Havok (software)
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The Havok Game Dynamics SDK, better known as simply Havok, is a middleware physics engine (in this case Dynamical simulation) designed for computer and video games by allowing interaction between objects or other characters in real-time. By using collision detection Havok allows for more lifelike worlds and animations, such as ragdoll physics, that adds to the overall game by making these interactions appear natural.
Havok is available for the Microsoft Xbox, the Microsoft Xbox 360, the Nintendo GameCube, the Sony PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Windows, although it has yet to be released for Mac OS X. Havok Version 1.0 was unveiled at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2000. Version 2.0 was launched at the GDC in 2003.
Since the SDK's launch in 2000, it has been used in over 100 video and computer games. Those games have primarily been action titles of the first-person shooter genre, but Ensemble Studios incorporated it into its real-time strategy game, Age of Empires III [link]. The engine has also been used in movies such as The Matrix trilogy [link]. Havok can also be found in Autodesk Media & Entertainment's 3ds max as a bundled plug-in called reactor. A plugin for Autodesk Media & Entertainment's Maya animation software is also available.
Havok is also the name of the company that develops the physics tools. The company was founded in 1998 by Hugh Reynolds and Dr. Steven Collins of the computer science department in Trinity College, Dublin. Research and Development is carried out in Dublin, with a sales and support office in San Francisco. The Havok development studios are licensed middle-ware developers on the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube platforms.
Havok physics are most noticeable in games such as , Psi Ops, Half-life 2 and Destroy All Humans, where the player can use either psychic powers or fictional technology to manipulate many objects in the game, raising them, then moving or throwing them around the environment. In the instance of Oblivion, players can also interact with virtually any object in the game, as long as it is moveable.
Havok in Next-gen
As of May 2006, it is confirmed that every Next-gen gaming system is compatible with Havok software. After support for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, on May 9, 2006 Havok announced support for the Nintendo Wii at E3 2006.
Games using Havok
As of March 2006, there are more than 100 games that have been released or that are in development using Havok. Notable games include:- Age of Empires III
- Amped 3
- Armed and Dangerous
- Astro Boy
- Auto Assault
- Brute Force
- Crash Nitro Kart
- Darkwatch
- Dawn of Mana
- Destroy All Humans!
- F.E.A.R.
- Freelancer
- From Russia with Love
- Full Spectrum Warrior
- Half-Life 2
- Halo 2
- Middle-earth Online
- The Outfit
- Painkiller
- Pariah
- Perfect Dark Zero
- The Punisher
- Second Life
- Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 next-generation game)
- ''Spider-Man 2
- Starsky and Hutch
- SWAT 4
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2
- WWE Crush Hour
Other software using Havok
See also
External links
- [Havok site]
- [Titles using Havok Engine]
- [Havok Shockwave GameEngine Demo]
- [Havok Shockwave Physics Demo]
- [Havok Shockwave Ragdoll Demo]
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