HPL3

[Paddy™]

Let's discuss the new engine, its improvements and what we hope to see implemented.

So far, we know of the following additions to the engine since HPL2 (I'll update the list as people submit new items):

Spoiler below!

Engine Features

---

• Global sunlight with full shadow support [ref.]
  
• Terrain generation with dynamic terrain LOD (Level of Detail) [ref.]
  
• HDR lighting with filmic tone mapping [ref.]
  
• The introduction of a custom shading language, HPSL [ref.]
  
• Anti-aliasing [ref.]
  
• Particle collision [ref.]
  
• Depth of Field [ref.]
  
• Coloured Specular [ref.]
  
• Streaming (no loading screens between levels; this is optional) [ref.]
  
• Tessellation (not used in SOMA, but is available in the engine for modders) [ref.]

HPL3 Tools

---

• Level Editor:
  • Fly Mode [ref.]
    
  • Poser EditMode [ref.]
    
  • Colour Picker [ref.]

• Particle Editor:
  • Live update [ref.]
    
  • Control of the update speed [ref.]
    
  • Easing functions for fading values [ref.]
    
  • Helper graphs [ref.]

The Dev Wiki has been updated with documentation for the new engine. You can find it here:

https://wiki.frictionalgames.com/hpl3/start