 | |
| Developer(s) | Monolith Productions |
|---|---|
| Stable release | Firebird / 2017; 8 years ago (2017) |
| Type | Game engine |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
LithTech is agame engine developed byMonolith Productions and comparable with theQuake andUnreal engines. Monolith and a number of othervideo game developers have used LithTech as the basis for theirfirst-person shooter games.
Monolith initially developed the engine forMicrosoft before purchasing the rights to it and licensing it to other developers via subsidiary LithTech Inc. The licensing company was renamed to Touchdown Entertainment in 2003 and later absorbed intoWarner Bros. Interactive Entertainment after its acquisition of Monolith.
The last version of LithTech offered for licensing was Jupiter EX, initially released in 2005, however Monolith has continued to use LithTech technology in their games, includingMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, released in 2014.[1][2]
After the release ofMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the studio started working on a new engine (based on LithTech technology) for larger-scale battles called "Firebird".
Originally the LithTech engine was supposed to be called DirectEngine, asMonolith was developing it forMicrosoft to be included as a3D engine for use with Microsoft'sDirectX technology. When Microsoft decided not to use the engine Monolith bought back the rights to it and continued development on their own.[3] They changed the engine's name to Lithtech and licensed it to other companies. In the following years, the LithTech team was split off into a separate company, LithTech Inc., which was renamed Touchdown Entertainment in March 2003.[4] In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V1.[5]
Starting with LithTech 2.0, LithTech Inc. began the process of creating many different versions of the engine. Monolith released their gameNo One Lives Forever (NOLF) featuring this version of the engine, however it was later revised toLithTech 2.2. The game received an upgrade to LithTech 2.2 in a patch release. The LithTech team then continued to improve version 2.2 for its licensees, resulting in the 2.3 and 2.4 iterations.
LithTech cooperated withRealNetworks in developing a custom version of LithTech 2.2 calledRealArcade LithTech (or LithTech ESD). Among its features it supportedstreaming media for in-game billboards/ads, and could be used with RealNetworks' gaming site. At one time, RealArcade LithTech could be licensed by developers if they signed an agreement with RealNetworks. This engine was used on an internally developed title,Tex Atomic's Big Bot Battles. In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V2, and seemingly lumps in Talon.[6]
LithTech Inc. developed a different engine specifically for Monolith's title,Aliens versus Predator 2.LithTech Talon was based on LithTech 2.2, rather than LithTech 2.4. Because of this choice, LithTech 2.4, RealArcade LithTech, and LithTech Talon became largely incompatible with each other. However, reviewers still thought of it as inferior toUnreal orid Tech.[7][8][9]
LithTech Talon's biggest selling point lay in its capable multiplayer support, more efficient when compared to prior versions of LithTech multiplayer that featured poor networking code.Aliens versus Predator 2 features comprehensive multiplayer gameplay utilizing these improvements.
By 2003, Talon was still being licensed.[10]
LithTech 3.0 was being developed concurrently with Talon, but, along with its revisions, LithTech 3.x would largely be considered an internal version of the engine. While it was sent to licensees, no games were finished on it. The primary feature announced for LithTech 3.x was the Distributed Object System, a new system forMMORPGs andmultiplayer.[11] Unfortunately, LithTech 3.x was also plagued by a significant number of bugs and problems and all games developed with LithTech 3.x would eventually convert to the newer LithTech Jupiter or to Talon.
The unreleased Monolith gameShogo II was being developed with this iteration of the LithTech engine.[12]
LithTech Discovery was created with theMMORPG genre and its unique requirements in mind. Discovery improved upon the working technology from LithTech 2.2, but also included the Distributed Object System which was the centerpiece of LithTech 3.x. The only game title to be powered by LithTech Discovery wasThe Matrix Online by Monolith. The engine was never licensed to any other company.
LithTech Jupiter was a thorough overhaul of the LithTech technology, developed as an alternative to 3.x.[13] In some ways, the original version of Jupiter was even more technologically advanced than its competitors, since it supportedShader Model 1.x and included a visualization tool, whereas at the time Unreal and Quake only supported CPU-based shaders.[citation needed]
A custom version of Jupiter was made especially for Monolith, for use with theirTron 2.0 game; this release was codenamedLithTech Triton. Eventually, LithTech Triton's new features were merged back into LithTech Jupiter for licensees. In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V3, with no mention of 3.0 or Discovery.[14]
As of 2005 the latest public iteration of the LithTech engine wasJupiter Extended (or Jupiter EX), which was featured inF.E.A.R. andCondemned: Criminal Origins,[15] both developed by Monolith. Compared to its precursor Jupiter, the Extended version was driven by a new DirectX 9 renderer and other advancements, including the addition ofHavok physics software for improved real-world physics simulation, dynamic per-pixel lighting,bump mapping, normal mapping, and specular highlighting. Along with Havok's character dynamics, Jupiter EX also includes the "Havok Vehicle Kit", which adds support for common vehicle behavior. In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V4 for the initial releases, and V5 forF.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin andCondemned 2: Bloodshot.[16]
Firebird was created with purpose of larger-scale battles and the expansion of the Nemesis system forMiddle-earth: Shadow of War. In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V7, with the engine used inMiddle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor titled V6.[17]
The following is a partial list ofvideo games built with the LithTech engine, arranged by the version of LithTech used.
A "Claw 3D" was prototyped on the engine.[18]
This is also the version of the engine used in the development of the LithTech Film Producermachinima tool byStrange Company, most notably used in their short film "Ozymandius".[19] Later development switched over to LithTech 2.0 however.[20]
The cancelledBatman game "Project Apollo" was also being developed on the engine, later re-worked intoShadow of Mordor.[24]
It's built on the same engine, LithTech's Talon, so don't expect much in the way of graphical upgrades. PH retains the sharp, colorful look of AvP2, with clean textures and effective lighting, but doesn't quite hold up to some other recently released high-profile games
The same engine that powered No One Lives Forever, LithTech 2.5, is employed to handle the activities, but it's an odd choice. It isn't as visually stimulating as Quake III Arena - a game which is already well past its second birthday(...)and combined with some less than dramatic scenery (which is par for the course on LithTech apparently(...)
While LithTech 2.5 isn't as graphically stunning as the Quake and Unreal engines, it still is an attractive game that runs well even on modest hardware, which, in this reviewer's opinion, is the proverbial 'bottom line' when it comes to graphics
As for the graphics, Purge is not in any way revolutionary. It uses the outdated LithTech Talon engine (with slight modifications), and delivers graphics accordingly. The textures are low quality and fairly bland
The engine's multiplayer has been overhauled to add client-side prediction(...)As seen in games like Quake III, such prediction routines make network games much more playable for modem users
...featured a giant anime-style robot presumed to be from a sequel to Shogo: Mobile Armor Division...Monolith's CEO Jason Hall stated plainly that the demo was designed to showcase the latest version of the LithTech engine [2001's LithTech 3.0]...
When LithTech 1.0 was released, it couldn't compare with more famous engines like Quake and Unreal. It lacked support for some modern graphics technologies, which were supported by the above-mentioned engines. In return, it was very easy to use, because it was initially developed as part of DirectX, to facilitate game development by third-party companies
This was one of a few game prototypes I made in Monolith's LithTech engine when we were deciding what games to work on next. Unfortunately, the platform game enthusiasts at Monolith were far fewer in number than the first person shooter folks and therefore other games continued to show a higher perceived ROI in internal pitch meetings than Claw 3D, all factors considered.
According to the manual, Western Outlaw's graphics engine is the LithTech Talon system, which is the same one used in Aliens Versus Predator 2.
Built on a new revision of Monolith Productions' LithTech engine...
Shadow of War appears to once again use the (even more modified) LithTech engine, now rebranded as Firebird
In three years, it takes us from the Lithtech engine to the new Firebird Engine - upgraded code that now supports larger-scale battles, and an expanded Nemesis system
This product contains the LITHTECH game engine licensed from LithTech, Inc. LITHTECH game engine (c) 1997-2000 Lithtech, Inc.