Are Reusable Engines The Future Of Computer Games Development

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Are Reusable Engines The Future Of Computer Games
Development?

• Stuart Slater
• Games Simulation and AI Research Group
• Wolverhampton University

Digital Games Industries (19th-20th
September)Developments, Impact and Direction
2003 ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and
Competition University of Manchester
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Introduction

• Introduction to the Wolverhampton University
  Research Group GSAI.

• Changing Technologies

• Overview of The Paper

• The Future

• Question Time

• Current Game Engines

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Games Simulation Artificial Intelligence
Research Group (GSAI)
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Active Researchers 2003
Professor Norman Gough Dr Qas Mehdi head of
research group 7 Active Researchers in areas of
Computer Game/ Simulation Dr Mike Allen, Game
Usability Analysis Based on Eye Movements Stuart
Slater, AI and Animation Interaction plus Game
Engine Technologies Suliman, Hussam, Application
of AI Techniques in Virtual Environment and
Computer Games Wen, Zhigang, Software Development
for Agents Visualisation in Virtual
Environments Xin Zeng, 3D Virtual Story
Environment (3DVSE) Based on Story
Description Jing Duan, Reinforcement Learning in
Computer Games Nassimizadeh, H. Motion Capture
Using Portable Cameras
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4 Years Of International Conferences
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International Journals

Expression of Interest for GAMENET - EU Network
of Excellence in Computer Games Research
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Putting The Research In Context

• The Evolution of Games

• A Competitive Market Place

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• The engines that we create to power our games,
  and the user systems that they run on, are
  demanding more from developers in order to take
  advantage of technological resources to create
  ever more interesting environments for the
  player. Yet we still have fixed development
  budgets available. Fixed budgets are a
  contributing factor to the onward progression of
  our industry to innovate through less.

Ivan Beram, Revolution Studios. Develop June 2003
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The Games Of Yesteryear

• Small development teams
• Lower development costs
• Lower retail shelf price
• Lower complexity of game design without cut
  scenes and real life graphics
• Sound typically an afterthought.

The Day of the Tentacle Lucas Arts 1993
The Bards Tale (Electronic Arts) 1987
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The Games Of Today

• Complex Particle Effects
• Realistic Physics Engines
• Fully animated complex meshes
• Immersive Sound
• Hollywood budget cut scenes
• Multi Million pound marketing development
  budgets

Unreal 2 The Awakening. PC (EPIC 2003)
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The UK Market Place

• 600,000 X-Box owners 1

• 4.5 Million Playstation 2 1

• 42 of UK homes have internet access close to 12
  million homes double that of 2000 2

• 49.1Million Mobile Phones 1

• 1 MCV Interactive weekly August-September 2003.
  www.mcvuk.com. Intent Media

• 2 http//news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,212
  9913,00.htm (OFTELs Official figures)

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The UK Market Place

• A recent survey 770 7-14 year olds shows

• 48 Have a PC in their home (12 actually own
  this)
• 74 Have a Playstation in the home
• 48 Have a Gameboy in the home

• MCV Interactive weekly August 29th 2003.
  www.mcvuk.com. Intent Media

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The Changing Face of Development

• Billion Dollar Publishers
• EA
• Take 2

• Liquidated Studios 2003
• Croydons Hotgen Studios
• 3DO (2003)
• Kaboom
• Silicon Dreams
• Creative Asylum

• Close Behind
• Ubi soft 430-450 million

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The Changing Face of Development

• Licensed Characters and Film Tie-ins often need a
  rapid development time in order for simultaneous
  release but can be big commercial successes I.e.
  Matrix Game sold 2.5 Million copies at the launch
  of the movie.

• 90 of all games sold come from a handful of
  Publishers

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The Paper In Brief
Reviews the main 5 game engines for Cost,
popularity, commercial success.
Briefly Looks at some of the technologies.
Addresses the idea of middleware
Looks at Question of repetitious titles
Shows projected growth of both computer games and
middleware.
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Current Game Engines
The Unreal Engine
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Unreal Engine

• A reusable engine for developing first person
  perspective games and simulations.

• Can incorporates middleware that can enhance the
  basic engine to offer features such as
  LipSynching of mouths to a variety of spoken
  languages easily and a physics engine called
  Karma developed by an Oxford based company
  (MathEngine plc).

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Unreal Engine cont..

• It allows games developers to create complex
  first person games quickly without excessive RD.

• It supports PC Consoles

• It is being continually updated to incorporate
  the latest hardware and technologies.

• 600,000 to licence (approx 400,000)
  Middleware

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Unreal Engine cont..

• Over the last 5 years many hit games have
  utilised the engine. Including

• Unreal (GT)
• Unreal Championship (X-Box)
• Unreal 2- (EPIC)
• Deux Ex (Ion Storm)
• Undying (EA)
• Splinter Cell
• Klingon Honor Guard (Microprose)

• Out Now or Coming Soon
• Y Project (Westka Interactive)
• Mobile Forces (Rage)
• Unreal Tournament 2003
• Americas Army
• Raven Shield(Ubi Soft)
• Lineage 2(NC Soft)
• Devastation(Digitalo Studios)

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Unreal Engine Americas Army

• Americas Army Managed by the U.S. Militarys
  Academys Office at Westpoint.

• used in research to assess the importance of
  emotion in training.

• Released as a game where participants must
  complete basic training before being able to play
  online.

• Partly used to aid recruitment.

http//www.americasarmy.com/army.php
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Unreal Engine cont..

• VR application areas?

• Steven Spielberg used the engine to create a
  virtual film set in order to get an idea of
  camera angles.

Source http//www.filmandvideomagazine.com/Htm/ho
meset.htm
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Emerging Game Engine Technologies

• Antialiasing
• Specular Highlighting
• Projective Textures
• Pixel/Vertex Shaders

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Anti-Aliasing

• Helps to hide jagged edges(Jaggies)

http//www.nvidia.com/view.asp?IOfeature_accuview
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Specular Highlighting

• Can be used to give metallic objects their sheen
  or create more realistic lighting from other
  surfaces.

http//www.epicgames.com/unrealenginenews.html
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Projective Textures

• Helps multiple textures and meshes blend
  together, so for example a bullet entering smoke
  would affect the smoke and create a trail. End
  Product a more realistic effect.

http//www.epicgames.com/unrealenginenews.html
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The Future
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A Diversifying Industry

• 49.1 Million phones in the UK many of which can
  play complex java games

• Increase in take up of consoles, Play station 1
  and 2 still selling at retail with another two
  years estimated before PS3.

• Growing market of older generations and female
  gamers.

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A Diversifying Industry

• Needs games that can be written in shorter times
  and at more modest budgets as technology
  continues to change i.e. Broadband. Java enabled
  phones.

• Growth of Super Publishers continues with these
  having pick of titles from smaller studios.

• Increase in market share of middle ware.

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Questions?
Contact Me s.i.slater_at_wlv.ac.uk