Unchained uses a custom-written content pipeline allowing us to load textures, skeletons, and meshes from Maya/MAX, apply skeletal animation timing via XML files, and animate characters and ships via a custom animation engine. This allows artists and non-coders to get assets in-engine and good-looking.

• Custom built engine in XNA
• Custom built model import pipeline
• Collision mesh algorithms implemented from scratch
• Graphics / shaders developed from scratch
• In-game console and node editor

Prototype

We chose to build a prototype of Unchained in Unity so the designers could start iterating on controls, level design, etc. long before the engine was in a state where we could do so. We were also able to use Unity as a level editor by grayboxing out the environment- we could even fly around to get a feel for the level and iterate on the design without having to spend precious time building tools to allow us to do so.