SAGE engine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Strategy Action Game Engine | |
|---|---|
| Developed by | Westwood Studios, EA Los Angeles |
| OS | Windows, Apple Macintosh |
| Genre | Game engine |
| Website | Electronic Arts Official Website |
The SAGE engine (or Strategy Action Game Engine) is a game engine used by Westwood Studios and Electronic Arts for real-time strategy games.
The first version of the engine was known as W3D ("Westwood 3D") was highly modified version of SurRender 3D engine, developed by Hybrid Graphics Ltd. [1]
Westwood used W3D for Emperor: Battle for Dune and updated for Command & Conquer: Renegade.
After Westwood was bought by Electronic Arts the engine was further updated for Command & Conquer: Generals, and renamed to SAGE. The rendering part remains nearly identical to the W3D engine, but most other elements have been redesigned from the ground up.
The SAGE engine allows for dynamic lighting that casts realistic shadows and realistic reflections on most objects. High quality visual effects are now possible with the SAGE engine powering games. One example of a unique effect is the stop-motion camera. Blow up a gas station, for example, and the action will freeze in mid-explosion, and the camera will quickly pan around the environment, revealing pieces of debris and shrapnel suspended in the air, before the action promptly resumes. The SAGE engine also allows games to take place during different times of the day, with realistic lighting and shadow changes, etc.
However, SAGE Engine has a very important weakness, that is, when there is too much particle effects or objects in your current window, then the game may slow down, or game players call it "lag".
Contents |
[edit] Games with the W3D engine
- Emperor: Battle for Dune - without any Modding SDK
- Earth & Beyond
- Command & Conquer: Renegade
- Command & Conquer: Renegade 2 (canceled)
- Red Alert: A Path Beyond (Indie Game)
[edit] Games with the SAGE engine
- Command & Conquer: Generals
- The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
- The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
- Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
[edit] Games with the RNA engine
[edit] References
- ^ 3D Project announces co-operation with Taika Technologies, Ltd. - SurRender 3D is one of the leading 3D libraries on the market and is currently being used in many commercial titles such as Westwood Studios' Command & Conquer: Renegade.
