MatchBot
03-03-2007, 08:01 AM
Game engines have been talked about a lot lately, especially Epic's Unreal Engine 3 engine which so far has not only been picked up by Activision, but also Capcom and will be found in many games over the next few years. Then there is Euphoria. You may have heard the name before in conjunction with several LucasArts titles, such as 'Indiana Jones 2007' and Star Wars Force Unleashed'.
As revealed this week Rockstar, the developers of the excellent Grand Theft Auto series are also working together with NaturalMotion, the creators of Euphoria.
So what exactly is Euphoria?
Euphoria is a game physics engine created by NaturalMotion based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis, NaturalMotion's proprietary technology for animating 3D characters on-the-fly "based on a full simulation of the 3D character, including body, muscles and motor nervous system". Instead of using canned animations, the characters' actions and reactions are synthesized in real-time.
Simply put, enemies will not fall the same way after they've been punched and crates will shatter in different ways which guarantees a different experience when replaying levels and makes sure that it doesn't get repetitive. This is all possible by Euphoria not just animating certain parts, but the characters body as a whole.
Imagine the possibilities: Game characters having more realism, fewer repetitive animations and more of the unexpected. To see just what Euphoria is capable of, have a look at this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae3fgj2x1aI) which shows the interactions a bit more in detail and just what is possible. There is also an older trailer for the Indiana Jones 2007 game which explains Euphoria a bit more here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fACZMsKN7fk).
Whilst it was announced that "upcoming next-generation Rockstar titles will integrate Euphoria" it is not clear yet just which ones will. One big release for Rockstar is GTA IV which is still on track for a release this year.
As revealed this week Rockstar, the developers of the excellent Grand Theft Auto series are also working together with NaturalMotion, the creators of Euphoria.
So what exactly is Euphoria?
Euphoria is a game physics engine created by NaturalMotion based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis, NaturalMotion's proprietary technology for animating 3D characters on-the-fly "based on a full simulation of the 3D character, including body, muscles and motor nervous system". Instead of using canned animations, the characters' actions and reactions are synthesized in real-time.
Simply put, enemies will not fall the same way after they've been punched and crates will shatter in different ways which guarantees a different experience when replaying levels and makes sure that it doesn't get repetitive. This is all possible by Euphoria not just animating certain parts, but the characters body as a whole.
Imagine the possibilities: Game characters having more realism, fewer repetitive animations and more of the unexpected. To see just what Euphoria is capable of, have a look at this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae3fgj2x1aI) which shows the interactions a bit more in detail and just what is possible. There is also an older trailer for the Indiana Jones 2007 game which explains Euphoria a bit more here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fACZMsKN7fk).
Whilst it was announced that "upcoming next-generation Rockstar titles will integrate Euphoria" it is not clear yet just which ones will. One big release for Rockstar is GTA IV which is still on track for a release this year.