Choosing your Game Engine (2009)

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

2. Introduction

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

4. 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

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

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

7. Graphics Engines to Game Engines • 1996: Quake 1

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

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

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

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

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

13. Consoles Embrace Engines • 1999: PlayStation2

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

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

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

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

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

19. The Mod Generation

20. The Mod Generation • 1993: Doom (idTech 1)

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

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

23. The Mod Generation • 2001: Tribes 2 (Torque)

24. The Mod Generation • 2002: Criterion ships Renderware Studio

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

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

27. The Mod Generation • 2007: Crysis (CryEngine 2)

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

29. Shader Evolution • 2000: GeForce3 released

30. Shader Evolution • 2004: Doom 3 (idTech 4)

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

32. Shader Evolution • 2004: Far Cry (CryEngine)

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

34. 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

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

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

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

38. 3. Create Your Production Plan • A draft Production Plan

39. 4. Now Look at Engines!

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

41. 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

42. 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

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

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

45. 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

46. 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?

47. Support • Documentation • Support team structure • Samples and tutorials

48. 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

49. Support • Get a demo license!

50. 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

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

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

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

54. 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

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

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

57. 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?

58. Other important factors • Outsourcing • Source code escrow

59. Most Importantly • DEMO!

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

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

62. 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

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

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

65. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

72. Casual Games • Unity

73. Casual Games • Torque

74. 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

75. 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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