Click on the following links to learn first-hand the process of developing games, current challenges faced by game developers and future trends in the gaming industry from the developers of Unreal Tournament*, Impossible Creatures* and EverQuest.*

"Breathtaking," is how John Johnson, the producer of Impossible Creatures*, describes the performance of Impossible Creatures on a Pentium 4 processor-based PC. Featuring hundreds of animals running around at once, the game requires an advanced animation system that prevents the animals from bumping into each other. The SSE2 feature of the Pentium 4 processor was the answer.

As with Impossible Creatures, developing a computer game often requires the use of evolving graphics and imaging processing technologies. Currently, Intel supports hundreds of game developers worldwide by providing them with engineering assistance and access to next-generation tools and products for the design and optimization of their games.

PC games are exceptionally complex and demanding, requiring tremendous processing power and graphic capabilities. To enable game software code to run faster and more efficiently, developers often compile their code and optimize it to run on a specific processor such as the Pentium 4 processor. To further boost performance, developers can use a performance analyzer like the Intel� VTune� Performance Analyzer, to pinpoint code that's running inefficiently.

The crux of a computer game is its engine. A game engine runs all the components of a game, including graphics, audio, collision detection, physics and artificial intelligence (AI). The game engine for the Pentium 4 processor renders 3D images exceptionally fast, especially if a game has been optimized and compiled to run on it.

Games that are designed for PCs tend to be more innovative because there are no restrictions and approvals from hardware manufacturers. Game developers can push the limits of processors for rendering complex 3D physics, expanding the number of simultaneous players and adding realism. The addition of Intel Architecture MMX� technology provides a significant increase in processing power, through the use of its single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) extensions.

Like any computer application, PC gaming is rapidly evolving, becoming more accessible and sophisticated for a wider audience. Online subscription-based games like Sony Online Entertainment EverQuest are leading the pack. A 3D fantasy role-playing game that can support up to 2,000 players simultaneously, EverQuest includes hundreds of spells, multiple camera angles, thirteen races, and fourteen classes, and takes place across five enormous continents with unique geographies, plant and animal life.

In addition, high performance processors like the Pentium 4 processor with SSE2 will support more advanced physics and artificial intelligence (AI) enabling game developers to add unprecedented realism, action and detail.

Click to find out what the developers of Unreal Tournament, Impossible Creatures and EverQuest see as the future trends in gaming.