Description

Since its introduction NVIDIA CUDA Technology has been gaining momentum in the business and technical industries, enabling a higher capacity of information flow by taking advantage of the parallel processing power of the GPU. Providing orders of magnitude more performance over mulit-core CPUs, CUDA technology enables developers to create solutions for data-intensive processing in less time. Working closely with engineers at NVIDIA, the developers at Avalanche Studios are finally bringing CUDA technology into the game industry with the PC version of their title, Just Cause 2.

CUDA-enhanced features in Just Cause 2 are taking water simulations to an entirely different level never-before-seen in a game. Rivers, lakes and oceans are not only beautifully rendered, but they actually interact with the character and vehicles. Flowing waves will realistically move boats around while rising swells will bob the character around while swimming.

Using a new version of the original proprietary engine, the Avalanche Engine 2.0 also takes advantage of CUDA by using an advanced photographic Bokeh lens technique to add a layer of cinematic quality to the Depth-of-Field. Ambient Occlusion has also been incorporated into the engine to calculate soft shadows in real-time, grounding objects and making them a convincing part of the world. All of these NVIDIA specific hardware features are exclusive to the PC version and will not be in the “vanilla” console release.

Avalanche Studios has also developed Just Cause 2 from the ground up with 3D Vision support in mind to create a truly immersive experience. When asked about 3D Vision and CUDA, Lee Singleton, general manager of Square Enix London Studios said, “Working closely with NVIDIA has enabled us to add support for some of the latest PC technologies and help make Just Cause 2 one unforgettable experience.”