Cipher gets shaders

Cipher, the cross-platform 3D game engine developed by the Evolva veterans at Synaptic Soup, has been updated to v1.1 with a number of new features including dynamic volumetric shadows (allowing characters to cast shadows on themselves, each other and the environment) as well as per-pixel bump-mapping and lighting effects using the new DirectX 8.0 shader system used by the GeForce 3 and forthcoming Radeon cards. Also added in the latest build is Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound support, improved development tools and a track rendering module designed specifically for racing games.

Synaptic Soup's own debut game based on the Cipher engine is sci-fi racing game Crazy Car Championship, which features steampunk stylings inspired by the work of Jules Verne, and floating islands in the sky replacing the normal ground-based tracks.