The gaming industry is on the precipice of a major change. The next generation of consoles have arrived, and with them, a new era of gaming. We’ve seen glimpses of what the future holds and it looks amazing with incredible load speeds and graphical capabilities.
One of the most impressive things to come out of this new era is the release of Unreal Engine 5. This game engine was revealed by Epic Games at The Game Awards 2019, and it is set to revolutionise the gaming industry. While the engine is being explored by the developers of the gaming and entertainment worlds, let’s look at some of the features of Unreal Engine 5 that will change gaming as we know it.
Photorealistic Graphics
Unreal Engine is known for its photorealistic graphics, and the latest version of the engine is even more realistic than ever before. With the new Real-time Ray Tracing technology, Unreal Engine can render incredibly realistic lighting and shadows, making games look more lifelike than ever before.
Another feature that contributes to the photorealism of Unreal Engine 5 is the capacity for higher-quality textures. With 4K resolution textures, games can look incredibly detailed and realistic. Coupled with real-time lighting and shadows, these textures make for some of the most lifelike graphics seen in any video game.
With such photorealistic graphics, it’s easy to forget that you’re playing a game and not watching live footage. Unreal Engine 5 is constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in video game graphics, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Real-Time Lighting
Real-time lighting is one of the defining features of Unreal Engine 5. By pre-computing lighting information and storing it in a lightmap, the engine can render extremely realistic lighting effects in real-time. This technology is used in conjunction with dynamic shadows to create some of the most lifelike graphics ever seen in a video game. Paired with the Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections system, in-game lighting has never looked so real.
In addition to traditional light sources like lamps and sunlight, the Lumen system allows Unreal Engine 5 to support almost true global illumination. Global illumination simulates the way light reflects off of surfaces and casts indirect shadows. This feature adds a tremendous amount of realism to a game’s lighting, making it look more like what we see in real life.
Unreal Engine 5’s lighting system is constantly being improved and expanded. Recent additions include improved HDR (High Dynamic Range) rendering and physically based shading. With these cutting-edge features, UE5 is able to create even more realistic lighting effects than ever before.
More Advanced AI
The tools provided by Unreal Engine 5 allows developers at Starloop Studios to create amazing games. The new features included in Unreal Engine 5 means developers can create even more believable AI.
There are many features in UE5 that assist in creating improved AI logic. For example, the engine has a built-in Navmesh system that automatically generates navigation meshes for characters. This makes it easy for developers to create NPCs that can navigate around the game world without getting stuck.
The engine also includes a ‘State Machine’ system, which is perfect for creating sophisticated AI behaviours. Using this system, developers can easily create AI that can make decisions based on complex conditions.
In addition, the UE5 comes with a Behaviour Tree Editor, which is a visual editor that makes it easy to create and edit behaviour trees. With quick and easy branches of AI behaviour, it offers developers a wide range of NPC responses without a painstaking amount of work.
Finally, the engine has a robust scripting system that supports both C++ and Blueprint. This makes it possible to create custom AI behaviours using either programming or visual scripting.
All of these features combined mean a fantastic increase in the AI toolkit available to developers. With its powerful features, developers can easily create sophisticated and believable AI characters that add a whole new level of immersion to games.
Increased Scalability
Unreal Engine 5 has a number of features that make it ideal for developing large-scale games. Its scalability means that it can easily be adapted to different hardware platforms, and its support for multiple programming languages makes it easy to develop cross-platform games.
Its modular design also makes it easy to add new features and content to games without having to start from scratch. This makes Unreal Engine perfect for developing games, where there is a lot of scope for adding new content over time. This design also means developers are not limited in creating the game they want. From FPS to puzzles and strategy games, UE5 supports any genre of title.
Contact Starloop Studios today to learn more about our expert high-quality game development services for all platforms.
As part of Magic Media, we offer a wide range of services for the gaming, entertainment, and tech industries, including but not limited to full-cycle game development, game trailer production, and real-time VFX. Get in contact today, and let’s create magic!
