The driving force behind the sequel to No One Lives Forever now
delivers more features than ever.
KIRKLAND, Washington - LithTech, Inc., a leading developer of licensable game
technologies and tools, announced today the release of an updated version of
its advanced Jupiter system, the foundation for the highly anticipated
sequel to No One Lives Forever. Jupiter now delivers an even
broader range of features including a new polygrid system that supports dynamic
lighting, Fresnel reflections and dynamic surface animations as well as the
addition of cubic environment mapping. Other new features include an improved
command editor to more easily create cinematic events and more robust support
for dynamic texture effects.
The LithTech Jupiter System is a comprehensive package that arms developers
and publishers wanting to "push the envelope" with the cutting-edge
technology needed to create visually compelling, high-performance games. Jupiter also
debuts an all-new, seriously fast 3D renderer, allowing developers to push
more polygons than ever before. The Phoneme-based lip-synching with emotion
modifiers creates realistic faces by supporting a wide range of expressions.
Developers wanting to combine a wide array of visual effects with the latest
in rendering technology must take a look at Jupiter.
"Jupiter's new features allow developers to create even more stunning
visual effects," said LithTech's vice president of technology, Brian Goble. "With
tools like our command editor, developers can also cultivate deeper storylines
through the use of advanced cinematics. Overall, this makes Jupiter the premiere
system for developers creating visually immerse, plot-driven games."
For a sneak peak at the new Jupiter feature, make sure to stop by LithTech's
booth #1518 at this year's Game Developers Conference!
For more information on licensing the power of LithTech's development systems,
please e-mail: sales@lithtech.com.
Press: Contact LithTech's director of corporate communications, Paige Young,
at paige@lithtech.com, 425-739-1540.
About LithTech
Based in Kirkland, Washington, LithTech, Inc. is pioneering the business of
technology licensing by offering a wide range of development solutions reinforced
with the strength of unparalleled support. With the goal of delivering technology
for multiple platforms and genres, LithTech has begun by introducing the versatile
and powerful LithTech Jupiter, Talon, and Cobalt Systems.
Based on some of the most highly acclaimed properties in gaming, these systems
provide a broad set of technologies and tools that empower developers of 3D
games and applications to focus on content creation rather than technology
development. For the latest news and information on LithTech, visit: http://www.lithtech.com.
LithTech, Inc.
Talking Technology with LithTech, Inc.
(Not to be confused with Monolith...)
Today we're chatting with Jeff Hutt, CEO of LithTech and
main man behind the development of the LithTech 3D game engine. Some games
powered by LithTech of course include Aliens vs. Predator 2, No One Lives Forever
(plus the upcoming sequel) and many more. LithTech is a multi-tiered development
platform companies can license and develop games with ranging in
cost from $75,000 - $250,000.00. You can learn more about it at the official
website. Before becoming the CEO of LithTech, Jeff was an executive at
Nintendo. Without further ado, on with the interview...
You're competing against a number of companies with different strategies. How
do you feel LithTech fits into the grand scheme of things?
Jeff Hutt - LithTech has grown beyond marketing one product, which makes us
unique in this industry. By offering multiple products to meet specific needs,
we appeal to a wider range of developers. Of course, we’re thrilled about
the progress of the Jupiter system, which features a new high performance rendering
architecture and visual effects that run circles around previous LithTech-powered
games. The No One Lives Forever 2 levels I’ve seen lately are
amazing.
However, since not everyone is working on a first-person action game, we will
continue to introduce systems that enable teams to focus more energy on the
creation of compelling game content regardless of the platform or genre. In
fact, we have already started rolling out specific solutions that allow LithTech
licensees to develop real-time strategy games, driving games, role-playing
games, and so on.
There’s been some recent news (and very cool games - Dark Age of Camelot,
Morrowind, Bridge Commander) about NDL’s NetImmerse Engine. How
does LithTech stack up against NDL's engine specifically?
Jeff Hutt - Given that technology licensing within the game industry is still
in its infancy, we're always enthusiastic when a middleware company achieves
some success and helps increase the size of our market. Of course, I'm not
privy to NDL's strategic plans, but they seem to focus on providing specific
technology components as opposed to a broader suite of technology modules and
content creation tools.
LithTech has always been focused on taking technology licensing to the next
level. So, in essence, we want to give developers the best of both worlds. Like
I mentioned above, LithTech is also expanding its lineup to include systems
that give developers the freedom to create game in other genres. These
incredibly powerful products focus on individual pieces of the technology puzzle.
Because we also realize that many developers want a complete solution, LithTech
markets products like the Jupiter, Talon and Cobalt systems. One of the many
benefits of licensing a robust, comprehensive development system is that you
simply get more components and sample game code. This allows developers to
shift resources to more creative tasks that give a game a competitive edge….these
are the details that make a game unique and fun to play.
How involved is LithTech with Monolith's game programmers? Does
Monolith rip apart the base engine and optimize / improve it, or is LithTech
the driving force in the programming department?
Jeff Hutt - We know that developers want real-world technology, so the game
development process drives the expansion of our feature set. As a result, our
technology team works closely with Monolith and other partners to upgrade our
existing systems and introduce new products. Currently, Monolith is using our
Jupiter system for No One Lives Forever 2, the Discovery system for
an MMP game and the Cobalt system for some work on the PlayStation 2. And,
of course, Monolith used our technology to develop Aliens vs. Predator 2…that
definitely generated a lot of buzz for our Talon system.
How does LithTech determine which consoles to support? Do you
wait until you're certain of developer interest or do you try to stay ahead
of the curve?
Jeff Hutt - We constantly walk a fine line balancing demand for a particular
platform or genre against the need to stay ahead of the technology curve. However,
with the current generation of consoles, there is strong foundation of developer
and publisher interest in all three platforms, so it was an easy decision to
support PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube.
Speaking of consoles (not that you'd be biased by formerly working
at Nintendo) how do you think the GameCube stacks up against the Xbox?
Jeff Hutt - Well, Nintendo has Miyamoto, so you know that they will continue
to deliver fun games that sell hardware. On the other hand, Xbox has jumped
strongly out the gate in the U.S., and Microsoft has made a long-term commitment
to the console business.
From a technology licensing perspective, we love cross-platform products,
but exclusive games like Gran Turismo, Zelda and Halo drive
hardware sales and shift market share. That said, both Nintendo and Microsoft
need to introduce more high quality exclusive content to chip away at Sony’s
lead.
In the past we've heard murmurings about a massively multiplayer version
of the LithTech engine. What's the latest on it?
Jeff Hutt - Since I don't want to scoop our GDC plans, I can't provide a lot
of details. Nevertheless, LithTech has several licensees that have begun development
of massively multiplayer games, and we remain very enthusiastic about the opportunities
within the online entertainment space. Stay tuned…we will certainly have more
information about our online products during the coming months.
With all the engines on the market right now, why should a company
choose LithTech?
Jeff Hutt - There are several reasons why a developer should choose LithTech.
As I mentioned, we are focused on delivering a broad range of cutting-edge
products, so we can support a wider variety of platforms and genres.
We also acknowledge that gamers expect products that feature more immersive
storylines and in-depth character development. Although games like Aliens
vs. Predator 2 and No One Lives Forever could have been run-of-the-mill
shooters, those teams were able to leverage our “story-telling” tools like
our key frame editor to create a compelling, fun experience that hooks players
early on and retains their interest through to the end. With that in mind,
any developer that plans to develop a character driven game with a rich story
must take a look at our products.
Companies should also consider LithTech because of its unparalleled support
and documentation. Sure, that’s not very sexy, but it does make a huge
difference in the bottom line. Developers want to know that they can
get a question answered whether it is Tuesday morning or Sunday night. This
approach extends into our global strategy, which deploys local sales and support
teams in major markets, so our international customers don’t have to deal with
language barriers or wait until our people in the U.S. get to work to receive
a response to a question.
Furthermore, developers definitely want more than just a technology provider…relying
on another company’s code can be unsettling, so most developers want to be
treated like a partner throughout the development process. As opposed to tossing
technology and a licensing invoice over the fence, LithTech commits resources
to business functions that go far beyond technology delivery. Whether it’s
providing marketing support, assistance with pitching a game concept to publishers
or an extraordinary level of engineering support, we’re focused on helping
our developers produce great LithTech-powered games.
The 2002 Game Developers Conference will be a busy time for you guys. Can
you give us a heads-up on what you have planned for the show?
Jeff Hutt - We will have several new games on display including No One
Lives Forever 2 and a couple of other high-profile games that will be
unveiled for the first time. We will be hosting theater presentations covering
our products as well as our some of our licensees’ games as well. As
I’ve alluded to in this interview, we have a few aces up our sleeve that
will be announced at GDC. We’ve never had better games to showcase or more
new features…basically, it’s a great time to check us out.
