#unreal engine fighter | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

xb-squaredx · 1 month ago

Text

A Post-Mortem of MultiVersus

Roughly a year ago, MultiVersus came back from a year’s hibernation, promising a total revamp of the game that was originally launched in beta back in 2022. Of course, at the time of writing, MultiVersus has officially been taken offline for good, unable to be downloaded on any storefront, so clearly things didn’t go very well. And so we must ask…what went wrong here, and what can we learn from for any future attempts at crafting a game like MultiVersus? Let’s talk about it.

THE REVAMP’S FAILED REINVENTION

I’ve already written about the relaunch and its many problems (LINK HERE), but let me sum things up again. Upon relaunching back in June in 2024 MultiVersus was found to be a buggy, slow-paced mess that had also doubled down on all of the monetization models that people had already been complaining about back in beta. It was abundantly clear that the year they had spent reworking the game hadn’t yielded that much. We had a swap to Unreal Engine 5 for marginally better lighting, slightly improved (but still spotty) netcode, a few new characters and…that was about it. So right off the bat, the first impression of this full launch was negative, and it would be a herculean effort to right the ship after stumbling out of port like this.

To be fair to Player First Games, there was an attempt to save the game. They didn’t sit idly by and took criticism to heart, but for everything they added or changed, there’d be something else they would break in the process. It was truly one step forward and two steps back. Season two gave us Samurai Jack and Ranked Mode…except Jack was overtuned and annoying to fight, and Ranked had a ton of problems that held it back at launch. Season three had another fan favorite with The Powerpuff Girls…only for them to also be overpowered. They teased the addition of a shield mechanic in season three and fully implemented it in the following season, and while it was often requested from players, just as many hated the mechanic. Even defenders of the shield would largely agree it wasn’t implemented as well as it could have been. And then there was season four, their last big chance to turn things around and they pulled out all the stops. Arena Mode, Raven and Marceline as the new characters, and a new way to unlock fighters with Fighter’s Road. But uh…if you can guess the pattern here, those didn’t go well either. Arena Mode was a slog and barely anyone played it after a while. While Raven was mostly well regarded, Marceline felt super overtuned at launch. And then there was Fighter’s Road…the grind to end all grinds that largely created more problems than it solved.

With all this in mind, it was no surprise that season five would be the final season of the game. What WAS surprising though, is that the final big patch ended up leaving the game in a much better place, to the point people lamented that things were finally turning around…it was just too little, too late. The final patch decreased hitstop across the board and even adjusted the speed of some characters, finally addressing concerns over the game’s speed from the relaunch. Aquaman and Lola Bunny, the final two characters, were shown to be really fun additions just to rub salt in the wound. But for all of the positive changes, as much as hardcore fans might hate to admit it, MultiVersus was still a heavily flawed game, and it just stands to reason that it shouldn’t have relaunched in the state that it had in the first place. These issues were present even during the beta, and if those weren’t addressed with the relaunch, then its fate was sealed.

THE ORIGNAL SINS

For as highly as people speak of the beta version of MultiVersus, let’s not forget that game’s player base cratered well before the announcement it would be shut down for the relaunch a year later. Even in the beginning, this game had massive problems that went unaddressed. Monetization is an easy thing to gripe about, just to start. Having $15 and $20 skins was always gonna shoot this game in the foot. But it might have been easier to take if you didn’t have to buy characters too. There’s a lot of debate on if a free-to-play fighting game can even work with free characters, but I think MultiVersus had a chance to hit the ground running by offering the characters for free and just make the money back on all the skins. Look at the success of a game like Marvel Rivals, having all of the characters available all at once. While Rivals of Aether 2 is a paid game, all post-launch characters are going to be free, and they’ve also been relying on paid cosmetics to bolster development, as another example.

Even if you HAD to make characters paid, there was no reason they had to keep jacking the prices up. Going from $7 to $10, with new characters costing $12.50, this in addition to the skin prices just made this game a massive expense that many couldn’t afford. Really, this game failed one key aspect you see in all of these successful free-to-play games; you can hook the whales but you have to make it fun for everyone else too. The game feels like a massive grind if you don’t spend any money at all, and that just made people like me want to avoid giving it money in the first place. The game itself was shamelessly greedy, most evident with those limited time event skins. If you were willing to grind for hours to get the special currency you could spend ALL of it to get ONE of these skins for “free,” and then have to buy the others with real money…and all of those skins were roughly $30 each. Some people argued that because you were able to get ONE of them for the low, low price of several hours of grinding, it was OK to price the others that way and…yeah I’m just not buying it. And clearly it didn’t work or this game would still be around. Cuz let’s face it, TONS of free-to-play games are just as, if not more money grubbing than MultiVersus but they’re still kicking. And that’s because getting past monetization….this game just had huge flaws that sucked the fun away.

From the early days of the beta, it was clear MultiVersus left a lot to be desired with balance, hitboxes, and just overall core gameplay mechanics. Hitboxes were awful for most of this game’s life, and even after multiple changes you’ll still see characters phase through attacks that SHOULD hit them, or get tagged by something that was nowhere near them. We’ve had overtuned characters and one trick ponies throughout this game’s life. If it isn’t Samurai Jack, Shaggy or Banana Guard’s side special spam, it’s Taz’s tornado spam from the beta. Wonder Woman, Bugs and Harley barely got touched throughout the betas and full release, allowing them to just utterly dominate and do things so many other characters wished they could do. Velma, Gizmo and so many others got gutted with constant, needless changes, and then you have the gigantic can of worms that is the Iron Giant. All those years when Sakurai was made fun of for saying Ridley was too big for Smash…yeah no, I think he knew what he was talking about. Virtually every major patch required tons of extra work for Iron Giant, and at times he was taken offline entirely due to some exploit being found. He was always hovering over the precipice of being either total trash or completely breaking the game over his knee.

When it comes to mobility and defense, the game largely never sat right with me, or a lot of other people. The beta was too slippery and fast, and the full release was too sluggish. They never found a happy medium. I’m still baffled that they decided to put in a dash attack in a game with no dashing. The dodge serves as the only real burst movement option in the game, when it’s supposed to be a defensive mechanic. The dodge, as well as the parry added later on, felt finicky to use. Some characters, like Jason, barely moved when dodging and would eat attacks that others could avoid. The parry has so much recovery, even on a successful one, that you often couldn’t get the best punish out of it, and outside of a specific perk, it was detrimental to use against projectiles. Even the addition of shields later didn’t really help. Whether you’re for or against shields, I think we can be in agreement that such a major defensive mechanic shouldn’t have been so hastily added. Many were already used to the game lacking them, pointing to games like Brawlhalla or the first Rivals of Aether games as not having shields but still doing well. But those games had better core movement and just feel better designed in general compared to MultiVersus. The game was fun for a bit but the cracks formed quickly and weren’t being filled in fast enough, and the player base never really recovered. But maybe players would have stuck around with better picks for the roster.

From the jump, the potential that MultiVersus had was huge. Warner Bros. has so many properties that they either own or could get the license for that this could have been a game that celebrated movies and animation the same way that Super Smash Bros. celebrates video games. The original beta’s starting roster had a wide spread of IPs to pull from; Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, the various superheroes fromDC Comics…but there were also some rather strange picks that made many scratch their head. We got Shaggy and Velma but not the talking dog that’s the namesake of his series. We had Bugs Bunny and...Taz, but no Daffy in sight. I know there must be diehard fans of Gremlins out there, but did they really need TWO characters on that roster? The addition of Black Adam of all characters to the DC side was a transparent attempt at synergy with his own flop of a film, when there were several other more popular choices. And this is a problem that never really went away.

It was so strange for the relaunch to give us stages themed on Dexter’s Laboratory or The Powerpuff Girls, but no playable characters from those series (at first anyway). And when it came to adding in a new Adventure Time character, they went with…a random banana guard, a poor excuse for a joke character. We also settled into a pattern with these relaunch seasons that got old fast. It was a mixture of cartoon character and DC character after a while, with only Beetlejuice serving as a temporary break from that pattern. While characters like Raven or Marceline were well regarded, they came far too late. And when it finally came time to get another Looney Tunes rep…we got Lola Bunny before Daffy, despite a film starring the duck coming out around that same time. That said, it was Nubia who was criticized the most, a rather unknown DC Comics character that felt like a strange addition. An amazon wielding a spear, she felt a bit redundant when Wonder Woman and Banana Guard were already on the roster. I have no real qualms with the character and I can welcome more unexpected picks at times, but she really did feel like the epitome of “who asked for this?”

There’s rumors that the game’s main director pushed for some of these characters, and various datamines show that there are tons of other characters that were always in various forms of development that’ll never see the light of day. Raven had announcer packs leaked back during the beta, alongside a Wicked Witch of the West announcer pack. The Witch, alongside the likes of Scooby-Doo, also starred in the tie-in comic that was out around the same time as the relaunch. Why was the comic advertising characters that weren’t even in the game? Why all these leaked packs WELL before the character ever came out? Why prioritize someone like Banana Guard or Nubia over safer picks like Raven or The Powerpuff Girls? It just speaks to whoever was in charge being incredibly unorganized, and much like the rest of the game, they seemed ill-equipped to make what had been asked of them. So with all that being said…what can we learn from this?

LEARN FROM THE FLOP OR BE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT

Just a few years ago MultiVersus was being hailed as a shift in how fighting games could market themselves. Alongside the still un-released 2XKO from Riot Games, many argued that this was the beginning of the free-to-play age of fighting games. But I’m not so sure this will really work out. For one, there are simply SO MANY live-service games these days that competition is just too hard. All of these games are “forever games,” designed to take as much of your free time as possible and keep you from booting up anything else. Even with new titles coming out, they often end service within a year because they fail to tear people away from the heavy hitters. Fortnite continues to do well, alongside a few others, but for every success you have a dozen of failures like Foamstars, Concord, Knockout City, Rumbleverse and so on and so on. The live service bubble feels like it’s bursting, and this is a trend that just isn’t worth chasing.

But let’s pretend that isn’t the case. You’re built different, and you can deliver on a fighting game that can manage to get people’s attention and maintain it. You’re that rare confluence of events that leads to a smashing success. How exactly are you going to accomplish that? One of the biggest things successful live-services do is pump out content. You need to keep giving people a reason to boot your game up. So that means new skins or events or in the case of a fighting game, new characters. But right away there’s an issue: a fighting game character is so much more complex than just adding in a new gun or skin in something like Fortnite. It often takes MONTHS for a new character to come out in something like Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8. Those games are also incredibly visually complex, with so much detail packed into a single character. So many cloth physics and high resolution textures so I can see every individual pore on their skin or hair on their head. Even if you go for a more stylized, less realistic look like the Guilty Gear series, the modern Arc System Works games spent so much time recreating that anime aesthetic, going through every animation frame by frame to adjust it so it looks just right. You’d have to try something different to pump out characters faster.

You’d need something with a simpler art style, that isn’t nearly as detailed or time consuming to make. But there’s also the matter of how complicated a character can be with their moveset and how you’d balance that with the rest of the cast. A gun being added to something like Apex Legends only has so many things it can do by contrast. So let’s trim that moveset down a bit, boiling it down to the bare essentials. You also need to make sure you’re constantly putting out new cosmetics in the meantime between characters. All this requires a TON of work though, and it can get costly, so you’ll have to find a way to price things accordingly. Don’t make players break the bank, but don’t give everything away for free either. Our ideal free-to-play fighter that learns from the mistakes of its predecessors would then have to have a simple art style, simple movesets, and not be too egregious with the monetization. Could such a thing exist? Well yeah…it’s called Brawlhalla.

I’m not even really joking. Brawlhalla is a free-to-play fighting game that has managed to survive for a decade and still maintains a healthy player base. It has collabs with everything from Star Wars to Tekken to wrestlers and more. Now, I can’t speak to the monetization in general, as even in the best case scenario it’s bound to be pretty gross. However, this game also has an option to just buy the whole roster for forty bucks, and that will count for all future characters. It’s a ridiculous deal the longer the game exists. You can even try out every character and skin in training mode to try before you buy individual characters if you want to. It’s been a massive success largely in the background and other games refuse to really learn from it. There’s also 2XKO but that hasn’t launched at time of writing and we’ll have to see if Riot can pump out characters fast enough, and not overcharge for skins. Which uh…knowing Riot that probably will charge hand over fist for all of those Ahri skins. So in the end, the solution is there and everyone refuses to learn.

CONCLUSION

In the end, the writing had been on the wall long before MultiVersus came back from that year hiatus. There was a chance for the game to right itself, but it was a slim chance to fix everything in a year. I think that Player First Games certainly has very talented artists and for all the misfires with some character designs, they also had some really great realized characters. Tom & Jerry were a fantastic take on a duo character, perfectly showcasing their own animosity against each other, with other fighters just caught in the crossfire. Rick was also an inspired design with tons of shenanigans you can get into with his portals and various projectiles. I can give the game credit for attempting to make a 2v2 focused game and emphasizing team work. There are bones of a good game buried deep within MultiVersus but sadly you have to dig too far to get there. Maybe if things had just been a bit different. If anything, I hope this game can be used as an example of what not to do when designing a fighting game or a live service one for that matter. In fact, it seems Riot already took notice, as there are rumors that they had been working on their own platform fighter and it was cancelled after seeing what happened with MultiVersus. I do feel for the fans of this game and I hope that everyone who worked at Player First Games gets on their feet with a new job. Ultimately, a lot of people suffered for the decisions likely made by just a few, which is unfortunately a trend in the gaming industry these days. There will continue to be more flops like MultiVersus for as long as the industry is ruled by greed and hubris. I have my doubts we’ll see those in power learn their lesson, but it doesn’t hurt to hope for the best, right?

Until next time.

-B

#blog #xb-squaredx #multiversus #warner bros #looney tunes #bugs bunny #lebron #friday the 13th #fighting game #platform fighter #brawlhalla

2 notes · View notes

ashenberry · 1 year ago

Text

I guess that’s also why when unity was imploding a couple months back people were just like switch to unreal! unreal is such a third person shooter engine it would suck so hard to overhaul any other type of game in there. shoulda been godot

”I can’t believe this game size is so big!” (there is an unreal logo in the screen shot)

#maybe not specifically shooter but like. 3D game engine that works best in 3rd person . fortnight adjacent #I’ve seen street fighter esc games done in it but that’s still mostly working with what it’s made for just with extra camera shenanigans #also searching up 2D unreal games just brought up 3D games that use 2D sprites so.#idk sorry for middle of the night unreal hating @ u

7 notes · View notes

shawnthebro · 6 days ago

Text

Many improvements have been made, and many are to come. Here are more character improvements!

youtube

0 notes

remy2fang · 1 year ago

Text

Street Fighter V Modding Guide and Tutorial Archived Links

People are actually still interested in modding SFV. Since Modderbase is down, here's some SFV modding links from archive.org. If you don't see images or spoiler boxes in the thread, click on the Way Back Machine search bar where you see the link url address and hit 'Enter' again. FYI this may load quite slowly. Also, If you need to download a tool from these archived links, copy the url of the tool and paste it on the browser's address bar, erase the archive.org parts and then hit enter on the actual link address. Example, copy the address from the hyperlink (https://web.archive.org/web/20240316160336/https://fluffyquack.com/tools/REtool.zip), delete the web.archive stuff, and then it should be ( https://fluffyquack.com/tools/REtool.zip ) and then hit Enter on the address bar.

Anyway, here are the tutorial links:

Unreal Engine Version : Unreal Engine 4.7.6

AES Key : _aS4mfZK8M5s5KWC2Lz2VsFnGKI7azgl

---SFV Modding Tutorial for Beginners---

https://web.archive.org/web/20230227205009/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=445

https://web.archive.org/web/20170920143910/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=97

---Tools List---

https://web.archive.org/web/20230619234458/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=18

---SFV Character Codes---

https://web.archive.org/web/20201028055311/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=60

https://web.archive.org/web/20240324163507/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?pid=20364&tid=1000#pid20364

---Character Resource Pack---

https://web.archive.org/web/20201029015331/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=20

---Texture Guide---

https://web.archive.org/web/20230306152351/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=274

https://web.archive.org/web/20230117144443/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=1878

---Injecting Texture into UASSET file---

https://web.archive.org/web/20231013070905/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=57

https://web.archive.org/web/20220906234610/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=1448

---Color Editing---

https://web.archive.org/web/20170920143734/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=39

---Sound Modding---

https://web.archive.org/web/20210321104439/http://www.modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=77

---Camera and Posing via Cheat Engine---

https://web.archive.org/web/20240316171311/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?pid=23177&tid=89#pid23177

https://web.archive.org/web/20240316172307/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=89

---Hiding Some Costume Parts & Easter Eggs ---

https://web.archive.org/web/20200130095243/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=269

https://web.archive.org/web/20240324163506/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?pid=25521&tid=1732#pid25521

---Swap A character to another Character Slot---

https://web.archive.org/web/20240303200429/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=53

https://web.archive.org/web/20220623143544/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=1000

https://web.archive.org/web/20240316164750/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=811

https://web.archive.org/web/20200926055244/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=576

---Swapping Movesets---

https://web.archive.org/web/20201030162142/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=1099&pid=22087#pid22087

---How to Pack a Mod into a Pak file---

https://web.archive.org/web/20230619231455/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=122

---Creating Physics Assets in UE4---

https://web.archive.org/web/20200130095618/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=37

---Custom Animations---

https://web.archive.org/web/20201224123539/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=873

---VFX Modding and Tips---

https://web.archive.org/web/20210825014646/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=1470

---Packing mod Powershell way if you have Windows 10---

https://web.archive.org/web/20230619231456/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=122&pid=3943#pid3943

---Hex Editing Files to be Larger---

https://web.archive.org/web/20240324163507/http://modderbase.com/showthread.php?tid=1900

Good luck!

#street fighter #street fighter v #modding tutorials

9 notes · View notes

andydrarch · 10 months ago

Text

Hello fellow fossil fighters fans 😏

Recently I have decided to pursue my current pop dream of attempting to recreate fossil fighters frontier in unreal engine 5. My main goal is just to recreate the battle system of champions in it first and then, perhaps, if I feel good about how things are going, I will try to build the rest of the game around it. (Probably combat system > cleaning > storyline).

THAT BEING SAID, I just want some general feedback on how frontier could have been improved. Obviously we prefer the champions battle system, but was there anything in frontier you liked? Was the storyline not fossil fighters esque enough for you? What could improve that? Did you prefer the clean on the spot method in frontier, or did you like collecting fossils and bringing them back to base more?

Anything at all you can think of let me know. I’m learning how to use unreal engine in real time so having specific mechanics in mind would be helpful when learning how everything works. I’m making ZERO (0) guarantees that this will ever happen. This is a fan passion project at its heart.

Thanks for your time!

#fossil fighters #fossil fighters champions #fossil fighters frontier #me known frontier stan attempting to fix frontier lmao

11 notes · View notes

thereasonsimbroke · 6 months ago

Text

Bandai Namco Entertainment has announced that #DragonBall: Sparking! Zero has sold more than 5 million units worldwide, making it the fastest-selling Dragon Ball console game.

The highly anticipated sequel in the Budokai Tenkaichi franchise launched on October 11 for Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and other consoles, achieving over 3 million sales within 24 hours.

The game, developed by Spike Chunsoft, utilizes Unreal Engine 5 to deliver #Anime-accurate visuals and fast-paced arena combat. The first DLC pack, Hero of Justice, introduced 11 new characters, while upcoming expansions will feature fighters from the #DragonBallDaima anime.

#Anime #DBS #Dragon Ball Super #dragon ball sparking zero #Xbox #PC #Dragon Ball #Broly

4 notes · View notes

satoshi-mochida · 1 year ago

Text

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate launches February 13, 2025 - Gematsu

2D side-scrolling action game Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on February 13, 2025 for $24.99, publisher and developer Rocket Panda Games announced.

The game will be available both physically and digitally worldwide, with physical editions available for PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Switch. Physical editions will be distributed by PM Studios and Crescent Marketing in North America, EBten and Kadokawa Game Linkage in Japan, Arc System Works Asia in Asia, and by an unannounced partner in Europe.

The standard physical edition will cost $39.99, and include a copy of the game, instruction manual, lenticular manual, random collectible card, and exclusive downloadable content. The Ultimate edition will cost $109.99, and include all the content from the standard edition, as well as a Mikoto figurine, soundtrack CD, art book, and limited edition box. Pre-orders are available now via Rocket Panda Games.

“Fragmented releases across platforms, countries, and languages have frustrated me as a gamer and as someone in the game industry,” said Rocket Panda Games executive panda and co-founder M. Panda in a press release. “Who doesn’t want to share an experience with their peers from around the world at the same moment in time? We did everything in our power to deliver a seamless online experience while partnering with physical publishers in every region we could. We may be small, but we will never stop trying to punch above our weight.”

Here is an overview of the game, via Rocket Panda Games:

About

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate is a side-scrolling beat ’em up with the heart of a fighting game, supporting cross-platform pixel art anime action with up to eight players in online multiplayer and all the characters from Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive!

Story

Japan’s capital, Tokyo. The mysterious man, Phantom, has been operating in the shadows in order to regain his immense powers, which have been sealed. He granted a weapon called FA (Fu-mension Artifact) to young talented individuals, and enticed them into battle by promising them to grant their wish if they win in battle. This is because the clash between the FAs will generate a distortion in space and time, creating an opening that leads to an alternate world. This opening will eventually unseal his powers. Waka, the young daughter from the Kumon family belonging to a clan of exorcists rebelling against Phantom, and Mikoto, who offered cooperation, tried to stop this conspiracy, but lost him just before defeating him. In addition, Waka’s younger sister Nagi has been kidnapped by Phantom. Itsuki, who yearns to become the hero of Justice, and Yuzuha, a ninja who once managed to escape Phantom’s seduction, also joins the fight, and the 4 girls set out on a search mission to track down Phantom and save Nagi.

Key Features

Revamped Gameplay – Gameplay has been rebuilt from scratch in Unreal Engine 5, giving smoother gameplay and flashier special attacks.

Online Cooperative Play and Versus Modes – Team up with friends in local cooperative or challenge up to eight fighters from around the world with cross-platform online play.

Play as the Enemy – Take on the role of powerful adversaries from the Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds universe, each with their own distinct combat style and abilities in Arcade Mode.

Remastered Soundtrack – Players can choose an all-new soundtrack composed by all-girl J-rock band The Phantom Breakers or the classic versions from Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds or Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive.

Watch a new trailer below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Release Date Trailer

youtube

#Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate #Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds #Phantom Breaker #Rocket Punch Games #Gematsu #Youtube

5 notes · View notes

dragaorpg · 8 months ago

Text

Dungeon&Fighter: ARAD recebe primeiro trailer

A NEXON Korea anunciou o trailer de estreia mundial de Dungeon&Fighter: ARAD, o ARPG de mundo aberto. A prévia foi apresentada durante o The Game Awards 2024. O vídeo destacou cinemáticas impressionantes, que revelam as narrativas de cada personagem principal, juntamente com cenas de ação em mundo aberto, tudo com gráficos deslumbrantes impulsionados pela Unreal Engine 5. Dungeon&Fighter: ARAD –…

#DNF #Dungeon&Fighter: ARAD #Nexon

2 notes · View notes

usafphantom2 · 2 years ago

Text

Boeing is using Fortnite game technology to update the B-52s

Will this "hyper-realistic" modeling tool help give the program a Victory Royale?

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 23/09/2023 - 12:27 in Military

A popular Fortnite game engine is helping Boeing modernize 60-year-old B-52 bombers for another three decades of service.

To see how the new Rolls-Royce F-130 engines would work in the U.S. Air Force's B-52 Stratofortresses, the plane's manufacturer resorted to Unreal Engine 5, the software that powers the Fortnite shooting game. The 3D environment of the game engine allows pilots and maintainers to virtually interact with an updated digital representation of the B-52, such as starting and turning off an engine.

It is a "powerful and really impressive tool," said Jennifer Wong, senior director of bombers at Boeing.

Wong said that commercial digital software, such as the "hyper-realism features" of Unreal Engine 5, reduces costs and delivery time.

“We learn faster and are able to adjust faster when we talk about models than [when] we learn after bending metal,” she told reporters last week at the annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference event of the Air and Space Forces Association.

The virtual environment gives USAF “unprecedented access” to modifications from the beginning and gives feedback to Boeing long before they start upgrading the aircraft, Wong said.

This is part of a modernization effort called the Commercial Engine Replacement Program, or CERP, which will replace the eight Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines in each jet to keep the bomber flying.

The program is much larger than just the engine replacement, Wong said, as Boeing will also update the aircraft's displays, cockpits and other avionics systems.

Rolls-Royce is on track to complete the initial engine tests by the end of the year and begin the "critical project review" in the first quarter of 2024.

Boeing will also replace the current B-52 radars with Raytheon's active electronic scanning radar, called AESA. The radar is already used in the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornets jets.

"When we say things like 'the B-52 will have capabilities similar to those of fighters in the future', that's what we mean. Eventually, the B-52 will be able to have some notion of capacity similar to that of a fighter and a little of that visualization that is currently on the F-18 platform," Wong said.

The new radar will allow the B-52 to track multiple targets simultaneously, Wong said. Other updates to the radar program include a new broadband radome, which protects the radar antenna, large digital touchscreen displays for browsers and manual controllers.

"This will allow us to continue to improve resources in the future, because the advance will be made through software, rather than hardware changes in the future," Wong said.

Raytheon recently announced that it has delivered the first AESA radar to Boeing for the program.

These modernization programs are crucial, since the B-52 could fly even beyond the 2050s, according to Colonel Scott Foreman, leader of the Air Force's B-52 program. Foreman pointed to the A-10 Warthog, almost half a century old, as an example of an airplane that is still flying after several attempts by the U.S. Air Force to retire it.

“Even if we're saying 2050, I have no reason to believe that he can't fly for a long time after that,” Foreman said at the AFA conference.

Boeing said it will have all the B-52s modified with the new radar by the end of fiscal year 2031 and the engine replacement program completed by the end of fiscal year 2036.

Source: DefenseOne

Tags: Military AviationBoeing B-52H StratofortressCERPUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

Sharing

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Daytona Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work throughout the world of aviation.