Artifact annonce Evolution

Artifact Entertainment, le développeur de Venise mais surtout du très attendu Horizons: Empires of Istaria a annoncé aujourd'hui son nouveau moteur : Evolution.

Pour faire simple, leur "moteur" permet de gérer à peu près tout ce qui compose un univers (virtuel ou pas). D'après eux, n'importe quoi peu se faire attribuer n'importe quel comportement en temps réel. Le monde pourra ainsi changer du tout au tout en très peu de temps - au bon vouloir des Game Masters.

C'est donc l'outil rêvé pour un MMORPG. Mais la chose qui inquiète un peu les dores et déjà fans de ce jeu même pas encore en beta, c'est que le site officiel de Horizons à tout bonnement disparu. Hier il était "en maintenance" comme l'indiquait une page, et aujourd'hui il est passé à la trappe pendant la mise à jour du design du site du développeur.

Espérons que cela augure la phase riche en screenshots, informations et vidéo promise pour le début de cette année... à laquelle devrait suivre une phase de beta !

Le communiqué de presse se trouve après le lien.

Artifact Entertainment announces Multi-User Network Simulation Technology for Massive Multiplayer Online Games

Mesa, Arizona - January 31, 2002 - Artifact Entertainment today announced that the company has developed a state of the art proprietary technology for rapid development of Multi-User Networked Simulations. The technology incorporates all necessary tools to develop Online Real-Time Persistent Dynamic Simulations that can be accessed by Machines, Electronic Devices, Computer Systems and Human Users in a wide variety of applications. Once final packaging has been completed, the technology known as the "Evolution Engine" will be available for license as a fully featured simulation engine.

Potential applications will be:

Massively multi-player online games
Telecommunication monitoring systems
Fault Tolerance maintenance and monitoring systems
Assembly line production modeling and monitoring
Network management and prediction
Real world modeling simulations
Urban planning and modeling
Interactive entertainment environments


The Evolution technology is comprised of several components, some of which are stand- alone systems and others that are supporting elements to a complete implementation. Artifact will offer packages in various configurations ranging from straight technology licenses to complete end-to-end implementations services.

The Evolution technology is a complete solution offering the client and server systems to manage and operate a massive multi-user simulation. Evolution uses a dynamic and flexible world model that allows run time content creation and includes a complete set of world development and management tools to define world parameters and dynamically introduce world modifications.

James Jones, President of Artifact Entertainment stated, "Evolution is more of a MMU (Massive Multi-User) platform than a Game Server. Evolution can provide world simulations for environments above and beyond traditional online game worlds." Mr. Jones added, "A game player is one type of user in these simulations, a user could technically be any device or equipment that we could connect and logically model with the scripting system."

In an Evolution simulation, world activities always continue, regardless of human participants. A continuing simulation is defined through entities that inhabit the system. These entities use intelligent scripts to simulate a wide range of behaviors. Simulations can be defined for anything from characters, monsters, wildlife, weather, insects, and other types of entities used in a game simulation to electrical, mechanical or artificial device simulation and control in a real world environment.

Artifact is currently in the process of creating its own hosting environment that will give developers access to a turnkey Massive Multiplayer solution for developing, launching and managing online games and interactive entertainment environments.

Artifact is using the Evolution Technology to develop its next generation massive multiplayer online fantasy role-playing game "Horizons". More information will be available in the future about this flagship product.

More information about the Evolution Engine is available at the Artifact Entertainment website in the technology section.

For more information on technology licensing/partnerships contact management@artifact-entertainment.com.

Pour de plus amples informations sur Horizons, n'hésitez pas à consulter Horizons Vault, Horizons @ MMORPG Network et Fomalhaut (ce dernier est en français).