UDK vs CryEngine 3 SDK: Creating a new level

Today, I'll look at how to create a level. Fairly straightforward, but what's interesting here is knowing what makes a level and what are the options available.

Why should I care?

Because, depending on the type of game the engine/level editor has been built for, some assumptions are made about the components of a level. And if we ever want to make something different, those assumptions may get in the way. We must know them to be able to circumvent them (if needed).

UDK vs CryEngine 3 SDK: Getting started

So, let's do this in chronological order. One of the first things we want to do when starting a project (well, after the design phase) is to set up the SDK so we can actually start to make something. I'm going to take a look at what's needed to get the SDK installed and running.

My M.O. will be as follows (and will be the same for every article in the series): I'll start by explaining why I'm looking at what I'm looking at, then I'll tell about what I know (UDK) before looking at how it's done in the CryEngine.

UDK vs CryEngine 3 SDK: A no-nonsense comparison

Catchy title, hey?

For various reasons I've decided to park my learning of animation skills and now I'm interested into taking a closer look at the CryEngine 3 SDK.

Being a UDK user, I'm obviously going to compare both engines a lot. However, my goal is not to determine "the best engine", but to find out where are their respective strengths and weaknesses. This will be a series of blog posts, each focussing on a specific topic. The two engines will be evaluated on about 3 criteria:

• How straightforward the process is (i.e. number of steps required to get things done).
• How easy it is to iterate on content.
• How easy it is to make something different from the default game.

DISCLAIMER: As much as I'll try to give unbiased information, I cannot guarantee that the ratings on the above criteria will be objective, as what seems easy to me may not be easy to you and vice versa. But at least this will give you an idea.

The first topic will be about getting the SDK up and running.

You'll find all the articles in the series by following this link.