Changing the Face of Browser Games: Mozilla and Unreal Engine - Battered Joystick
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Changing the Face of Browser Games: Mozilla and Unreal Engine
Gaming technology is advancing at a rapid pace. I recently wrote an article about my predictions on what gaming will look like in ten years. In that article, I obviously predicted some big improvements to the graphics and visuals for all platforms. Well, one particular platform for gaming has received a significant improvement in performance – demonstrated in a recently released trailer. If you are reading this, than you likely have read the title, and know that I am referring to browser gaming. With the launch of the Unreal Engine 4 and the development of Mozilla’s asm.js, gaming on the browser is more than keeping up with next generation console gaming.
The History and Technology
Mozilla and Epic Games demonstrated the true potential of the browser as a platform for gaming less than a year ago, when Mozilla ported the Unreal Engine 3 to showcase the Epic Citadel demo. Asm.js was a new feature that came out at that time, which was developed by Mozilla, and allowed browsers to compile JavaScript to assemble code and execute it natively. So basically, when you visited the website and explored the Citadel, (which you still can do), you would have been, or are, running the Unreal Engine 3 natively on your computer – instead of permanently downloading or installing a program or plugin. Truth be told, you have to download 52mb of data, but that is miniscule in comparison of a full game download.
The Unreal Engine 3 and asm.js was more than a solid foundation, as Mozilla has been continuously working to optimize the tech, and they have. Enhancements have increased the performance of web apps using asm.js from 40% to 67% of native, and they expect it to continue to increase. Obviously, also having one of the most impressive engines in next-gen gaming will only increase the opportunities for quality games. Unreal Engine 4 runs similar to 3, as it uses Emscipten to compile regular C and C++ code in asm.js. Any modern web browser can run asm.js content, but not surprisingly Firefox is recommended to ensure the smoothest experience, as it is has specific optimizations.
As the technology has just been showcased in a trailer, some may say it would be a little early to discuss what titles would be potentially made available using this technology. Obviously, the showcased titles are clear frontrunners, those being Epic’s Soul and Swing Ninja. Last year, when the technology was showcased, it wasn’t until late in the year that games were marketed using the technology. However, even if the when is in question, the who is likely not. Monster Madness, developed by NomNom Games, was the first commercial game to use the Unreal Engine 3 and asm.js, and it would be a safe gamble to assume they will take advantage of the new tech again.
This a video posted by Jeremy Stieglitz on December 12th, 2013, describing their process of working with asm.js.
In fact, Jeremy Stieglitz, CTO at NomNom Games, has discussed how they are “planning to expand the technology to [their] full games portfolio.” Stieglitz has also been adamant about how easy it was to get Monster Madness functioning, as they were “able to get [it] up and running in a day.” Therefore, not only should we expect some new titles designed for this technology, there will likely be other developers altering their titles to be compatible on the browser.
What This Means for Browser Gaming
The development of Unreal Engine 4 and asm.js for browser games have a lot of important implications. For one, it means it will be a lot easier to play very good looking games. Players will simply be able to click on a link, go to the game’s website, and basically start playing. Browser games are no longer limited to basic JavaScript capabilities with limited graphics and arguably limited substance. Nor are players limited at the opposite end of the spectrum, by having to download a major program or plugin – sometimes from questionable sources. This changes the way people have to consider online games, including developers. As Brendan Eich, CTO and SVP of Engineering at Mozilla describes, “developers can run their games at near-native speeds, so they can approach the Web as they would any other platform.” Clearly, this should bring more quality titles to the browser. And as Jeremy Stieglitz discusses, developers will like the idea of marketing their game “with just a web link, leveraging channels like social media and to get players into the game straight away with just the click of a mouse.”
Browser titles have a lot to offer, but one of their biggest benefits is not having to download or install anything – except of course the browser. With this new technology rolled out by Mozilla and Epic, the face of browser gaming is changing. They no longer have to be limited to the bottom-tier of visuals and rely on simplistic designs. Mozilla intends to keep developing their tech until they have reached native speeds, or at least something very close. In under a year, they have increased that rate by almost 30%. It appears that one of the fastest growing gaming platforms is coinciding with some of the fastest growing technology in the gaming industry.
