Cobra (game engine)
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| Developer(s) | Frontier Developments |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1988 |
| Stable release | 4th generation (2023)
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| Platform | Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo DS, Wii, Gamecube |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Cobra is a cross-platform, 3D game engine by Frontier Developments. Various iterations of Cobra have been developed in-house since 1988.[1][2] It consists of industry standard packages, in-house Cobra tools and flexible technology.[1]
History
[edit]In 1988, Frontier developed their own game engine, because there were no commercial engines that could do everything they wanted for their games.[3] The Cobra engine can be scaled, customized and optimized for specific tasks with custom tools and new features by their internal engine team.[3]
Frontier Developments generally uses their own Cobra engine for games rather than off-the-shelf engines. This means their development teams have more programmers than usual.[4] A typical dev team of Frontier has around 25 programmer and 55 other developers.[4] In 2024, Frontier had over 800 employees including the subsidiary Complex Games in Canada who work with the proprietary Cobra technology.[5]
Cobra uses C++ as the programming language.[4] The development tools are created with C# / WPF / Forms and C++.[4] Lua is used for gameplay features.[4] It supports many platforms such as Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS and Android devices.[1]
Usage
[edit]Many of Frontier's games use the same underlying Cobra engine such as Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, Kinectimals, Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster.[6] Planet Coaster 2 uses the 4th generation of the Cobra cross-platform technology.[1] They create the tools and run-time technology in-house.[4] Frontier's games have unique tech such as the cats in Kinectimals, destructible environments in Screamride, the planets in Elite Dangerous, and world building in Planet Coaster.[4]
Planet Zoo has an entity component system model enables thousands of instances of specific systems to run efficiently and parallel to each other.[7] Such as the animal behavior, staff logic and crowd navigation systems are combined with grouping of all instances of an object into sequential memory to enable the complex zoo simulation.[7]
The Cobra engine enables rendering of a procedurally generated Milky Way galaxy with billions of star systems in Elite Dangerous.[8] Cobra's Stellar Forge simulates star systems with realistic physics from composition to star illumination on celestial spheres.[8] The Stellar Forge generates approximately 400 billion star systems based on real-life astronomical data and fills unknown areas with predictive calculations and unaccounted mass.[3][9] This simulation of the Milky Way was praised for its accuracy since it included a star system similar to Trappist-1 before NASA discovered it in 2017.[3][9]
Games using Cobra engine
[edit]Licensing
[edit]The Cobra engine is currently unavailable for licensing. It's used exclusively for games by Frontier Developments.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Cobra Development Technologies & Tools". Frontier. 23 January 2023. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Frontier on bringing scientific authenticity to games and why the studio still uses its own engine". MCV. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Interview with Senior Localisation Manager at Frontier Developments". gamedev.net. 25 April 2020. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Programmer Application Guidance". Frontier. 12 August 2024. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Quested, Briony (2 August 2024). "Frontier Developments". BusinessWeekly. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b Hutchinson, Lee (17 June 2015). "Elite: Dangerous developers talk to Ars about Planet Coaster". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Harris, John (29 January 2020). "Designing the simulation of the wild and wonderful Planet Zoo". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b Lane, Rick (1 August 2017). "Cobra". Magzter (excerpt from Custom PC magazine). Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b Gach, Ethan (27 February 2017). "The Newly Discovered TRAPPIST-1 Star System Was Hiding In Elite: Dangerous All Along". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.