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Tom's Hardware > Forum > Games General > Games General Discussions > Intel, Havok Put Spotlight On Physics

Intel, Havok Put Spotlight On Physics

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robwright   09-17-2007 at 04:37:58 AM

Intel is set to acquire physics technology company Havok. What is the cause and potential effect for gaming?

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2007/0 [...] and_havok/

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STEMNIN   09-17-2007 at 02:23:28 PM
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lol, probably the same problems as "the way it's meant to be played" before they patched supreme commander.. yay for almost constant BSOD (really sucked when you tried to play multiplayer).

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enewmen   09-17-2007 at 05:30:12 PM
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Physics still has a LONG way to go.
In Oblivion for example, you still see things poking out of shields, hands poking out of walls, etc. Items can rest in un-natural positions., etc Liquid has a long way to go, etc.
Will these problems ever be solved?


Message edited by enewmen on 09-17-2007 at 05:30:35 PM
Reply to enewmen
STEMNIN   09-17-2007 at 05:52:02 PM
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And the corpses twitching in Bioshock (hands or feet), adds creepiness, but when I use telekenisis and throw them across the room a few times, I expect the twitching to stop!

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robwright   09-17-2007 at 06:29:33 PM
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STEMNIN wrote :

And the corpses twitching in Bioshock (hands or feet), adds creepiness, but when I use telekenisis and throw them across the room a few times, I expect the twitching to stop!



I actually kinda liked the twitching -- it was freaky. Though I'm not entirely sure if it was intentional.

I agree with Enewmen, physics still has a long way to go. But physics in The Force Unleashed, at least in the demos I've seen, will probably be a step in the right direction. Good stuff there.

Reply to robwright
Bluefinger   09-17-2007 at 08:29:52 PM
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I think this whole Intel acquiring Havok thing is merely a response to AMD acquiring ATI. Intel need something to use against AMD and they thought acquiring Havok would give them the edge to do so. I'm not saying Intel doesn't already have the resources to get back at AMD, but it shows that Intel are taking AMD much more seriously. I do see that this will hurt Intel's relationship with Nvidia, as pointed out in the article, but I think it'll get AMD, Nvidia and Ageia to maybe band together or work something out on their own in response to this. I do wonder what will happen to Havok FX and the ATI Crossfire physics support that it is supposed to have, whether it'll still happen or simply be kept as a concept.

BUT! Before any more progress is done with physics, I think some sort of OpenGL-like standard or API needs to be implemented for accelerated physics, as the last thing I want is to have several different PCI/whatever-cards or chipsets, just to run a couple of games with different physics solutions. Maybe an OpenPL or DirectPhysics, or something along those lines.

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Sengoku   09-17-2007 at 10:38:18 PM
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randomizer wrote :

Ohnoes! All hail the Duopoly! :kaola:



In the end... there can be only one.

When I hear "havok" I think of bad licensed ports like Robotech Invid invasion. Unfair I know, but I'm still waiting for the day where I can model running up to a ball pit and jumping in. That's years away.

Oh well. In the meantime, there's still Stair Dismount.

Reply to Sengoku
werepossum   09-18-2007 at 02:23:05 AM
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Anybody remember "DOS isn't done until Lotus won't run"?

Sucks to be AMD right now.

Reply to werepossum
randomizer   09-18-2007 at 07:17:27 AM
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AMD will keep kicking, Intel will not get rid of them totally, as that will be bad for them. Monopolies are frowned upon.

Reply to randomizer
schkorpio   09-18-2007 at 08:05:32 AM
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Bluefinger wrote :


BUT! Before any more progress is done with physics, I think some sort of OpenGL-like standard or API needs to be implemented for accelerated physics, as the last thing I want is to have several different PCI/whatever-cards or chipsets, just to run a couple of games with different physics solutions. Maybe an OpenPL or DirectPhysics, or something along those lines.




Thats absolutley right - only such a thing will start getting people to buy dedicated physics hardware as there will not be a risk as to which one you get.

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BigMac   09-18-2007 at 11:16:21 AM
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Bluefinger wrote :

BUT! Before any more progress is done with physics, I think some sort of OpenGL-like standard or API needs to be implemented for accelerated physics, as the last thing I want is to have several different PCI/whatever-cards or chipsets, just to run a couple of games with different physics solutions. Maybe an OpenPL or DirectPhysics, or something along those lines.



It's only a matter of time till DirectX will also cover physics. Personally I prefer fully open standards but that seems to be a fiction in the current PC marketplace. Perhaps the recent victory of the EU over Microsoft regarding abuse of their dominant market position will make a difference in the long term.

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Message edited by BigMac on 09-18-2007 at 11:18:34 AM
Reply to BigMac
Bluefinger   09-18-2007 at 12:19:23 PM
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schkorpio wrote :

Thats absolutley right - only such a thing will start getting people to buy dedicated physics hardware as there will not be a risk as to which one you get.


Yeah... I'll only really take dedicated physics once a dedicated Physics API gets set up.

BigMac wrote :

It's only a matter of time till DirectX will also cover physics. Personally I prefer fully open standards but that seems to be a fiction in the current PC marketplace. Perhaps the recent victory of the EU over Microsoft regarding abuse of their dominant market position will make a difference in the long term.


I think having DirectX include physics may complicate matters... I think having a seperate API for physics would be the best option. I know there's OpenAL, so logically, an OpenPL would work. However, as long as a company (Microsoft or whatever) takes the initiative to introduce a standard and to encourage other companies to use it, then it will be a step forward for accelerated physics.

Reply to Bluefinger
jimmysmitty   10-14-2007 at 11:03:51 PM
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I for one believe this is a step towards Intels discrete graphics cardsLarambee(I thinks theats the spelling). If anything they plan to make use of both their CPUs and GPUs to accelerate physics.

You also have to remember Intels main focus has shifted from AMD. Not that they don't see them as competition its just that they are focusing on so many other things that they plan to do. Intel already has a set plan for CPUs with a road map that extends till 2012 or so on. All they need to do is produce the CPUs as they seem to already have their designs laid out.

I love Havoc phsyics. I remember Pain Killer was one of the first to impliment them. I used to love impaling zombies to the walls or roofs using the stake gun. Just like in HL2 with the bolt gun. Just hitting the Combine in the head and watching them flip/nailed to the wall was amazing.

I just hope this will help further the choices for accelerated physics instead of relying on just a extra card. I for one like how Valve used the extra cores on a dual/quad core CPU to accelerate physics with the same results as a PhysX card.

Reply to jimmysmitty
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