The LightSpeed now includes rapid prototyping and rapid iteration for online multiplayer games, giving game designers unprecedented capabilities from the very beginning of the development process.
“Our data-driven system combined with our networking technology sustains the entire creative process from prototype through gold master, even in online multiplayer games. The payback to the game team is more time to try ideas, more time to iterate, more time to polish, resulting in better games,” said Geoff Selzer, chairman and CEO, Emergent. “We are just beginning to unveil the power of LightSpeed’s architecture, and online multiplayer is foundational to the entire system. No other game engine in the world can compete with LightSpeed’s ability to support an entire studio’s technology needs.”
Developers can rapidly iterate changes and modifications to online multiplayer games with one click, in real-time across all connected clients without recompiling or restarting the game, greatly accelerating the development process. The key to LightSpeed’s online power is its Entity Framework System, which has been designed from inception to be simply and efficiently distributable across the network, on any platform. This powerful architecture makes it simple and quick to include multiplayer capability right from the start of development, enabling teams to take their online play to an unprecedented level. Details of online communication are handled implicitly, allowing designers to create and iterate on online game concepts without being networking experts. Users can play their multiplayer game, allowing them to play-test and play-balance games from the very first iteration. Because of LightSpeed’s revolu tionary rapid prototyping power, developers can confidently present their first prototypes to potential publishers featuring online functionality.
“Being able to create completely new game objects and to change them rapidly across all target platforms in real-time is a huge timesaver in the development process,” said Doug Kubel, Emergent’s VP of Product. “The Emergent tech team is focused on developing new tools, new technologies and new ways to work within LightSpeed that make developers’ lives easier, so they can rapidly produce prototypes, polish more, and ultimately produce amazing games.”
LightSpeed empowers developers to create their online and multiplayer games in any genre and provides a one-stop cross-platform toolset for PS3, Xbox360, Wii and PC.