GAME ENGINES | BUILD EPIC DIARIES
Nearly two decades after the original XCOM captivated PC gamers around the world, publisher 2K Games and developer Firaxis plan to introduce the critically acclaimed franchise to an entirely new generation. According to Jake Solomon, lead designer on the new title, game industry legend Sid Meier is working closely with the team to bring this unique blend of tactical strategy and action to life, which marks the first time Meier’s studio is leveraging Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 technology. “Honestly, it was a thrill to work with
Unreal Engine 3,” says Solomon. “In-house, we’ve always used our own tech because of the games we’ve made before. This was the first game where it made sense to look at a licensed engine. Once we explored the technology and saw what it was capable of, it has just been such a blessing.” Set in a retro-future 1960s Earth, XCOM:
Enemy Unknown is a turn-based strategy game that pits the player and their troops against an alien invasion of Sectoids. Every decision a player makes is crucial during gameplay, as once a soldier dies they cannot be revived. In addition, the player’s research undertaken during the course of the game has a direct impact on repelling the aliens – and there is a real possibility of the aliens succeeding at the game’s end. To achieve a sense of life-or-death consequences, Firaxis designed a series of cinematics to add another layer of storytelling to the game.
CINEMATIC FOUNDATIONS “We used Matinee pretty heavily in XCOM,” reveals Solomon. “That’s our foundation for all of the cinematics you see in the game. UE3 was essential in allowing our artists to create content in a mature tool chain like that. Our programmers were also able to tap into this tech; it certainly helped with the development of three SKUs across PC, PS3 and 360. The ability to build off of a mature engine like UE3 has made it pretty easy.” Solomon said that due to the gameplay
style, his team wasn’t able to prototype in a day like many shooter teams, but the process was still faster than if they had grown their own tech. Firaxis was also able to seek guidance from other internal game studios. “So many of the people within our publishing label have UE3 experience, so we have resources within our label that we can reach out to,” states Solomon. “Industry-wide, you can’t throw a rock without hitting somebody who has UE3 experience. We also used the Unreal Developers Network, which has been a huge help.” From a visual standpoint, the new game
taps into the full capabilities of Unreal Engine 3. To achieve the look and feel they wanted,
Firaxis created a global landscape for players to engage in, complete with recognisable landmarks. Solomon said that all of the maps were hand-built, including the more regionalised maps, and these encompass both outdoor and indoor maps. Additionally, the player can play in urban areas as well as wilderness areas, where they shoot down UFOs.
APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION “From a technical standpoint, I’m most proud of our destructible environments,” says Solomon. “That’s something that you still don’t see a lot of. But it’s really fun to use in our game, since it’s a tactile experience. For example, blowing out a wall completely changes the tactics involved in a level and this creates a dynamic battlefield to play in.” Also playing into this gameplay experience
are new aliens conjured by the Unreal Engine 3 toolset from the imagination of Firaxis. Solomon said enemies like the Berserker can literally run through walls. This opens up interesting immersion gameplay, coupling varying Sectoids with weapons that can change the playing field in an instant. Solomon said UE3 enabled his team to create complex levels and craft intelligent enemies
To discuss anything raised in this column or general licensing opportunities for Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, contact:
mrein@epicgames.com
FOR RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITIES PLEASE VISIT:
www.epicgames.com/epic_jobs.html
that fluidly run on AI that constantly adjusts to the dynamic surroundings. “I’m extremely happy with the new 3D base that we’ve created in this game,” said Solomon. “Being able to show all that level of detail when you’re zooming in to see the different soldiers and all the units, that’s something that my team just did an awesome job with, technically.” And that level of detail, and deep gameplay experience, was brought to life using Unreal Engine 3. Soldiers new and old will be able to engage in battle against a challenging alien invasion in this new take on squad-based tactical action in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
upcoming epic attended events:
E3 Expo Los Angeles, US June 5th - 7th, 2012
GDC Europe Cologne, Germany August 13th - 15th, 2012
Please email:
licensing@epicgames.comfor appointments.
Canadian-born Mark Rein is vice president and co-founder of Epic Games based in Cary, NC. Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 has won Game Developer magazine’s Best Engine Front Line Award five times along with entry into the Hall of Fame. UE3 has won four consecutive Develop Industry Excellence Awards. Epic is the creator of the mega-hit Unreal series of games and the blockbuster Gears of War franchise. Follow @MarkRein on Twitter.
MAY 2012 | 61
Almost two decades after the original XCOM, UE3 is making sure the series’ next outing is a technological triumph
Mark Rein looks at how 2K Games breathed new life into XCOM with UE3
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76