GDC: Update released for Gamebryo LightSpeed

A Gamebryo LightSpeed update package has been released by Emergent Game Technologies.

Features include a ‘Kickstart’ training program with updating tutorials, sample code and game assets; whiteboxing capabilities, additive animation blending and D3D11 support.

The award-winning engine has received many add-ons in the past, but the new updates appear to be targeted at helping developers get the most of what is already available and with greater ease.

The Kickstart training program is designed to explain LightSpeed development by way of a series of tutorials and technical explanations of the dev kit. Emergent has said that it will include ‘targeted threads’ for designers, artist and programmers with the intention of allowing a studio to move quickly into development in all areas.

Gamebryo claim the new whiteboxing tools and support in LightSpeed’s World Builder allow designers to make playable test levels while artists work on building up the level separately.

Meanwhile, the Direct3D 11 renderer – a part of Microsoft’s DirectX API – is offering support for real-time tessellation and compute shaders.

Gamebryo LightSpeed has already been the engine for titles like Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Civilization Revolution, Speed, Divinity II – Ego Draconis and Bully.