Katana Engine
 | |
| Original author(s) | Koei Tecmo |
|---|---|
| Initial release | C. 2000s |
| Platform | |
| Type | game engine |
Katana Engine is an in-house game engine developed by Koei Tecmo. It has been used for the development of several of the companies games, such as Wild Hearts and Samurai Warriors 5.
Features
[edit]
Katana Engine supports modern 3D features such as automatic LOD generation and fluid simulation.[1][2] It has a built in world environment system that automatically changes lighting based on the time of day and latitude and longitude and supports various weather conditions such as rainy, sunny, snowy etc.[2] The environment system can also be used to dictate the ambient sound.[3] The engine uses Percentage-Closer Soft Shadows along with a proprietary reflection probe system for its shadows.[2][4] It also includes a physically based material editor, as well as a procedural foliage placement system.[1] Aside from physically based parameters, materials contain other parameters that affect its appearance; for example, a material can be set to accept a parameter that allows it to become dusty depending on the local environment.[1] The engine supports PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.[5]
History
[edit]Development of Katana Engine began in the early 2000s as a collection of individual production tools.[1] Beginning in the 2010s, it started to develop into a full featured engine, and has since grown in usage internally.[1]
According to director Ryota Matsushita, the engine is updated with new features for each new game that uses it.[6] For example, 2D shading of 3D characters was improved for the release of Fate/Samurai Remnant.[6]
According to Yasunori Sakuda, producer of Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme, Katana Engine will replace the engine used in previous games in the series due to features such as it's superior environment system; according to Sakuda, developers were not able to implement rain in Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation due to constraints of the engine.[7]
As of 2022, the engine did not support ray tracing.[8]
Games
[edit]| Title | Release date | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Dynasty Warriors 9 | 2018-02-08 | [7] |
| Fate/Samurai Remnant | 2023-09-28 | [6] |
| Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes | 2022-07-24 | [9] |
| Rise of the Rōnin | 2024-03-22 | [2] |
| Samurai Warriors 5 | 2021-06-24 | [6] |
| Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme | 2025-03-06 | [7] |
| Wild Hearts (video game) | 2023-02-17 | [8] |
| Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty | 2023-03-03 | [7] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Kazuhisa (2023-08-30). "［インタビュー］コーエーテクモという会社のAIへの向き合い方は，堅実かつ歴史に裏打ちされたものだった。AIの使い方から会社のポリシーに至るまで，普段は表に出ない人にあれこれ…". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese).
- ^ a b c d 大河原浩一 (2024-10-18). "Team NINJAの技術力が随所に光る幕末アクション『Rise of the Ronin』後篇". CG・映像の専門情報サイト | CGWORLD.jp (in Japanese).
- ^ 高島おしゃむ (7 November 2024). "大将AI・軍師AI・武将AIが合戦を再現？コーエーテクモゲームス「KATANA ENGINE」のAIなら、スケッチから地形をモデリングできるらしい。「ゲームとAI」の今を知れる、三宅陽一郎氏も登壇の講演をレポート". denfaminicogamer (in Japanese).
- ^ Fernando, Randima. "Percentage-Closer Soft Shadows" (PDF). NVIDIA Corporation.
- ^ Koei Tecmo (24 June 2021). "Paid Program: Game On: Koei Tecmo's Ambition to Lead the World". wsj.
- ^ a b c d Farrell, Andrew (19 September 2023). "Fate/Samurai Remnant Game Director Ryota Matsushita on Game Systems & Traditions". cgmagonline.
- ^ a b c d Townsend, Verity (5 November 2024). "Venus Vacation Prism switches to Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's game engine for extra wetness and steamy breaths". AUTOMATON WEST.
- ^ a b Palumbo, Alessio (10 October 2022). "Wild Hearts Q&A - EA/KT Partnership, Karakuri, Kemono and Much More". Wccftech.
- ^ 西川くん (2022-06-24). "『ファイアーエムブレム無双 風花雪月』開発者インタビュー。3社のキーマンたちが語る、新たなフォドラの歴史。原作プレイヤーの体験を無駄にしない配慮とは". ファミ通.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-02.