Marvel Rivals devs were forced to take “significant risks” to keep the game’s destructible environments, but it was all worth it

By far one of many coolest parts of NetEase’s Marvel Rivals is the addition of correct destructible environments. Whereas most maps are mainly simply three-lane arenas, the NetEase’s addition of destructible environments helps to guarantee that each match can really feel contemporary.

Nonetheless, in a weblog piece relating to the sport’s use of Unreal Engine, NetEase revealed that the destructible environments have been really an enormous subject for the staff. Alongside the creation of Doctor Strange’s portal, the sport’s destruction tech brought on big points early on in growth.

Marvel Rivals destruction was an enormous subject

By way of the blog post, Marvel Rivals technical lead designer Ruan Weikan defined that the staff was initially working with Unreal Engine 4. Nonetheless, when engaged on the older engine, the sport couldn’t deal with the large destruction whereas additionally conserving stable efficiency.

“We encountered a big technical hurdle: our core environmental destruction system constantly fell wanting expectations by way of manufacturing effectivity, physics simulation, and efficiency metrics,” Weikan defined.

With complicated destruction and a contemporary strategy to rendering, the Unreal Engine 4 model of Marvel Rivals saved hitting additional “technical limitations” as time went on. With this, the staff moved the mission to Unreal Engine 5, changing the worldwide illumination system with Epic Video games’ Lumen—used to nice impact in Fortnite—and utilizing the Chaos destruction system as an alternative of their very own instruments.

In accordance with Weikan, the method of shifting from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5 solely took the Marvel Rivals staff “three months” but additionally resulted in “considerably enhanced dynamic scene efficiency”. With out this shift, the sport may need been compelled to axe its destructible environments, or sacrifice efficiency.

“Whereas upgrading the engine and reconstructing core technical programs mid-development represented a big danger, the outcomes vindicated this resolution,” Weikang defined. “The improve to UE5 marked an important turning level in growth, with the ultimate outcomes justifying each useful resource invested on this bold technical transition.”

For extra Marvel Rivals information, check out every leaked hero coming to the brand new hero shooter.