AquaNox 2 engine specs
by VGLN Staff

Saturday, November 23, 2002

JoWooD is proud to announce details of the game engine behind AquaNox 2: Revelation

JoWooD Productions is proud to announce official details of the game engine behind the eagerly awaited AquaNox 2: Revelation, the incredible underwater action game.

The developers have built the impressive krassTM-engine to power the game, creating a number of stunning features that are set to make AquaNox 2: Revelation one of the most amazing PC games of 2003.

The engine is capable of bringing the huge underwater world to life with an unlimited range of sight. This gives players the chance to explore in amazing detail the world they now inhabit as they search for bonus targets or more enemies. To accommodate this, the missions have also been specifically adapated to allow the player time to investigate the vast underwater world.

AquaNox 2: Revelation will feature volumetric fog which highly intelligent enemies will attempt to hide in, waiting for the perfect moment to attack the unaware player. To give added realism, when players are surrounded by the claustrophobic fog it will appear far denser than if they were looking at it from above, thereby giving an exciting new stealth element to gameplay.

JoWooD's Massive Development implemented a large scale particle rendering system which has given explosions within the game unrivalled detail. Such is the graphical quality within AquaNox 2: Revelation, some explosions will feature more even polygons on screen than an average scene within the original AquaNox!

AquaNox 2: Revelation will also feature full 3D sound spatialisation, creating truly amazing audio effects to enhance the superb gameplay. Music tracks will be played dependent upon the situation the player finds themselves in; ambient music will be played as the player explores areas, but when confronted by enemies a more intense soundtrack will play. More than 500 audio sources are controlled in real time and in full 3D sound, creating an incredible atmosphere that will totally immerse players.

One of the most amazing features from the new krassTM-engine is the visibility culling for static and dynamic objects. In an outdoor scenario, it is not possible to use traditional culling techniques such as bsp or portals, meaning more needs to be rendered than what the player would actually see, such as objects behind hills and buildings. However, the culling system featured in AquaNox 2: Revelation detects everything not visible to the player, meaning the players' graphics card does not have to render it, allowing approximately twice the framerate and a far superior playing experience.

AquaNox 2: Revelation will also utilise the latest NVIDIA GeForce FX technology.

Even with these amazing special effects, AquaNox 2: Revelation is capable of running smoothly on a vast range of systems thanks to the incredible number of options that allow players to tweak the game to create a tailor-made visual experience for their own system.

Commenting on the game, Colin Grant Marketing Manager of JoWooD Productions said: "The game engine behind AquaNox 2: Revelation is so powerful it's like George Bush on a crazed ego-trip and has allowed the developers to create a game that is even more beautiful-looking than Kylie, whilst running as fast as Linford Christie! Be prepared because AquaNox 2: Revelation is possibly the best looking game ever made."