GDC 2013: All You Need to Know About Unreal Engine 4
As far as Unreal Engine 4 is concerned, it's gearing up for the next-gen consoles, from the much-awaited and neck-to-neck competitors PS4 and Xbox 720 to the potential VR-concept-turning-to-reality Oculus Rift.
At the Game Developers Conference, more details about the new technology shed light on what gamers and developers can expect.
Unreal Engine 4 has Blueprint visual scripting with Blueprint debugging, new content browser, and dynamic previews, reports Develop. In addition, the technology runs on the C++ Unreal Slate user interface, which allows for customization of the Unreal Editor, as well as a Hot Reload function.
More tools in the technology include new material layering system for designers, realistic light distribution tools, physics effects, and more in-depth rendering features.
The functions have already been seen through a PS4 demo-which goes to show that this is really happening and fast-but the graphics were overturned when the demo of Infiltrator was showcased, reports Pocket-Lint.
See the demo of the technology in this trailer of Infiltrator, complete with stunning sci-fi visuals and effects, firefight and movement, and panning scenery shots.
Mobile and HTML5 platforms
Mobile is just the first step for the Unreal Engine 4. According to Venture Beat, Unreal Engine 4 is also slated to run on the web even without the use of plug-ins. This means that even the embedded games on websites run on HTML 5 will have 3D graphics with no need for any downloadable plug-ins.
"It will fit all genres and all business models," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic games to Venture Beat. "You never outgrow Unreal."
Now your 3D PC games no longer have to be downloaded, which can sometimes result in lost sales when gaming downloads are cancelled in the middle.
Gamers are not the only ones receiving good news, as developers will also have an easier time creating games.
In fact, with the new technology, rendering a 3D scene makes use of tools instead of codes, so industries who are on a budget and a deadline would no longer have to take an entire team to produce a single game for a while, making it an efficient technology for next-gen games.
No UE4 for Wii U
"Our goal for Unreal Engine 4 console-wise is next-gen consoles. That's really what our energies are focused on," said Rein to GameSpot. "If you want to make Wii U game, we have Unreal Engine 3, and it's powering some of the best games on the Wii U already."
It seems that the Wii needs a next-gen version, as Frostbite 3 engine will also be skipping the current-gen console.
Although the Wii U is supported by the Unreal Engine, upcoming games such as Battlefield 4 will start adapting to the latest technology-and it's only a matter of time before other games start taking on the trend.