The Result of their work is called the "G-Engine".
Using your mouse or keyboard, you can move the main characters freely in the game's incredible real-time rendered environments. Oh, mind you! This is not some ordinary Quake-engine, the engine has FAR more possibilities. What if I tell you that the 3D engine also has an innovative camera system!
For each room or environment, there are 4 predetermined first- and third- person viewing angles. And if that isn't enough, the player can also set the camera anywhere they would like, to see things from a unique perspective. Yes, having that in mind, means that no matter how many times you play GK3, each time will be a completely different experience.
While moving the camera around, you will always be able to hear the dialogue,thanks to the 3D Spatial audio.
Zooming in and out on a characters' face from above or below, all this is possible. In fact, the possibilities are endless!
So how does it actually WORK?
With the mouse you can controll where Gabriel should go; one click on the floor and Gabe walks to where you want him.
From that point on you can choose: either you pick one of the predeterminded cameras (as described above) to watch the environment and scenes OR you controll the camera yourself by holding the left mousebutton down and moving the mouse.
The difference with a 3rd person game like TOMBRAIDER, is that the camera can FLY wherever you like..while Gabe remains at the position where you left him. (While in TOMBRAIDER or MASK OF ETERNITY, the camera's freedom is limited to the spot where the game's characters stands)
This gives you the option to freely roam around in a room, while Gabe is having a conversation for example.
Now this is a truly unique way of adventuring, which must lead to a WIDE scala of posibilities.
According to software engineer Napier, GK3 supports 16-bit color and bilinear filtering for incredibly realistic backgrounds and character art.When you approach other people or objects, they do NOT pixilate (at least not when you are using a 3D accelerator). To achieve this effect, the engine uses an advanced "texture management system" that constantly swaps in textures depending on the camera's proximity.
As an example: characters' faces feature around 500 polygons, allowing realistic expressions and emotions. The only tradeoff for all this detail, is that rooms are a bit smaller than in your average 3D action game and a slight load time will occur, transitioning from one room to another.
The benefit to the G-engine is manifold, it allows for more unconventional and engaging interaction and puzzles. Objects can be searched carefully or zoomed in for clues, and the free-floating camera makes you feel like you're in an interactive movie -- with YOU in the director's chair!
The G-engine will support 3D acceleration, featuring Direct3D enhanced graphics with dynamic color, lightning and shading. Baseline Speculations will be a Pentium 200 with 32MB of RAM.
For more indepth information on the engine and the graphics I suggest you go read the "Sidney Exclusive" Interview with: Aubrey PULLMAN (Lead Environment Artist).