On Equality and Simultaneity

Since the inception of the PlayStation 3 into our homes it seems like nearly every developer has screamed from the mountain tops slandering the complexity of programming for its unique architecture. Sure, the Cell has a lot of power, but how to could the code monkeys harness its power for the greater good? Few games have stepped up to the challenge; See Burnout Paradise. See Uncharted 2. See Killzone 2. But the success stories are overwhelmed by the tragedies. Countless games have underperformed on a technical level on the PlayStation 3 versus its counterpart on the Xbox 360. The decision to release a game across multiple platforms has the potential for great economic success assuming the economic risk can be mitigated by sound development across all platforms. To date, very few cross platform titles have been equally respected on a performance level on both systems…until now. Allow me to introduce the savior of cross platform development for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360: CryEngine 3.

When Crysis first graced the PC gaming scene with its glorious, high resolution presence, gamers were at awe. We were told the engine powering this game was “future-proof”, that there was no hardware capable of running every single setting on the highest level, that this was the next generation of gaming. No amount of hyperbole was going to hold back the CryEngine, clearly this was going to be a major player in the gaming industry for a long time. But this has always been the norm for the PC gaming scene, hasn’t it? It is a given among the informed that PC gaming, when done right, is superior to the console experience on nearly every level. Consoles offer a standardized platform that all gamers can get behind, but they will never match the power and potential of a properly customized PC. With the release of the CryEngine 3, developers will have the chance to utilize the tools once exclusive to mouse and keyboard for those of us used to twin-sticks and a d-pad.

The beauty of CryEngine 3′s availability to console developers lies in its ability to optimize code for PC, Xbox 360 AND PlayStation 3. Specifically, “CryENGINE 3 also introduces CryENGINE 3 Live Create™. It allows developers to work with a single editor, but see and play the results in real-time on PC, PS3 and Xbox360, hooked up to a single dev PC. The engine takes care of the conversion and optimization of assets in real-time; enables instant, cross-platform changes to any part of game creation and as a result materially increases the speed, quality and significantly reduces the risk of multiplatform development.” Now that snippet from Crytek’s press release might sound like a bunch of technical jargon and nonsense, but don’t worry, I’ll cut to the chase. This will simultaneously level the playing field for future cross-platform games and raise the quality of games to a level we have never scene. This is excellent news for us all.

Think about it, a world where graphics and system performance are no longer question marks during the life cycle of a games development. A world where resources can be devoted to level design and other gameplay functions instead of making sure code behaves properly on each platform. Forgive the pun, but this will be a game changer. Granted, I don’t expect this to power every game on the market in the next 5 years. Certainly first party developers allocate resources differently since they only have one system to worry about. And there is of course the rare case where a decision to purchase a game becomes a coin flip because the experience on either system is identical on a technical level. But this technology is not destined for the upper 1% of game developers. This is meant for those that look at the Unreal Engine and cringe. And yes, I hear the few non-believers puffing up their chests and beating the drum of the Unreal Engine. I just choose to ignore them. The Unreal Engine had its chance to shine and if you ask me, its time has passed. The Unreal Engine was last generation. I’m sick of texture pop-in, of gritty environments, of 15 different shades of brown. I’m tired of playing games in the dark.

You’ve seen what has become of the Unreal Engine. Every new game that loads with an Unreal splash screen yields a groan of “again?!?” Developers have had plenty of opportunity to take advantage of, well the advantages of an engine that has cross platform appeal on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But Unreal is starting to show its age. I wonder, is Unreal really pushing these systems to their computational limits or have developers become complacent in their quest for excellence? Has Unreal become the cheap way out of developing quality content? What once was the perfect starting point for cross-platform development is now an over-used and under-perfected gaming experience. I do believe that developers want and can do more if given the proper tools and it is my hope that the CryEngine 3 will provide for the  next generation of games the quality that will finally justify a $60 purchase where so many games have not.

Of course, it is possible that CryEngine 3 will only take the place of Unreal as a shiny upgrade. Instead of using these tools as motivation to embrace the future, developers will look at their shiny new toy and continue to aim for the lowest common denominator. I would hope that the money spent to license CryEngine 3, which has yet to be disclosed, would be more than enough motivation to bring out the best in all parties involved. I hope that this is the beginning of a promising future of gaming. However, if the quality of gameplay does not meet gamers’ increasingly demanding standards, at least the eye candy will taste that much sweeter.

Check out the Crytek Press Release here – http://www.crytek.com/news/news/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=160&tx_ttnews[backPid]=9&cHash=06d1d92eb5

This post is also featured at Talking About Games.