Silicon Knights i problemer

Silicon Knights, udvikleren bag bl.a. Too Human, befinder sig i en mørk tid. Studiet har været i slagsmål med Epic Games i længere tid over brugen af Unreal Engine. Retssagen er langt fra overstået, men nu er der sket en udvikling i sagen. Silicon Knights har fået ordre på at ødelægge alle spilkoder baseret på Unreal Engine men mere end det: De skal ligeledes indstille alt udvikling af fremtidige spil, der kører på Unreal Engine, samt tilbagekalde alle Unreal-baserede spil, som ikke er blevet solgt. Silicon Knights fik ydermere ordre på at betale Epic Games den nette sum af $4.45 millioner, men det beløb er nu fordoblet til hele $9 millioner.

Epic Games' reaktion er ganske forståelig: "Epic Games appreciates the court's careful consideration of the motions and is gratified by the order." Silicon Knights anklagede Epic Games for bl.a. ikke at leve op til serviceaftalen, da Silicon Knights købte rettigheden til at bruge Unreal Engine, hvilket førte til forhøjede omkostninger for Silicon Knights ved udviklingen af Too Human. Sagen fortsætter nu, men det ser sort ud for Silicon Knights.


English version:

Silicon Knights, the developer behind Too Human, is in a tight spot. The studio has been in a dog fight with Epic Games for a long time over the use of the Unreal Engine. The case is far from over but there has been a development in the matter. Silicon Knights has been ordered to destroy all game codes based on the Unreal Engine but more than that: they must also cease all future developments using the engine and recall and destroy every unsold game using it. Silicon Knights was also ordered to pay Epic Games a sum of $4.45 million but that amount has been doubled to a staggering $9 million.

Epic Games' reaction is quite understandable: "Epic Games appreciates the court's careful consideration of the motions and is gratified by the order.". Silicon Knights claimed that Epic Games didn't meet their end of the agreement when they purchased the right to use the Unreal Engine which lead to a more expensive development of Too Human. The case will continue but it doesn't look good for Silicon Knights.

Powered by Unreal Engine 4

Troldmændene hos Epic Games har været særligt aktive på det seneste, og via deres helt specielle troldkraft og magiske evner har de givet fødsel til noget helt ekstraordinært: Unreal Engine 4! De har nu omsider tilladt offentligheden at se nogle godbidder fra deres nye motor, der helt sikkert vil gøre udviklere overalt spændte og sende dem samt deres spil til himlen!

Wired har fremskaffet sig nogle screenshots af bæstet i aktion, og det ser absolut fantastisk ud. Det bliver enormt interessant at få lov til at se den skinne til E3, og jeg glæder mig allerede til at prøve spillene! Jeg håber blot, at udviklere vil tage sig tiden til at finpudse den, som Epic Games gjorde med Unreal Engine 3, da de udviklede og udgav Gears of War. Unreal Engine er ikke et kvalitetsstempel i sig selv: Den kræver arbejde, tålmodighed og masser af kærlighed, og Unreal Engine 4 har lige opnået min fulde kærlighed! Motoren er, som nævnt, skabt af Epic Games under ledelse af medstifteren, Tim Sweeney, og den karismatiske Design Director, Cliff Bleszinski. Godt arbejde, gutter, lyder det herfra!

English version:

The wizards at Epic Games have been particular active lately, and through their wizardry and magical skills they have given birth to something beautiful: Unreal Engine 4! They have finally allowed the public to see some treats from their new engine which will most likely make developers celebrate, sending them off to the 7th heaven!

Wired has got their hands on some screenshots of the beast in action and it looks amazing. It will be interesting to really see it shine at this year's E3 and I am already looking forward to be playing the new line of games running on the engine. I just hope that developers will give it the attention it needs to deliver its finest like Epic Games did when they developed and released Gears of War. Unreal Engine alone does not a good game make: it requires work, patience and a lot of love, and Unreal Engine 4 has just earned my love! The engine is, as you know, made by Epic Games under the guidance of co-founder, Tim Sweeney and the charismatic Design Director, Cliff Bleszinski. Good work, guys!

Vores Unreal solsystem

Forestil dig at være arbejdsløs. Hvis du er bare en smule som jeg, så sover du længe og går gerne flere dage uden at have været i bad. Personlig hygiejne står ikke øverst på listen, og din yndlingskonsols køler kvidrer i det fjerne, alt imens du lystigt nørder timerne væk i Mass Effect eller Tetris. Ej, jeg pjatter bare: Jeg spiller slet ikke Tetris!

Chris Albeluhn, en spiludvikler som blandt andet har arbejdet på spil som Dead Rising 2 og Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, befinder sig ligeledes i en arbejdsløs situation. Men han har valgt at gå i en anden og mere produktiv retning: Han har nemlig udviklet et interessant spil om vores solsystem. Spillet hedder The Solar System: Explore your Backyard og er ganske enestående. Spillet giver nemlig mulighed for at udforske vores kære solsystem i al dens skønhed, og alt dette er skabt af den mægtige Unreal Engine, som I muligvis kender fra Gears of War og Mass Effect. Alt i spillet er bygget på reelle fakta og informationer, og det vil ikke forbavse mig, hvis skoleinstitutioner vil benytte sig af spillets rige muligheder inden for undervisning. Tjek videoen ud nedenfor og se spillets ret så seje tilbud!




English version:

Imagine being unemployed. If you are anything like me then you'll probably get out of bed sometime late in the afternoon and happily accept going several days without taking a shower. Hygiene does not rank high on the to-do list and your favourite console is humming in the background while countless hours goes by playing Mass Effect or Tetris. Nah, I'm only kidding: I don't play Tetris!

However, Chris Albeluhn, an unemployed game developer who has worked on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Dead Rising 2, chose a different path. Instead of hanging around aimlessly at home he designed a new, and quite honestly, intriguing game called The Solar System: Explore your Backyard. The game lets you traverse and explore our Solar System giving you real facts and information about the various bits and pieces that make this spectacular place we call home. The Solar System is powered by the mighty Unreal Engine, which you may know from games like Gears of War and Mass Effect. The game looks very cool, as you can see from the video, and I wouldn't be surprised if it got included in the educational system. Check out video above and see what the game has got to offer!