Technology behind Halo 3 – Why is it so popular ?

Just this afternoon i read an article in wired magazine about gaming technology. My curiosity was about the game engine of Halo 3. I did googling and found it on wikipedia.

Graphics

 

 

Halo 3 utilizes a proprietary, in-house graphics engine, often referred to as the “Halo 3 Engine”.^[24] This engine builds upon the technologies of the Halo 2 Engine (and previously the Halo Engine) and is re-optimized for the architecture of the Xbox 360.

As detailed on the Bungie Studios website, it employs advanced graphics technologies such as High Dynamic Range, global lighting, real-time reflections and depth of field effects within cutscenes.^[25] Certain surfaces, including the Master Chief’s visor (when visible) and the armor of a Ghost, will have real-time reflections (these were not present within the Beta). Most of the dynamic objects in the game cast real-time shadows on themselves and the environment around them, including the game’s plant life. Halo 3 uses normal, bump, and parallax mapping to give surfaces more detail without dramatically increasing the number of polygons.

Bungie has also stated that the draw distance of the game is in excess of 10 miles (16 km). Sophisticated new atmospheric models are used in the game to replace the traditional skybox,^[26] allowing several layers of cloud and atmospheric cover, and even a pseudo “space” beyond that.

Water effects are also dramatically improved, as water can now reflect and refract images simultaneously. In addition to being able to simulate effects such as waterfalls, water visually flows around objects in its path and splash when players, vehicles, or other objects travel through it.

Physics

Halo 3, like Halo 2, uses a version of the Havok physics engine for much of its physics calculations^[27][28] (although parts of the physics, like melee, are done with custom code on top of the middleware).

A wide variety of objects are affected by physical interactions in Halo 3. Crates, canisters, objective objects, dropped weapons, characters, bodies, vehicles, and some parts of the world geometry all interact with each other and the world around them in generally more believable physical ways. Trajectories of thrown objects are also affected by the gravity lifts in the game (including the “Mancannon”).

Some of the foliage in the game is physically reactive; it not only moves in the simulated wind, but actually reacts to the player’s (or other creatures) presence and bullet fire, as well as explosions. Some flora in the game will also be destroyed after receiving enough damage.

Audio

As with all titles on the Xbox 360, Halo 3 fully supports 5.1 surround sound audio. In the game, there are over 50,000 pieces of audio, with nearly 40,000 of those being NPC dialogue.^[9] This is many more than in either of the preceding Halo titles; Halo 2 had over 15,000 pieces of dialogue. The AI controlling this dialogue is designed to ensure the exchanges flow naturally and convincingly.

Separate recordings have been made for nearby and distant gunfire to make for a more believable sound experience. Distant gunfire sounds, which may first seem like prerecorded ambient sound, may often be the result of an actual firefight happening somewhere in the game. Marty O’Donnell again composed an original score. Some pieces of the game’s music are produced with a much larger real orchestra than anything in the prior two games. For example, the music for the announcement trailer was recorded with a 60-piece orchestra and a 24-piece choir.^[5] Halo 3 is the first game in the series to feature custom soundtracks, allowing players to replace in-game music with their own choices.^[29] Voice actors returning to reprise their roles in Halo 3 include: Jen Taylor as Cortana and Steve Downes as the voice of Master Chief. Actress Julie Benz, however, did not voice Miranda Keyes for Halo 3.^[30] Celebrity presenter Jonathan Ross also did voice acting for Halo 3.^[31]