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Codemasters has announced that the Games for Windows Live edition of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will support a host of new performance enhancing features that will be available in DirectX 11.
DirectX 11 is coming to home computers with the release of Windows 7 on October 22, 2009, so to take advantage of the new functionality on offer Codemasters has decided to extend the development time for the Games for Windows game – it’s now set for December 2009. DirectX 11 will also be available as a downloadable update to Windows Vista.
“While the console editions of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will retain their September ship date, we believe that the DirectX 11 feature set is too compelling to ignore, especially considering how much more it can add to the visual experience for PC gamers,” said Bryan Marshall, chief technical officer, Codemasters. “As a leader in digital racing entertainment, we are staying ahead of the pack by immediately taking advantage of key new technologies such as hardware tessellation, multi-threading and Shader Model 5.0 to deliver the most realistic, immersive and exhilarating racing experiences in the business. The fusion of DirectX 11 with Codemasters’ EGO Engine will raise the technical bar considerably in the racing genre.”
Codemasters intends to immediately take advantage of DirectX 11 features that add to the realism of the racing environment. Hardware tessellation will further improve the appearance of water and other surfaces as well as crowd animations. Shader Model 5.0 (SM 5.0) will aid in creating an even richer 3D experience, enhancing effects such as depth of field, ambient occlusion and shadows.
