Unreal Engine 3 Gets Serious

By Nick Mokey July 30, 2007

Unreal Engine 3 Gets Serious

The folks behind Too Human may not have been too thrilled with Epic’s Unreal Engine 3, but that hasn’t stopped a software developer with a different mission from picking it up for its latest games. Virtual Heroes Inc. announced Tuesday that it will adopt Epic’s latest engine for its serious games, which put players into the shoes of soldiers, doctors and even astronauts.

The Serious Games Initiative, an industry organization, claims the market for games with a purpose is booming, currently worth $100M and growing. “This is exciting news, when one of the companies every gamer respects is seeing bottom line potential in the serious games field” said Ben Sawyer, co-founder of the Serious Games Initiative, in a statement. “Epic’s Unreal Engine and games like Gears of War and Unreal Tournament are part of what amazes people about commercial games and drives them to want to use games for purposes beyond entertainment.”

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Virtual Heroes plans to further develop the Unreal Engine 3 with Dynamic Virtual Human Technology, which will play a major role in its HumanSim line of medical games. According to the company, the humans it creates using the engine will be the most photorealistic ever seen in a simulation.

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Gaming

Hear me out, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the hottest new couple’s game

Astrion holds his chin in Baldur's Gate 3.

Search for the “best video games for couples” and you’ll find a solid list of options, ranging from It Takes Two to Stardew Valley. Usually, lists like that tend to be filled with co-op games that require lots of communication or cozy games like Animal Crossing that anyone can enjoy. Those are all ideal choices, but allow me to throw a curveball at you: Baldur’s Gate 3 is the hottest new couples game.

Yes, I know how wild that sounds. After all, the dense RPG opens with a tentacled monster slipping a disgusting parasite into a character’s eye socket. Shortly after, players come across an exposed brain hanging out of a man’s skull, which then wriggles its way out and begins running around on nerve-like legs. It’s positively grotesque, a stark contrast with just about any title you’d see recommended on a list of couple’s games.

Gaming

How to gain Inspiration Points in Baldur’s Gate 3

A player conversation in Baldur's Gate 3.

Just like the tabletop game it's based on, Baldur's Gate 3 runs off of dice rolls. Everything in the game, even if it isn't shown to you, generally has a dice roll in the background that determines the outcome, from combat to conversations. When you are prompted to roll for a skill check, you will be shown a D20 with the minimum needed to succeed in that check, as well as any advantages or disadvantages your specific character has depending on the stat that roll is based on. On some rolls, you could have a high skill and add a few points to the die, making it easier to pass, while others will have negative modifiers, making it less likely you will pass. Failing a roll means, well, you don't succeed in whatever you were attempting to do, but Inspiration Points can bail you out of a bad outcome provided you've earned them in Baldur's Gate 3.
What Inspiration Points do
You can think of Inspiration Points as do-over points since you can spend them on any failed skill check to reroll the die and get another shot at passing it. Rerolling with an Inspiration Point does not guarantee your second roll will be successful, so if your odds are really bad, you will be just as likely to fail a second time as the first. These points aren't very common, so don't waste them on checks that are essentially impossible to pass.
How to gain Inspiration Points

Inspiration Points are directly tied to your character's Background, which is different from your class or your race. While creating your character, you will pick a general origin for your character that colors their past and how they will treat and be treated by others. Not only should you pay attention to your own Background, but those of any companion you're traveling with as well, since they can also earn Inspiration Points for you based on their Backgrounds. In both cases, this is done through what is known as Background Goals.

Gaming

How to solve the moon puzzle in the Defiled Temple in Baldur’s Gate 3

Astrion holds his chin in Baldur's Gate 3.

There's always a type of puzzle that some people just have trouble with for one reason or another. For many, that is spinning or sliding puzzles like the moon puzzle you will run up against while exploring the Defiled Temple in Baldur's Gate 3 during the "Find the Nightsong" quest. This puzzle comes after a tough battle, but may prove to be a bigger roadblock than the previous fight. You will be in a chamber with four spinning dials that need to be positioned in the correct order so the moon symbols line up. Since spinning one will impact the others, it isn't as easy as just spinning each one into the correct position one at a time. If you're stumped on this moon puzzle, here's how to solve it in Baldur's Gate 3.