HAVOC Engine

[Silverleaf]

Did anyone here download and try the HAVOK engine?

[Al_Capowned]

yes.........

[dakka dakka]

and how was it Al?

[Alatar]

Originally Posted by Al_Capowned

yes.........

Originally Posted by dakka dakka

and how was it Al?

Lovely responses in this thread. Anyways I'm interested to hear your opinions aswell.

[Al_Capowned]

I'm actually not sure what the question is.

I have worked with the SDK and Content Tools for developers as well as played games currently using the engine. I'd be more than happy to elaborate on either or both experiences but for sake of saving this thread from being lost due to an overly technical analysis of the engine I'll wait for the OP to specify which he/she was looking for.

[dakka dakka]

Originally Posted by Al_Capowned

I'm actually not sure what the question is.

I have worked with the SDK and Content Tools for developers as well as played games currently using the engine. I'd be more than happy to elaborate on either or both experiences but for sake of saving this thread from being lost due to an overly technical analysis of the engine I'll wait for the OP to specify which he/she was looking for.

ok fair enough..........keep your secrets :-P

[Silverleaf]

Originally Posted by Al_Capowned

I'm actually not sure what the question is.

I have worked with the SDK and Content Tools for developers as well as played games currently using the engine. I'd be more than happy to elaborate on either or both experiences but for sake of saving this thread from being lost due to an overly technical analysis of the engine I'll wait for the OP to specify which he/she was looking for.

Ah'm greedy. I want to know both!! But from a players (possibility's with a game on that engine) point of view. Does it feel like DnD Online??? (Yes I know ... different engine)

[Brett Kuntz]

Originally Posted by Silverleaf

Ah'm greedy. I want to know both!! But from a players (possibility's with a game on that engine) point of view. Does it feel like DnD Online??? (Yes I know ... different engine)

Havoc only provides a means to add physics to your game, it has no effect at all on the outcome of the game, it's mechanics, look, feel, or story. Havoc can't make any game feel, or not feel, like DnD Online. Games can have physics without Havoc, and games can use Havoc and have very little use of physics (or none at all).

TLDR: Just because a game uses a specific type of middleware like Havoc does not mean we could make any predictions as to what the game will play like. The game could make very subtle use of physics here and there (Counter-Strike: Source), or the game could be entirely based around physics (like a Pool Table Simulator).

[Al_Capowned]

as Brett mentioned the physics engine can't, by itself, change the way a game feels. With that said the work I have done with the Havok(it's not Havoc guys) engine has been pleasant. The newtonian control of game worlds is great. The motion pipelining is one of the best I've seen in a while. I'm very impressed with where Havok has gone since 1998.

On the downside I get the strong feeling that the Physics Engine was specifically designed to work along side the Animation Engine and while I've rarely seen the two of them working seamlessly the Developers Kit makes it pretty obvious that it was deliberate. So I'm not sure how well it's going to work with Guild Wars 2.

Most people associate the Havok engine with Counter Strike: Source, but as Brett pointed out it's a very very dumbed down stripped version of the engine used in Source. If you're looking for a good example of a game that exploits the full potential of the Havok engines (both physics and animation) take a look at BioShock and BioShock2.

if I had to be completely honest, while I am impressed with Havok, in the long run I think PhysX wins. The direction Aegia took and Nvidia is now taking is putting PhysX in great position for the future.

[moriz]

unfortunately PhysX is nvidia graphic cards only, which means that no matter how technologically superior it is, it will never be used over Havok. unless of course, Nvidia gains a massive dominance in graphic card marketshare (which it never will).

[Silverleaf]

Thanks all for the input!! So...How is BioSchock 2??? ^^

[Al_Capowned]

Originally Posted by moriz

unfortunately PhysX is nvidia graphic cards only, which means that no matter how technologically superior it is, it will never be used over Havok. unless of course, Nvidia gains a massive dominance in graphic card marketshare (which it never will).

it's not out of the realm of possible to see Nvidia license the technology out...or to even sell it. I would venture to say that PhysX will not be Nvidia exclusive forever.

Originally Posted by Silverleaf

Thanks all for the input!! So...How is BioSchock 2??? ^^

as a game I didn't like it. But it was impressive. The physics were great and the animation are top notch. Visually the game is stunning

[Gigashadow]

Regarding PhysX licensing, at least to AMD, from an interview with AMD http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/intervi...ent-and-dx11/1

"Even though I don't think PhysX - a proprietary standard - is the right way to go, despite Nvidia touting it as an "open standard" and how it would be "more than happy to license it to AMD", but Nvidia won't. It's just not true! You know the way it is, it's simply something Nvidia would not do and they can publically say that as often as it likes and know that it won't, because we've actually had quiet conversations with them and they've made it abundantly clear that we can go whistle."

[Al_Capowned]

Originally Posted by Gigashadow

Regarding PhysX licensing, at least to AMD, from an interview with AMD http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/intervi...ent-and-dx11/1

"Even though I don't think PhysX - a proprietary standard - is the right way to go, despite Nvidia touting it as an "open standard" and how it would be "more than happy to license it to AMD", but Nvidia won't. It's just not true! You know the way it is, it's simply something Nvidia would not do and they can publically say that as often as it likes and know that it won't, because we've actually had quiet conversations with them and they've made it abundantly clear that we can go whistle."

That's a good read...but you can't take anything either manufacturer says as anything but speculation. It's as much a game of politics as it is a race for technology

[Brett Kuntz]

Originally Posted by Al_Capowned

if I had to be completely honest, while I am impressed with Havok, in the long run I think PhysX wins. The direction Aegia took and Nvidia is now taking is putting PhysX in great position for the future.

Havok is being ported to OpenCL as we speak and will be available on all DX11 cards shortly. PhysX is dead in the water as it would make no sense for a company to use a system that only works on nVidia gaming cards. On top of that, there are only a handful of hardware supported PhysX games. Most PhysX games that nVidia brags about are software PhysX games only, which means they work on all systems, since the physics are computed on the AMD/Intel CPU's.