14 DAY TRIAL // There has lately been a lot of buzz regarding the power that DirectX 12 will unlock, but the truth is that it's going to take a long time until we actually get to reap the benefits of the extra power developers can draw from it.
Just like AMD's Mantle API does, Microsoft's next interface will allow processor cores to communicate to the GPU cores directly, which means that software that makes good use of multithreading can gain potentially huge performance benefits.
One of the best examples to showcase the magnitude of DirectX 12's impact is the upcoming Ashes of the Singularity, a real-time strategy game coming from Stardock Entertainment, the makers of the Galactic Civilizations franchise.
The game is built on Oxide Games' Nitrous Engine, a powerhouse when it comes to rendering hundreds upon hundreds of units on screen at the same time. Last year, Stardock wowed everyone with the Star Swarm tech demo, showing an immense number of units engaged in a massive space battle.
Back then, the developers showed off the engine using AMD's Mantle API, and now they're back, with a brand-new showcase from the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, where they're using the upcoming Ashes of the Singularity strategy game to show the same technology in action, looking even more impressive.
The technology enables each tine explosion to become a light source
The video below shows what looks like thousands of units engaged in a battle that spans a huge map, with a ton of explosions going off, resulting in a stunning level of complexity, while still maintaining a more than satisfying performance level.
Battles will no longer take place in a single location, with a handful of units, as clashes involving tens and hundreds of vehicles can occur at multiple points across the map, resulting in experiences that have never been possible before.
The demo is displayed at 4K resolution, and shows what technology like Mantle, DX12 or Vulkan is able to do in the right hands.
Ashes of the Singularity takes place in a distant future, where humans have shed their mortal bodies and now exist as pure energy, commanding huge armies. The game is scheduled to enter beta sometime this summer, with its final release planned for next winter.
If you want to learn more about the game, you can visit the Ashes of the Singularity website.
