If you’re looking for an Unreal Game Development Company, there are some key factors to consider in order to make an informed choice.

1. Company’s Portfolio

A strong game development portfolio showcases the company’s expertise across various kinds of projects. A long-running Unreal engine game development company will provide a comprehensive work history, experience, reviews and client testimonials to help you decide. Innovation is vital to game development and the portfolio should reflect that.

2. Expertise

Unreal Engine is the most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool. Hire unreal engine developers who have to have the technical knowhow of the game development principles and the artistic skills in order to leverage the full potential of Unreal. A proven track record of solutions will be a good thing to go by.

3. Development Services

The wider the range of Unreal game development services, the better, of course! Look for companies that offer full-cycle game development services, that cover everything from art, animation, VR/AR/XR-based development, right up to game testing.

4. Development Process

Find out about the company’s development process and work methodology. Is it well-defined? From strategy development, content creation, coding to testing, the development process reflects on the successful delivery of the game.

5. Data Protection

An important factor to consider when looking for a game development company is data protection. Look for one that cares about your data security and intellectual property. There is no replacement for solid non-disclosure agreements.

6. Employee Retention

High employee retention statistics reveal the ability of an organization to retain its employees and ensure sustainability. While retention rates vary widely based on the type of business, a good retention rate signifies business efficiency and career-focussed training of employees.

Game Design and Development Process

Let’s quickly walk through what it takes to develop a game from scratch. Each game project has 3 distinct stages- pre-production, production, and post-production.

Pre-production

This is the primary stage when the game is planned. The following steps are involved:

1. Research: Research is important to the game design process. Everything, like tools to use, genres to choose, characters to animate, ideas to develop, is decided at this stage. Competitor analysis is a must too!

2. Brainstorming: The game designers start thinking and exploring various techniques. It can be visual, through storyboards, or conceptual art demonstrating what the character or environment may look like.

3. Game concepts: In this phase, some of the questions asked are - What will be the genre of the game? What is the time frame? Who are its characters? Will the game be 2D or 3D? Who is my target audience? From environment to storyline, number of levels to players, everything is decided at this time.

4. Concept Art: Concept art shows how the characters, objects, buildings, and areas will look. They can be in a realistic style, cartoon style, etc. A concept artist is vital because he gives the entire team a visual guide to the overall game.

5. Map development: This step involves planning the layout of the game - not too detailed but simply as a basis. Is it an island? Is it divided into sections or territories? Unless specified in the client’s brief, the designer makes these choices.

6. Game Design Document: A GDD helps keep the team organized throughout the process of game development. It contains the game’s proposed design like the concept of the game, genre, core game mechanics, gameplay, timeline, illustrations/sketches, story and characters, levels and monetization strategies. GDD is updated regularly.

7. Prototype: The prototype is a raw test that checks the functionality of the game, environments, gameplay, mechanics, user experience, etc. This decides whether the game is worth pursuing or not.

Production

1. Production:It is the longest and most challenging phase of game development. In this crucial stage, the team takes the concepts produced during the pre-production stage and transforms them into source code and different assets. The steps involved are:

2. Design: Working with the artist, the design team renders character models, iterates on the interfaces, designs dynamic and interactive level designs and environments, and so on. The models become more accurate and ideas get refined, or discarded, at this stage.

3. Level blocking: This approach is used to layout, shape, establish size, scale, etc. of each level. Each block may depict a cliff or a building, for instance. Doing this gives an instant feel of the environment you have built and helps make necessary positional adjustments. This is also an efficient way to break down a large level into more manageable blocks which can easily be detailed one by one.

4. Texturing: Textures are the flat images that are added to the model to give it colour and detail. In this process, the whole object is turned from grayscale to colour scale. It is applied to all the static meshes on the objects.

5. Lighting: Lighting is the art of filling each scene with artistic touch and beauty. It is used in setting up the atmosphere, evoking emotions and mimicking the real world.

6. Audio Production: Sound plays a significant role in games. Audio production is the method of adding various sounds as per the game needs.

7. Cinematics: Cinematics are usually an interlude from the game used to inform the player about the mission of the game, goals, hand out clues, character information, maps, etc.

8. HUDs and Menus: HUD (heads-up display) or status bar is the information that is displayed on a screen in order to assist or inform the player of what is happening. HUD provides info such as character’s health, weapons, time, position on the map, etc. Menus direct the player on the goals, in-game purchases details, available elements, and many other things.

Post Production

This is the final stage of game development and includes:

1. Testing: Each feature, as well as the mechanics of the game, need to be tested for quality control. Only after endless hours of testing and iterating, the game is considered ready for a late-Alpha or even a Beta release, on the basis of how polished the in-game features are.

2. Redesign: On the basis of findings during the testing process, there might be many elements that might need to be fixed or redesigned.

3. Release: Once the game is developed and it is tested, it reaches the implementation stage where the game is finally launched to a wider audience.

4. Support and Maintenance: Post-launch support is crucial. Game updates are important in order to achieve consistent user base growth and high retention rates. To keep the game exciting, the game is often updated by adding new modes, features, levels, etc

Our Unreal Game Development Services & Solutions

As a leading Unreal Game Development company, Logic Simplified is committed to creating high-quality, cross-platform games that are safe, ethical, and entertaining. Our services and solutions cover the complete spectrum!

Metaverse Game Development

We are well-known as a metaverse development company. Advanced technologies like AI, cloud computing, IoT, AR, VR, 3D reconstruction, and blockchain are used to create real-time 2D and 3D architectural visualizations that replicate real-world environments.

AI-centric Animation Content Development

Our experience, combined with our expertise in AI and ML, helps us create custom high-quality animations - rotoscoping, visual effects, 2D and 3D animation, storyboard animation, whiteboard animation, character animation, and more.

Expert C++ Optimization

We use advanced C++ features to strategically manage memory, optimize gaming resources, and provide more control over the code. We ensure timely delivery of game apps with exceptional optimization, compatibility, maintainability, and efficiency.

Real-time 3D Game Rendering

Unreal engine 3D modeling is great for scene prototyping. Hire our Unreal Engine developers to craft interactive, data-driven 2D visuals, characters, and designs seamlessly processed in 3D rendering, approaching realism.

VR Character and Environment Development

Unreal Engine's PBR capabilities are far more advanced than other gaming engines. We use them to achieve the highest level of photorealism in video games.

XR - Art and Development

We use Unreal Engine to develop high-quality XR experiences that fuse digital art and real-world interactions.

Cross-platform Mobile Game Development

From casual games to action-packed RPGs, our Unreal developers are experts at creating cross-platform game apps, with proficiency in video game mechanics, responsive UI features, stunning designs, and user engagement features.

Game Porting to Unreal Engine

We facilitate smooth game porting to Unreal Engine, preserving quality and enabling a game to cater to a wider audience, by offering players substantial flexibility.

Console Game Development

As a leading unreal game development studio, we have delivered robust console titles for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. From action and arcade to adventure, sports, racing, and strategy genres, we offer tailored solutions across consoles.

Web3 and Blockchain Development

We make play-to-earn games using the Unreal engine. By incorporating blockchain, cryptocurrencies, AI, NFTs, and IoT, we create decentralized networks that give gamers ownership and control over their gaming assets.

Top Unreal Game Development Companies to Watch in 2024

01

LOGIC SIMPLIFIED

 

Logic Simplified is a leading game development company in India, with 12+ years of experience in creating top-notch games. It has assisted over 100 businesses globally, with expertise in gaming and emerging technology solutions. Their expertise in game logic, game analytics, and game monetization translates into a strong portfolio covering Game Art & Design, Casual games, AR/VR/XR games, Mobile/desktop/console games, AI, Blockchain-powered Metaverse Development and IoT.

This established Unreal game development company offers lifelike gameplay experiences through UE5’s advanced features such as enhanced details, stunning physics, precise lighting, and captivating sound effects. Our team of experienced testers provide manual and usability testing services for Unreal games. A scalable design philosophy and flexible engagement models make them a valued partner. They deliver MVP within three months, with end-to-end game development and assured post-release support.

02

UBISOFT

 

Ubisoft is a leading game developer and publisher in France. It has used Unreal Engine for many game development projects, including the award-winning Rainbow Six Siege, created by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. Ubisoft creates high-quality games that resonate with all kinds of players, bring people together, and allow everyone to learn and have fun. Their priority is to make games that everyone can enjoy. Accessibility is an important part of their game development mantra.

03

KEVURU GAMES

 

Since 2011, Kevuru has created a strong game development portfolio for itself and is also an Unreal Engine service partner. Located in Ukraine, Kevuru excels by harnessing the advanced capabilities of Unreal Engine to build immersive gaming experiences. It seamlessly ports projects from UE4 to UE5. It has a rich experience in a variety of styles and genres and has created a name for itself in developing blockchain games, NFTs, and metaverses.

04

SUFFESCOM SOLUTIONS INC.

In the last few years, Suffescom Solutions Inc. has become a leading name in game design and development. The services cover 2D and 3D game art, AR/VR development, animation and some  NFT video games. They work closely with clients and offer excellent services for both complete-cycle and art-only development. They have a strong blockchain, mobile and ecommerce portfolio, and are well known as a Web3 Consulting Company.

05

RISINGMAX INC.

 

Rising Max Inc. is a well-established IT Consulting company in NYC. Their team specializes in creating gaming experiences which fully use UE4’s capabilities.  Their lighting pipeline expertly incorporates UE5's Lumen System, raising the realism of their games. RisingMax Inc. has provided services to clients worldwide, including mobile app development, web development and custom solutions. Small and medium-sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies are among its clients.

Conclusion

Unreal Engine’s free and accessible resources and inspirational community empower everyone to realize their ambitions. Top game development studios are using Unreal to create breathtaking visuals and innovative gameplay. Every improvement introduced by Unreal advances the possibilities of the genre in the future.

Unreal game development is a hugely creative and lucrative industry. These were some of the top unreal game development companies around the world. If you’re joining the Unreal bandwagon, then this is where you begin! ]]> https://logicsimplified.com/newgames/unreal-engine-archviz-how-ue-is-revolutionizing-the-architecture-industry/ Mon, 26 Feb 2024 06:46:20 +0000 https://logicsimplified.com/newgames/?p=8916 ]]> As opposed to 2D drawings and sketches, 3D architectural visualization gives the viewer a graphical representation of the object, assets, and the environment from different sides and angles, allowing them to evaluate in detail all the parts of interest and the entire future structure. In addition, technical details such as stage lighting, quality materials, and the ability to view individual architectural elements is also possible. Thus, 3D architectural visualization is important not just at the beginning of a project but also when one has to sell real estate. After all, these 3D designs are what allow the designers to communicate their ideas and thoughts effectively and help the viewer understand the essence of the project.    

Architectural visualization has existed since the time of ancient civilizations and has now been revolutionized with the Unreal Engine and its cutting-edge functions and features. Unreal engine is a gaming engine that is powerful, reliable, and high on performance for architectural designs. It has been working to build 3D models of structures. The models designed are detailed and accurate, including the measurements and other elements like carpets, furniture, lights, paintings, shadows, sunlight effects, etc. Its convenient features allow architects and developers to build immersive environments from scratch. Some strong features that help architectural visualization are:

Dynamic Global Illumination with Lumen

Lumen focuses on global illumination and reflection systems to achieve real-time realism. It offers high-quality lighting for applications and for making iterations of animations and still images. For interior scenes and close-up exteriors in architecture, Lumen is highly effective and makes rendering easy, comfortable, and quick, and offers the highest quality at the same time.

Unreal Engine ArchViz Rendering    

Unreal Engine Archviz architectural rendering in UE4 with dynamic shadow, lighting channels, and screen space reflections lets the users design high-quality photo realistic architectural visualization interiors offering an immersive experience to the viewer. Unreal Engine is the most powerful real-time 3D creation tool in the architectural industry for many reasons. One of the reasons is its physically based rendering material system and importing pipeline that makes importing models and projects into Unreal Engine easy. Also, Unreal Engine’s Forums and Documentation provide a vast and valuable resource for users’ questions and make it easier to work with the tool.

Path Tracing and Real-time Ray Tracing

Enhanced path tracer - The Path Tracer in Unreal Engine is a DXR-accelerated progressive rendering mode that offers offline-quality rendering with ray-tracing architecture. Real-time ray-tracing in the Unreal Engine allows the user to create very high-quality rendering with physically accurate results and no additional setup. It adds that extra level of photorealism to your projects.

Landscape System Tools and the Marketplace Ecosystem

The Landscape system in the Unreal engine is a collection of tools used to create any kind of terrain and outdoor environments. Over this, you can start building the rest of the design which includes buildings, neighborhoods, grass, trees, foliage, etc. The Marketplace ecosystem in the Unreal Engine offers high-quality textures, plugins, add-ons, and other assets for sale. The community of game app developers, engineers, designers, and artists create and sell animations, characters, blueprints, code plugins, and more.  

Material Editor UI

Flexible Material Editor is used to create, optimize, and render materials and objects in high quality for architectural visualization. This is very useful for game architects and game designers to make a stunning presentation of the materials they intend to use in the construction.

Big Data - real-time technology and the designing of urban spaces 

Organized arrangement and presentation of data make large-scale visualization of big cities and countries possible. Thus, with Unreal Engine, we can visualize, analyze, and model real-time data to understand it and make better use of it. This data helps us interactively design large road networks, design infrastructures together, and also focus on other big and small elements that are individually essential to the design and the project.  

Geographic Information System (GIS) provides us with data that can be used to make informed design decisions concerning the local landscape and archaeology and relay information with stability. Unreal Engine helps by providing precise data from a host of 3D, CAD, and BIM applications so that that data can be used to create great immersive designs, photorealism, and experiences.

Twinmotion Asset Library

Twinmotion Materials is a collection of archviz-themed PBR Materials and Textures in Unreal Engine. The master materials available at the Twinmotion material pack let you create accurate and realistic indoor and outdoor spaces with the best practices of physically based rendering. An instance of a material you use for a segment of a project determines the look and properties of that material. The Twinmotion rendering program is among the most widely used programs in the architecture industry because of how powerful the software is when it comes to rendering detailed landscapes, buildings, and settings. Impressive lighting and models like the sun and sky model allow you to view your design model in different lighting conditions, environments, and perspectives. 

Artificial Intelligence in Unreal Engine 

AI plays an important role in creating AI-powered entities in your projects. At Logic Simplified, we use several of Unreal Engine 5 features to create improved AI logic and behaviors that are capable of making better decisions in complex conditions. Its Behavior tree editor is a visual editor that lets us create and edit behavior trees. All the powerful features of UE5 together provide an impressive AI toolkit for the developers and designers to work with. 

The Architectural Visualization AI Traffic system available on Unreal Engine is designed to give architectural renderings and real-time rendered scenes an even more realistic look and feel with the addition of movable cars, roadways, traffic lights, and intersections. This system was specially designed for Arch Viz. Thus, easy modification and customization are also possible with the series of blueprints and AI behavior trees that are used to create this system. 

Conclusion

The Unreal Engine which was once confined to the gaming industry is now involved in other sectors as well, architecture being one of them. Unreal Engine tools such as animation rendering, video editor, sound studio, and more are used to create simulations. Its framework is easy to use even for someone with no previous experience of using the software. They also offer free guides and videos to make working on projects with Unreal Engine easy. Unreal Engine developers can create real images of the interior and exterior from scratch, with real-time rendering and experimental visualization.

With lighting effects and a material editor, the Unreal Engine helps designers highlight structural integrity and architectural design. With years of experience have now been able to deliver cutting-edge visualization experiences by leveraging the power of immersive visualizations. With Unreal Engine, we transform BIM and CAD data into stunning visualizations and VR experiences.

Unreal Engine has great modeling capabilities, other than extraordinary architectural visualization and a terrific display engine. Logic Simplified is a leading game development company with 12+ years of experience in game design and developing top-notch games. Hire developers from our unreal game development company who are committed to creating high-quality, cross-platform games that are safe, ethical, and entertaining, covering a wide spectrum of genres.

The introduction of AR and VR in the gaming industry is taking user engagement and revenue generation forward in leaps and bounds, all thanks to the minimized gap between the physical and digital environments that are refining the gaming experience of the users. To be specific, this surge has been a result of the dynamic audio-visual effects, the natural player-to-character interaction, photorealistic 3D graphics, and engaging levels, characters, and mechanics of the game. 

The gaming industry is brewing with innovation and new technology trends. There was augmented and virtual reality making breakthrough advances and with the Unreal Engine coming into the picture, the level of headway has been phenomenal for any Unreal game development company around.

Even though Unreal has been a popular choice for game app developers among other 3D game engines, this multifaceted development platform empowers developers to create visually stunning and immersive video games. Let’s understand the array of features that create such next-level user experiences.

How Unreal Engine is Used for AR and VR Development

Let’s take the example of the biggest VR game pulled off to date, The Walking Dead Onslaught is Survios’. The game is based on AMC’s popular television show and what made it such a great hit was the use of Unreal Engine to naturally develop exceptional replicas of assets from the show - such as the variety of weapons, characters, buildings, and environments. The different components of Unreal tech allowed the creators to create a feature-fed game while maintaining its performance. That said, other favorable features of the world’s most open and advanced creation tool include -

OpenXR-enabled Unreal Engine

The Unreal engine allows developers to create AR and VR experiences that are immersive and engaging and uses OpenXR to flexibly deploy such experiences or systems to any platform and device. OpenXR is a royalty-free standard that also offers several OpenXR extension plugins (mentioned below) in Unreal Engine that add functionality to OpenXR without relying on engine releases.

Professional Unreal Engine AR toolsets

The Unreal Engine AR frameworks are used to build AR applications using a single code path. It also supports the advanced functionality offered by ARCore 1.7 and ARKit 3.0.

ARCore 1.7

ARKit 3.0 

Real-time Rendering

One of the standout Unreal Engine features is its support for real-time rendering. Developers can create realistic environments using a range of tools and features that react to user input in real time, delivering a responsive and engaging experience. Additionally, the engine boasts advanced graphics and physics systems, essential for crafting realistic and visually striking AR and VR experiences. It uses advanced rendering techniques, such as dynamic lighting, shadows, and reflections, to create a highly realistic and immersive environment. 

The Preferred Choice for AAA games

Unreal Engine is well-documented and has great tools for the game development discipline that reduce the manual and resource-intensive tasks in game development. Some of the best AAA games built in the Unreal engine are Gears 5, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Resident Evil 4 VR, among others. In terms of animation, lighting, and creating geometry, Unreal engine is doing a great job making it a preferable choice for most game developers.

The Blueprint Visual Scripting System

Based on the idea of a node-based interface, the blueprint system in the Unreal engine creates gameplay elements. This powerful system lets even non-programmers use their range of tools and baseline systems usually only available to programmers. This is a step-by-step approach with templates and mechanics for anyone who wants to create a functional game. Users can gain experience and expertise by using blueprints that can be used to work on other game genres like making customizations or creating new AI and game mechanics.

Unreal Engine Marketplace

The Unreal Engine marketplace features free digital assets and content such as characters, blueprints, plugins, animations, and environments for the game development cycles. Its advanced 3D creation tools empower developers to build photoreal visuals for immersive experiences.

Access to Custom and Full Source Code

With Unreal engine, you can build a custom-made engine that bests suit your requirements. Access to the source code generates transparency and gives the users a clear picture of the how and whereabouts of the source. This allows the users to compile the engine from the source.

Spatial Audio in AR and VR Development

The Unreal engine's built-in tools for creating spatial audio add layers of immersion to AR and VR experiences. Spatial audio creates the impression of sound originating from distinct locations within the virtual environment, amplifying the sense of presence.

Comprehensive Development Environment

The comprehensive development environment in Unreal engine provides a suite of tools for designing, prototyping and testing AR and VR applications. This environment includes features like a visual scripting language, debugging tools, and real-time collaboration, making it easier for teams to work together and create high-quality AR and VR experiences.

The Future of Unreal Engine in AR and VR Development

“I believe we're in this long-term transition to augmented reality, that in 10 years we won't be sitting in front of monitors or smartphones or using keyboards or mice at all, but we'll be wearing something literally with the convenience and form factor of your Oakley sunglasses and that will have 8K displays per eye and it will be your window into both the real world and virtual world,” says Tim Sweeney in an interview. (Source: Polygon)

More and more people seek to experience immersive digital environments, and why not. This has resulted in an increased demand for high-quality AR and VR development tools and development. So interestingly for a long time now, the Unreal engine has been a promising tool that has demonstrated its capabilities in the gaming world. With its powerful features and comprehensive development environment, Unreal Engine is well-positioned to create cutting-edge AR and VR experiences in a wide range of industries. As AR and VR technologies continue to evolve and become more widely adopted, this game engine will undoubtedly play a significant role in shaping the future of these exciting and innovative technologies.

Looking toward the future, there are certain applications of this powerful engine in AR and VR development that show great potential for advancement. XR has become an integral part of our daily lives and with Unreal Engine’s capabilities, game designers will build more well-designed and lifelike experiences. 

Also read: Core Points To Consider Before Hiring A Game Developer

Final thoughts

Unreal Engine is leading the charge in AR and VR development, providing a platform that is versatile, dynamic, and comprehensive. As AR and VR continue to gain popularity, the engine will continue to be at the forefront of delivering unforgettable, interactive experiences to users. Developers at Logic Simplified, a top Unreal game development company, have been using this gaming engine since time immemorial to explore a new world of development by bringing amazing innovation in AR and VR development. We use a wide range of tools and techniques to captivate game artists that will in turn bring success to the game owners, our clients. If you want any suggestions or have any queries regarding the Unreal game engine, look no further and contact us at enquiry@logicsimplified.com

Epic has filed a motion for an injunction against Apple in the US District Court for California’s Northern District, alleging Apple of attacking Epic’s entire business in unrelated areas. A federal judge on August 24 gave a temporary restraining order and ruled that Apple can't terminate Epic’s access to Unreal Engine development tools on Apple platforms, but let the Fortnite ban stand. A short-lived restraining order addressed the most pressing concern of Epic as it meant that Epic will be able to keep growing Unreal Engine for iOS operating systems, but the game is not over yet and the threat still looms.

Apple and Epic's Battle: Unreal Engine Games for iOS in Jeopardy? 

If Epic ends up losing access to iOS development tools, Unreal Engine game developers will have no other choice than using another game engine to build games for Apple platforms. It’s also a big worry for developers that have already launched Unreal-powered games for iOS and MacOS because an update from Apple that renders older games unplayable can result in huge revenue losses. Apple has also taken some such recent decisions like to reduce compatibility for 32-bit apps on iOS and on MacOS.

What Unreal Engine Users Will Lose

I have prepared a list of programs, technologies, and capabilities that Unreal Engine users will lose access to if the court upheld Apple’s revocation of Epic's dev tools.

• • All Apple software, SDKs, APIs, and developer tools

• • Pre-release versions of iOS, iPad OS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS

• • Pre-release versions of beta tools such as Reality Composer, Create ML, Apple Configurator, etc.

• • Notarization service for macOS apps

• • App Store Connect platform and support which assist in account transition, password reset, app name issues. etc.

• • TestFlight.

• • Access to provisioning portal for certificate generation, and provisioning profile generation.

• • Ability to enable in-app Apple services, including Apple Pay, CloudKit, PassKit, Music Kit, HomeKit, Push Notifications, Siri Shortcuts, Sign in with Apple, kernel extensions, FairPlay Streaming.

• • Access to Apple-issued keys for connecting to services such as MusicKit, DeviceCheck, APNs, CloudKit, Wallet.

• • Access to Developer ID signing certificates and Kernel Extension signing certificates.

• • Developer Technical Support.

• • Participation in Universal App Quick Start Program, including the right to use the Developer Transition Kit (which must be returned to Apple).

• • Ability to improve hardware and software performance of Unreal Engine on Mac and iOS hardware and optimize Unreal Engine on the Mac for creative workflows, virtual sets and their CI/Build Systems.

• Adoption and support of ARKit features and future VR features into Unreal Engine.

If Epic lost access to all the above development tools necessary to build game apps for Apple Platforms, Unity may get a big competitive edge. It’s highly likely that many Unreal developers will turn to Unity, which is currently the most used game engine for building cross-platform mobile games. Yes, Unreal Engine scores higher when it comes to creating heavy graphics games, but Unity is quickly inching closer to level the playing field for Unity game development companies. So, Apple’s  revocation of Epic's dev tools could mean more Unity game developers building games for Apple platforms.

Alternatives to Unreal Engine

There are other alternatives to Unreal Engine as well, such as Construct 2, GameMaker Studio,  CocoonJS, MonoGame, Amazon Lumberyard and more. Game app developers will have to see which game engine will suit their game requirements the best if Apple won and rendered Unreal Engine unusable to build iOS and MacOS games. Game engines play a big role in the mobile game development process and that’s why Apple’s battle with Epic has a lot do with the developers who use Unreal for creating iOS and MacOS games. We all hope things between Apple and Epic get back to normal as before, and Unreal Engine developers keep making games for Apple platforms in the future too.

You can get in touch with us if you have a game idea and are looking for a game development studio for hire. Logic Simplified, a top game development company, is in the game development space for almost a decade now and has hands-on experience of using several cutting edge tools, such as Unity, Unreal Engine, Construct 2, Maya, Blender and many more, to create highly engaging video games. Outsourcing is already a very popular practice and it’s gaining even more steam as more and more gaming businesses are now looking to hire game designers and developers due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. There are several things that come to the mind before making a decision whether or not to go for offshore game design and development services. And that’s perfectly alright! We are all ears to hear your concerns and explain to you how our game experts can help you build a quality video game with reduced time to market, engaging game elements, and low cost. We have seen both successes and failures, and thus our hard-earned knowledge of what exactly works in the gaming industry and what doesn’t could greatly help turn your game idea into a revenue generator machine. Share your requirements by writing to us at enquiry@logicsimplfied.com, and we will get back to you shortly to provide you with gaming solutions we are proud of.

You must watch the video if you haven’t already and be a part of this exciting discussion over Epic’s solid attempt to make it so easy and fast for developers to build heavy hitting titles like never before. 

Link to the video: Unreal Engine 5 Revealed! | Next-Gen Real-Time Demo Running on PlayStation 5

Let’s first talk about the two key technologies that will be coming loaded with Unreal Engine when it fully launches in 2021.

Lumen - A global illumination system

Lumen is the technology that will allow developers to create fully dynamic lighting in real-time, much similar to graphics generated by advanced computers for high-quality animation and film production. Lumen will also save a lot of time that goes in light-adjustment and iteration. Unlike current game engines, game app developers will no longer be required to design lightmaps by hand and wait for lightmap bakes to finish. Instead, artists will be able to simply place a light source with the engine and move it inside the Unreal Editor to immediately see how the lighting will look when the game is run on console.

The ability to use dynamic lighting will make it easy for developers to move light sources around during the gameplay and see the light bending around obstructions, which is quite a task to perform with the static light sources found in current engines. Lumen-powered games will immediately react to scene and light changes and we have already got a glimpse of that in the video. The gaming space is not completely new to those kinds of effects, though, as Nvidia has continuously advanced with its  real-time ray-tracing capabilities of its PC graphics card line for years now. You would agree if you have played Minecraft with the right PC hardware. However, what’s new is using those effects on console hardware which Epic said is “diffuse interreflection with infinite bounces and indirect specular reflections in huge, detailed environments, at scales ranging from kilometers to millimeters.”

With Lumen, it will be really quick to set up lighting and limit its behaviour to precisely match your game. Real-time lighting could also lead to new gameplay ideas like a player holding a candle turning around a corner to reveal an enemy. With global illumination, game makers can expect to build all sorts of games, including  physics puzzlers, dynamic action games, sandboxes of user-generated content, and many more.

Nanite - virtualized micropolygon geometry

Nanite is the most unique offering of UE 5, allowing game developers to automatically and massively scale in-game art assets. With Nanite’s virtualized micropolygon geometry, artists get full freedom to create as much geometric details as the eye can see. Currently, what game artists often do is they reduce different levels of detail (LODs) for in-game 3D models, each having fewer polygons and smaller textures than the last. You can notice those low-poly models when an object is at a good distance from the in-game camera. This practice is currently being followed to save memory space and rendering time in complex scenes, without compromising much on frame quality. But, Nanite will change this drastically by allowing artists to import movie-quality models comprising hundreds of millions and even billions of polygons from a library like Quixel Megascans, ZBrush sculpts, CAD data and photogrammetry scans directly into the game engine. As Nanite scales LODs in real time, there will be no need for polygon count budgets, polygon memory budgets and draw count budgets. UE5 will itself do the job of creating LOD models to match the scene on the target hardware without dropping the quality.

Nanite will prove to be a game changer by allowing developers to have as many number of objects they want in a scene, an ability that is greatly limited by current game engines. For instance, the scenes in the demo (which ran on next-gen Playstation 5 hardware) have more than a billion objects. As  Epic VP of Engineering Nick Penwarden puts it, “As you're laying out and building your scene you can kinda just build it out organically, the way that feels right, the way that you want to, and you don't have to go through this complex optimization pass of optimizing the scene to try and get under a draw call budget of a couple thousand.” UE5 will make the use of ultra-fast bulk storage SSDs for next-gen consoles to put tens of billions of polygons for even a moderately complex scene without having to worry about overloading the system memory and overwhelming the "draw count" budget needed to render the scene in time for the next frame. So, with Nanite technology, Epic is trying to make it easier for game developers to build higher-quality, higher-fidelity environments with less work and budget.

Animation System to Adapt Complex Physics

Epic is also providing UE5 the ability to make characters interact more realistically with complex environments. The demo shows how well the animation system adapted productive footsteps and motion warping to dynamically modify inverse kinematics (IK) and body position. The character so realistically interacts with the environment whether it’s climbing or touching the door, everything looks natural. This will surely inspire game developers to bring movies-like qualities in video games of tomorrow.

Cross Generational  

This is interesting as some of us might have thought after watching the video that UE5 is only a next-gen exclusive proposition. But that’s not completely true as Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that the aim is to build the highest-quality content possible and let UE5 scale down to every platform automatically. However, there will be more traditional rendering pipeline for the platforms that don’t have next-gen capabilities like Playstation 5. For such platforms, the assets you have built will be rendered after scaling them down to more traditional LODs. “So there’ll be a version of this demo that you could run on Android devices from three years ago. It will have a much lower polygon detail, but it will be the same scene and you could develop the same game,” said Sweeney. 

For developers using the current version (4.25) of UE4, Epic has promised that they will be able to port their games to UE5 and next-gen hardware in the future. And Epic is going to prove this by moving Fortnite this year to UE5 over the course of next year. “With us migrating Fortnite to UE5, we will be supporting all of the platforms we currently support as wells as next-gen platforms on UE4 and UE5. So we will be shipping our own game across all at that point 9 platforms on UE5, early on in UE5's lifetime,” said Penwarden. By removing the content scalability problem, any game that looks fantastic on a high-end console can also work on a smartphone. These are big possibilities that UE5 promises to bring to help the gaming industry expand its reach from just the hardcore gaming audience. With UE5, developers will be able to build any content or asset once and run everywhere. Epic said to The Verge in an interview that UE5 will support next-generation consoles, current-generation consoles, PC, Mac, iOS, and Android.

Conclusion

With UE5 set to release in the mid of 2021, Epic has nicely set the tone to build next-gen games for next-gen hardware without having a 1,000-person team. Nanite and Lumen are revolutionary technologies aimed at building dynamic lighting and high count poly assets without being too slow, labour intensive and costly. UE5 features will also include Niagara VFX to allow particles to talk to each other to create effects that look real (remember the character moving on water and insects flocking in the demo video). With UE5, Epic wants developers to think of games as holistic products that can work on both smartphones and high-end devices. Well, it remains to be seen how exactly things will pan out after the release of UE5, but we can expect that it will make it much easier for game developers to build next-gen titles. To encourage developers to use UE all the more, Epic has also revised its royalty fee policy. Now, UE, which already comes for free, will charge nothing until you make whooping $1mn in game revenue, which was $3,000 per quarter earlier. The big change in the pricing policy can give Unity a tough run for their money by letting developers embrace UE5 for a radical change in how they built video games so far that looked AAA.  

Like you, we at Logic Simplified are also excited about how UE5 will change the future of game development. We have already used previous versions of UE to help various clients shape their gaming idea into a reality and now eagerly look forward to using UE5 when it comes out to create some highly immersive next-gen titles that would look like movies. If you want to start now, the good news is you can with UE4 as the game can later be easily ported to UE5. We are a team passionate about gaming and committed to help game visionaries build their dream games even from scratch. To find out if it will be yours, please write to us at enquiry@logicsimplified.com, and we will get back to you shortly with our game development services we are proud of.