^[1]The following SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity. More about the SMART 100 ^[2].

This innovation initially came to life when…

After re-working our older Avian terrain system we have come up with some new innovations to make it even better. The largest set of enhancements are in the reduction of the file size; we have cut our existing engine’s file size in half, making larger worlds for games more possible.

WHAT & HOW

The purpose of this innovation is to…

Our terrain engine provides the basis for building an outdoor game using the LightSpeed Engine, and the new system supports larger levels.

It does this by…

Handling all the hard work of files, multiple platforms, easy to use tools for developing outdoor levels.

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

This innovation improves on what came before because…

The biggest benefit is its flexibility; different types of games can be created using the one-terrain engine. We have used it for our RTS game, and we are planning an RPG-style game. This means you don’t need to retrain developers and rewrite tools – a massive time saving.

Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…

Larger worlds (adjustable by settings). Multiple sectors which can be loaded in and out. Low detail texture for faster loading. Vertex Morphing and Blending Decorations (grass, rocks etc.). Environment system with time of day. Built into the Lightspeed engine.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

In the past, this problem was solved by…

In the past studios changed game engines for different genres of games; however our engine allows them to use their familiar tool set in a variety of game genres. This means that level designers, developers and artists don’t need to learn a new set of tools.

Its predecessors/competitors include…

Our previous engine didn’t include the new sector-based system to the level we have now. Competitors are Bigworld, CryEngine, Unreal – all very good engines but usually out of the price range of smaller studios.

TARGET MARKET

It is made for…

Target market is all the game studios that purchase commercial grade game engines.

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY

It is available for sale through…

Epiphany Games has a licence deal with Emergent Games, and our terrain engine is sold with Lightspeed. All developers who get Lightspeed will get our product.

Our marketing strategy is to…

We sell through Emergent, so we only market through them and provide video tutorials.

SUPPORTING IMAGES AND/OR VIDEO

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS INNOVATION

While the judging is now officially over, you can still show your support for this innovation in one of the following three ways:

1. Hit the VOTE UP button: Top left of each page (Not available for IE users)
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3. Leave a Comment: Share the love!

To check out the Anthill SMART 100 Readers’ Choice winner for 2010, click here ^[6].