Remedy Entertainment’s latest game, Alan Wake 2, showcases the capabilities of the Northlight engine. The engine has been significantly upgraded since its last outing in Control, and it is now capable of rendering some truly stunning visuals.
A blog post from Remedy Entertainment spoke on the many new features of the Northlight engine used in the game. I’ve read it and there are some interesting features in my opinion.
One of the most impressive features of the Northlight engine is its ability to add a lot of foliage to the world without sacrificing performance. This pipeline allows the game to push more geometry into the world without sacrificing performance. This is evident in the game’s lush forests and detailed environments. There is a lot of memory used by environments without you knowing it.
The engine also features a new character-style rig on the foliage system. This system allows for the animation of foliage using bone shaders, which can create more realistic and lifelike movements. This is especially noticeable in the game’s dense forests, where the leaves and branches sway in the wind.
The engine also introduced a Voxel-Based Character Controller. This allows for smooth navigation in cramped, complex, and dynamic environments. It divides the environment into a grid of voxels, which are small 3D cubes. The character’s movement is then calculated based on the position of these voxels. It makes character movement more natural and fluid, and it also helps to prevent the character from getting stuck in objects.
Alan Wake 2‘s Northlight engine also supports HDR, node-based VFX system, and ray-tracing, which means that the game looks great on HDR displays. The game’s fog, transparent geometry, and effects are all rendered seamlessly and are able to create dynamic effects with ease. This system is responsible for the game’s rain, wetness, water simulation, and character wounds.
It’s an incredible feat for any company but it is especially good for a mostly narrative-focused game like Alan Wake 2. Hopefully, more companies will use this example for other narrative games because graphics and the environment play an important role.
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