Playnet Inc.today announced version 1.5 of its proprietary UNITY 3D game engine providing new features and integrating new technology for its MMO, WWII ONLINE: BATTLEGROUND EUROPE.

WWII Online - Unity 1.5 Screenshot

The UNITY 3D game engine delivers a unique set of features for MMO design, allowing for play in huge, zoneless worlds with thousands of simultaneous players interacting in a variety of environments. The foundation of the engine includes advanced physics, component-based damage and military-grade ballistics. UNITY 3D has been utilized to produce a one-of-a-kind massively multiplayer experience in WWII ONLINE: BATTLEGROUND EUROPE, a combined-arms action/simulation game. It allows players to fight on the ground as infantry, command and crew vehicles such as tanks, fighters and bombers entirely in first-person featuring British, French and German forces.

Version 1.5 of the UNITY 3D game engine adds several key features including;

• New object instancing for improved efficiency in loading and display of huge game world and object libraries
• Shader 3.0 support for upgraded performance and effects
• Upgraded Normal and Specular Mapping for enhanced object visuals
• SpeedTree 4.2 Support
• ODE physics support for rag-doll style character animations
• Added support for OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL)

The UNITY 3D game engine powers the latest major upgrade to the massively multiplayer online game, WWII ONLINE: BATTLEGROUND EUROPE. Version 1.31, currently in Beta testing, will include updated graphics, effects, terrain objects and game play. Screenshots available at www.battlegroundeurope.com/131media .

• 1,000,000+ trees updated with new models, textures, normals and shadows
• Rag doll physics applied to infantry animations
• Many new special effects including muzzle flashes, hit effects and explosions
• Tree and object shadows
• Real-time water reflections
• New clutter system and objects adding thousands of grass fields and bushes
• New radial clutter system
• Dynamic Weather with new clouds/rain/sky/fog/lighting settings
• Thousands of new and updated terrain objects such as buildings, installations and cultural objects

About Playnet Inc:

Playnet, a Texas-based company, specializes in design and development of the full range of 3D technologies and development tools required to build as well as operate its own and 3rd-party massively multi-player online games (MMOGs) as part of an Internet-based, international subscription service. Playnet’s proprietary technologies include the patent-pending UNITY 3D MMO game engine.

SpeedTree is a trademark of IDV Inc. in the United States and other countries. Open Dynamics Engine (ODE) is copyright Russell L. Smith. Playnet™, World War II Online™, WWII Online™, Cornered Rat Software®, UNITY 3D® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Playnet Incorporated.