Cobra (game engine)
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| Developer(s) | Frontier Developments |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1988 |
| Stable release | 4th generation (2023)
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| Written in | C++ |
| Platform | Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo DS, Wii, Gamecube |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Cobra is a cross-platform, 3D game engine by Frontier Developments. Various iterations of Cobra have been developed in-house since 1988.[1][2] It consists of industry standard packages, in-house Cobra tools and flexible technology.[1]
History
[edit]In 1988, Frontier developed their own game engine, because there were no commercial engines that could do everything they wanted for their games.[3] The Cobra engine can be scaled, customized and optimized for specific tasks with custom tools and new features by their internal engine team.[3]
Frontier Developments generally uses their own Cobra engine for games rather than off-the-shelf engines. This means their development teams have more programmers than usual.[4] A typical dev team of Frontier has around 25 programmer and 55 other developers.[4] In 2024, Frontier had over 800 employees including the subsidiary Complex Games in Canada who work with the proprietary Cobra technology.[5]
Cobra uses C++ as the programming language.[4] The development tools are created with C# / WPF / Forms and C++.[4] Lua is used for gameplay features.[4] It supports many platforms such as Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS and Android devices.[1]
Usage
[edit]CMS games
[edit]Many of Frontier's games use iterations of the underlying Cobra engine. Most notable genres that use Cobra are creative management simulation (CMS) and space simulation. For example Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, Kinectimals, Planet Coaster, Jurassic World Evolution and Elite Dangerous.[6] Planet Coaster 2 uses the 4th generation of the Cobra cross-platform technology.[1] They create the tools and run-time technology in-house.[4] Frontier's games have unique tech such as the cats in Kinectimals, destructible environments in Screamride, the planets in Elite Dangerous, and world building in Planet Coaster.[4]
Custom systems were developed for the life-like dinosaur motion and behavior in Jurassic World Evolution.[7] The locomotion system blends animation for a dynamic range of speed and curvature.[7] The simulation navigation code is converted to smooth paths with animation choices.[7] The headlock system twists the neck bones in the right direction while the physics engine adds weight to the motion.[7] The foot-planting system with inverse kinematics is for the body movement on player-authored terrain.[7] The system blends between movement types so the dinosaurs adapt to terrain changes.[7]
Planet Zoo has an entity component system model enables thousands of instances of specific systems to run efficiently and parallel to each other.[8] Such as the animal behavior, staff logic and crowd navigation systems are combined with grouping of all instances of an object into sequential memory to enable the complex zoo simulation.[8]
Space simulation
[edit]The Cobra engine enables rendering of a procedurally generated Milky Way galaxy with billions of star systems in Elite Dangerous.[9] Cobra's Stellar Forge simulates star systems with realistic physics from composition to star illumination on celestial spheres.[9] The Stellar Forge generates approximately 400 billion star systems based on real-life astronomical data such as The the Hipparcos Catalogue and Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.[3][10] It fills unknown areas with predictive calculations (star density, age, mass) and unaccounted mass of the Milky Way.[3][11]
The planets are generated with real scientific principles.[10] This includes the circumstances of its birth, materials, age and neighboring planetary bodies.[10] Nearby star's properties such as gas, liquids, orbital distance and energy affects the planetary bodies.[10] The body's gasses, liquids, solids and chemical reactions based on temperature are applied.[10] Complex orbital systems are possible with binary planets.[10] The Cobra engine generates topological features from orbit to human scale.[10] Artists can customize this.[10]
The Milky Way simulation was praised for its accuracy since it included a star system similar to Trappist-1 before NASA discovered it in 2017.[3][11][12] The Stellar Forge's algorithm created the star system in nearly the same location 39 light-years from Earth, with a brown dwarf and 7 terrestrial planets.[13][14]
Games using Cobra engine
[edit]Licensing
[edit]The Cobra engine is currently unavailable for licensing. It's used exclusively for games by Frontier Developments.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Cobra Development Technologies & Tools". Frontier. 23 January 2023. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Frontier on bringing scientific authenticity to games and why the studio still uses its own engine". MCV. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Interview with Senior Localisation Manager at Frontier Developments". gamedev.net. 25 April 2020. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Programmer Application Guidance". Frontier. 12 August 2024. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Quested, Briony (2 August 2024). "Frontier Developments". BusinessWeekly. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b Hutchinson, Lee (17 June 2015). "Elite: Dangerous developers talk to Ars about Planet Coaster". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Animation: Frontier explains how the studio brought its dinosaurs to life in Jurassic World Evolution". MCV. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Harris, John (29 January 2020). "Designing the simulation of the wild and wonderful Planet Zoo". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b Lane, Rick (1 August 2017). "Cobra". Magzter (excerpt from Custom PC magazine). Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kelly, Andy (1 August 2018). "The mind-bending science behind the planets of Elite Dangerous". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ a b Gach, Ethan (27 February 2017). "The Newly Discovered TRAPPIST-1 Star System Was Hiding In Elite: Dangerous All Along". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Rosenberg, Adam (26 February 2017). "NASA's TRAPPIST-1 discoveries were predicted by a video game". Yahoo (Mashable). Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Andy (28 March 2017). "Visiting NASA's latest discovery in Elite Dangerous". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Good, Owen (25 February 2017). "Elite: Dangerous 'predicted' the discovery of the Trappist-1 system". Polygon. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.