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Does it do anything but driving games?" is a question that draws groans and smiles simultaneously from the Havok team, makers of their eponymous game physics middleware that recently received a major upgrade to version 2.0.
In response to what must be an all-too-frequently asked question, Havok 2.0 broadens its scope to include character physics much more prominently over earlier versions. In that sense Havok 2.0 is not an upgrade, it's a whole new product. New demos, viewable at www.havok.com, show off this functionality to good effect over previous releases.
New and improved. In the original Havok we heard a lot about dynamic characters rag doll - but it was more akin to having a dynamic corpse. Havok 2.0 extends this concept, losing a lot of the dead-body feel of its predecessor. I'm not an animator by any stretch but I was able to develop my own walk cycles and attach the Havok physics system and character control far easier than with earlier versions. Havok has realized the need to dictate full control over character look and movement in the game, both for player and nonplayer, because that's what the game player wants. I don't always require accurate physical simulation, for example when a more cinematic or fun-focused effect is desired. Havok attempts to provide this control, and while far from perfect, it's a step in the right direction. I was able to emulate parts of the standard zombie demo easily enough that as my animation walks forward I "detached" the head, allowing it to loll freely. When hitting the character with an impulse, such as a simulated shotgun blast, I switched state to playing a "knocked back" animation, detached the arms, and let the physics control the flailing arm movement and torso rotation. This could have been extended to letting arms dangle limply and legs drag heavily along the ground when targeted. I was also happy to see a proper section in the Havok manual for handling characters and control, so you aren't left floundering.
You may not have heard this before, but Havok does driving games! There is new functionality in the vehicular component of the SDK, but for me, it was important to see how easy it was to create vehicles now....