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Crytek Dishes Out CryENGINE 3
Bobby Miller
October 17, 2009 3:06 PM ET in Gaming
The pixelsmiths from Germany known as Crytek are at it again. Known for their groundbreaking game engine CryENGINE 2 and its accompanying tropical FPS game Crysis, they have just released the third incarnation of their engine. Dubbed CryENGINE 3 (who would have guessed?), the release once again puts Crytek at the forefront of real-time interactive computer graphics technology by enabling the newest available technologies on the PC platform and expanding the engine to the PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms.
Delicious Screen Space Ambient Occlusion
Arguably, the biggest addition to CryENGINE 3 is support for the console platforms. With Crysis, PC gamers got cocky because they had the greatest looking game of all time, and consoles couldn’t even come close. Console gamers whined for a host of reasons to refute that fact. CryENGINE 3 will be Crytek’s first attempt to cross the aisle with a major engine. PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers will have remarkably comparable graphics in games developed on CryEngine 3. Even better, developers will have access to Crytek’s famous ‘what you see is what you play’ editing environment known as CryENGINE 3 Sandbox editor. Creating lush, photo-realistic worlds on the console has never been easier.
Sandbox 3 will output to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously
Don’t think the PC gamers are getting left behind with CryENGINE 3. Far from it, as they’re getting the best of the additions: support for DirectX 11. Expect to see things like real-time color grading, procedural geometry destruction and physics, global illumination and ambient occlusion to name a few technologies available right out the gate, and scalability to introduce new techniques as they are developed. Don’t worry, as long as development isn’t limited by cross-platform interests, the PC will still reap the benefits of Crytek’s graphics lust.
Crytek plays an important role in real-time computer graphics. With every release, they continually push the bar higher and higher. They take risks and consequentially progress the technology. Sure, I have reserved concerns that console support may limit their ability to push the envelope, but if that adoption means increased exposure and support, then we can only assume that everyone benefits from this in the end.
CryENGINE 3 doing what it does best
For developers looking to get their hands on the goods, Crytek has set up a portal devoted to CryENGINE. Within, you will find all the details on CryENGINE, as well as licensing and availability. Get you some CryENGINE 3, and begin to build the future of cross-platform photo-realistic gaming.
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