Man, the new Call of Duty, Ghosts certainly looks impressive! Of course, that’s the sort of visual fidelity afforded by brand new, next generation engines. Only it’s not a new engine at all. In an interview with OPM, Infinity Ward’s animation lead Zach Volker admitted that while the engine is functionally new, it’s still based on the previous engine. Which was based on a previous engine. Which was based on idTech 3, the Quake 3 engine.
“It’s a fine line when you define “new engine,” and augmentations to an engine,” Volker says in the embedded video (skip to around 4:47).
“What you want to be careful of,” he continues, “is making too much of a distinction of a new engine. As we develop and add features, at what point does it become a new engine – because it’s impossible to develop a new engine from the ground up in a two year cycle.”
“You would need an army of 200 engineers,” he declares.
And with that, Activision confirms that the new engine isn’t new at all – but is just a heavily modified version of the last engine. Of course, this is the way things work. If you, for even a second, believe that EA and DICE’s Frostbite 3 engine wasn’t cobbled together using bits of Frostbite 2.0 (which in turn was cobbled from bits of Frostbite 1) then you’re delusional.
The difference, of course, is that Frostbite is at least an engine from the current generation, brought in to the next generation – whereas at its core, Call of Duty: Ghosts is really just an elaborate Quake 3 Total Conversion mod.
Last Updated: May 23, 2013
Trevor Davies
May 23, 2013 at 10:47
lol @ elaborate total conversion
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
May 23, 2013 at 10:50
Man, I used to love Q3 TCMs back in the day. Some people did some really, really clever stuff.
RobbieH76
May 23, 2013 at 10:48
Who here still trusts activision after trolling us with D3?
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
May 23, 2013 at 11:16
Don’t get me started on D3
Trevor Davies
May 23, 2013 at 10:50
Honestly what does it really matter, it’s the game that’s important, not the engine it runs on. Sudoku runs just fine on a piece of paper 😉
Heinrich Etsebeth
May 23, 2013 at 10:51
That is like using the Q3 engine to make Tetris and saying it is the same game.
Kromas
May 23, 2013 at 14:44
Still better than using Hollywood graphics to make a “game footage” trailer and then release a game with an engine worse than tetris’ engine. Aliens still makes my bum hurt when I think about it.
Heinrich Etsebeth
December 19, 2013 at 09:11
True… but then again I always wait until I can get hold of in game footage before I will even consider buying any game.
Kromas
December 20, 2013 at 21:17
Please go and see the “in-game footage” for Alien:Colonial Marines and then go and buy the game and see the actual footage.
Tbone187
May 23, 2013 at 10:55
My word, game and console launches were meant to be exciting but all I’ve heard is bad news and a whole lot of drama…I don’t think next gen is gonna be all it’s cut to be….In fact, I’m beginning to think it’s all just a lame effort to cash in on already available tech on PC…Reckon they should scrap it for another year…
Umar 'Van Hohenhaim' Bastra
May 23, 2013 at 10:56
Am I the only one that thought CoD doesn’t look or sound great?
Man those fishes sure are smart to move out of the way !
Tasty peas mixed with porridge
May 23, 2013 at 11:05
I said this before. My next gen console will be the one that has the better version of THE WITCHER 3. I now take that back as I never knew how many nooses will be attached to my next purchase.
My next version of THE WITCHER 3 will be decided on what console is less complicated and more game centric.
Kromas
May 23, 2013 at 14:45
PC it is then.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
May 23, 2013 at 11:13
Ok, yes it’s still a copy paste in a sense then BUT we have to give them credit. The fact that they can do this with a modified Q3 engine is pretty incredible from a technical point of view.
Now if only they could put as much effort back in to their SP story lines.
Uberutang
May 23, 2013 at 11:22
Why is there 2 SUNS in Call of Duty America?
Kobus Nel
May 23, 2013 at 13:51
Maybe coz it’s not a new engine?
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
May 23, 2013 at 19:26
Kobus Nel
May 23, 2013 at 20:34
http://tinyurl.com/olq3txp
Admiral Chief Commander
May 23, 2013 at 11:23
Pffff, gimme SOURCE engine.
Vroom vroom
InsanityFlea
May 23, 2013 at 11:37
Call of Doody!®
Mind your step©
Admiral Chief Commander
May 23, 2013 at 11:37
hahaha
Theo Steenekamp
May 23, 2013 at 11:39
Same shit… Different name
Guest
May 23, 2013 at 11:55
I can’t help this, but that above model’s topology looks horrible. Gamers ask why we still have crappy looking games. Look at that model above, that thing is hideous. Your topology must be clean, reacts better to light, decals and everything in between.
But on a more serious note. I see there is a trend going in the gaming industry between companies now, “who can make the worst decisions and mistakes” and then they wonder why the close their doors. O.o Here is why we still have games that are “old” and behind.
Xelus
May 23, 2013 at 11:57
I can’t help this, but that above model’s topology looks horrible. Gamers ask why we still have crappy looking games. Look at that model above, that thing is hideous. Your topology must be clean, reacts better to light, decals and everything in between.
But on a more serious note. I see there is a trend going in the gaming industry between companies now, “who can make the worst decisions and mistakes” and then they wonder why the close their doors. O.o Here is why we still have games that are “old” and behind.
John Doberman
May 23, 2013 at 12:50
I will say this, that a software graphics “engine” is not the same concept as a car engine. The power comes from optimal use of the underlying hardware, not from inside the engine itself. So you might equate a graphics engine more to the steering mechanism and/or suspension system of a car (forgive me, I’m a software dude, not really a boffin on cars). The graphics hardware has come a heck of a long way since Quake 3 times and in reality the engine probably only needed 20% or less worth of changes to yield 100s of percentage point improvements.
In addition, the graphics engine is just one component of a game. Over the years there have been huge increases in asset (the actual graphics models and textures etc) sizes.
ElimiNathan
May 23, 2013 at 13:25
WTF
Daryl Eksteen
May 23, 2013 at 13:39
Just like Halo…same shit different year.
Kobus Nel
May 23, 2013 at 13:42
HA! I… knew it! See what I did there?
Johan Fourie
May 23, 2013 at 16:36
Wow, still 7 shades of brown for the color palate. Amazing.