boss. See for yourself after the break.
New Bless trailer, gameplay video boast impressive world design
A few days ago we brought you word of the latest teaser for Bless. As the saying goes, you ain't seen nothing yet. Neowiz has released a much longer trailer for G-Star 2012, and it takes viewers on a spell-binding tour of the game's Unreal-powered open world. Steparu has also published a seven-minute gameplay video that shows off character creation, combat, and more. This last clip is of the point-a-camera-at-the-screen-and-press-record variety, but Bless' visuals and world design are no less impressive. See for yourself after the break.
Square Enix becomes first publicly confirmed Unreal Engine 4 licensee
Epic Games announced today Square Enix now has full access to Unreal Engine 3 and 4, making the Japanese company the first publicly confirmed UE4 licensee. Epic disclosed the agreement is "long-term" and will span multiple games. In other words, the deal is a very, very big deal."Epic has a strong relationship with Square Enix, and it's an honor to provide their creative and technical talent with the best game technology available for licensing," said Taka Kawasaki, Epic Games Japan territory manager. "We look forward to supporting their developers with world-class tools for years to come."Earlier this year Epic revealed Fortnite as the first game to use Unreal's new engine. It's expected to launch next year, so it'll likely be a while yet before we see what UE4 does for Square Enix going forward.
NVIDIA, Epic Games bringing Unreal Engine 3 to Windows 8 and Windows RT (video)
NVIDIA and Epic Games have successfully ported the full PC version of Unreal Engine 3 to both Windows 8 and, more importantly, Windows RT. Demonstrating the achievement on a Tegra 3-powered ASUS Vivo Tab RT, it played a buttery-smooth version of Epic Citadel, suggesting that developers of both PC and Xbox games should have no problem in bringing them over to the new operating system. It also casually mentioned that both Gears of War and Mass Effect were built on the engine, heavily implying that we could see titles of that caliber coming to Microsoft's low-power OS once it makes it debut on October 26th, but we'll let you decide for yourself after the break.
Unreal Engine 3 now on Windows 8 and Windows RT
If you still have the capacity to be surprised by learning that Unreal Engine 3 now runs on a new thing, prepare to be surprised. Unreal Engine 3 now runs on both Windows 8 and Windows RT, Epic has announced. It's not exactly shocking that Epic's workhorse engine is on Windows 8, though the news is certainly good for anyone looking at the upcoming line of Windows RT tablets.Epic showcased the engine running on just such a tablet, the Asus Vivo Tab RT, which you can see in the video above. The demo in question is "Epic Citadel," which was first used to showcase UE3 on the iPhone back in 2010. Epic VP Mark Rein noted that this is the full Unreal Engine 3, using the "full DirectX 9 pipeline, with shaders and materials," and not a "modified mobile version"
Unreal Engine 3 Citadel app runs on Linux now
Rejoice, Linux users. You can now run the Epic Citadel app using Google's Chrome browser – specifically, the Chrome 21 release with built-in support for Stage 3D hardware acceleration can. Up until now it's been impossible to run Unreal Engine 3 on Linux because Adobe had stopped supporting its Adobe Flash Player 11, a supported Unreal Engine 3 platform and the only other viable solution for Linux users.Google has continued to support Flash in its Chrome browser, however, bringing us to today. It's not the most ideal solution, but at least now it's a possibility. Just don't expect Epic Games to start officially supporting Linux anytime soon, even though Unreal Engine 3 ships with Linux code for developers. "While Linux is not an officially supported Unreal Engine 3 platform, Epic provides Linux code to licensees via our own games that have utilized dedicated servers, and our licensees can ship UE3 games on Linux," Rein says. "We can confirm that users can run the UE3-powered Epic Citadel app, available at www.unrealengine.com/flash, on Linux machines, as Flash as a web solution works seamlessly across platforms. Epic continues to license Unreal Engine 3 for nine officially supported platforms, including Flash and Mac, and we have no additional plans for Linux to confirm at this time."
Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 now working on Linux through Google Chrome, more or less
A Holy Grail of Linux gaming has been an Unreal Engine 3 port. Getting one for the OS would unlock a world of games that has been the province of, well, just about any other mainstream platform. Thanks to Google preserving Flash on Linux through Chrome, that dream is alive in at least a rudimentary form. Experimenters at the Phoronix forums have found that Chrome 21 has support for the Stage 3D hardware acceleration needed to drive Epic Games' Flash conversion of UE3. Tell Chrome to enable support as well as ignore a graphics chip blacklist, and suddenly you're running Epic Citadel from your Linux install. When we say "running," however, we're taking a slight amount of poetic license. Performance isn't that hot, and certain configurations might not show the medieval architecture in all its glory. We've confirmed with Epic that it works, but it's still firm on the stance that there's no plans for official UE3 support on Linux "at this time." It's still promising enough that maybe, just maybe, gamers can embrace an open-source platform without having to give up the games they love.
Gears of War 3 lead gameplay designer out at Epic, founds BitMonster Games
When Gears of War 3 senior gameplay designer Lee Perry isn't busy explaining that he's not an elderly rocksteady artist, he's apparently starting new game studios with buddies from Epic Games. His new studio, BitMonster Games, is comprised of several ex-Epic staffers, and the team is already hard at work on an iOS RPG/adventure game named "Lili." And yes, that means he's no longer working on Epic Games' ... games.Given the team's past experience, it's no surprise that BitMonster is licensing Unreal Engine 3 for Lili (and future products, presumably). The game's already got a (fairly impressive) trailer for the game put together, which we've dropped above.Perry and Epic can't help but exchange some mutual back pattery in the announcement, with Perry saying, "Epic has been extremely supportive of our new studio and in helping us build the game of our dreams." Epic is equally excited about the situation, saying, "Given this team's crazy mix of passion, talent and chemistry, and with the latest Unreal Engine tools in their hands, BitMonster has a winning recipe for success." It's unclear when Lili will arrive on the iOS App Store, but we'll let you know as soon as we know more.
Silicon Knights cutting back after losing countersuit to Epic Games
Silicon Knights has laid off a "a small number of people" following its $4.5 million loss to Epic Games' countersuit claims.Silicon Knights first sued Epic Games in 2007, claiming unsatisfactory support of Epic's Unreal Engine 3, which led to what Silicon Knights said forced it to build its own engine for Too Human. The jury found in favor of Epic Games on all counts, including its counterclaims, and awarded the engine developer $4.5 million in damages; Silicon Knights has since said it will appeal the ruling.Silicon Knights head Denis Dyack told Games Industry the studio is still operational and is even planning for the future: "Silicon Knights has unfortunately had to lay off a small number of people. We are scaling back to a core group and focusing all our efforts on future opportunities."
Silicon Knights entitled to $1 per claim if it wins court case against Epic Games
Silicon Knights will be entitled to $1 in damages, per claim, if it wins a court case against Epic Games over inadequacies in the support of its Unreal Engine. Silicon Knights first sued Epic in 2007, alleging Epic didn't fulfill the promised delivery time or expectations of Unreal Engine 3, forcing Silicon Knights to build its own engine for the production of Too Human.Silicon Knights didn't provide a breakdown of the damages it sought, and the judge assigned his own value of $1 per claim, Polygon reports. If Silicon Knights wins the case, it will be able to appeal how the value was chosen and perhaps raise it to a figure that can't be found on neighborhood lemonade-stand signs.The case is in court this month and is expected to run for another week.
Pitbull Studio assisting with Unreal Engine 4, also developing UE4-based games
Never heard of Pitbull Studio? Neither had we. Apparently the English studio specializes in hired gun work and is lead by ex-Midway Newcastle's Robert Troughton (Wheelman, etc.). While unknown, the three-year-old studio is working on two things for Epic Games: Unreal Engine 4, and a game built in said engine. Not too bad for a group of guys no one's heard of, eh?Job listings for positions at Pitbull reveal the studio is "working on Unreal Engine 4 with Epic Games," but also, "games derived from that and Unreal Engine 3." Positions range from environment artists to engine programmers, with a variety of other roles in between. Epic confirmed the work with Joystiq this afternoon, and offered a prepared statement from director of engineering, Daniel Vogel. "Epic has a great history working with Pitbull Studio. We can count on them to provide reliable engineering resources, and they're helping us prepare for the next generation of games."We'll see more from Epic's next-gen engine this June.
