Red Barrel Fever

A compilation of familiar game engines.

A showcase of Unreal Engine 3.

'The Samaritan' a short demo of the capabilities of the current Unreal Engine 3.

The full CryEngine 3 Showcase Video

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Having only ever used Epic's - UDK Editor at this stage, my knowledge of the various other Game Engines and Editors is fairly limited.

However, having the briefest of introductions to the new Crytek game engine CryEngine 3,
I can already see an enormous difference between the two.

CryEngine 3 features CryEngine Live Create which enables developers to make real-time changes to their levels in the editor that are visible in-game.
You can see the changes take place simultaneously!

http://mycryengine.com/index.php?conid=53

Unlike UDK, which depending on your level, could take 2 hours to rebuild your lighting if you decided to move a coffee cup. (Groan)

Apparently by synching 3Ds Max or Maya to the CryEngine 3 Sandbox Editor you can update your assets in a matter of seconds. Which is truly remarkable.

This is a very attractive piece of software and I would be very interested in getting my hands on it in the near future.

(some pics of Crysis 2- (2011)

http://mycryengine.com/index.php?conid=1

That said, UDK is still an amazing piece of software in it's own regard.

http://www.unrealengine.com/features

We have this engine to thank for a wealth of great games (this is just UE 3)

Batman: Arkham Asylum - Rocksteady Studios (2009)
Batman: Arkham City - Rocksteady Studios (2011)
Borderlands - Gearbox Software (2009)
Enslaved: Odyssey To The West - Ninja Theory (2010)
Lost Odyssey - Mistwalker (2007)
Mass Effect 1,2,3 - Bioware (2006 - 2012)
Mirror's Edge - DICE (2008)
Shadow Complex - Chair Entertainment (2009)
Shadows of The Damned - Grasshopper Manufacture (2011)
Silent Hill: Downpour - Vatra Games (2011)
Singularity - Raven Software (2010)
Transformers: War For Cybertron - High Moon Studios (2010)

Shadows of The Damned pics -

I swear this guy .......dropped out of her!

He's properly dead now!

And of course Zumba Fitness - Pipeworks software (2010)
Which has sailed past the £6 million mark in sales. And there are more to come apparently.

A reviewer of this game wrote that -

- "Surely everyone who wants the game now has a copy?"
- Tom Philips, www.eurogamer.net

This statement made me laugh. :)

Yep........ZUMBA!

And not to be forgotten the Gears of War series developed by Epic themselves (2006 - 2011)

Infinity Blade - Chair Entertainment (2010) should also be worth a mention as it is Epic's first Unreal Engine 3 iOS game.

And for a mobile game, it looks damn good! (Makes me wish I had an iPhone)

It made $1.6 million in four days. Making it the fastest growing App in iOS history.
Nearly a year after, Infinity Blade had generated another $21.4 million in revenue.
Which is astonishing. Hardly surprising there is an Infinity Blade 2 out now.

Bethesda developed the Creation Engine to help make their award winning fifth instalment of The Elder Scrolls - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Creation Engine is made up of Havok, Radiant AI, and the Gamebryo game engine, which allows users to tailor it's needs to fit specific needs of a developer.

In early 2012 Bethesda released the Creation Kit for Skyrim on Steam.

http://www.creationkit.com/

Now modders and fans of their recent IP can make user-generated content.
Where it can be shared with the world via Steam and their favourite mod sites.

Now there's a company that really gives back to their customers.

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The Source Engine developed by Valve Corporation makes even better use of the Steam community by distributing updates and new engine builds via its users.

http://source.valvesoftware.com/

From what I can gather the general opinion about the Source Engine is that it handles physics exceptionally well but is a bit outdated in other aspects, requiring a lot of text editor scripting to affect performance.

It is noted for featuring a very capable facial animation system -

http://www.tf2.com/movies.php

Having read the overview on Valve's website I have to say it sounds like an impressive piece of kit.
It both looks and plays as well as any other engine that I have discussed here.
I think it comes down to personal preference in this case.

People have their favourites. And always will.
It's like asking a comic book reader

"Who's better, Marvel or DC?"

And then the great debate begins.

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Quantic Dream's new engine brings to life - KARA

This demo is apparently a year old and the features of this engine have been increased by 50 percent. I can't wait to see what they've cooked up.

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I've just added a few interesting videos regarding advancements in blurring the line between Visual FX and Video Games.

Welcome to the 'Uncanny Valley'

In my opinion when designing a level for a game it needs to stick to one simple rule:-

- Never cause boredom!

From what I understand a game level always starts on paper. (Well it originally starts as an idea)

The 'Level Designer' plots out the design and structure of the level bearing in mind features that make the level unique, such as focal points for orientation and more importantly set pieces that add to gameplay.
These are usually obstacles or branching paths that lead the player to hidden items or keys which then enables them to proceed to the next level or objective.

A great example of this is the map for Shadow Complex developed by Chair -

The initial pencil on paper layout of the entire game

The finished in-game version of the entire map

As Shadow Complex is a side-scrolling platformer the map is laid out in the same format.

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Here is a very rough diagram of a level in side and top view -

When creating a level the designer must consider -

- Where the Player starts
- Where the Enemies initially start
- Doors, Traps, Treasure Chests, Switches (Puzzles)
- Distinct Landmarks to aid in Navigation and orientation

Creating a legend helps others understand all the elements that make up your level design.

Essentially what the Level Designer does is take an idea and make it a reality.

A reality we can explore. They are the 'Shapers of Worlds!'

From that stage the map would be given to 'Level Artists' and we get the Grey Box Level -

(This video is from the Team Fortress 2 Art Pass Contest from 2010)

This is where all the scale, pacing and variety of gameplay should be experimented with and focused.
At this point it is still cheaper to omit unwanted or unnecessary areas of your levels.

It also a good idea to either create an additional room or an entirely new grey box level as a testing ground and experiment with all the game mechanics that make your level dynamic.

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Predominately levels can be sorted into two different groups -

- Corridor based (or Linear)

- Open World (or Sandbox)

There are some games that blur these two definitions but most games feature this type of level design.

Corridor based levels are much easier for designers to build because trigger points and scripted events can be placed right in your path enabling the narrative to play out uninterrupted.
Another advantage of using this type of level design is that the whole experience can be a lot more cinematic, aiding in the players increased sense of immersion.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - Naughty Dog 2011

Bioshock - 2K 2007

Metroid: Other M - Team Ninja 2010

Resident Evil: Revelations - Capcom 2012

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse - Activision 2005
(A great Isometric game!)

Open World levels present a greater challenge to designers as they can be seen from nearly every angle.
There is more emphasis on freedom of exploration. And quests can seemingly be taken up in any order.
Scripted events are not always guaranteed to be as cinematic because there is a chance, a slim chance, that you may not even be facing in the right direction at the desired moment.

But more commonly now these take place in key areas of interest.

Or in Fallout 3's case they just whip your head around to whoever starts taking to you.
(Most annoying)

Aside from that, if well executed the scale of the world can be breathtaking.

Red Dead Redemption - Rockstar 2010

Shadow of The Colossus - Team Ico 2005

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Bethesda 2011

The epic scale of some games can be jaw-dropping at times.
Especially when you check the map in your inventory. And you realise just how much further you have left to go.

H-6, I believe

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I just thought I'd add an additional note that as a navigational aid the different hub towns that make up this world need to be visually distinct from one another, so the player can reorient themselves within that space.

Both types of level need objectives to propel the player forward in their adventure and way markers (direction guides) help to remind the player exactly where they are heading and what that entails.

This is usually done with icons representative of specific missions or with different colours.

Dead Space - EA 2008
Isaac Clarke and his laser guide line.

Fast Forward to 5:12 :)

Borderlands - Gearbox / 2K 2009
The current objectives are displayed on the right hand side of the screen.
The Directional Guide is the green diamond on the compass bottom-centre.

Mirror's Edge - EA Dice 2008
Follow the Red path

Mirror's Edge has a very visually distinct indicator of which direction the player must proceed.
Your path was literally 'red' ahead of you.

This is method of player directing is know as 'Flow Control'.
Lighting, Geometry and Collectibles (Money, Health, Power-Ups) are used frequently in level design to guide the player along the intended path.

Alan Wake displays this principle to great effect -