Crysis updates from CES

Crysis, probably the most anticipated game of 2007, has been showcased by developers Crytek at this year's CES. In an interview with Gamespot, Cevat Yerli gave out some extra info on the status of the game as well as what we can expect. Below are the highlights from the full interview which you can read by clicking here:

GS: Tell us about the special features in Direct3D 10 that Crysis will make use of. For instance, how, if at all, will the game make use of Shader Model 4.0? Where will we see instances of this new technology in the game--enhanced animated reflections on shiny surfaces, more-detailed textures, and so on?

Cevat Yerli: In general, we utilize the new interface of D3D10 to get better performance. We also use geometry shaders with texture arrays to accelerate shadow map and particle generation. We now can develop render algorithms easier because of the big guaranteed feature set of D3D10. For example, with DX9, the limited number of interpolators often prevented shader optimizations. There are many more useful features we want to utilize as well, such as texture lookups in vertex and geometry shader, stream out, and integer math. D3D10 hardware is now required to do high-quality texture filtering, which can result in better shading quality (such as specular effects or reflections).

GS: We understand that as part of Direct3D 10's development, Microsoft has apparently made compliance requirements stiffer for graphics hardware manufacturers to have their new GPUs Direct3D 10-certified. How, if at all, have these increased requirements helped Crytek optimize the game for first-generation Direct3D 10 GPUs?

Cevat Yerli: It did not make a tangible difference for our development, really. We are used to working through these types of issues, but at the same time, certain simplifications for developers did not impact us too much.

GS: Tell us about how Crysis will continue to make the most of existing DirectX 9 hardware for users who can't upgrade their computers in time for the game.

Cevat Yerli: If you have a high-end DX9 card with an equal level of CPU and memory--basically today's "gamer rig"--you will enjoy Crysis with close-to-D3D10 fidelity. Don't forget that for a long time, we ran the game only on DX9 hardware, even though people thought it was D3D10. You can be sure your high-end gamer rig will satisfy your expectations--but with D3D10, you will surpass them.

IGN is also covering the news and they have a 5 minute video with developer commentary of a showcased level. In it we see the ‘veni vidi vici’ gameplay elements that have been discussed previously – whereby a player must observe a scenario, tag the enemies for his radar before moving in and destroying them. The weapon customisation looks smooth, easy and cool – in the video the player quickly turns his rifle into a sniper, shoots a guy before turning it back into an assault weapon.

The real icing on the cake though has to be the different modes the nano-suit can go into. These three options: speed, strength and armour, give the user super human abilities that will make for interesting gameplay dynamics. Speed will make you run at break-neck speeds but leave your vulnerable to damage, strength will allow you to pick up and throw massive objects as well as smashing objects in the world, and armour will turn you into a ‘walking tank’, giving you life regeneration as well as the ability to absorb bullets. A combination of all three abilities will be needed to complete missions in the game.

The demonstration at CES looks very positive. We’re also pleased to hear that Crytek has designed the new engine to work and take advantage of multi-core configurations and that the game is now reaching Alpha stage in development. The team isn’t willing to put a date on when it will be ready but indications are pointing towards Q2 this year.

Excited by the new features in Crysis, or worried your PC won’t be able to handle it? Let us know your thoughts over in the forums.