Rockstar Advanced Game Engine
- Bink Video
- Bullet
- Euphoria
- macOS
- PlayStation 3
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox 360
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X/S
- Stadia
- Wii
- Nintendo Switch
- Windows
The Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) is a proprietary game engine of Rockstar Games, developed by the RAGE Technology Group division of Rockstar San Diego (formerly Angel Studios). Since its first game, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis in 2006, released for the Xbox 360 and Wii, the engine has been used by Rockstar Games's internal studios to develop advanced open world games for consoles and computers.
History
Early history
Angel Studios previously used the game engine Angel Real Time Simulation (ARTS) for Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. (1998) and Midtown Madness (1999).[1][2] The following year, Angel Studios developed Midtown Madness 2 (2000), the first title to use the new Angel Game Engine (AGE). In 2002, Angel Studios was sold to Take-Two Interactive, moved under Rockstar Games, and rebranded Rockstar San Diego. This sale also includes the AGE, later renamed Advanced Game Engine before becoming the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE).
Development
Prior to developing RAGE, Rockstar Games mostly used Criterion Games's RenderWare engine to develop games for PlayStation 2, Windows, and Xbox, such as the early 3D installments in the Grand Theft Auto franchise.[3] In 2004, Criterion Games was acquired by Electronic Arts, which led Rockstar Games to switch from RenderWare, and open RAGE Technology Group as a division of Rockstar San Diego.[4] RAGE Technology Group started developing what would later become RAGE, based on Rockstar San Diego's previous Angel Game Engine (AGE).[5] The first game to use the engine was Rockstar San Diego's Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis, released for Xbox 360 on May 23, 2006[6] and ported to the Wii more than a year later. Since then, RAGE integrates the third-party middleware components Euphoria[7] and Bullet, as character animation engine and physics engine, respectively.[8][9]
On seventh generation consoles, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, RAGE often saw a disparity in the optimization on the hardware: major titles on PlayStation 3 usually had lower resolution and minor graphic effects, as in Grand Theft Auto IV (720p vs. 640p),[10][11] in Midnight Club: Los Angeles (1280×720p vs. 960×720p)[12] and in Red Dead Redemption (720p vs. 640p).[13] Despite its problems in optimization equality, in July 2009, Chris Stead of IGN voted RAGE as one of the "10 Best Game Engines of [the 7th] Generation", saying: "RAGE's strengths are many. Its ability to handle large streaming worlds, complex A.I. arrangements, weather effects, fast network code and a multitude of gameplay styles will be obvious to anyone who has played GTA IV."[14]
Since the release of Max Payne 3, the engine supports DirectX 11 and stereoscopic 3D rendering for personal computers.[15] Max Payne 3 also marked the first time in which RAGE was capable of rendering the same 720p resolution on a game, both on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[10] This benefit has been achieved also in Grand Theft Auto V, which renders at a 720p resolution on both consoles.[16]
For the remastered versions of Grand Theft Auto V, RAGE was reworked for the eighth generation of video game consoles, with 1080p resolution support for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[17] The PC version of the game, released in 2015, showed RAGE supporting 4K resolution and frame rates at 60 frames per second, as well as more powerful draw distances, texture filtering, and improved shadow mapping and tessellation quality.[18]
RAGE would later be further refined with the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, supporting physically based rendering, volumetric clouds and fog values, pre-calculated global illumination[19][20] as well as a Vulkan renderer in the Windows version.[21] The Euphoria engine was overhauled to create advanced AI as well as enhanced physics and animations for the game.[22][23] HDR support was added in May 2019.[24][25][26] Support for Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) was added in July 2021.[27][28][29][30]
The 2022 release of Grand Theft Auto V for the ninth generation of video game consoles introduced several enhancements, incorporating features from later RAGE titles. Raytraced reflections, native 4K resolution on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, upscaled 4K on the Xbox Series S, as well as HDR support were added.[31][32][33]
Games using RAGE
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Developer(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Developed as AGE | ||||
2000 | Midtown Madness 2 | Windows | Angel Studios | |
Midnight Club: Street Racing | PlayStation 2 | |||
Smuggler's Run | ||||
2001 | Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open | PlayStation 2, Xbox | ||
Smuggler's Run 2 | PlayStation 2 | |||
Transworld Surf | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox | |||
2002 | Smuggler's Run: Warzones | GameCube | ||
2003 | SpyHunter 2 | PlayStation 2, Xbox | ||
Midnight Club II | PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox | Rockstar San Diego | ||
2004 | Red Dead Revolver | PlayStation 2, Xbox | ||
2005 | Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox | ||
2006 | Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix | PlayStation 2, Xbox | ||
2008 | Midnight Club: Los Angeles Remix | Playstation Portable | Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar London | |
Developed as RAGE | ||||
2006 | Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis[34] | Xbox 360, Wii | Rockstar San Diego | |
2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV[35] | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows | Rockstar North | |
Midnight Club: Los Angeles[36] | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar San Diego | ||
2009 | Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows | Rockstar North | |
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony | ||||
2010 | Red Dead Redemption[37] | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 | Rockstar San Diego | |
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare | ||||
2012 | Max Payne 3[38] | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, OS X | Rockstar Studios | |
2013 | Grand Theft Auto V[39] | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Rockstar North | |
2018 | Red Dead Redemption 2[20] | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Stadia | Rockstar Studios | |
2025 | Grand Theft Auto VI[40][41] | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Rockstar Studios |
References
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- ^ Mittler, Patrick (December 26, 2013). "Seite 2: Die wichtigsten Spiele-Engines – Hinter den Hits" [Page 2: The Most Important Game Engines – Behind the Hits]. GameStar (in German). Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ "Rockstar explains the tech behind GTA4, with new screens". 1Up.com. April 23, 2008. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016.
- ^ Klepek, Patrick (January 4, 2016). "That Time Rockstar Made A Table Tennis Game". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ McKeand, Kirk (February 12, 2017). "Nine years later, one feature in GTA4 has never been bettered – here's its story". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Arendt, Susan (February 28, 2007). "Rockstar Fills its Games With Euphoria". Wired. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Hardwidge, Ben (February 17, 2011). "AMD Talks GPU Gaming Physics: Bullet Physics – The Future of GPU-Accelerated Physics?". Bit-Tech. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ a b Morgan, Thomas (May 22, 2012). "Face-Off: Max Payne 3". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Leadbetter, Richard (May 5, 2008). "Grand Theft Auto IV: PS3 vs. Xbox 360 Special • Page 3". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Leadbetter, Richard (November 4, 2008). "Xbox 360 vs. PS3 Face-Off: Round 15 • Page 3". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Peckham, Matt (May 19, 2010). "Analysis: Red Dead Redemption on PS3 vs. Xbox 360". PC World. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Stead, Chris (July 15, 2009). "The 10 Best Game Engines of This Generation". IGN. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Dutton, Fred (March 22, 2012). "Max Payne 3 PC supports DirectX 11, 3D". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ Morgan, Thomas (September 17, 2013). "Face-Off: Grand Theft Auto 5". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
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- ^ Linneman, John (October 25, 2018). "Red Dead Redemption 2 analysis: a once-in-a-generation technological achievement". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Linneman, John (October 3, 2017). "Red Dead Redemption 2's state-of-the-art technology analysed". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Moass, Dominic (November 7, 2019). "Vulkan vs DX12 Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Performance Analysis". KitGuru. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ Parijat, Shubhankar (October 24, 2018). "Red Dead Redemption 2's Euphoria Engine Is "Radically Overhauled", Says Rockstar". GamingBolt. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ McKeand, Kirk (December 12, 2018). "Best of 2018: Red Dead Redemption 2 - how advanced AI and physics create the most believable open world yet". VG247. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Sinha, Ravi (May 17, 2019). "Red Dead Redemption 2 Title Update Fixes HDR, Adds Calibration Menu". GamingBolt. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Murnane, Kevin (May 24, 2019). "'Red Dead Remption 2' Finally Gets An HDR Patch. How Does It Look?". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Morgan, Thomas; Fairclough, Adam (May 24, 2019). "Red Dead Redemption 2 patch 1.09 tested: has HDR been fixed?". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (July 13, 2021). "Red Dead Redemption 2 PC's DLSS update is out, with a '45% 4K performance boost'". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Prescott, Shaun (July 14, 2021). "Red Dead Redemption 2 DLSS update brings 'up to' 45 percent performance boost today". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Klotz, Aaron (July 14, 2021). "Red Dead Redemption 2 Finally Gets DLSS Support". Tom's Hardware. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Stobing, Chris (July 16, 2021). "We Tested the New DLSS 2.2 Update for Red Dead Redemption 2: Here's What We Saw". PCMag. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
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- ^ Totilo, Stephen (May 4, 2006). "The First Rule Of Ping-Pong Club: Talk About Rockstar's Table Tennis Game". MTV. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Thorsen, Tor (June 15, 2006). "Grand Theft Auto IV powered by Table Tennis engine?". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
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- ^ Bramwell, Tom (June 10, 2009). "Balding Max Payne 3 sighted". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
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- Agent
- Beaterator
- Bully
- L.A. Noire
- Manhunt
- Manhunt 2
- Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
- Smuggler's Run
- Smuggler's Run 2
- The Warriors
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- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine
- The Football Factory