Elements of Game Technology, Game Engines

Game engines are used to basically put assets into a level and combine it with lighting and other effects. It’s what brings everything together and actually creates the game. Most editors work by allowing you to create simple walls, ground, terrain etc. and then populate the rest of the level with assets which have been made in another 3D program (like 3DS Max). Some game companies will create almost everything just using assets which have been built by the 3D artists. Game engines like UDK also allow you to create moving objects and scripts to make things more dynamic, you can make sequences and instructions of what object needs to do what at which time. This means you can do almost everything just using the game engine program. The lighting effects are also very powerful; in most programs you can see a preview of the lighting in real time.

UDK

UDK is quite a common game engine, different versions of it have been used for many different games throughout the years. It was first created in 1998. Anyone can download it for free if they use it for non-commercial use. Which means anyone can start creating a level if they want too, which makes it very accessible for people who are interested in game design. It is constantly updated by Epic who are the creators. They use it for their games like Unreal and Gears Of War, but it has also been used in different companies for games like Bioshock,Splinter Cell, Batman Arkham Asylum, Mass Effect etc.

Cry Engine

Cry engine is a game engine built by Crytek and was first used in the game Far Cry in 2004. It was also used for the first Crysis game and had the best graphics for it’s time. Cry engine is a bit unique in that it uses its own physics, sound and animations. It also doesn’t require assets to be light mapped like in UDK. It is also uses plugins to make exporting things from a 3D program into the engine easier.

Hammer Editor

Source SDK is a game engine made by Valve; it’s been used in games like the Half Life, Portal and the Left 4 Dead series. The level editor is called Hammer Editor. Although now it is quite outdated and not used by many games outside Valve.

Naughty Dog Game Engine

The Naughty dog game engine was developed for the PS3 and used in the Uncharted games. It Shows how powerful the PS3 can be with a good engine used to its potential.

IW Engine

The Infinity Ward Engine was used for the Call Of Duty games since Call Of Duty 2. Which is probably one of the most successful game series this generation. This engine works well over a network which is good for a game mainly played online. Although I don’t think there has been much of a noticeable change from one call of duty to the next for how many they have released in the amount of time. Compared to other companies who are making big improvements.