Keri Allan takes us through the new technologies being put to use in Force Unleashed…

We’re truly in the midst of next-gen gaming now, with every AAA title showing off a new technology that adds to the gameplay experience. Many offer graphical improvements, show the benefits of greater numbers of polygons etc, but with the Force Unleashed we’re seeing one of the biggest evolutions in game development for a long time.

Sadly the game itself has had mixed reviews; locking issues, lava related bugs etc, but nothing bad can be said about Euphoria and DMM (Digital Molecular Matter). Originally showed off back at E3 in 2006, the techs were highlighted in LucasArts’ Indiana Jones game project (originally planned for a 2007 release but now expected in 2009) but this, the latest Star Wars adventure, is where the technologies are getting their first public consumption.

As an all out action game the Force Unleashed is a great showcase for both new features; Euphoria with its AI enhancing abilities, and DMM which incorporates the physical properties of anything in the environment.

Thanks to Euphoria; a technology created by a firm called NaturalMotion, the game’s characters are able to move, act and think like real people. Out goes the concept of software engineers developing sets of animations that let characters move around and react to events. Instead Euphoria lets them realistically adapt to their situation. The result is a series of experiences that will never be repeated. Now that’s real replay value for you!

“With Euphoria the AI in the game drives characters behaviour so that there is a different pay-off every time,” says LucasArt’s Chris Williams. “Imagine a swinging rope bridge. With Euphoria in action, characters visibly attempt to balance themselves, their feet stumbling, their arms flailing and their hands reaching for security as the unpredictable movements of the bridge threaten to send them plummeting to their doom. Perhaps they all survive. Perhaps they all fall. The action isn’t scripted so you’ll never predict exactly what will happen, no matter how many times you’ve experienced a certain scenario.”

This is something that you may take for granted or not notice so much until you’ve played the game through a couple of times, but the big thing I’ve noticed – an enjoyed playing with – is the DMM-related features.

Simply put, this technology, created by Pixelux Entertainment, allows for material physics, where different materials and objects react and break in a realistic fashion. As soon as I jumped in ‘Force, I was pushing people into trees to watch them splinter and throwing boxes into windows to see how the glass would smash, and it was pretty cool to watch!

“If a structure exists – big or small, dense or thin, floppy or rigid – DMM causes it to react in the same way it would in reality, says Williams. “Unlike what you’re used to seeing in games, wood doesn’t simply break apart along a predetermined seam every time. Rather it splinters into countless pieces from the exact point of impact, also taking into account the amount of force exerted.

“The same rules apply to any substance imaginable. Rubber bends and snaps into place. Glass shatters, crystal fractures and stone crumbles,” Williams highlights.

So there you have it, basically these two technologies have allowed LucasArts to totally re-imagine the scope and the scale of ‘The Force’ for this game. Turn on your PS3, pop in the game and take a look at it with new eyes. As you play you’ll now notice those little ‘extras’, and get a little something extra out of the gameplay experience. As Obi-Wan would say, “May the Force be with you…”