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Capcom: “Panta Rhei Can Be Adapted to Anything;” Deep Down’s Engine Confirmed Multi-P

http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/01/10/capcom-panta-rhei-can-be-adapted-to-anything-new-engine-confirmed-multi-purpose-and-multiplatform/


Capcom: “Panta Rhei Can Be Adapted to Anything;” Deep Down’s Engine Confirmed Multi-Purpose and Multiplatform

Capcom’s new engine Panta Rhei looks extremely powerful, but apparently it’s also extremely flexible: Senior Manager of Technology Management Masauru Ijuin described what kind of games the company’s new technology can work for in an internal interview published for the Capcom’s investors.

“Panta Rhei” can be adapted to anything. It is designed to be a general-purpose engine, and facilitate the creation of all types of games. Capcom creates games for a variety of genres, so this engine needs to be capable of handling whatever kind of game we want to make. “Panta Rhei” can meet the exact needs of each development team, no matter what type of game it is they’re making. This engine is pretty much “engineered specifically for Capcom games”


Despite the multiplatform nature of the engine, Ijuin-san explained how Deep Down is being used as a test bed for the engine, with the game and the new technology developed basically in parallel.

I view the development team as a kind of sparring partner when it comes to developing an engine. Without a partner, we wouldn’t know what functions need to be put into the engine or what kind of development environment we need to set up. The “Dead Rising” team was our sparring partner when we created “MT Framework”, while this time around with “Panta Rhei” it was the “deep down” team. We communicate closely with the development team members to improve and add functions which meet their demands.

Essentially we’re working with them to create the development engine. We hand the engine over to the “deep down” team to make sure it meets their expectations, get feedback in real time, and quickly address the points that need to be improved. This relationship will continue until we reach the development deadline for “deep down”. I’m pretty sure Pant Rhei will be complete by the time “deep down” is ready for release.

Ijuin-san also mentioned that the development of Pantha Rhei won’t stop with the release of Deep Down, and the engine will keep up the pace with the evolution of the hardware:

p_02.jpg


“Panta Rhei” will keep pace with technological innovation, including improved hardware performance. As this technology advances, the important question we must ask is how efficient can we be in developing games. Efficiency is not only about cost. It’s about how effectively we can invest in developing entertaining games.

For example, it is technically possible to spread fire across a corridor by using billboards. But by using the new engine and fluids, we can do this much more efficiently. The parallelization of processes is another example. What’s important for us is to send out a message to development teams, telling them we have a new engine which practically eliminates wasted cost, allowing them to keep testing things out until they find what they want, with no need to worry about the cost. That’s the kind of engine we want “Panta Rhei” to become.

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TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
But it's still 8 to 10 times the work compared to using MT Framework.

Right guys?

Right.

How so? If this new engine is "more efficient" at doing things for the next generation than the former architecture/engine/MT Framework, how is your statement "correct?"

It's only "8 to 10 times the work" in creating these workflows/efficiency. But if the performance/efficiency gain is worth it...
 

Effect

Member
Looks like they view WiiU as a last gen console going on the pic.

Or simply that MT Framework was designed and then altered to run on those platforms. While it wasn't for the PS4/XBO. It had been dropped in favor of Phanta Rhei. That's all that image is saying and what they've said. If Phanta Rhei could only run on the PS4/XBO they'd say so. They purposefully aren't saying that. They are saying it runs on multiple platforms going forward because it's so adaptable. That means it very well does scale to run on the Wii U.
 

Reverend

Neo Member
How so? If this new engine is "more efficient" at doing things for the next generation than the former architecture/engine/MT Framework, how is your statement "correct?"

It's only "8 to 10 times the work" in creating these workflows/efficiency. But if the performance/efficiency gain is worth it...

Mister Mesoian is referring to a statement made by Capcom that Next Gen Development Takes Eight To Ten Times Longer. That statement and the idea that they've created a universal engine stand at odds.
 

Reverend

Neo Member
Following that logic it seems they also view PC as a last gen console, those silly japanese companys.

Considering their level of success in the PC gaming market (not making a statement about the quantity or quality of their output on said market, mind), can you really blame them for not being PC-centric? They're not built for it. They don't really know how to do it, and they're sure not gonna spend their mobile-game yen on hiring the talent to do it right.
 

Sectus

Member
Hopefully Pantha Rhei is designed to support PC too, despite what that diagram suggests. It makes perfect sense too, as MT Framework had PC as primary target platform, and the new consoles are essentially PCs under the hood.

Maybe Capcom can actually become successful on the PC this time around. I'm a little bit baffled how certain Japanese ports to PC are received better (like Dark Souls) than Capcom's ports. They're both late ports, but Capcom's PC ports tend to be extremely well made.

I still want a Dragon's Dogma PC port :'(
 

Reverend

Neo Member
Hopefully Pantha Rhei is designed to support PC too, despite what that diagram suggests. It makes perfect sense too, as MT Framework had PC as primary target platform, and the new consoles are essentially PCs under the hood.

Maybe Capcom can actually become successful on the PC this time around. I'm a little bit baffled how certain Japanese ports to PC are received better (like Dark Souls) than Capcom's ports. They're both late ports, but Capcom's PC ports tend to be extremely well made.

I still want a Dragon's Dogma PC port :'(

To me, the games that Capcom puts out on PC just aren't terribly good, SSF4 notwithstanding. I can't think of a game they put out on PC since SSF4 that I bought.
 
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