- March 8, 2010
- Written by Mark
-
PC Games Hardware has done a really nice and in-depth interview about the technology being used in Metro 2033 with Metro 2033 Producer Oles Shishkovstov. The interview goes really in-depth on pretty much every technical aspect of the game from from the game engine being used,DX11, Multi-CPU support and the Physics/PhysX being implemented in the game along with the different features being implemented into the console and PC version of the game. Read the entire article at PC Games Hardware here. We have been pretty excited about Metro 2033 and any news related to it since when released it is supposed to be a PhysX and graphics showcase for NVIDIA.
be sure to check out the previous posts we have made about Metro 2033:
Post Apocalyptic Shooter Metro 2033 to feature Advanced PhysX effects
Metro 2033 Technical Q&A Covers The PhysX Being Implemented In The Game
New PhysX Powered Metro 2033 Screenshots Released
New PhysX Powered Metro 2033 Story Trailer
From the PC Games Hardware Metro 2033 technology interview:
PCGH: It could be read that your game offers an advanced physics simulation as well as a support for Nvidia’s PhysX (GPU calculated physics) can you tell us more details here?
Does regular by CPU calculated physics affect visuals only or is it used for gameplay terms like enemies getting hit by shattered bits of blown-away walls and the like?
Oles Shishkovstov: Yes, the physics is tightly integrated into game-play. And your example applies as well.
PCGH: Besides PhysX support why did you decide to use Nvidia’s physics middleware instead of other physics libraries like Havok or ODE? What makes Nvidia’s SDK so suitable for your title?
Oles Shishkovstov: We’ve chosen the SDK back when it was Novodex SDK (that’s even before they became AGEIA). It was high performance and feature reach solution. Some of the reasons why we did this – they had a complete and customizable content pipeline back then, and it was important when you are writing a new engine by a relatively small team.
PCGH: What are the visual differences between physics calculated by CPU and GPU (via PhysX, OpenCL or even DX Compute)? Are there any features that players without an Nvidia card will miss? What technical features cannot be realized with the CPU as “physics calculator”?
Oles Shishkovstov: There are no visible differences as they both operate on ordinary IEEE floating point. The GPU only allows more compute heavy stuff to be simulated because they are an order of magnitude faster in data-parallel algorithms. As for Metro2033 – the game always calculates rigid-body physics on CPU, but cloth physics, soft-body physics, fluid physics and particle physics on whatever the users have (multiple CPU cores or GPU). Users will be able to enable more compute-intensive stuff via in-game option regardless of what hardware they have.
Read the rest of the article at PC Games Hardware here.
- February 25, 2010
- Written by Mark
-
The website for the upcoming Russian post apocalyptic shooter Metro 2033 has been updated with the system requirements for the game. The minimum and recommended requirements are pretty standard for todays games however the optimum requirements are pretty high. Core i7 CPU,NVIDIA DirectX 11 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 480 and 470),As much RAM as possible (8GB+), and a Fast HDD or SSD.
If you have been following GamePhys or any news about Metro 2033 than these extremely high Optimum requirements for the game probably won’t come as a surprise to you since the game is going to be making heavy use of DX11 and advanced PhysX effects and according to Nvidia is going to be a graphics and PhysX showcase.
Yesterday we posted about the Complete 4A Engine Specifications Detailing the Physics/PhysX that will be used in the game and be sure to check out the other news we have reported about the game:
Post Apocalyptic Shooter Metro 2033 to feature Advanced PhysX effects
Metro 2033 Technical Q&A Covers The PhysX Being Implemented In The Game
New PhysX Powered Metro 2033 Screenshots Released
New PhysX Powered Metro 2033 Story Trailer
From the Metro 2033 Game Website:
What kind of rig will you need to run Metro 2033?
We’ve just confirmed the minimum, recommended and optimum PC specs for Metro 2033. Read on to see what your machine can handle…
Minimum:
* Dual core CPU (any Core 2 Duo or better will do)
* DirectX 9, Shader Model 3 compliant graphics cards (GeForce 8800, GeForce GT220 and above)
* 1GB RAM
Recommended:
* Any Quad Core or 3.0+ GHz Dual Core CPU
* DirectX 10 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 260 and above)
* 2GB RAM
Optimum:
* Core i7 CPU
* NVIDIA DirectX 11 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 480 and 470)
* As much RAM as possible (8GB+)
* Fast HDD or SSD
Enabling 3D Vision
Metro 2033 utilizes NVIDIA 3D Vision with compatible cards and hardware. To play in 3D you will require:
* NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 and above recommended
* A 120Hz (or above) monitor
* NVIDIA 3D Vision kit
* Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7
For more information on NVIDIA 3D Vision, click here.
We also recommend the biggest and best monitor you can afford, and a home cinema kit or surround sound headphones!
Check out the Metro 2033 website here.
- February 23, 2010
- Written by Mark
-
Eurogamer.net has posted the complete specifications for the 4A Engine that is going to be powering the upcoming Russian post apocalyptic shooter Metro 2033. We have been excited and following Metro 2033 since it was announced that it would be making heavy use of PhysX and when released will be a graphics and PhysX showcase.
In the specifications listed on Eurogamer there is an entire section detailing the physics used int he game and the different effects we should expect to see.
be sure to check out the previous posts we have made about Metro 2033:
Post Apocalyptic Shooter Metro 2033 to feature Advanced PhysX effects
Metro 2033 Technical Q&A Covers The PhysX Being Implemented In The Game
New PhysX Powered Metro 2033 Screenshots Released
New PhysX Powered Metro 2033 Story Trailer
From Eurogamer.net:
Physics System
Powered by nVidia PhysX technology, can utilise multiple CPU cores, AGEIA PhysX hardware, or nVidia GPU hardware.
* Tightly integrated into the content pipeline and the game itself, including physical materials on all surfaces, physically driven sound, physically driven animations
* Rigid body and multi-jointed constructions. Breakable fences, walls , sheds and other objects. Thousands of different physical entities simulated per frame.
* Cloth simulation, water physics (including cross-interactions)
* Destruction and fracturing, physically based puzzles
* Soft body physics on selected special game entities
* On hardware-accelerated PhysX platforms engine implements full physically correct behaviour of particles such as smoke, debris, etc.
Read the rest of the specifications here.
- February 17, 2010
- Written by Mark
-
An official press release from THQ and NVIDIA released today confirms what we have been excited about for several months now. “THQ and NVIDIA Confirm Extensive DX11 Feature Set and 3D Vision Support for Metro 2033TM Upcoming FPS from 4A Games Will Boast the Most Advanced DX11 Techniques Yet Seen in a PC Title”, “Metro 2033 will also feature advanced, hardware accelerated physical effects using NVIDIA PhysX”
We have been excited about and following all news about Metro 2033 for several months now since it was first announced that it would make extensive use of hardware PhysX and be a graphics and PhysX showcase for Nvidia when released.
Along with the press released several DX11 images of metro 2033 were released to Flickr check them out here or check out the photo gallery below.
be sure to check out the previous posts we have made about Metro 2033:
Post Apocalyptic Shooter Metro 2033 to feature Advanced PhysX effects
Metro 2033 Technical Q&A Covers The PhysX Being Implemented In The Game
New PhysX Powered Metro 2033 Screenshots Released
New PhysX Powered Metro 2033 Story Trailer
From the THQ Metro 2033 press release:
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Feb 17, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) and NVIDIA today announced that Metro 2033TM, the upcoming first person shooter from 4A Games, will support a number of advanced DX11 features with the latest generation of DX11 graphics cards, as well as NVIDIA 3D Vision support. Metro 2033 will also feature advanced, hardware accelerated physical effects using NVIDIA PhysX.
Gamers with DX11 cards will experience advanced Depth of Field effects as well as Full Tessellation on character models. You can see the results on the official Metro 2033 Flickr Collection at http://www.flickr.com/photos/metro2033.
“Our engineers have been working closely with 4A Games to ensure that Metro 2033 takes full advantage of some of the spectacular effects made possible with the next generation of DX11 hardware,” said Tony Tamasi, Senior Vice President of Content and Technology at NVIDIA. “The 4A Engine is one of the most advanced game engines we’ve ever worked with, and with DX11 enabled, Metro 2033 is undoubtedly one of the best looking PC games of 2010. Combine this with NVIDIA 3D Vision and PhysX and you will experience mind-blowing visuals.”
Metro 2033 is scheduled for release in North America and Germany on the 16th March, Australia on the 18th March, and in the UK and the rest of Europe on the 19th March, on the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC.
For the latest Metro 2033 news, visit Metro2033Game.com, follow Twitter.com/Metro2033 or become a fan at Facebook.com/Metro2033.
Read the rest of the press release here.
Metro 2033 DirectX 11 Screenshots:
Recent News
January 15, 2012
Ever since we saw the Glowball PhysX demo and the Floating Castle Physics Demo running on Tegra 3 powered tablets we have been pretty excited about physics on Tegra powered devices. Back in November NVIDIA announced the released of their new Quad-Core mobile Tegra 3 chip that uses “four CPU cores and its new GeForceRead More
January 15, 2012
I know that Batman Arkham City has been out for awhile now and this is old news but as I have been extremely busy with work and finishing up school I never got a chance to post these. These are some cool Batman Arkham City PhysX comparison on/off videos from both EVGA and YouTube userRead More
January 15, 2012
Krishna Kumar – YouTube user krishx007 who runs gfxguru.net has made a pretty cool physics/PhysX demo level with Unity 3D called Physics Wonderland. The level is basically a huge playground with PhysX objects that you can destroy and play around with to show off the different PhysX features in Unity 3D. Check it out belowRead More
January 11, 2012
The Game Developers Conference 2012 is going to have a session that really interests us. The “Physics for Games Programmers” session/tutorial is going to cover the “tools and techniques developers should know when implementing physics in their games.” According to the information on the GDC 2012 site, the session will take place on Tuesday, MarchRead More
January 10, 2012
With all of the excitement about rumored hardware being used in the next-generation consoles, some very disappointing news has come today. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sony has no plans to unveil the Sony Playstation 4 at this years E3 and is going to stick with the 10-year life cycle plan. If thisRead More
December 31, 2011
Here are some cool physics videos that have been uploaded to YouTube over the past week. Cryengine 3 Tornado Physics by club4ghz UDK – Destructible objects and Physics! by Shotbix07 Ice Engine Destruction Test by LordOfTheBytes
December 24, 2011
I came across a few cool Havok physics videos on YouTube. YouTube user kosteckip has made a pretty cool Castle Siege type demo using PhysX and Havok physics with physics based water, cloth, and destruction. Meanwhile, the official Havok Physics YouTube channel has uploaded a series of Havok Simulation videos and one interesting video showsRead More
December 24, 2011
Maximum PC has a nice article up about the top game engines being used to create today’s games. Along with the engines they also pointed out the top Middleware being used and PhysX and Havok were listed as the top physics Middleware. Check out the entire article here. From Gamers, Start Your Engines! 6 TopRead More
December 19, 2011
Phymec is making some cool physics tools for Bullet Physics and Blender to enable some awsome fracture and destruction effects. Two awesome videos showing this off have been uploaded to YouTube. The first shows off the creation of the fracture objects in Blender and the newer video is an awesome collection of fracture objects beingRead More
December 7, 2011
An interesting rumor has surfaced this past week that Microsoft is developing two next-gen Xbox 720 consoles. According to the rumor on TECHSPOT, Microsoft “is said to be developing an entry-level system as well as a true next-generation hardcore gaming console.” What is important to us for the future of physics is the reports thatRead More
December 7, 2011
I posted about this awesome level several months ago – Some Cool NVIDIA APEX Physics Tests Done with the UDK now mfsksa, who is the creator of this level, has given me the UDK files required to play the Apex PhysX test level he made. I made a cool video showing it off some moreRead More
November 30, 2011
Ever since we posted the Battlefield 3 Physics and Destruction Videos with the BF3 destruction video showing the Antenna in Caspian Border coming down we have been wondering how to do this or when it would be allowed through a patch. Today we have learned through an awesome YouTube Video that the main Antenna canRead More
