UE3 everywhere!

[Acert93]

I was at GameInsider.biz and another company has gone with UE3. This is nuts! How many is that now? Epic is really winning over developers. It looks like UE3 is going to be what the Q3 engine was (and is).

On a side note I find it "interesting" that UE3 is developed with "next gen consoles in mind" and that MGS has selected UE3. Putting 2-and-2 together, I think it is pretty safe to say a lot of these companies who are going with the UE3 engine for games on the "PC and next gen consoles" are targeting X2. If my suspecion is correct, it looks like X2 is getting a lot of support already.

Hopefully some of these developers get a clue that using UE3 does not mean copying Epic's game assets. Some needs to tell Huxley that While I have some fears about the mass engine licensing, I guess when you consider the UE has been used for Splinter Cell, Deus Ex, SW: Republic Comando, UT2003 and UT2004 I guess the fact is we will get some duds and some studs.

 

[megateto]

I've been thinking about this for a couple of months: has Doom III been a fiasco in terms of engine licensing?

 

[Inane_Dork]

Epic has made a lot of friends with UE3.0. I'm quite impressed with the (growing) list of people using it. And as you mentioned, Microsoft using it is rather shocking.

 

[Acert93]

Epic has made a lot of friends with UE3.0. I'm quite impressed with the (growing) list of people using it. And as you mentioned, Microsoft using it is rather shocking.

Just thought of this. If MGS is using it, it means MS is going to make sure it is well incorperated into XNA. And if MS is going to go to all that effort it probably gives a lot of 3rd parties confidence to use the engine. Looks like Epic scored a good deal by supporting X2, and in turn it could mean good things for MS.

 

[one]

I've been thinking about this for a couple of months: has Doom III been a fiasco in terms of engine licensing?

UE3 = better tool & more integrated dev environment

 

[London Geezer]

I've been thinking about this for a couple of months: has Doom III been a fiasco in terms of engine licensing?

Not a fiasco, cause it will be used on new games, but it hasn't been licensed around as much, or at least we don't know about it being licensed around as much as the UE3...

 

[sytaylor]

We'll see DOOM III based games in a few months, UE3 games won't be ready for some time yet, so its not a fiasco. That said, I think this engine and lisencing model is a precoursor for how ht eindustry is spitting. An entirely new enging for every game just isn't feasible anymore.

 

[AlNom]

Not a fiasco, cause it will be used on new games, but it hasn't been licensed around as much, or at least we don't know about it being licensed around as much as the UE3...

I wonder if id really expected to license the D3 engine as much as the Q3 engine given that Carmack said he built the engine for Doom 3.

 

[Titanio]

Just thought of this. If MGS is using it, it means MS is going to make sure it is well incorperated into XNA. And if MS is going to go to all that effort it probably gives a lot of 3rd parties confidence to use the engine. Looks like Epic scored a good deal by supporting X2, and in turn it could mean good things for MS.

Microsoft's own use of a tool or engine or whatever isn't required for it to become part of XNA (or XNA compliant, or however they're terming such things now). It might expedite the process, but MS basically wants any and all game development software to be part of XNA, not just stuff their own game studios are using. A piece of software's position within the XNA framework isn't just dependant on MS's involvement, either - though they'll do all they can to help, it requires investment on the part of the software vendor also (Havok has to work to get their engine to be "part" of XNA, Epic has to work to make UE3 a part of XNA etc. etc.)

 

[GwymWeepa]

The only problem I have is that all the screens I've seen of UE 3.0 games look awfully similar. I hope there are some things that can be adjusted within the engine to give a different "look".

 

[London Geezer]

The only problem I have is that all the screens I've seen of UE 3.0 games look awfully similar. I hope there are some things that can be adjusted within the engine to give a different "look".

Content will be different depending on who makes the game. The engine is just the engine, gives you the tools but not the textures or models i'd imagine.

 

[_phil_]

nothing incredible here ,unreal1 engine had 16-17 active licences at the time.

Compared to UED 3 (unrealed,the editor) doom3 engine and its toolset is really a pain for developpers ,and is probably way too specific .

And i don't think UE3 engine would fit any types of game (or game design requirements) efficiently.But it's rather very good for the production pipeline.

 

[Mariner]

I wonder, are more developers going for UE3 over Doom3 simply because UE3 uses DirectX instead of OpenGL? The majority of PC games are now DirectX-based as will XBox/XBox2 games.

Is OpenGL for games losing out?

 

[pegisys]

it seems like it I can only know of 2 games that came out last year that uses it(not counting Q3E games), but the new playstation uses some sort of opengl so the doom engine might be used there

with the playstation3 using it, it might be more opengl games coming to PC aswell

 

[see colon]

every unreal engine to this point has had an openGL renderer as well, for mac ports and the like.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

The only known Doom3 game is Quake4, but Wolfenstein 2 is as real as it gets (id's CEO accidentaly talked about it); but both Nerve and Human Head are known to be working on D3 engine based titles, and Raven has at least another one beyond Quake4 as well (SOF3? Jedi Knight game?). There might be a few other games in development too... expect announcements at E3.
It's not much but more than a fiasco for sure.

 

[jvd]

The engine is great for smaller developers

Think about it , its a 2 for one deal

You liscense this engine , you have console features and dx 9 features in a very nice engine . So you can easily put it on the second system .

Its also the only engine that uses dx9 as a base line and that will be important in 2006 . source engine and doom3 engine are old engines . The doom3 engine is based on dx 7 graphics cards and is not really focused on a dx 9 feature set . Sure it runs best on dx 9 cards but thats because of the extra horse power + ram . The source engine seems to hit its sweet spot in the dx 8 standard and of course looks better and runs faster on dx 9 but it doesn't really push dx 9 .

 

[Fox5]

I was at GameInsider.biz and another company has gone with UE3. This is nuts! How many is that now? Epic is really winning over developers. It looks like UE3 is going to be what the Q3 engine was (and is).

On a side note I find it "interesting" that UE3 is developed with "next gen consoles in mind" and that MGS has selected UE3. Putting 2-and-2 together, I think it is pretty safe to say a lot of these companies who are going with the UE3 engine for games on the "PC and next gen consoles" are targeting X2. If my suspecion is correct, it looks like X2 is getting a lot of support already.

Hopefully some of these developers get a clue that using UE3 does not mean copying Epic's game assets. Some needs to tell Huxley that While I have some fears about the mass engine licensing, I guess when you consider the UE has been used for Splinter Cell, Deus Ex, SW: Republic Comando, UT2003 and UT2004 I guess the fact is we will get some duds and some studs.

Hmm, I don't think the Quake 3 engine was used for anywhere near as many games as some variant of the Unreal engine, but it was much more advertised when it was. That, and every quake 3 engine game looked like it was running on the quake 3 engine, many unreal games looked nothing like unreal.(I think both splinter cell and prince of persia were unreal engine games)

 

[London Geezer]

Not sure of how many, but it can safely be said that a LOT of games used the Quake engine, or a "modified" one. Even non-FPS games, much like the Unreal engine.

They are both very versatile engines.

 

[see colon]

That, and every quake 3 engine game looked like it was running on the quake 3 engine, many unreal games looked nothing like unreal.(I think both splinter cell and prince of persia were unreal engine games)

IIRC prince of persia: sands of time started as an unreal powered title, but they later switched engines to something in house, maybe the same thing that powers beyond good and evil.

i agree with you about the unreal engine games having a more varied look, though. games like deus ex 2, repubic comando and XIII look radicly different from the unreal series and eachother.

what surprises me about the industry is that lesser know, cheaper (but very competent) engines get so few licenses. amp2 was rediculously featured when it first debuted, but i don't think i ever saw a 3rd pary game ever running on it. even the serious engine spawned few licensed titles (a carnavoures title [cityscapes i think] and alpha black zero are the only two i remeber, beyond serious sam 1st/2nd) even though it was generaly more robust than anything else for it's time.