unreal-engine-3 posts

Epic Games has supported mod makers by releasing tools for their PC games ever since the release of the original Unreal game. Tons of new levels, weapons and total conversions have started out as mods based on Epic's games like Unreal Tournament, UT 2004 and UT 3. A few have even made the jump to becoming full stand alone commercial games like Tactical Ops, Red Orchestra and most recently Killing Floor. All of those games required the developer to buy a full Unreal Engine license from Epic.

With today's release of the Unreal Development Kit by Epic, mod makers who previously needed to have one of Epic's commercial games installed no longer have that limitation and can now make stand alone games that they can release for free or as a commercial game. Toltec Studios, the UT 3 mod team behind the unusual first person action-puzzle total conversion The Ball, have already released a stand alone free demo version of the game using UDK. You can download the demo right now at Big Download.

Big Download got to ask some questions to the mod team's leader Sjoerd "Hourences" De Jong to find out more about their UDK version of The Ball, whether mod makers will gravitate to Epic's new free release and their plans for a commercial version of The Ball.

San Diego-based Psyonix is a full fledged professional game developer with lots of experience in using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 technology. Indeed the developer has collaborated directly with Epic on several of their games. However, the team also likes to experiment with new game prototypes and one of those efforts, the casual underwater-themed platformer Whizzle, has been turned into a full (and free) stand along game using Epic's now officially released Unreal Development Kit.

Big Download got a chance to ask some questions to the Psyonix team and its founder Dave.Hagewood to find out more about how Whizzle was made, what they think the release of UDK will mean for game development and more.

Epic has released the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), a free version of Unreal Engine 3 for aspiring game developers. It's absolutely free for noncommercial and educational purposes. Those that wish to use Unreal Engine 3 for commercial use will need should refer to licensing terms at www.udk.com/licensing. The press announcement, demonstration video and features list can be seen after the jump. For more information, users can visit the official forums or the UDK documentation page.

To demonstrate the power and versatility of the development tool, there are two free games available, made using the UDK. They are:

Whizzle: A vertical scrolling puzzle game in which players swim through levels as Whizzle, an adorable sea creature that collects items and frees tiny comrades from captivity. Avoid the electrifying stingers of the jellyfish! More information about Whizzle, including a developer diary video, can be seen after the jump.

The Ball: An episodic, puzzle-based action game. Known as one of the most award-winning Unreal Tournament 3 mods in the $1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest, "The Ball" has won honors for Best Use of Physics, Best Game Type and Best FPS Mod. Toltec Studios has ported over its UT3 mod to UDK, and the free, standalone version of The Ball is available for download.

Download Unreal Development Kit (562 MB)
Download HD Unreal Development Kit Launch Trailer (80 MB)
Download HD UDK Psyonix Developer Diary (344 MB)

Download Whizzle (112 MB)
Download The Ball (359 MB)

Topware Interactive sent over a note announcing that they will be the US publisher for Scivelation, an upcoming Unreal Engine III-based third person shooter. Due out for the PC and other platforms in mid-2010, the game is being developed by Ukraine-based Black Wing Foundation.

So what's the game about, besides having a rather odd title? The game is set in a distant future where a oppressive government known as the Regime is in charge. Your character is leading the resistance against this group and . . . hey, haven't we played this kind of game before? Geeze. Well if Scivelation has a "unrelenting interactive experience" as the press release states, we may forgive it for its generic storyline.

[Via email press release]

Epic Games continues to expand its business to other parts of the world and this week at the Tokyo Game Show it was revealed that the developer will open up a new office in Japan. Our sister site Joystiq reports that the office will be based in Tokyo and will mainly be used to provide Unreal Engine customer support to Japanese-based development studios. However, Epic's president Mike Capps added that the office could expand to develop actual games.

This is just the latest in Epic's expansion plans. Besides their North Carolina home base they own two development studios in the West; Chair Entertainment in Utah and People Can Fly in Poland. They also operate Epic Games Korea for engine support and they are also involved (although more indirectly) in Epic Games China.

Clearly aiming for the Modern Warfare gaming audience, the free-to-play first person shooter Alliance of Vailant Arms from publisher NHN USA has now entered closed beta testing and will continue until September 30. Play time for the Unreal Engine 3 based shooter will be from Noon to 8 p.m. PST each day.

You can still sign up to check out the closed beta at the game's official web site. Big Download got a chance to play a few matches earlier this week in a special media day and the game is certainly a fun way to spend a few minutes of time. There are a number of gameplay modes available from simple team deathmatch-like modes to one where teams set up bombs to go off in certain areas to one where one team escorts a tank from one side of the map to the other while the other team tries to stop them. You can rank up in the game to gain access to more weapons and items, again much like the Modern Warfare titles.

At E3 back in June we got to see a video presentation with a little in-game footage of All Points Bulletin (APB), the upcoming urban crime themed MMO from developer Real Time Worlds and publisher Electronic Arts. However the E3 presentation was mostly about the game's customization option to make your character, your vehicle and event your music set to your specifications.

At PAX 2009 this weekend we got to see yet another APB video presentation behind closed doors. While not actual live gameplay it was a 15 minute video of real gameplay that was recently created. Oddly enough one of the participants who controlled one of the characters in the APB video was none other than Mark Rein, the VP of Epic Games (APB uses Epic's Unreal Engine 3)

Check out more info from the game after the jump:

Playlogic Games has added yet another game for PC owners to wait on. Granted it's a game that we haven't really had our radar on but it still means that you won't get to play this game this year while your console counterparts get that privalage.

The game? Fairytale Fights, the Unreal Engine 3 based action game that's being designed as a kind of goofy and violent twist on those fun children's stories. While the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions ship to stores in the US on October 27, we will have to wait until sometime in 2010 to play the PC version. Too bad. We were looking forward to try out the game's feature set that would allow us to "dynamically slice through 3D models in real-time."

[Via email press release]

Epic Games continues to look for the best Unreal Tournament 3 mods with their ongoing Make Something Unreal Contest. Today the developer announced the winners of Phase 3 of the contest. The screenshot you see above is from the winning entry in the Best FPS Mod category. The The Ball: Teotl Mod is described as "an adventure that puts you in the boots of a geologist who gets stuck in a cavern and bumps onto an ancient and Mesoamerican complex holding a mysterious ball."

The Best Non-FPS Mod category winner went to The Haunted, a horror themed third person shooter which can be played in both single and multiplayer modes. The contest's official web site has a list of all the Phase 3 winners and their runners-up in all the categories. Phase 4 will begin soon and will be the last that mod teams can enter on their own. After Phase 4 is completed the top 12 mods will be chosen for the final phase of the contest. The Grand Prize winning mod will receive $50,000 and more importantly a full Unreal Engine 3 license.