Bringing high quality MMO gaming to browser, the Big World Client engine has recently been used in the hugely popular World of Tanks from Wargaming.net and although it was built to help with the development of PC and browser games, the engine is also available on iOS, Xbox 360 and PS3 via network API.
CryEngine 3 (Crytek)
This year the studio made further enhancements to its popular engine. Titles including Crysis 3 and Nexuiz have showcased the engine’s DirectX 11 support and drawn a growing number of licensees as thousands of CryDev members use the engine every day.
Havok Vision Engine (Havok)
Since acquiring Trinigy Vision Engine, Havok has integrated its own software into the tech to create an engine that has been showcased in titles including Stronghold 3 and Orcs Must Die!. Havok Vision Engine arrives with a set of integrated features such as streaming, scripting, audio and physics solutions as well as multi- platform runtime technology that renders complex scenes at smooth framerates.
HeroEngine (Simutronics)
This tool from Simutronics is tailored specifically for MMOs and is most notable for powering Bioware’s blockbuster title Star Wars: The Old Republic. Alongside its triple-A ventures, the firm is also ensuring it continues to help smaller developers with the HeroCloud, a free-to-use HeroEngine licence that takes care of all hosting and bandwidth.
Marmalade (Ideaworks 3D)
Marmalade, the tech used on mobile titles like Pro Evolution Soccer and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, has long been favoured, but 2011 saw it reach the tipping point. The platforms helps to abstract the mobile OS at a low level, enabling cross- platform mobile game creation to look like vanilla C++ game development.
Unity 3.5 (Unity Technologies)
An engine upgrade gave smaller developers high-end capabilities including faster linear space lighting and HDR rendering, platform support for Native Client publishing as well as provided artists with more control over particle aesthetics with the Shuriken Particle System.
Unreal Engine 3 (Epic Games)
One of the best known and most used game engines in the industry has been used in some of the year’s biggest triple-A titles including Batman: Arkham City, Gears of War 3 and Mass Effect 3. The engine is integrated with more than 20 middleware technologies and features the Unreal Matinee cinematic system, the visual scripting Unreal Kismet system and the complete Scaleform package.