Talk:Tomb Raider: Underworld

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A fact from Tomb Raider: Underworld appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on 21 December 2007.
Wikipedia
Famicom style controller This article is within the scope of WikiProject Video games. For more information, visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
Start This article has been rated as start-Class on the assessment scale.
Low This article is on a subject of low priority within gaming for inclusion in Wikipedia 1.0.
A request for box art or an application icon has been made to help better illustrate the article. (VG images department)
VG To-do:

[edit] Blu-ray media

Has there been any confirmation by Eidos that this game will be released on Blu-ray, or has this been assumed from the platforms it will be available on? ~~ [Jam][talk] 11:18, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

They haven't even 'officially' confirmed the title. I just wrote Blu-ray (and DVD) because of the platforms they've confirmed. clicketyclickyaketyyak 17:11, 21 December 2007 (UTC)
Fair enough - I figured I'd just ask :). ~~ [Jam][talk] 17:13, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Logo

I'm not sure that is the actual logo that Eidos have chosen for the game; it's more likely to be fan speculation ... 77.102.212.40 (talk) 22:50, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

You're right that it's not the official logo. Until CD gets back into the office tomorrow, they're not confirming anything. The logo was uploaded to the website they obtained (which is not online right now.) Someone downloaded it off their offline site somehow and shared it with the world. It could change. Additionally, the image that goes in the infobox should be the boxart, not the logo. clicketyclickyaketyyak 22:58, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Deus Ex 3

There is no proof, that Deus Ex 3 will be using old TR:A engine. Stephane D'Astous only said, that it will be "Crystal Dynamics engine", no details. I've removed the reference. PS. Heh. Someone was very quick in reverting.--153.19.192.241 (talk) 10:27, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Reading the original interview (http://www.developmag.com/interviews/104/QA-Stephane-DAstous-Eidos-Montreal), Stephane agrees when the interviewer says it will be the Tomb Raider engine. That, and do you know of any other Crystal Dynamics engines that have been released recently? ~~ [Jam][talk] 10:55, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
That sentence states, that the engine of Deus Ex 3 will be Tomb Raider: Anniversary engine and not the one powering TRU. The reference link doesn't support it. Both companies (Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal) are owned by Eidos and are likely to share resources. We can also think about something like Pascal's Wager. If we delete the words "and Deus Ex 3" and DX3 really uses TRA engine, the article is still truthful. But if they stay and DX3 is on TRU engine, then the article is wrong. Therefore, I think they should be removed.--153.19.192.241 (talk) 17:14, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
Oh, and I wasn't deliberately quick. I just happened to spot and revert your edit while on one of my frequent trawls though my watchlist. ~~ [Jam][talk] 10:56, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
How can they be using an engine (TRU) that hasn't been fully developed yet — if it's even being developed at all? Especially since they refer to having a fixed technology base as really helping out in keeping team size (and therefore costs) down. Can't be a fixed technology base if it's still in dev. Here are some other sources on the matter:
• "D'Astous also revealed that Deus Ex 3 would utilise Crystal Dynamics's Tomb Raider engine, last seen in this year's Tomb Raider: Anniversary." IGN
• "Eidos Montreal has announced that Deus Ex 3 will use a modified Tomb Raider: Legend engine which is owned by Crystal Dynamics, an Eidos-owned studio." Fudzilla
• "Eidos Montreal's recently announced Deus Ex 3 will use a modified version of the engine created by Eidos-owned sister studio Crystal Dynamics for Tomb Raider: Legend (PC, PS2, X360)." ShackNews
Seeing as the source in the article as well as all others took the interview to mean the existent TR engine by CrystalD (aka. the one used in Legend and Anni), then Wiki should report it, seeing as it is a relevant piece of information and not trivial.
Pascal's Wager does not apply to Wiki for two reasons: 1) Because unreleased video game info can change rapidly. If we were to not write down any info that could possibly turn out to not be true, then no articles about unreleased video games should exist at all. Just recently, Eidos was saying this game was exclusive to PS3, 360, and Windows. Well, turns out that wasn't true. All we can do is look to the most recent information available and report it. 2) Because Wiki operates based on a policy of verifiability, not truth. If it turns out to be wrong, fine. But until that is shown to be the case, all we can do is report what others say, even if they may be wrong. clicketyclickyaketyyak 19:55, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

I've logged in. Well, when I deleted three words I was reverted. Maybe when I delete the whole paragraph, my changes will stay. Crystal Dynamics has confirmed, that the engine, on which Tomb Raider: Underworld is built is just a modified version of the engine of Tomb Raider: Legend. To back it up:

We sat down with Creative Director Eric Lindstrom and Lead Programmer Rob Pavey and let them show off their new darling. "After Legend, we found that we hadn't exploited all of the engine's capabilities," remarks Lindstrom, "but we ended up building lots of new things into it for Underworld anyway." Working from a proven game engine is a huge advantage, but it carries with it the danger of stagnation. http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/tomb-raider-underworld/849046p1.html --Nathan2000 (talk) 13:52, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Looking at that, that doesn't seem to suggest either way - it merely says that they hadn't fully exploited the engine in Legend, that they have built lots of new things into Underworld, and while it is a huge advantage to use a proven game engine, it could lead to stagnation. ~~ [Jam][talk] 15:24, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
They have built lots of new things into "it". Into the engine.--Nathan2000 (talk) 16:51, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, what the "it" originally referred to, we can't be sure, because they've split the quotation into two parts and may have omitted a section. It's equally likely he was referring to the series or, as Jam said, the game in question. Not to geek out on you, but mags like PC JEUX and Maxiconsolas confirmed a new engine, and here are some internet sources:

  • "Extra details to the gameworld are also being built into Underworld, adding further visual gloss to proceedings, thanks to the introduction of the new game engine. TotalVideoGames
  • VideoGamer.com: "What engine is the game being built on?"

     Sarah Van Rompaey (Senior Producer): "There's an all-new engine" VideoGamer

  • Bill Beacham (External Designer, Eidos): "We've got a next-gen engine; we built it from the ground up" GameSpot

The early sources were saying it's not a new engine, but now that the later ones are coming out almost unanimously saying it is, it seems fairly certain that it is a new engine. clicketyclickyaketyyak 16:00, 4 May 2008 (UTC)