The game will be powered by id Software's Doom III engine, but unlike last year's dark, horror-themed shooter, Quake Wars will take place in many varied environments, several of which will be outdoor areas. The new game will use a new "megatexture" technology developed by John Carmack of id Software that will let the developers create environments that render terrain all the way out to the horizon (rather than forcing the game to occlude parts of the landscape with fog or other effects to cover up a limited draw distance). According to Wedgwood, the new technology will also let the development team assign different physical properties to different parts of the level, such as making certain surfaces made of asphalt (which will be noisier to walk upon but offer better traction for land vehicles) and others made of sand (which will be quieter to walk upon but will bog down those military jeeps).