Engines for Multi-platform development !

[patsu]

Alternatively if your friend is looking to make a PS360 game (excl. Wii, but incl. NGP - as per recent updates) then there's also Phyre Engine from Sony. From what i hear from my boy's who've evaluated it, as of it's most recent incarnation (dunno about the post NGP update), it runs swell on PS3 and Xbox 360 but is a bit barebones. It's pretty much just your bare basics and renderer and isn't anywhere near comparable to CE3 or UE3 in terms of it's toolset. But if you're a small dev who wants to develop alot of your own code Phyreengine gives you a great start as most of the core systems are there and you can pretty easily build on that as your foundation. Plus it's completely free with the PS3 devkit ;-)

http://directtovideo.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/come-see-me-talk-at-gdc-2011/

To all the gamedev people who were savvy enough to get their company to pay for their plane ticket: come see me at GDC!

I’ll be introducing the new version of PhyreEngine – 3.0 – to the world. It has tools and everything. I’ll also be talking about the new rendering work we’ve done on PS3 lately. That includes:
-a particle system on SPU (which took a lot of ideas from the one ive presented on this blog which ran on GPU. but now on SPU.)
-a new take on MLAA on PS3
-deferred lighting on SPU and our rendering engine in general.

And then I get to talk about NGP. If you’re thinking of (or are currently) developing for the device, you might be interested in knowing what you can do on it graphics-wise and how it went adding NGP support for our engine. This I shall attempt to impart.

 

[DeadlyNinja]

There's also the Inferno Engine. I forgot who made it though.

 

[assurdum]

There's also the Inferno Engine. I forgot who made it though.

Terminal Reality if I remember right...

 

[Brad Grenz]

Exactly the point why I was uncomfortable with recommending CE3. Frostbite offers a much cleaner IQ, no pop-ups and has proved more versatile what with NFS:HP environments ! But that ain't up for grabs.

Wait, what? The fact that DICE helped build art assets for NFS:HP in no way implies Criterion adopted any part of Frostbite.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Wait, what? The fact that DICE helped build art assets for NFS:HP in no way implies Criterion adopted any part of Frostbite.

Hmmm....I was of the view that Frostbite was used for NFS:HP ! Was it not?


Question: Does CRYENGINE3 have tools for creating trailers from the engine? In the sense, that setting up cameras and then capturing footage running in-engine? Or do we have to use external video capture software to create cutscenes?

 

[assen]

Let's wait for at least one cross-platform CryEngine 3 game before we proclaim it to be a viable contender, much less the _only_ contender, shall we?

 

[Cyan]

Let's wait for at least one cross-platform CryEngine 3 game before we proclaim it to be a viable contender, much less the _only_ contender, shall we?

It may not be the only viable contender but it's certainly better than UE3. As Unreal Engine 3 is quite possibly one of the most pretentious, anti-consoles (developers say so) engines out there, I'd take anything positive developers say about UE3 with a massive grain of salt.

I'm not saying that UE3 is bad, exactly, but I'm tired of the way developers rush to use that engine in almost every game that comes out these days. I'm assuming that its tools are great and easy to use, but other than that I don't see a UE3 game running at 60 fps, because it's so unfriendly with console hardware.

I'm very much in favour of CryEngine 3.

 

[assen]

It may not be the only viable contender but it's certainly better than UE3. As Unreal Engine 3 is quite possibly one of the most pretentious, anti-consoles (developers say so) engines out there, I'd take anything positive developers say about UE3 with a massive grain of salt.

I'm not saying that UE3 is bad, exactly, but I'm tired of the way developers rush to use that engine in almost every game that comes out these days. I'm assuming that its tools are great and easy to use, but other than that I don't see a UE3 game running at 60 fps, because it's so unfriendly with console hardware.

I'm very much in favour of CryEngine 3.

"Certainly better"?

What does running at 60 fps have with either UE3 and CE3? I'm sure both can run an empty screen or even a spinning cube at way, way more than 60 fps. As for a real game, let's see how Crysis 2 runs, shall we?

Actually, no, hold that: let's wait for the first console game done by an external to Crytek studio using CE3.

 

[makattack]

"Certainly better"?

What does running at 60 fps have with either UE3 and CE3? I'm sure both can run an empty screen or even a spinning cube at way, way more than 60 fps. As for a real game, let's see how Crysis 2 runs, shall we?

Actually, no, hold that: let's wait for the first console game done by an external to Crytek studio using CE3.

I believe the first one is due shortly, and seems to be a PS3 exclusive:
http://www.sniperghostwarrior.com/

 

[Arwin]

I believe the first one is due shortly, and seems to be a PS3 exclusive:
http://www.sniperghostwarrior.com/

It says 'built on the Chrome engine' ... ? Can't find any reference to CryEngine 3 anywhere.

 

[makattack]

It says 'built on the Chrome engine' ... ? Can't find any reference to CryEngine 3 anywhere.

Ah, perhaps they changed their minds...

I first saw it here:
http://www.eurogamer.se/articles/2011-01-11-exklusivt-sniper-2-ar-under-utveckling

 

[dragonelite]

That game was also released on 360 and pc last year.
Seems to be a late port. But i heard the Ai is not that enjoyable as well.

Ah, perhaps they changed their minds...

I first saw it here:
http://www.eurogamer.se/articles/2011-01-11-exklusivt-sniper-2-ar-under-utveckling

That is sniper 2 if im not mistaken you linked to sniper ghost warrior 1 in your first link

 

[makattack]

That is sniper 2 if im not mistaken you linked to sniper ghost warrior 1 in your first link

Yes, my bad, in my haste, I was using the Chrome browsers auto URL match without actually examining the page content closely. Yes, I also see it's not exclusive to PS3, but a late release with exclusive features; I should have just found the original eurogamer.se link, which I had to find via. a full google search.

 

[Arwin]

Yes, my bad, in my haste, I was using the Chrome browsers auto URL match without actually examining the page content closely. Yes, I also see it's not exclusive to PS3, but a late release with exclusive features; I should have just found the original eurogamer.se link, which I had to find via. a full google search.

Yeah, the late port is still using Techland's Chrome Engine, probably version 4 (direct x9 version) from the looks of things, while the sequel, with an unknown release date, is planned to use CryEngine, and the latest Call of Juarez game may be the last hurrah of the Chrome Engine (v5?), as I'm guessing they'll stop developing it and switch to CryEngine henceforth ...

 

[joker454]

First video is online and looking gorgeous. (720p)
Animated and lighted particles, direct light & GI, pretty much everything looks good.

Wow, that was awesome. You've gotta wonder if at some point render engines will become like video cards, where there are just two or three makes that everyone uses. If engines like Frostbite, Crytek and a future Unreal are so tweaked, polished, multi platform and with killer tools, then you've gotta wonder why a company would bother re-einventing the wheel and staffing an engine team in the future. Seems like for next gen the way to go is just run with one of the three aforementioned engines.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Well, in offline CG we have three major rendering engines for high-end, and more than a dozen in the mid level. And it really is just for rendering, no game features or such. So I don't think 3 engines are going to be enough for everyone but there's certainly a lot of sense in what you said.

 

[Cyan]

"Certainly better"?

What does running at 60 fps have with either UE3 and CE3? I'm sure both can run an empty screen or even a spinning cube at way, way more than 60 fps. As for a real game, let's see how Crysis 2 runs, shall we?

Actually, no, hold that: let's wait for the first console game done by an external to Crytek studio using CE3.

Hey, I am a simple mortal who can't understand developers sometimes but mundane language! :smile:

hehe, I don't know about you, but I have trouble disciplining most of my thoughts to flow in a sort of linear progression. What I mean is that Crysis 2 looks very, very promising. As it's the future of videogames.

UE3 isn't that bad. With that engine Epic created one of their best videogames to date, and one of the top franchises of the latest 20 years (Gears of War).

Gears of War 1 and 2 are good games, kind of grey -only the first one, the second shows a different approach regarding colour- but certainly good. Even casuals enjoy them, as a friend of mine did, who took hours and hours to complete GeoW1 but he was so happy with the game.

There are other great franchises that have been created with UE3. But it's a known fact that UE3 games never run at 60 fps once they add a couple of complex features, where they are smooth as silk on average PCs.

Plus, at least on consoles, their engine and how AA -or lack thereof- works is a moot point.

 

[Cyan]

Still, there is some hope... NEXT GEN UNREAL ENGINE 3 is on the way.

Billboard reflections:
http://www.abload.de/img/billboardreflections_lyjst.jpg

HQ Shadows:
http://www.abload.de/img/highqualityshadows_logbmbt.jpg

MSAA on/off:
http://www.abload.de/img/msaa_02_logo_textz8gt.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/msaa_01_logo_texta8av.jpg

Dynamic Reflection Shadows:
http://www.abload.de/img/dynamicreflectionshadoc8lw.jpg

Bokeh DOF
http://www.abload.de/img/bokehdof_01_logo_textojz3.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/bokehdof_02_logo_textoj4p.jpg

Shadowed Point Light Reflections
http://www.abload.de/img/shadowedpointlightrefl3k5f.jpg

Sub-Surface Scattering
http://www.abload.de/img/subsurfacescattering_02m7m.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/subsurfacescattering_ld8q3.jpg

Dynamic Tessellation & Displacement
http://www.abload.de/img/dx11_dynamictessellatimjz3.jpg

 

[Cyan]

Yeah, the late port is still using Techland's Chrome Engine, probably version 4 (direct x9 version) from the looks of things, while the sequel, with an unknown release date, is planned to use CryEngine, and the latest Call of Juarez game may be the last hurrah of the Chrome Engine (v5?), as I'm guessing they'll stop developing it and switch to CryEngine henceforth ...

Techland are so smart. I hope they go with CryEngine from now on. They created the acclaimed Dead Island trailer, which I liked despite not being a fan of games with zombies, although I will surely enjoy RDR Undead Nightmare because it's a mod of the main game.

Call of Juarez 1 is after RDR my most favourite Wild Western game ever and one of the games I enjoyed the most this generation

 

[Fafalada]

You've gotta wonder if at some point render engines will become like video cards, where there are just two or three makes that everyone uses.

That would be lovely except for the fact that all middleware currently available is sold 100% on the premise of "rendering engine" being only a tiny fraction of a giant monolithic package, not to mention majority of productions rewrite the rendering part for one of them almost as a rule.

The greatest myth that Software Industry created is the one about monolithic do-it-all framework, and in games the downsides of this only got magnified.
Not to mention that scope for what constitutes a "game-in-box" keeps growing, and at an increasing rate.

But I disgress...

So I don't think 3 engines are going to be enough for everyone

They could be if they were 3 different sets of components you could arbitrarily combine on some commonly agreed interfaces.