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| Re: Halo 2 Uses Havok 2 Physics Engine | |
| Posted By: Nick <NickHBO@comcast.net> | Date: 1/26/04 12:20 a.m. |
In Response To: Re: Halo 2 Uses Havok 2 Physics Engine (Dan Chosich) : Wow. That's news to me. Although... it does not say Halo 2 here:
: It seems odd that they wouldn't add it... they've added Starsky and Hutch - I
And I quote: "Here is a sampling of some exciting titles that are in development"... That means they're showing some of the games, not all, that use Havok 2. For all we know Microsoft or Bungie could've requested to not be put on the page for whatever reason. Maybe they're trying it out to see how they like it first - but I'd assume by this point in the development cycle they've made a decision. : The Havok engine is pretty kickass but I thought Halo 2 was coded by Bungie.
A physics engine is not the alpha and omega of a game engine. Take a look at the Unreal engine - they license out their engine and co-license out the Karma Physics engine. Does this mean Epic did not code the Unreal Engine? Hardly, they put years of effort into that engine and simply used middleware for physics. When programming your goal is not to reinvent the wheel, when creating a game your goal is to not simply be a copy of competitor's products. Unique products get sales, copies get the $5 bin at Wal-Mart. Good middleware lets you accomplish both of these tasks - have a good base model to work from so you're not writing something from the ground up and customize that base model so your implementation of it is unique. The best way I can describe it (which isn't that great a way to describe it) is to compare it to some other building/development process. So today I'll attempt to relate it to the construction of a building. Think of a new building being built in your city. There may be a big construction company that handles architecture, foundations, concrete pouring, brick laying, etc. However, that big company doesn't place windows in the building (think of a huge skyscraper). So naturally the company sub-contracts another company to do this part of the job. Does this mean the big company has no say as to where the windows go? No, they drew up the plans to make the building and created the walls around the areas where the windows will go. Can the big company change where the windows go if they want to? Yep, just rework a few things and they're set. So, is the building still a building without the windows? Yes, it's still a building but it sure isn't a building you want to be in. How does that relate to a game engine? Well you have Bungie who writes the documents for the game's architecture, then they code the engine (foundation), build on that with art and sound (concrete pouring), and then make it stable with bug testing (brick laying). The Havok engine is like the company that supplies the windows, they have the goods the engine needs to get physics up and ready for the world but Bungie decided where everything goes and how it all works together. Simple, right? Yea I pulled this one further then need be but oh well, I had fun. -Nick | |
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