CryEngine 2 Sandbox Editor Extensibility

[Aidan]

How extensible is the CryEngine Sandbox 2 editor?

Since the Sandbox Editor is being included for free with the game, can the editor do the following?

1. Add MOD team created visual effects

2. Add MOD team created audio effects

3. Add MOD team created physics effects

4. Add MOD team created models

5. Add MOD team created props (bldgs. etc. etc.)

If these basic game elements cannot be added with just the Sandbox 2 editor, then the MOD team would have to consider licensing the CryEngine 2 code from Crytek. Assuming Crytek would approve of this MOD, that poses the question of the cost of the engine.

Comments?

Aidan 

[Criminal]

Hey Aidan, welcome to the forums btw.

Ill address the questions one by one since the answer isn't quite as simple as the question.

1. Add MOD team created visual effects?

Yes. Crytek stated that the particle editor is integrated, however any custom textures would have to be created outside the editor.

2. Add MOD team created audio effects

You can edit certain aspects of pre-recorded sounds you cannot however completely create the sounds and implement it in the editor. You must first use a third party audio package and following this import it into the editor and customize aspects of the sound from there.

3. Add MOD team created physics effects

You can edit existing physics variables with the editor for example mass. You cannot (using only the editor) create new physic variables and or function. To perform this you would need to either write custom C++ code or attempt to script it using LUA.

4. Add MOD team created models

Yes. Easily of course you must create them first outside the editor.

5. Add MOD team created props (bldgs. etc. etc.)

This is the same as models.


One important aspect to note that you do not have to only use the editor for custom content. For example there are actually three levels of code running when playing Crysis. First is the engine code which includes the renderer and such this source is not released and its illegal to decompile it, second is the game code which is specific to crysis itself and this source is editable, finally is the LUA script that runs on top of all of this that allows the modification of certain variables without having to recompile game code.

I hope that fully answers your question.

[Aidan]

Thanks for the reply Criminal. I found a good link on the Editor features.

http://www.crytek.com/CryENGINE2Features.pdf

 

[Keys]

Everytime i look at those pictures of all the lighting and texture effects i think my computer (which is fairly new) brakes a sweat.