Q Ignition

London based middleware outfit Qube Software is launching a new kind of evaluation process designed to fast-track games built on its all-genre, all-platform Q engine.

The ‘Q Ignition’ program brings Qube’s highly experienced engineers together with a studio’s own dev team, throughout their evaluation period, to help them assemble the essentials of their game framework and art pipelines whilst bringing the studio up to speed on Q.

From the start the two teams consult closely to define the game parameters. They work together to configure and customise Q to embrace the studio’s chosen way of working and existing processes, something that Q’s uniquely flexible architecture makes easy.

“In a matter of weeks we can have a full team rolling on a title and get them to a point where they’ve used Q components to create a bespoke engine and art pipelines,” says Qube founder Servan Keondjian.

“In developing and rolling out the Q Ignition program, we’ve not just put in place customized art pipelines, we’ve helped customers build models of cities accurate to a few centimetres, develop the techniques for handling scenes 10 billion kilometres across, and handle scenes with 25,000 independent game objects visible on screen. All cool stuff,” adds Program Manager, Jamie Fowlston.

“This is months or even years ahead of where they’d be if they were building their own game engine, even using a third party renderer, or reengineering a traditional middleware engine.”

Q offers all the convenience of a third party engine but with far greater flexibility as it can be customised, configured and extended neatly and easily at every level.

At the same time it gives studios the option to build their own specialised engine with the feel and custom-built features of in-house middleware.

“It used to be that if you wanted your own engine it required a huge investment,” says Keondjian. “Q now offers a far faster, far more cost-effective route to the same goal.”

Qube spent six months refining the ‘Q Ignition’ program before successfully deploying it to bring new clients up to speed on Q while working with them to create a skeleton game framework in under 4 weeks.

“This is a huge step forward in how middleware and dev teams work together,” says Keondjian. “Not only are we fast-tracking the development process, but we’re also helping developers create specialised tools and technology that they can deploy on any platform, and reuse and further customise in-house as they need.”

Unlike its competitors, Q combines high-level functionality with total flexibility, making it suitable for any type of game, and enabling teams to work with Q the way they want to, specialising and customising as they go. Q works on PCs, all current and last generation consoles, as well as the latest handhelds and mobiles, while each release is compatible with previous releases.

Q was launched to the games industry in February 2008 and is being deployed in games and virtual worlds on multiple console and PC platforms. The first titles powered by Q will launch in Q1 2009.

To try Q today contact Hud Saunders on +44 (0) 20 7431 9995 or via info@qubesoft.com. Further details are available at www.qubesoft.com.

For media enquiries contact Qube’s Head of Communications, Jonathan Kent, on +44 (0) 7981 803144 or email jonathan@qubesoft.com.

Qube Software produces Q, the only true all-genre, all-platform 3D game development solution on the market today. Q is a complete cross-studio solution designed for developers to customise or add to quickly, neatly and simply. Qube Software was founded by Servan Keondjian and Doug Rabson, the creators of Direct3D, and has its headquarters in London, UK.