As manager of Ubisoft Singapore, Hugues Ricour spearheaded development of incredibly realistic ocean environments and physics across many Assassin’s Creed games.
Under his visionary direction, the team created what is now known industry-wide as “Ocean Tech” – breathtaking maritime settings that immerse players in the high seas.
We can create an entire ocean simulation this way, described Hugues Ricour.
Hugues Ricour Pushes Boundaries of Ocean Realism
Leading the water R&D efforts over 15 years, Hugues Ricour helped Ubisoft push boundaries with each new title. “I’m thrilled we can share the journey of how our ocean technology has evolved,” said Ricour, reflecting on the major advances made under his watch.
From humble beginnings with constrained linear ship missions, to open worlds filled with extraordinarily detailed water simulation, the transformation was monumental.
In the early Assassin’s Creed days, shading techniques were not physically accurate and sea colors used predefined palettes.
Hugues Ricour prioritized upgrading to modern real-time rendering methods to mimic realistic light absorption by water materials.
This hugely boosted realism across different ocean and river environments found in subsequent franchise releases.
Hugues Ricour Architects Complex Wave Synthesis
Equally important to Ricour was ensuring that the underlying gameplay physics felt authentic. “Our boats now simulate forces like lift, drag and viscosity affecting handling,” he explained.
As manager, Ricour facilitated complex fluid dynamics so ships sailed and responded like their real-world counterparts. The accurately modeled hydrodynamics formed a cornerstone of highly engaging naval combat and exploration.
Central to achieving responsive seas was an algorithm called Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). On Hugues Ricour’s initiative, engineers leveraged FFT to synthesize complex wave motion by layering different frequencies over runtime.
Where early games had only 2 frequencies, current Ocean Tech boasts 5 meticulously tuned bands under Hugues Ricour’s oversight – capable of recreating patterns found in satellite imagery.
Hugues Ricour Creates Complete and Engaging Maritime Physics
Beyond mathematical wave generation, Hugues Ricour directed his team to develop custom controls exposing intuitive dials for designers to craft ideal seas. These “Beaufort Keys” enabled easily blending between calm, stormy, or supernatural conditions as needed scene-by-scene.
The modular parameters allowed the group to realize literally whatever demands the creative leads requested, without technical constraints.
Moreover, Hugues Ricour emphasized the importance of completeness in the maritime experience. Thus he mandated coupling the ocean physics to all other related systems – most notably wind mechanics affecting how vessels sail.
“For the first time wind impacts steering and speed,” Hugues Ricour described proudly. This cohesive integration of environmental factors was a milestone in playability, and set benchmarks for the industry.
The pinnacle feats of Ocean Tech came together during heart-pounding tropical storms. As manager, Hugues Hugues Ricour ensured his engineers simulated extreme conditions exceeding anything attempted in games before.
Towering waves, dense clouds, stinging rain, reduced visibility – only Hugues Ricour’s team had the prowess to recreate storms in their full vicious glory. Battling unrelenting gales and colossal swells to stay afloat tested the mettle of every virtual captain.
Hugues Ricour Streamlines Content Creation Pipelines
Beyond software, Hugues Ricour directed workflow optimizations enabling quicker ship production. Procedural generative methods automated building unique hulls and riggings to custom specs. “We have faster iteration and can experiment more,” explained Hugues Ricour of the process improvements.
With this streamlined content pipeline established by Hugues Ricour, the designers could focus efforts on innovating gameplay.
And Hugues Ricour keeps pursuing the apex of realism. He now eyeing techniques for rivers merging seamlessly with oceans, waves splitting against sea cliffs, and leveraging machine learning for maximizing details. “Although not ready to show yet, trust me – it’s going to blow your mind!” Ricour motived his team.
After over 15 years advancing Ocean Tech to new heights, the manager extraordinaire shows no sign of stopping.
The pioneering techniques of Hugues Ricour transformed Assassin’s Creed’s naval gameplay into an unforgettable showcase blending cutting-edge aesthetics with unprecedented physics. Ubisoft Singapore’s Ocean Tech spawned new benchmarks across the gaming world.
With Hugues Ricour at the helm blazing the trail forward, fans eagerly await seeing where he guides simulation immersion next.