German PC Games interviewed Cevat Yerli and asked him several questions about Crytek's upcoming Crysis Warhead. Though Cevat's answers were in German, thanks to thebusdriver at Crymod forums we can read it in English.
"Have you reprogrammed or have you integrated additional technical features into your existing technology?
Overall technical optimization. Config params have been optimized and finetuned which results in a better overall performance. Optimization of particle stream (?), necessary because there would have been a general loss in performance if they hadn't done it.
There are more particle effects in Warhead, the gaming experience will be more explosive and more intense than in Crysis.
New feature: global ambient illumination/lighting: no performance loss but better overall image quality. Global ambient lighting makes the normal maps appear more intense, materials look more realistic. The overall image quality has been improved with this feature (both far and near objects). This also results in overall improved lighting/light effects. They are thinking about doing the same thing for Crysis, because it looks better and can be easily done.
Many players have complained that CryENGINE 2 is very demanding if you want to play Crysis with the highest detail possible (DirectX 10). Were you aware of this fact when programming Warhead, are you therefor constantly trying to optimize your base technology to lower the hardware requirements, especially for those who want the best visual quality?
They try to do everything they can to make Warhead playable on all computers. 600 euros is enough to be able to play Warhead on the highest possible settings. The goal was to make Warhead available to a larger group of customers (especially those with lower hardware configurations).
How do you think about the fact that fans have found ways to activate special features in the engine like very high resolution textures, ultra high mode or enabling DirectX 10 visuals on DirectX 9 cards? Do you appreciate that? Do you take this into consideration when developing Warhead? Does this even help you to constantly optimize your technology?
DX10 features haven't been disabled intentionally for DX9. If all DX10 features were included in DX9, there would have been performance issues, the features would be available but they might not work. Customers that bought DX10 graphics cards have a better CPU, and RAM too, so their PC automatically qualifies for these additional features.
We couldn't allow physics/improved visuals/destructible objects in DX9 multiplayer, because DX9 computers usually don't have the same performance as DX10 computers do. It was possible to activate DX10 features for DX9, and for some people that worked, but for others it didn't, due to them not having all the necessary hardware they made this decision because DX10 guaranteed that computers have enough performance to cope with these additional features.
The discussion about DX10 is still ongoing and Microsoft has already presented an expansion. Will Warhead support and utilize the API extensions, if yes, how can DirectX 10.1 improve or optimize the rendering process? If not, why was there no need to support DX10.1?
There's no support for DX10.1 because the improvements that have been made are minimal and wouldn't aid in increasing the performance while playing Crysis.
We can think about supporting DX10.1 for future games, but there's no need for that yet. It would confuse most customers to create a game for DX10 and the next one for DX10.1, which is unacceptable. That would introduce the same issues Crysis had (DX9 vs DX10). DirectX 10.1 just contains some minor fixes, which won't make any difference for Crysis/Crysis: Warhead.
ATI as well as NVIDIA recently presented a new generation of graphics cards featuring two GPUs on one card. Have you already tested this hardware with Warhead, will you optimize CryENGINE 2 for multi-GPU settings or does your technology already profit measurably from multi-GPU cards? Can players buying an AMD HD 3870 X2 or NVIDIA GeForce 9800GX2 expect a performance boost in Crysis: Warhead?
Warhead does support multi-GPU configurations, especially the recently released new hardware. We didn't focus on the new generation (GTX 200/ATI HD 4800) cards as our goal was to create a game that should run on PCs that cost around 400 euros. However, multi-GPU configurations will provide additional performance but it's not necessary.
Quad-core CPUs become more popular as well as affordable and the processor manufacturers have plans to increase the core number up to eight or even more. Will the build of the engine that is used in Warhead be able to scale perfectly with 8 or even more cores, do you have any plans to reorganize the thread structure of CryENGINE 2 to utilize such a high number of cores efficiently?
CryENGINE 2 does support multi-core CPUs, but the support is limited to 4-6 cores, maybe 8 (he wouldn't bet on it). MCPU will most probably provide a more stable framerate instead of an overall increase in fps.
CPUs do have multiple cores, but they can't be accessed fast enough yet. CryENGINE 2 won't have a new threading structure as it is too early to make a safe bet.
We're working on a technology that will allow middleware developers to easily create software for x-core systems. We do intend to sell that technology too. Also, the name for the next CryENGINE hasn't been chosen yet (2, 2.5, 3, 4, ...)"
Crysis PC Game: Crysis Warhead - Q&A with Cevat Yerli
Crysis PC Game Q&A - Development Updates and Open-Ended Gameplay
Gamespot have released a new Q&A with CryTek's CEO, Cevat Yerli. As usual, they also released a new trailer with the interview. Unlike earlier trailers, this video is the first real, or 'theatrical' trailer to be released. There's plenty of new gameplay and scenes. This interview is fairly standard, but it does contain some juicy info including a 'sorry' and a 'thankyou' from CryTek to their fans.
Development studio Crytek made a name for itself with the impressive 2004 shooter Far Cry, a beautiful-looking game with highly open-ended gameplay. Now the developer is working on its second project, Crysis, which will put you in the role of a top-secret supersoldier equipped with some heavy-duty guns and a cutting edge "nanosuit" that grants you superhuman powers. Crytek president Cevat Yerli sat down with us to discuss the lessons the studio took from Far Cry's development and to give us an update on the game's development.
GameSpot: Far Cry was Crytek's first game and must have been a learning experience in many ways. What are some of the key lessons that you took from Far Cry and are applying to Crysis?
Cevat Yerli: In terms of gameplay, [the important lessons were] the accessibility and difficulty. That was exposed in Far Cry through the difficulty of the artificial intelligence, but also the lack of quick-save functionality. Production wise, it was all about learning to focus, albeit still going wide and ensuring the story is core to the development effort. We also wanted to make sure that community development began earlier, and multiplayer had to receive a more-substantial focus.
;)
GS: It's been said that you guys didn't like how the introduction of the Trigen mutants changed the pace of that game. It went from its open-ended gameplay to a typical shooter. How do you avoid that situation with Crysis and its aliens?
CY: In Far Cry, the mutants received too little development time; something we were able to focus more on this time around. Their AI code was not on par with the human AI. Their "counter" reactions were not as smart--they just rushed toward you--and that turned Far Cry into a reactive shooter once they entered the game. Prior to the mutants, Far Cry was all about outsmarting your enemy, and it was essential to really think before taking action. That design principle, which we dubbed "veni-vidi-vici," is core in our encounter design. Assess before you engage. Read [the enemies'] weakness. In Crysis, utilizing the nanosuit in any combat situation will be the player's first choice in making a nonlinear experience versus intelligent alien enemies with advanced AI.
GS: There are players out there who don't like, or perhaps don't "get," open-ended gameplay experiences. They felt sort of lost in the previous game. Has this factored into the design process of Crysis in any way? How will the new game better cater to people who prefer a more-linear experience?
CY: We do, in fact, have more ways we lead, more reminders, more tools to funnel the experience, but at the same time, we increased the options the player has to express his own intelligent tactics. This is done through the nanosuit, through a customizable weapons system that has meaningful tactical differences, through a more-open level design, and enemies that react more intelligently. Put the unparalleled depth of interactivity into the mix and you always get a new experience while essentially not getting lost. We firmly believe that a game [that is] fun through your own smart choices is always better than a game that [holds your hand].
GS: What are some of the lessons that you've learned while developing Crysis? This is such an ambitious game that there are obviously new things that you've discovered.
CY: Any way you look at it, Crysis is gigantic, starting from its wide array of new "firsts" in the industry to innovation, production values, ambitious goals. A [principle] that is inherent in Crytek's philosophy and culture [is] to push the boundaries in any area important to a genre. That is what we learned: that our philosophy and culture makes our production efficiency difficult. Let's see what happens next!
GS: How much of the original design of Crysis has survived at this point? Have you had to drop features? Have you added new ones that you didn't expect?
;)
You can blast your enemies or toss them to the sharks. (Not pictured: sharks.)
CY: In fact, overall, it evened out. We had to some scenes and features here and there, but we revised, reviewed, and added quite a few new elements. Of course, [these were not] not core to the gameplay but good additions. We refined a lot of interface work to streamline the game.
GS: Let's get to the E3 demo, which had the first level of the game on display. You have to get from one side of a bay to the other. Could you discuss the different ways to approach this and the type of strategy that you can employ?
CY: There are a hundred ways you could play that section. You could take an action route, going over the left side down to the jamming device, roof jumping, and shooting down your enemies. Or you could take a more stealthy approach, sneak in without killing anyone, deactivate the GPS, and bypass your enemies completely unseen. You can hang back at the top of the approach with a silencer and surgically pick off the few guards in the area. You can even see if a jeep comes and drive it into the jammer itself. We have never seen any two people approach this small section the same way.
GS: We've heard that if you throw an enemy soldier into the deep water of the bay, the sharks will get him. That's pretty impressive. Is this just a sample of the emergent gameplay in Crysis? Are there things that happen in the game that you didn't expect or foresee?
CY: There are quite a few emergent gameplay examples we have been surprised with, but the most important thing is that you as a gamer have a lot of opportunities to explore. And as long you smile [and enjoy the fact] that your tactic worked out, we will be happy. A fun example that happened to me was when I shot a guy in his legs and he fell over, [which was] the typical response. I thought he was dead. I was walking away then all of a sudden, the guy stood up and shot at me. As he shot me, when I turned, I was so shocked that I aimed a bit higher, hitting a barrel on the roof, which then collapsed on him and took him out. I did not mean to shoot the barrel at all--it was pure coincidence--but it got me the same result.
GS: What sort of hardware was the E3 demo running on? How's the battle to optimize the game going? Are you still sticking with the general rule that Crysis will run on two-year old hardware, albeit at lower visual settings?
CY: At E3, we were running on a [GeForce] 8800 video card and a dual-core Intel [CPU]with 4 gigabytes of RAM at very high settings. Not the highest, though! Most of the time, it was running smoothly.
Yes, we [are] progressing very well on optimization, and we will achieve our goal. Two-to-three-year-old rigs will run Crysis well, with lower visual settings still competing with the best games of two-to-three years ago.
GS: Where's the game at currently in development? Will Crysis ship this year? Can you get any more specific than that?
;)
Expect to see Crysis on shelves later this year.
CY: Yes, we will ship this year. In fact, we will announce the ship date very, very soon.
GS: Finally, is there anything that you'd like to add about Crysis? The lessons learned from Far Cry or E3?
CY: Nothing--just really that we want to send out a big "thank you" for the support and patience to our fans and also a big "sorry!" for taking so long. The wait will be worth it, we promise!
Source: GameSpot