Katana Engine
| Original author(s) | Koei Tecmo |
|---|---|
| Platform | |
| Type | Game engine |
| License | Proprietary |
Katana Engine (formerly known as KTGL (Koei Tecmo Game Library))[1] is an in-house game engine developed by Koei Tecmo. It has been used for the development of several of the company's games, such as Wild Hearts and Rise of the Rōnin .
Features
[edit ]
Katana Engine supports modern 3D features such as automatic LOD generation and fluid simulation.[2] [3] It has a built in world environment system that automatically changes lighting based on the time of day and latitude and longitude and supports various weather conditions such as rain, sun, snow, etc.[3] The environment system can also be used to dictate the ambient sound.[4] The engine uses Percentage-Closer Soft Shadows along with a proprietary reflection probe system for its shadows.[3] [5] It also includes a physically based material editor, as well as a procedural foliage placement system.[2] Aside from physically based parameters, materials contain other parameters that affect its appearance; for example, a material can be set to accept a parameter that allows it to become dusty depending on the local environment.[2] The engine supports PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.[6]
History
[edit ]Development of Katana Engine began in the early 2000s as a collection of individual production tools.[2] Beginning in the 2010s, it started to develop into a full featured engine, and has since grown in usage internally.[2] Koei Tecmo Games President, Hisashi Koinuma, stated that the advantages of developing an in-house game engine include attracting talented programmers and being able to understand the entire game development process more fully, such as understanding how hardware characteristics affect game development.[7]
Director Ryota Matsushita stated that the engine is updated with new features for each new game that uses it.[8] For example, 2D shading of 3D characters was improved for the release of Fate/Samurai Remnant .[8]
Yasunori Sakuda, producer of Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme , said that Katana Engine will replace the Yawaraka Engine used in previous games in the series due to features such as its superior environment system; the developers were not able to implement rain in Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation due to constraints of the engine.[9]
Games
[edit ]This list only includes games that have been confirmed to use Katana Engine.
| Title | Release date | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Dynasty Warriors 9 | 2018年02月08日 | [9] |
| Dynasty Warriors: Origins | 2025年01月17日 | [10] |
| Fate/Samurai Remnant | 2023年09月28日 | [8] |
| Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes | 2022年07月24日 | [11] |
| Rise of the Rōnin | 2024年03月22日 | [3] |
| Samurai Warriors 5 | 2021年06月24日 | [8] |
| Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme | 2025年03月27日 | [9] |
| Wild Hearts | 2023年02月17日 | [12] |
| Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty | 2023年03月03日 | [9] |
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ SteamDB, Database. "Katana Engine - SteamDB". SteamDB. Valve Corporation. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Kazuhisa (2023年08月30日). "[インタビュー]コーエーテクモという会社のAIへの向き合い方は,堅実かつ歴史に裏打ちされたものだった。AIの使い方から会社のポリシーに至るまで,普段は表に出ない人にあれこれ...". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese).
- ^ a b c d 大河原浩一 (2024年10月18日). "Team NINJAの技術力が随所に光る幕末アクション『Rise of the Ronin』後篇". CG・映像の専門情報サイト | CGWORLD.jp (in Japanese).
- ^ 高島おしゃむ (7 November 2024). "大将AI・軍師AI・武将AIが合戦を再現?コーエーテクモゲームス「KATANA ENGINE」のAIなら、スケッチから地形をモデリングできるらしい。「ゲームとAI」の今を知れる、三宅陽一郎氏も登壇の講演をレポート". denfaminicogamer (in Japanese).
- ^ Fernando, Randima. "Percentage-Closer Soft Shadows" (PDF). NVIDIA Corporation.
- ^ Koei Tecmo (24 June 2021). "Paid Program: Game On: Koei Tecmo's Ambition to Lead the World". wsj.
- ^ 渡辺 一正 (July 27, 2022). "コーエーテクモが目指す売上高1000億円企業 独自エンジンに強み". 日経クロストレンド (in Japanese).
- ^ a b c d Farrell, Andrew (19 September 2023). "Fate/Samurai Remnant Game Director Ryota Matsushita on Game Systems & Traditions". cgmagonline.
- ^ a b c d Townsend, Verity (5 November 2024). "Venus Vacation Prism switches to Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's game engine for extra wetness and steamy breaths". AUTOMATON WEST.
- ^ Omega Force (January 17, 2025). Dynasty Warriors: Origins . Koei Tecmo. Scene: Credits.
- ^ 西川くん (2022年06月24日). "『ファイアーエムブレム無双 風花雪月』開発者インタビュー。3社のキーマンたちが語る、新たなフォドラの歴史。原作プレイヤーの体験を無駄にしない配慮とは". ファミ通.com. Archived from the original on 2024年09月02日.
- ^ Palumbo, Alessio (10 October 2022). "Wild Hearts Q&A - EA/KT Partnership, Karakuri, Kemono and Much More". Wccftech.