17th Century London recreated in CryEngine

Crytek’s CryEngine has mostly been used to create futuristic shooters, but now it’s powering a historical recreation of Ye Olde London Town.

The technology was used as part of the Off The Map challenge – a competition run by the British Library and GameCity, and sponsored by Crytek. The object was for teams to create virtual versions of historic sites such as Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza, based on historic maps from the British Library.

The winner was Pudding Lane Productions, a team of students from Leicester’s De Montfort University, who recreated areas of 17th Century London.

"Off The Map has given students in the UK a chance to discover the power of CryEngine first hand," said Crytek’s director of business development Carl Jones.

"The winning entry points to a bright future for the industry and underscores the fact that the engine is not only setting new standards for blockbuster games, but is also accessible and intuitive for those taking their first steps into development."

Tom Harper, panel judge and curator of cartographic materials at the British Library, added: "The haze effect lying over the city is brilliant and great attention has been given to key features of London Bridge, the wooden structure of Queenshithe on the river, and even the glittering window casements.

"I’m really pleased that the Pudding Lane team was able to repurpose some of the maps from the British Library’s amazing map collection – a storehouse of virtual worlds – in such a considered way."

You can check out Pudding Lane Productions’ work in the video below: