Master Control Program Is Watching You

The GDC trailer for the latest version of the Unreal Engine isn't exactly dynamite, but there's one really interesting feature: the Master Control Program. This sinister-sounding application allows designers to precisely analyse activity within their maps - just as we saw Bungie do in their Halo level design chatter last year. I think it's an interesting glimpse into where game design tools are heading, and the kind of meta-data that game designers can now rely on when they're working with tech as sophisticated as this. A similar story of real world environment-use design came up when talking to the BLDGBLOG author recently, but I'll link to that particular brain-dump when it goes live.