Well, apparently it’s been old news for about a year but Grand Theft Auto 4 is set to use the Euphoria physics engine developed by Natural Motion. If you haven’t seen the videos of this you should really check it out. The engine features real-time character animations based on the character’s AI and physiology and all of the materials in an environment have behave realistically, like splintering wood or buildings that fall apart when their structural integrity is comprimised. The same physics engine will be used in the upcoming Indiana Jones game.
I worry a bit this will cause the animations to look too real – while watching these videos I was wincing at each punch and I felt sorry when the storm troopers fell to their deaths.
Thanks to Jason S. for the links!
