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[CamHostage]

Havok, the OG physics engine provider, posted a new video this week advertising its Dynamic Destruction system. Their YT page has otherwise been quiet aside from a few tradeshow tech talks, so although this video probably won't rock your world (...although it does have a lot of rocks,) it's interesting to see a new push on the Havok front.



I'm not sure what brought Havok back out from underground (technically Havok never went away, but you likely haven't heard the name in a long while, even though it's foundational to this year's GOTY candidates) but I'm encouraged to see them promoting their stuff.

Havok was for a while a "Unity thing" in many minds since Epic had its own Chaos Physics while Unity had partnered to include Havok back in 2019 (around the same time Epic revealed Chaos and begun swapping Chaos for the previous PhysX.) Havok was also acquired by MS in 2015, and that probably changed some things too. However, now Havok can be integrated into UE5 projects (...and given the frustration of Chaos performance over its time, some developers still long for Havok or PhysX over Epic's included system) and as mentioned it still powers aspects of many custom-engine projects like Starfield, CoD, No Man's Sky, Spidey 2, and the aforementioned Zelda TotK and AstroBot.

 

[//DEVIL//]

That fat robotic ass

 

[CamHostage]

Meanwhile, Chaos is still improving. It's never been juiced enough to give gamers that "everything everywhere is destructible!!" promise from the original GDC 2019 demo, and compared to lighting and polygons, it's been the least-promoted feature of UE5 in new tech talks outside of its animation/cloth systems and more subtle sims, but Epic hasn't forgotten Chaos. Epic talked a tiny bit about the Chaos and Niagara roadmap at the recent Seattle Unreal Fest. What I'd love to see is a kind of breakthrough of "The Nanite of Physics" like what MegaLights promises to do for increased numbers of light sources... so far, though, it's just tweaks and refreshes and of course some AI promises.



And PhysiX is still around too. Nvidia (who owns it) actually open-sourced PhysX 5 a few years ago, and PhysX is integrated into OmniVerse so that objects built and offered through that service have proper physical properties for "SimReady" objects. They're thinking 'beyond' games (PhysX doesn't even list itself as a game engine feature anymore,) but it's out there.



...Still need some big games to reimagine what's possible with physics (and/or game developers just falling back in love with shit blowing up and crumbling down for mostly no real game purpose,) without that it doesn't matter what tech is out there. But the physical force has been quiet this gen, and maybe we'll get some more power out of new developments going on in this field.

 

[KyoZz]

HOLD ON HOLD ON

THAT SOUND

Havok X Half Life 3?

Join me into full Half-Life 3 copium madness

Mainly the community of Half-Life went totally insane with the Mike Shapiro tweet, the voice actor of G-man. This tweet #Valve #Halflife #GMan #2025 The image he's showing is an album cover for his music. WTF? Ok dead end. Done and gone. Now, before we continue, put on your tinfoil hat...

www.neogaf.com

TintoConCasera Buggy Loop

 

[Trilobit]

I love anything that doesn't make the game world feel as static as it did in Ghost of Tsushima for example. I don't need the whole world breaking to sell me on the illusion, but give me at least something that makes me feel like I have an effect on the world. That's one thing Batman Arkham Knight did well when you drove around Gotham in the Batmobile.

 

[KuraiShidosha]

HOLD ON HOLD ON

THAT SOUND

Havok X Half Life 3?

Join me into full Half-Life 3 copium madness

Mainly the community of Half-Life went totally insane with the Mike Shapiro tweet, the voice actor of G-man. This tweet #Valve #Halflife #GMan #2025 The image he's showing is an album cover for his music. WTF? Ok dead end. Done and gone. Now, before we continue, put on your tinfoil hat...

www.neogaf.com

TintoConCasera Buggy Loop

I knew I recognized that sound. But now that I hear it clear in that sound clip, I realize it's also the nuke sound from MW2. Stock sound.

What about the other sound in that sequence? I recognize that too.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

#BringSuperBounceBackToHalo

 

[Robb]

Can’t wait to bury Ganondorf in rubble in the next Zelda game.

 

[CamHostage]

Not enough cool tech demo shit in this thread, probably (I was hoping the trailer would be more exciting when I found it, but it is what it is,) so here's a bonus clip from GDC 2024. It shows what Havok believes is the benefit of integrating Havok into UE5 and getting the best of both Havok and Chaos. Pretty cool ground-collapse at the end of this sequence.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

I wish the games focused more on physics with the world rather than graphics and the lack of interactivity.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

I love anything that doesn't make the game world feel as static as it did in Ghost of Tsushima for example. I don't need the whole world breaking to sell me on the illusion, but give me at least something that makes me feel like I have an effect on the world. That's one thing Batman Arkham Knight did well when you drove around Gotham in the Batmobile.

Hey now, the grass blew around in Ghosts….


Give me this over lighting any day.

 

[kevboard]

I love anything that doesn't make the game world feel as static as it did in Ghost of Tsushima for example. I don't need the whole world breaking to sell me on the illusion, but give me at least something that makes me feel like I have an effect on the world. That's one thing Batman Arkham Knight did well when you drove around Gotham in the Batmobile.

the destructibility in Arkham Knight was insane for its time... but the game in general was technologically far beyond anything ever done in UE3 before and after it.

 

[hinch7]

New update on Havok. New Half-Life coming...

 

[Buggy Loop]

HOLD ON HOLD ON

THAT SOUND

Havok X Half Life 3?

Join me into full Half-Life 3 copium madness

Mainly the community of Half-Life went totally insane with the Mike Shapiro tweet, the voice actor of G-man. This tweet #Valve #Halflife #GMan #2025 The image he's showing is an album cover for his music. WTF? Ok dead end. Done and gone. Now, before we continue, put on your tinfoil hat...

www.neogaf.com

TintoConCasera Buggy Loop

The only conclusion is - Yes

 

[Hudo]

I wish the games focused more on physics with the world rather than graphics and the lack of interactivity.

This and also AI.

 

[Hudo]

Can’t wait to bury Ganondorf in rubble in the next Zelda game.

Finally, Zelda boob physics.

 

[Bry0]

HOLD ON HOLD ON

THAT SOUND

Havok X Half Life 3?

Join me into full Half-Life 3 copium madness

Mainly the community of Half-Life went totally insane with the Mike Shapiro tweet, the voice actor of G-man. This tweet #Valve #Halflife #GMan #2025 The image he's showing is an album cover for his music. WTF? Ok dead end. Done and gone. Now, before we continue, put on your tinfoil hat...

www.neogaf.com

TintoConCasera Buggy Loop

Yes man like literally. It’s not just the sound. Rumors of half life 3 having new full destruction physics has been going around for awhile and now havok has this? Source 2. Cmon yall. This is it.

Idc about Rubikon, keep the faith.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Yeah Havok are old af, the og for physics. They did some amazing stuff in games.

 

[GymWolf]

Always nice to see some destruction but this was pretty underwhelming, not gonna lie.

 

[The_Observer]

It looked cool, but I wasn’t amazed. Which is good, because it means it’s not “bullshot”. Would be nice if more modern games had this.
Though I must add, Havok was unbelievable back in the Max Payne 2 and HL2 days.

 

[Hudo]

Though I must add, Havok was unbelievable back in the Max Payne 2 and HL2 days.

This cannot be overstated. Man, the part in HL2, where it overcharges the Gravity Gun in the Citadel, and you just cause chaos and destruction, is one of the coolest in any FPS.

 

[ResilientBanana]

I wish more games were made with source engine.

 

[GymWolf]

It looked cool, but I wasn’t amazed. Which is good, because it means it’s not “bullshot”. Would be nice if more modern games had this.
Though I must add, Havok was unbelievable back in the Max Payne 2 and HL2 days.

The combo of havok\ragdoll was a revolution, when i first saw hl2 or psi-ops i was mesmerized.

 

[GymWolf]

Why is ibizapiciolla giving emphaty emoticons?

Did your physics teacher touched you in your special place during college?

 

[IbizaPocholo]

Why is ibizapiciolla giving emphaty emoticons?

Did your physics teacher touched you in your special place during college?

No, It's because I think the same and that why I gave you that emoji.

 

[Glass Prison]

I wish the games focused more on physics with the world rather than graphics and the lack of interactivity.

Agree. I honestly wouldn't mind going back to PS3/360 era graphics if that meant studios could focus more on world interactivity and physics.

 

[Lorianus]

Underpowered console cpu's are to blame i guess, but recent games atleast tried to make some progress, one can think about valeguard many things but the physics for long hair and its colition with the body is state of the art at the moment, and will atleast remain there until the hair of GTA6 in the trailers.

 

[Balducci30]

HOLD ON HOLD ON

THAT SOUND

Havok X Half Life 3?

Join me into full Half-Life 3 copium madness

Mainly the community of Half-Life went totally insane with the Mike Shapiro tweet, the voice actor of G-man. This tweet #Valve #Halflife #GMan #2025 The image he's showing is an album cover for his music. WTF? Ok dead end. Done and gone. Now, before we continue, put on your tinfoil hat...

www.neogaf.com

TintoConCasera Buggy Loop

Valve developed their own physics engine for Alyx. It’s better than Havok

 

[octos]

I only tried Chaos physics (UE5) and Bullet physics (open source), but will have a look at Havok.
From what I can see, Havok and Chaos are CPU only, whereas Bullet supports GPU for collision detection and rigid body dynamics, which is huge.
So I will run benchmarks but my guess is that Bullet is the winner still.

 

[KyoZz]

Valve developed their own physics engine for Alyx. It’s better than Havok

I know, it's called Rubikon but I want to believe!

 

[Balducci30]

I know, it's called Rubikon but I want to believe!

Oh I believe lol. It’s going to happen I am manifesting

 

[Nonehxc]

Sooo...

HL3 sound and Mass Effect 4 soundtrack in the same clip?

 

[Ribi]

This isn't impressive at all ... There no fucking weight it's like I'm playing elden ring and rolling through shit and it gets caught on my leg and I keep walking normally