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'{{Infobox software | title = Frostbite | logo = | logo_caption = | screenshot = | caption = | developer = [[EA Digital Illusions CE]] | platform = [[Microsoft Windows]]<br>[[PlayStation 3]]<br>[[Xbox 360]]<br>[[PlayStation 4]]<br>[[Xbox One]] | genre = [[Game engine]] | license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] | website = http://www.frostbite.com/ }} '''Frostbite''' is a [[game engine]] developed by [[EA Digital Illusions CE]], creators of the [[Battlefield (series)|''Battlefield'' series]]. The engine currently is designed for use on [[Microsoft Windows]], [[PlayStation 3]], and [[Xbox 360]] platforms and is adapted for a range of video game genres. The engine was first used by DICE to create first-person shooters, but it has been expanded to include various other genres such as racing and real-time strategy and is employed by a number of EA studios. Thus far, the engine is exclusive to Electronic Arts with all titles being published by EA. DICE used the first generation of the engine for their in-house games ''[[Battlefield: Bad Company]]'', ''[[Battlefield 1943]]'', and ''[[Battlefield: Bad Company 2]]''. The Frostbite engine launched with the release of ''[[Battlefield: Bad Company]]''; subsequent titles employed an updated version referred to as Frostbite 1.5. Frostbite 1.5 was also used for the multiplayer component of ''[[Medal of Honor (2010 video game)|Medal of Honor]]'' which DICE developed. (The single-player was developed by another EA studio with the [[Unreal Engine 3]].) The next generation of the engine, Frostbite 2, debuted with the release of ''[[Battlefield 3]]''.<ref name="bf3fb">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamefront.com/battlefield-3-to-use-dx11-frostbite-2/|title=Battlefield 3 to use DX11, Frostbite 2|publisher=[[GameFront]]|date=2010-08-05|accessdate=2011-01-31}}</ref> The creation of Frostbite 2 started the first usage of the Frostbite engine by other EA studios other than DICE. Some notable Frostbite 2 powered games include ''[[Need for Speed: The Run]]'',<ref name="ignnfs">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/04/29/need-for-speed-the-run-announced|title=Need for Speed: The Run Announced|publisher=[[IGN]]|date=2011-04-28|accessdate=2011-04-30}}</ref> ''[[Medal of Honor: Warfighter]]'',<ref name="MoHwfIGN">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/07/a-first-look-at-medal-of-honor-warfighter|title=A First Look at Medal of Honor Warfighter|publisher=IGN|date=2012-03-06|accessdate=2012-03-29}}</ref> and ''[[Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel]]''.<ref name="Ao2Frost">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/army-of-two-the-devils-cartel-launching-march-2013-6389819|title=Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel launching March 2013|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|date=2012-08-02|accessdate=2012-09-01}}</ref> Upcoming games using the engine include ''[[Command & Conquer (2013 video game)|Command & Conquer]]'',<ref name="C&CFB2">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/events/gamescom-2012/story.html?sid=6391569|title=Next Command & Conquer goes free-to-play|publisher=GameSpot|date=2012-08-15|accessdate=2012-08-17}}</ref> ''[[Dragon Age III: Inquisition]]'',<ref name="DA3Frost">{{cite web|url=http://www.dragonage.com/inquisition|title=An open letter from Mark Darrah, Executive Producer|publisher=[[BioWare]]|date=2012-09-17|accessdate=2012-09-17}}</ref> the next ''[[Mass Effect]]'',<ref name="UpdateBioWareMontreal">{{cite web|title=An Update From BioWare Montreal|url=http://blog.bioware.com/2012/11/12/an-update-from-bioware-montreal/|publisher=BioWare|accessdate=2012-11-12}}</ref> and the next ''[[Need for Speed]]'' game.<ref name="EAGothenburgIGN">{{cite web|title=EA Gothenburg Working on Next Need for Speed|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/08/ea-gothenburg-working-on-next-need-for-speed|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2012-10-08}}</ref><ref name="EAGothenburgEurogamer">{{cite web|title=EA Gothenburg is now Ghost, working on Need for Speed|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-15-ea-gothenberg-is-now-ghost-working-on-need-for-speed|publisher=[[Eurogamer]]|accessdate=2012-11-15}}</ref> A new version of Frostbite, Frostbite 3, will debut with ''[[Battlefield 4]]''.<ref name="BF4-Frostbite3">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/battlefield-4-confirmed-for-fall-2013-6406022|title=Battlefield 4 confirmed for fall 2013|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|publisher=GameSpot|date=2013-03-26|accessdate=2013-03-27}}</ref> ==Versions== {{Gallery |align=center |lines=1 |File:Frostbite engine logo.png | |File:Logo of Frostbite 2.png | |File:Logo of Frostbite 3.png | }} ===Frostbite 1.5=== The second version of Frostbite debuted with ''Sam'' in 1999. It improved on the in-game destruction capabilities with Destruction 2.0, allowing the player to destroy entire buildings instead of just walls. In 2010, DICE released ''Battlefield: Bad Company 2'' using this version of the engine, which was the first game to bring Frostbite Engine to the Windows platform. The Windows version of the game has minor DirectX 11 shader support; consequently, it doesn't take full advantage of the entire API. The multiplayer component of ''Medal of Honor'' also uses this version of the engine, though with limited in-game destruction capabilities. ===Frostbite 2=== [[File:Frostbite2-realtime-radiosity.jpg|thumb|A demonstration of quasi-realtime [[Radiosity (computer graphics)|radiosity]] from Frostbite 2]] The first major upgrade to Frostbite debuted in 2011 with ''[[Battlefield 3]]''. It takes full advantage of the [[DirectX#DirectX 11|DirectX 11]] [[Application programming interface|API]] and [[64-bit computing|64-bit]] processors,<ref name="AMDFrostbite">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.amd.com/play/2009/11/16/11-days-of-directx%C2%AE-11-day-six-dice/|title=11 Days of DirectX® 11, Day Six: DICE|last=Ross|first=Peter|publisher=[[Advanced Micro Devices|AMD]]|date=2009-11-16|accessdate=2012-09-02}}</ref> with no support for [[DirectX|DirectX 9]] (nor, therefore, [[Windows XP]]).<ref name="XP&DX">{{cite web|url=http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/709494/battlefield-3-will-not-have-windows-xp-support/|title=Battlefield 3 Will Not Have Windows XP Support|last=Zivalich|first=Nikole|publisher=[[G4 (TV channel)|G4 TV]]|date=2011-01-03|accessdate=2012-08-27}}</ref> It also features enhanced in-game destruction with Destruction 3.0, creating more refined physics than its predecessor and quasi-realtime radiosity using [[Geomerics]]' Enlighten technology. Additionally an important distinction on its naming is that ''Frostbite 2'' is not called ''Frostbite 2.0''.<ref name="FB2naming">{{cite web|url=http://twitter.com/repi/status/64029372427939840|title=Dudes, it is "Frostbite 2", not "Frostbite 2.0"|last=Andersson|first=Johan, Senior Software Architect in the Frostbite Engine team at EA DICE|publisher=[[Twitter]]|date=2011-04-29|accessdate=2012-08-29}}</ref> DICE has given several presentations on advances in their rendering technology with primary focus on the aspects of Animation, Destruction, Scale, Rendering, and Audio: * '''[[SIGGRAPH|SIGGRAPH 2010]]''': : "Tile-based [[deferred shading]] acceleration" via [[DirectCompute]].<ref name="bending-gfx">{{cite web|url=http://bps10.idav.ucdavis.edu/talks/07-andersson_BendingTheGraphicsPipeline_BPS_SIGGRAPH2010.pdf|title=Bending the Graphics Pipeline|last=Andersson|first=Johan|year=2010}}</ref> This is being ported to the PlayStation 3's [[Cell (microprocessor)#Synergistic Processing Elements (SPE)|SPUs]]. : [[Spatial anti-aliasing|Morphological Anti-Aliasing]] (MLAA), again implemented with DirectCompute, for bandwidth conservation.<ref name="bending-gfx"/> : Quasi-realtime [[Radiosity (computer graphics)|radiosity]] using Enlighten from [[Geomerics]].<ref name="rt-rad">{{cite web|url=http://publications.dice.se/publications.asp?show_category=yes&which_category=Rendering|title=A Real-time Radiosity Architecture|last1=Einarsson|first1=Per (DICE)|last2=Martin|first2=Sam ([[Geomerics]])|publisher=[[SIGGRAPH|SIGGRAPH 2010]]|date=2010-08-01}}</ref> : Improved environmental destruction.<ref name="AdvRealTime">{{cite web|url=http://advances.realtimerendering.com/s2010/Kihl-Destruction%20in%20Frostbite%28SIGGRAPH%202010%20Advanced%20RealTime%20Rendering%20Course%29.pdf|title=Destruction Masking in Frostbite 2 using Volume Distance Fields|last=Kihl|first=Robert|year=2010}}</ref> * '''[[Game Developers Conference|GDC 2011]]''': : Realtime approximated [[subsurface scattering]].<ref name="RealTimeApprox">{{cite web|url=http://colinbarrebrisebois.com/2011/03/07/gdc-2011-approximating-translucency-for-a-fast-cheap-and-convincing-subsurface-scattering-look/|title=GDC 2011 – Approximating Translucency for a Fast, Cheap and Convincing Subsurface Scattering Look|last=Barre-Brisebois|first=Colin|date=2011-03-07}}</ref> * '''[[SIGGRAPH|SIGGRAPH 2011]]''': : Separable [[bokeh]] [[depth of field]]<ref name="SIGGRAPH2011">{{cite web|url=http://advances.realtimerendering.com/s2011/White,%20BarreBrisebois-%20Rendering%20in%20BF3%20%28Siggraph%202011%20Advances%20in%20Real-Time%20Rendering%20Course%29.pdf|title=Real-time rendering SIGGRAPH 2011|accessdate=2012-08-26}}</ref> : Tile-based [[deferred shading]] on Xbox 360<ref name="SIGGRAPH2011"/> : Temporally stable [[screen space ambient occlusion]] (SSAO)<ref name="SIGGRAPH2011"/> * '''GeForce LAN 6''': : DICE's lead graphics guru, Johan Andersson, presents an in-depth examination of ''Battlefield 3's'' game engine and visuals.<ref name="JApresents">{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF8BD90EA590F5B01|title=Battlefield 3 GeForce LAN 6 Graphics Presentation|publisher=[[Nvidia]]|date=2011-10}}</ref> * '''Other''': : Streaming data from disc to memory: "We can have 512 megs every hundred metres if we wanted to."<ref name="BF3previewMetres">{{cite web|url=http://www.totalpcgaming.com/previews/battlefield-3-preview/3/|title=Battlefield 3 preview|publisher=[[Total PC Gaming]]|date=2011-07}}{{Dead link|date=March 2013}}</ref> ===Frostbite 3=== Frostbite 3 is the [[History of video game consoles (eighth generation)|next generation]] version of Frostbite and is powering the upcoming game ''[[Battlefield 4]]'' (set to release fall of 2013). The game engine has several upgrades including improved [[Tessellation#In computer models|tessellation]] technology. It also features Destruction 4.0, which enhances the in-game destruction over its predecessors. Frostbite 3 will also power ''Dragon Age III: Inquisition'' and ''Need for Speed: Rivals''. ==Development== Frostbite 1.5 games are built using a complicated chain of compilers, version control and distributed caches, making it very difficult to install to a new environment: it took a week for one DICE employee to set the system up outside the company's offices.<ref name="dice-pipeline">{{cite web|url=http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/18438346-post1.html|title=So how about modtools?|last=Kalms|first=Mikael|date=2010-09-20}}{{Dead link|date=January 2013}}</ref> Frostbite 2 is said to greatly improve this "flaky" pipeline, and DICE has not ruled out the feasibility of releasing [[Mod (video gaming)|mod tools]] for it.<ref name="ku-bc2_mods">{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5485700/bad-company-2-devs-have-nothing-but-love-for-the-modding-community|title=Bad Company 2 Devs Have Nothing But Love For The Modding Community|last=Fahey|first=Mike|publisher=[[Kotaku]]|date=2010-03-04}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://www.frostbite.com/ Frostbite's Official Homepage] * [http://developer.amd.com/assets/Andersson-Tatarchuk-FrostbiteRenderingArchitecture%28GDC07_AMD_Session%29.pdf Frostbite Rendering Architecture] * [http://www.dice.se/publications DICE Publications] * [http://www.dice.se/ DICE's Official Homepage] * [http://www.geomerics.com/ Geomerics' Official Homepage] {{Electronic Arts}} {{Video game engines}} [[Category:2008 software]] [[Category:Electronic Arts]] [[Category:Video game engines]]'