Q: Unreal was a technological leap in FPS-style games at the time -- what is Unreal 2 doing technology-wise to uphold that reputation?

MV: Key new technology features include a tenfold boost in poly counts in environments and characters due to new hardware brushes and improved mesh rendering, realistic outdoor scenery generated by a new large-scale terrain system, procedural character animations and blending using a new skeletal animation system with component level controllers, and a particle system that allows us to realistically model fire, smoke, cloth, hair, weather effects, and breaking glass.