Deep Descent dive into 3D navigation in Unreal Engine
Aquanox: Deep Descent was Kythera AI's flagship partnership in Unreal Engine. Working with publisher Nordic Games and developer Digital Arrow, Kythera AI's middleware pilots submarines through a perilous undersea landscape in the partly crowd-funded title Aquanox: Deep Descent.
The application of Kythera AI's Flight Navigation feature to the title highlighted the benefits of AI middleware. “We’re best known for our work on space combat, guiding starships through asteroid fields,” said Matthew Jack, CEO of Kythera AI. “But the same techniques help steer Aquanox’s submarines in the ocean depths – travelling through trenches, between cliffs and within caves, all amidst dynamically-moving craft and obstacles. That concept, of transferring experience from one game to another, was a key part of our vision for Kythera AI.”
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Norbert Varga, CEO of Digital Arrow, said Kythera AI's blend of tools and consultancy was essential to the success of their title. “[Kythera AI's] developers have worked closely with us as we refined the physical constraints on our craft, ensuring that AI logic and the reality of movement meshed perfectly,” he said.
“It’s been liberating to work with a tested, high-quality middleware so early in development, when the gameplay still has time for refinement. We’ve been impressed by the design and debugging tools too, and look forward to iterating and expanding on our AI capabilities together with the Kythera team.”
About Aquanox: Deep Descent
Aquanox: Deep Descent is a first person underwater vehicle shooter, in which players control a variety of customizable ships to engage in fierce battles in the dystopian deep sea world of Aqua. Key features include:
- Fight - Action-packed vehicle shooter combat that supports a wide variety of play styles
- Co-op - 4 player drop-in co-op, with four unique pilots who are all involved in the game story
- Customize - Create your ship from an extensive range of ship pieces and various customization options
- Explore - Discover the deepest corners of the ocean
- Extract - Mining, salvaging, trading and looting
- PVP - Classic multiplayer modes, including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch Dogfighting
About Digital Arrow
Digital Arrow are an independent game development and outsourcing company, based in Novi Sad, Serbia, that produces games for PC (Linux, Macintosh and Windows), Console and Handheld platforms. They aim to connect the best, most flexible development philosophy with serious professional experience, and to produce games using the latest tier of technology. The company was founded by Ferenc Giric and Norbert Varga and expanded when many talented professionals joined the team and started working on Aquanox Deep Descent. Find out more.
About Nordic Games GmbH
Nordic Games GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nordic Games Group AB, focusing on computer- and video games for PC/MAC/Linux and present/past console platforms. Founded in 2011, THQ Nordic is a global video game publisher and developer. Based in Vienna (Austria), and with subsidiaries all around the globe, THQ Nordic brands include Darksiders, MX vs. ATV, Destroy All Humans, Wreckfest, Titan Quest, Biomutant, Gothic, ELEX, Kingdoms of Amalur and many more. THQ Nordic revolves around cherishing its highly competitive portfolio of IPs and aligning them with the very best development resources to expand upon them with the level of experience that communities and established fan bases expect and deserve. Find out more