The Unreal Engine came around 1998 and was developed by Epic Games founder Tim Sweeny. Initially, Unreal Engine relied solely on the CPU for graphics calculations through software rendering. However, as time passed, it evolved to leverage the capabilities offered by dedicated graphics cards, enhancing its performance and visual fidelity.
This graced the gaming world with timeless classics such as Unreal (1998), the Dishonored series, and the ever-so-popular Fortnite Battle Royale. Despite the long list, the Unreal Engine displayed its capabilities and versatility that can make games outstanding, allowing other developers to utilize the platform.
Fast forward to 2023, the gaming community was met with this peculiar and highly realistic game trailer called “Unrecord.”
This brought up threads filled with discussion on whether this trailer was actually true or not. True in the sense that it was a body-cam recording veiling itself to be a “playable” game. Being an avid gamer, I was dumbfounded when I saw the gameplay for myself, thinking it had to be a recording. Soon after, the developers showed proof that it was actually a game in the making, no-clipping through walls and giving proper explanations.
It is looking great for developers that intend to use this platform for game creation as it paves the way for visually stunning gameplay that some people sought out for. It may not be great for competitive games, but it is definitely for those who need an escape into a hyperrealistic world.
What are the biggest differences between the 4th and 5th versions of Unreal Engine?
The biggest and considered “groundbreaking” addition is the introduction of micropolygon tech. This allows for film-quality geometric detail in real-time by streaming and rendering an increased amount of polygons, increasing the level of detail in objects. To put into perspective, the previous platform could handle millions of polygons, while Unreal Engine 5 can handle up to 10 billion polygons—creating realistic environments as displayed previously.
The new platform also introduces Lumen, a global illumination system. This provides real-time dynamic lighting that includes indirect and bounced lighting on surfaces. This adds an extra level of immersion as it mimics how we perceive light first-hand. Unreal Engine provides a new control rig system with an intuitive and flexible approach for character animations. I look forward to more complex behavior and look as developers utilize this new tech.
From Unreal Engine Official GIPHY
With the advancements brought by Unreal Engine 5 and the continuous evolution of gaming technology, the future of gaming holds incredible possibilities. For those who know Accel World, Log Horizon, and Sword Art Online, I sincerely hope to reach that age to be neurally immersed in video games without many repercussions. Some may not like it, but companies will continue to push innovations further in this highly saturated and well-loved entertainment medium.
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