Choosing your Game Engine

Choosing the Game Engine that is Right for You Mark DeLoura Videogame Technology Consultant October 12, 2009

Introduction

Topics • The Evolution of Game Engines • Choosing a Game Engine • Available Engines

The Evolution of Game Engines • Graphics engines to game engines • Software 3D to hardware 3D • Consoles embrace game engines • The Mod generation • Shader evolution • Costs and complexity

Graphics Engines to Game Engines • 1993: Doom (idTech 1)

Graphics Engines to Game Engines • 1995: Software-rendered engines – Argonaut’s BRender – Criterion’s Renderware – RenderMorphics’ Reality Lab

Graphics Engines to Game Engines • 1996: Quake 1

Software 3D to Hardware 3D • 1996: Quake 1

Software 3D to Hardware 3D • 1997: Quake 2 (idTech 2)

Software 3D to Hardware 3D • 1998: Half-Life (GoldSRC)

Software 3D to Hardware 3D • 1998: Unreal (Unreal Engine 1)

Software 3D to Hardware 3D • 1999: Quake 3 (idTech 3)

Consoles Embrace Engines • 1999: PlayStation2

Consoles Embrace Engines • 1999: NDL’s NetImmerse 3D • 2000: Intrinsic Graphics’ Alchemy

Consoles Embrace Engines • 2001: Grand Theft Auto III uses Criterion’s Renderware

Consoles Embrace Engines • 2003: Unreal 2 PC (Unreal Engine 2) • 2004: Unreal 2 Xbox; PS2 in dev

Consoles Embrace Engines • 2003: Vicarious Visions purchases Intrinsic Graphics (Alchemy) • 2004: EA purchases Criterion (Renderware) • 2005: Emergent purchases NDL (NetImmerse, Gamebryo)

Engines Embrace Consoles • 2007: Unreal Engine 3 – PC, Xbox360, PS3 • 2009: CryEngine 3 – PC, Xbox360, PS3

The Mod Generation

The Mod Generation • 1993: Doom (idTech 1)

The Mod Generation • 1997: Quake 2 (idTech 2)

The Mod Generation • 1998: Unreal (Unreal Engine 1)

The Mod Generation • 2001: Tribes 2 (Torque)

The Mod Generation • 2002: Criterion ships Renderware Studio

The Mod Generation • 2004: Doom 3 (idTech 4) • 2004: Half-Life 2 (Source) • 2004: FarCry (CryEngine)

The Mod Generation • 2007: Gears of War (Unreal Engine 3)

The Mod Generation • 2007: Crysis (CryEngine 2)

Shader Evolution • 1999-2000: “All games on a particular engine look the same.”

Shader Evolution • 2000: GeForce3 released

Shader Evolution • 2004: Doom 3 (idTech 4)

Shader Evolution • 2004: Half-Life 2 (Source)

Shader Evolution • 2004: Far Cry (CryEngine)

Shader Evolution • 2007: Gears of War (Unreal Engine 3)

Current Engine Trends • Game development costs are very high – Amortize development across multiple games and multiple platforms • Multi-processor complexity – Encourages use of game engines that make multi-processor development simpler

Choosing a Game Engine • The most important decision you will make about game technology

1. Create Your Game Design • A draft Game Design Document

2. Create Your Tech Design • A draft Technical Design Document

3. Create Your Production Plan • A draft Production Plan

4. Now Look at Engines!

Developer Survey • February 2009 survey of game developers on game engines – Senior producers – Senior engineers • Results published on Gamasutra.com

Game Engine Decisions • The most important considerations – Cost: What can you afford? – Relevance to platforms, genre, design – Support – Functionality: Time saved – Tools and Content Pipeline – Integration into Current Technology – Flexibility

Cost: What can you afford? • Tiers of game engines roughly match cost – MMO Engines – High-end Engines – Mid-range Engines – Casual / Web Engines – Open source PC Engines

Cost: What can you afford? • Deal structures are flexible – Survey: Preferred deal structure? 17.9% Flat-rate 82.1% Royalty

Cost: What can you afford? • Other costs to keep in mind – Training – Integration time – Support and maintenance fees – Add-ons – Potentially unhappy employees

Cost: What can you afford? • Potentially unhappy employees? – Survey: If budget and time were no object, which of these would you prefer? 7.0% 9.3% 46.5% Create ourselves Use middleware 37.2% Purchase engine Other

Relevance • Platforms – MMO, PC standalone, consoles, handhelds, mobile • Genre – Look for similar games which use the engine • Design – What is most important? Graphics? Interaction? Physics?

Support • Documentation • Support team structure • Samples and tutorials

Support • Survey: Most important engine practices 1. Source code is available 2. Known to easily integrate 3. Resource management is tweakable 4. Ongoing access to current builds 5. Clear development roadmap

Support • Get a demo license!

Functionality • Survey: Most important engine systems 1. Multi-threading system 2. Rendering pipeline 3. Animation system 4. Collision detection / physics system 5. Streaming system 6. Networking design • Varies based on game, team expertise, other middleware

Tools and Pipeline • Survey: Most important engine tools 1. Profiling system 2. Live preview on target platform 37.5% Yes 62.5% No

Tools and Pipeline • Most important engine tools 3. Standalone world builder 4. Particle system editor

Tools and Pipeline • More important engine tools 5. Scripting system • Run-time script debugger • 51.3% of projects use Lua

Tools and Pipeline • Build Process – Average code change: 3.5 minutes – Average full rebuild: 105 minutes Using Automated Builds 11.9% Yes 88.1% No

Integration • Existing custom technology • Middleware technology Using Engine Using Middleware 10.3% 45.0% Yes Yes 55.0% 89.7% No No

Integration • Survey: Most popular middleware libraries – Bink – FMOD – Havok – Scaleform – Kynapse – Wwise

Flexibility • What range of games are made on the engine? • Talk to people who have used the engine. • Work with the code: how brittle is it?

Other important factors • Outsourcing • Source code escrow

Most Importantly • DEMO!

Currently Available Engines • MMO Engines • High-end Engines • Mid-range Engines • Casual / Web Engines • Open source PC Engines

MMO Engines • BigWorld Technology Suite • Simutronics’ HeroEngine • Sun’s Project Darkstar (server)

High-end Engines • Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 • Crytek’s CryEngine 3 • Digital Extremes’ Evolution Engine • id’s idTech 4/5/6 • Valve’s Source

Mid-range Engines • Emergent’s Gamebryo • Terminal Reality’s Infernal Engine • Blitz Games’ BlitzTech • Trinigy’s Vision Engine • Vicious Cycle’s Vicious Engine

Casual / Web Engines • Unity Technologies’ Unity • Garage Games’ Torque • Macromedia Flash – For example, PushButton Engine • Sun’s Java – For example, jMonkey Engine

Open source PC Engines • Irrlicht • OGRE3D • Panda3D • Many more listed at: – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_game_ engines – zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/游戏引擎列表

Another option: Use middleware • Use middleware to supplement your own engine

Online Games • BigWorld Technology – Tian Xia 2, Kingdom Heroes 2 Online, Chuang Shi Online

Online Games • Simutronics’ HeroEngine – Star Wars: The Old Republic

Online Games • Crytek’s CryEngine 3 (2) – AION, Entropia

Online Games • Unreal Engine 3 – Alliance of Valiant Arms (A.V.A.), APB, Huxley, The Agency

Online Games • Gamebryo – Warhammer Online, Wizard 101, Dark Age of Camelot

Casual Games • Unity

Casual Games • Torque

Conclusion • There are many, MANY engines • Plan what you are making BEFORE analyzing game engines • Each engine has unique features – analyze games, talk to users, demo the pipeline, examine the code

Closing • Mark DeLoura’s contact info: – http://www.satori.org – mdeloura@satori.org • Gamasutra engine articles: – http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/M arkDeLoura/124/

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Choosing your Game Engine

by Mark DeLoura on Oct 12, 2009

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