Epic Games, the company behind the famous Unreal Engine, has announced that it has a next-generation physics engine in the works. Called the Chaos physics engine, it will ship in early access on April 23.
To show off what the engine is capable of, they featured a tech demo called Robo Chaos. The demo sets itself in the same universe as Epic's VR game Robo Recall. In the tech demo, the player controlled a giant mech robot who is trying to destroy a quick-footed humanoid robot. The giant mech has many weapons at its disposal, including chain guns and rockets. The player continues to aim at the smaller robot, but she's too quick to be hit.
As you'd expect, the giant mech has low accuracy with its big weapons, so it mostly hits everything but the target. However, that's the whole point of the tech demo. As the bullets and rockets hit the various walls and building exteriors, everything would blow up. These explosions showcased the power of Chaos, which created this believable vision of a building being destroyed.
The tech demo went from an atrium to the exterior of one building to the outside of a skyscraper. Of course, all of these venues were destroyed, thanks to the giant mech. The person playing Robo Chaos used two Vive Controllers without wearing the actual VR headset.
There's no word on when or if Robo Chaos will come out for the public. However, using the Robo Recall universe could signal that a sequel or spin-off could be in the works at Epic Games. Only time will tell.
The Chaos physics engine will join Unreal on April 23. Additionally, expect more of its features to roll out over time.
What do you think about how the Chaos engine worked in Robo Chaos? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
