January 2001
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JANUARY 2001 GAME DEVELOPER MAGAZINE ON THE FRONT LINE OF GAME INNOVATION GAME PLAN DEVELOPER ✎ 600 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 t: 415.947.6000600 Harrison f:Street,415.947.6090 San Francisco, w: www.gdmag.com CA 94107 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR t: 415.947.6000 f: 415.947.6090 w: www.gdmag.com Publisher PublisherJennifer Pahlka [email protected] Jennifer Pahlka [email protected] EDITORIAL EDITORIALEditor-In-Chief Editor-In-ChiefMark DeLoura [email protected] On Game Engines SeniorMark EditorDeLoura [email protected] SeniorJennifer Editor Olsen [email protected] ManagingJennifer Olsen Editor [email protected] ManagingLaura Huber Editor [email protected] n interesting phenomenon know what systems you’ll have to create ProductionLaura Huber Editor [email protected] has been occurring in our yourselves. Making alterations to a licensed ProductionR.D.T. Byrd Editor [email protected] Postmortem column recent- game engine to add your own features ProductionR.D.T. Byrd Assistance [email protected] Editor-At-LargeAudrey Welch [email protected] ly. Have you noticed it? Our requires quite a bit of time examining the Editor-At-LargeChris Hecker [email protected] three most recent Post- engine code. ContributingChris Hecker Editors [email protected] Daniel Huebner [email protected] Amortem titles have all used licensed game One resource that all of our Postmortem Contributing Editors JeffDaniel Lander Huebner [email protected] [email protected] engines. November’s DEUS EX used the titles saved by licensing technology was MarkJeff Lander Peasley [email protected] [email protected] AdvisoryMark PeasleyBoard [email protected] UNREAL engine, December’s HEAVY METAL: the number of bodies. For example, DEUS AdvisoryHal Barwood Board LucasArts F.A.K.K. 2 used QUAKE 3 technology, and EX only required three programmers. NoahHal Barwood Falstein TheLucasArts Inspiracy BrianNoah Hook Falstein VerantThe InteractiveInspiracy this month’s STAR TREK: VOYAGER — ELITE Writing a game engine is a huge task, and SusanBrian Lee-MerrowHook Verant Lucas Interactive Learning FORCE also used QUAKE 3. All three of not having that task to tackle meant that MarkSusan Miller Lee-Merrow Group LucasProcess Learning Consulting PaulMark Steed MillerIndependent Group Process Consulting these Postmortems noted that using they could get by with fewer programmers. DanPaul Teven Steed TevenIndependent Consulting licensed technology was one of the things This is definitely a cost savings. Does it add RobDan Wyatt Teven TheTeven Groove Consulting Alliance Rob Wyatt The Groove Alliance that went right. up to two person-years? Probably. ADVERTISING SALES Is licensing a game engine right for your DirectorADVERTISING of Sales SALES & Marketing GregDirector Kerwin of Sales e: [email protected]& Marketing t: 415.947.6218 title? That depends on a lot of factors. The Other Lessons Learned NationalGreg Kerwin Sales Manager e: [email protected] t: 415.947.6218 first thing to examine is the genre of your JenniferNational Orvik Sales Manager,e: [email protected] Western Region,t: 415.947.6217 Silicon Valley & Asia Jennifer Orvik e: [email protected] t: 415.947.6217 game. If you’re creating a PC-based first- y licensing an engine and its tools at Account Manager, Western Region, Silicon Valley & Asia MikeAccount Colligan Manager, e: [email protected] California t: 415.947.6223 or third-person action/puzzle/shooter title, B the beginning of a project, your artists AccountSusan KirbyManager, e: [email protected] California t: 415.947.6226 you have many options available. For can immediately begin working on content SusanAccount Kirby Manager, e: [email protected] Eastern Region &t: 415.947.6226Europe AccountAfton ThatcherManager, Eastern e: [email protected] Region & Europe t: 415.947.6224 sports games, isometric-view games, or fly- for the game. If you were writing your own AftonSales Representative,Thatcher e: [email protected] Recruitment t: 415.947.6224 ing games, you’ll find fewer adequate game engine, there would be a period of time SalesMorgan Representative/Recruitment Browning e: [email protected] t: 415.947.6225 Morgan Browning e: [email protected] t: 415.947.6225 engines, but they’re still out there. Console while the programmers worked on the ADVERTISING PRODUCTION games have fewer possibilities still. engine that the artists would be mostly ADVERTISINGSenior Vice President/ProductionPRODUCTION Andrew A. Mickus spinning their wheels. In fact, you probably SeniorAdvertising Vice President/Production Production CoordinatorAndrewKevin A.Chanel Mickus Advertising Production Coordinator Kevin Chanel wouldn’t want to have many artists on the Reprints Stella Valdez t: 916.983.6971 Why Buy? Reprints Stella Valdez t: 916.983.6971 project at the early stages. When you buy CMP GAME MEDIA GROUP MARKETING CMPSenior GAME MarCom MEDIA Manager GROUP MARKETINGJennifer McLean helling out the bucks for a game your engine, the programmers have more SeniorStrategic MarCom Marketing Manager ManagerJennifer Darrielle McLean Sadle S engine is not for the faint of heart. time to create subsystems and tools which StrategicMarketing Marketing Coordinator Manager Scott DarrielleLyon Sadle There are many different types of licensing assist the artists and designers in making MarketingAudience DevelopmentCoordinator ScottCoordinator Lyon Jessica Shultz agreements, from royalties-only to flat-fee the game come to life. AudienceSales Marketing Development Associate Coordinator JenniferJessica Cereghetti Shultz Sales Marketing Associate and everything in between. In general, the Being on the cutting edge by getting a pre- JenniferCIRCULATION Cereghetti cost outlay you can expect averages about release version of an engine means that every Group Circulation Director Kathy Henry CIRCULATIONDirector of Audience Development Henry Fung $200,000. few months you’ll have to upgrade your Group Circulation Director Kathy Henry Circulation Manager Ron Escobar The typical game development process technology. You may have to redesign aug- Game Developer Director of Audience Development Henry Fung magazine is Circulation Assistant Ian Hay Circulation Manager Ron Escobar takes 18 months and employs 10 people. mentations you’ve built on top of the engine, BPA approved Newsstand Analyst Pam Santoro Newsstand Analyst Pam Santoro At a rough cost of $100,000 per person per or modify custom tools you’ve designed. The SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES year, that game would cost $1.5 million to other choice is to buy a proven stable engine SUBSCRIPTIONFor information, SERVICES order questions, and address changes Fort: 800.250.2429 information, order or 847.647.5928questions, and address f: 847.647.5972 changes develop. If buying an engine would save and make your game distinctive through t:e:[email protected] or 847.647.5928 f: 847.647.5972 you two person-years, that would cover the your programmers’ augmentations. e: [email protected] INTERNATIONAL LICENSING INFORMATION $200,000 cost. By not having to build your game’s en- INTERNATIONALMario Salinas LICENSING INFORMATION Unfortunately, none of our Postmortem gine, you have more freedom to concen- Mariot: 650.513.4234 Salinas f: 650.513.4482 t:e:[email protected] f: 650.513.4482 titles really seemed to save time overall by trate on your design. It appears from our e: [email protected] purchasing an engine. The development last three Postmortems that that alone is CMP MEDIA MANAGEMENT CMPPresident MEDIA & MANAGEMENT CEO Gary Marshall process took about the same amount of really what makes a game stand out. PresidentCorporate & President/COO CEO Gary MarshallJohn Russell time that they had expected it would with- CorporateCFO John President/COO Day John Russell CFO John Day out purchasing an engine. Each develop- Group President, Business Technology Group Adam K. Marder GroupGroup President, President, Business Specialized Technology Technologies Group Group AdamRegina K. Marder Starr Ridley ment team spent time learning to use the GroupGroup President, President, Specialized Channel Group Technologies Pam Watkins Group Regina Starr Ridley engine, and then augmented it with propri- GroupGroup President, President, Channel Electronics Group Group Pam Steve Watkins Weitzner Group President, Electronics Group Steve Weitzner etary extensions such as scripting lan- Senior Vice President, Human Resources Leah Landro SeniorSenior Vice Vice President, President, Human Global ResourcesSales & Marketing Leah Landro Bill Howard guages, particle systems, lip-synch systems, Let us know what you think. Send SeniorSenior Vice Vice President, President, Global Business Sales Development & Marketing Vittoria Bill Howard Borazio and so on. When you’re examining game e-mail to [email protected], or write SeniorGeneral Vice Counsel President, Sandra Business Grayson Development Vittoria Borazio GeneralVice President, Counsel Creative Sandra TechnologiesGrayson Johanna Kleppe engines, make sure you have planned out Cto Game Developer, 600 Harrison St., Vice President, Creative Technologies Johanna Kleppe the features you’re going to need so you San Francisco, CA 94107 2 WWW.CMPGAME.COM FRONT LINE TOOLS ZWHAT’S NEW IN THE WORLD OF GAME DEVELOPMENT | daniel huebner ten descriptions of their game Other key technologies in the IESDK will concepts for evaluation by come from Metro Link, a maker of Microsoft’s Xbox team. Those graphical display software for Linux sys- invited to join the program can tems, including Open Stream for video license an Xbox Development and Xtrema for display management.