I decided to compile a bunch of screenshots from the recent Myst V: End Of Ages game becuase in my opinion it is the most visually stunning real-time gaming environment I have ever experienced.
Now when I say real-time I mean: Moving clouds, changing weather and atmospheres, rain, moving planets and asteroids, sparkling & shooting stars, flying birds and bugs, windstorms, water & reflection/refraction... you name it, this gaming engine has it! It is truly amazing!
The 5.1 surround sound makes the environments that little bit more emersive and the CG characters employ this great new technology where the facial textures are actually videos wrapped onto the CG faces... providing ultra-realistic expressions and lip-synch!
And here's the kicker; this game took only 6 months to produce (partly because they already had a version of the gaming engine from the Uru series, in which case the had to soup it up a little)... but still, it just goes to show that CG is getting damn close to pre-rendered visuals at a fraction of the cost providing us with stunning realism (albeit, in representations of unreal environments).
Take a look for yourselves:
CLICK HERE
...You may click the thumbnails to view larger 1280 X 960 resolution versions... I took these in game myself. The top group I set aside to note the great texturing... and bottom group are just general wow factor shots.
Exciting isn't it!?
-Cub. =o)
Now when I say real-time I mean: Moving clouds, changing weather and atmospheres, rain, moving planets and asteroids, sparkling & shooting stars, flying birds and bugs, windstorms, water & reflection/refraction... you name it, this gaming engine has it! It is truly amazing!
The 5.1 surround sound makes the environments that little bit more emersive and the CG characters employ this great new technology where the facial textures are actually videos wrapped onto the CG faces... providing ultra-realistic expressions and lip-synch!
And here's the kicker; this game took only 6 months to produce (partly because they already had a version of the gaming engine from the Uru series, in which case the had to soup it up a little)... but still, it just goes to show that CG is getting damn close to pre-rendered visuals at a fraction of the cost providing us with stunning realism (albeit, in representations of unreal environments).
Take a look for yourselves:
CLICK HERE
...You may click the thumbnails to view larger 1280 X 960 resolution versions... I took these in game myself. The top group I set aside to note the great texturing... and bottom group are just general wow factor shots.
Exciting isn't it!?
-Cub. =o)
I haven't played Myst V yet (or Myst IV for that matter... I need to do some catching up!), but I did play through the demo and the visuals were, indeed, stunning.
On a realated note, I remember seeing somewhere that while the people in the game are now 3D models instead of live actors, the faces of the actors were filmed using a head-mounted camera suspended in front of them as they read their lines. The video of their faces was then super-imposed onto the 3D models. When I first learned of this, I thought to myself "This is the solution to our ongoing FMV vs. 3D debate!" That, combined with some motion-capturing, makes the people in Myst V all the more real. I would love to see that approach taken if and when a new Tex game is made. The best of both worlds, so to speak.
On a realated note, I remember seeing somewhere that while the people in the game are now 3D models instead of live actors, the faces of the actors were filmed using a head-mounted camera suspended in front of them as they read their lines. The video of their faces was then super-imposed onto the 3D models. When I first learned of this, I thought to myself "This is the solution to our ongoing FMV vs. 3D debate!" That, combined with some motion-capturing, makes the people in Myst V all the more real. I would love to see that approach taken if and when a new Tex game is made. The best of both worlds, so to speak.
It looks very nice. Somehow stuff looks better close up than far away. I love the ground texture on the grassy field and the rocks/sand texture, wow. Number 18 of the second set - ooooh pretty!
I've seen that effect of overlaying video onto CG bodies etc. before in a efw things (doesn't Tim Hope's music videos for Coldplay do that? I think you can see them on http://www.passion-pictures.com but my net doesnt wanna display them today to check heh). Often though, in action I've felt the face looks unnaturally flat or wrapped oddly. But capabiltiies are probably improving. I also saw something similar in a music video for the film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" with music by The Polyphonic Spree except that was overlaying video faces onto video and they probably intended it to look as freaky as it did
In fact here's a website that does a similar thing (but purposefully 2D paper cutout style to help web loading times probably so I'm not saying its the best example of such a style):
http://www.billyharveymusic.com/
I've seen that effect of overlaying video onto CG bodies etc. before in a efw things (doesn't Tim Hope's music videos for Coldplay do that? I think you can see them on http://www.passion-pictures.com but my net doesnt wanna display them today to check heh). Often though, in action I've felt the face looks unnaturally flat or wrapped oddly. But capabiltiies are probably improving. I also saw something similar in a music video for the film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" with music by The Polyphonic Spree except that was overlaying video faces onto video and they probably intended it to look as freaky as it did
In fact here's a website that does a similar thing (but purposefully 2D paper cutout style to help web loading times probably so I'm not saying its the best example of such a style):
http://www.billyharveymusic.com/
(Ruri_Ayanami from the old Tex Murphy ezboard).
"I don't believe in intuition, don't know why... just a feeling." - Tex Murphy
"I don't believe in intuition, don't know why... just a feeling." - Tex Murphy
My only question goes to the interaction with the enviroment. Such as...
Enviroments in first person shooters may look cool, but such things as spray effects when bullets hit water and dust sprinkled into the air from explosions still aren't believable, and look bad when situated around the cool enviroment textures.
So, how interactive is the enviroment?
Enviroments in first person shooters may look cool, but such things as spray effects when bullets hit water and dust sprinkled into the air from explosions still aren't believable, and look bad when situated around the cool enviroment textures.
So, how interactive is the enviroment?
My blog:
http://nvracar.wordpress.com/
http://nvracar.wordpress.com/
The games physics are very impressive... whilst objects and chairs wont move when you wanlk into them, the environmental physics are almost spot on. During a wind storm trees and grass will sway... when it rains the dropelts will fall and bounce off surfaces (best rain effects and physics I have seen)... The sun, planets and stars will reflect live on pretty much any reflectable object... There are various little magic tricks you can do to inflence whe weather and time as well, and their effects are particularly impressive (I won't give too much away but it took a good hour to pick my jaw up from the floor).
As for the face mapping, James described it down to a tea. And as a result you get realistic mouth and lip-synch movements... a huge problem in the past... especially with games like Mafia and games that are created by Japanese designers (who are not very familiar with English vocal expression).
-Cub. =o)
As for the face mapping, James described it down to a tea. And as a result you get realistic mouth and lip-synch movements... a huge problem in the past... especially with games like Mafia and games that are created by Japanese designers (who are not very familiar with English vocal expression).
-Cub. =o)
I played Myst 1 once and thought it wasn't anything to write home about - a few video clips and still screen shots which given the game was on a CD I thought real photos of a set could have been used, but everyone seemed to be going on about how great the graphics were.
I've missed all the ones in between but these do look a little better. Did anyone try the awful game Ultima Ascension? It was set in a 3D world and whilst the game was so bad that had to release a whole CD full of bug fixes, the graphics were pretty good. Swat 5 is pretty good on graphics too.
What's the plot of Myst 5 like? Any good?
Come to think of it, why are graphics in most games dark? The screenshots here are largely sunrise and sunset, which is the best time to take pictures, but there aren't really any bright shots. There's still something, a je ne sais quoi, thats missing. Maybe it still looks drawn rather than real.
I'm not professing to be an expert, just really food for thought.
I've missed all the ones in between but these do look a little better. Did anyone try the awful game Ultima Ascension? It was set in a 3D world and whilst the game was so bad that had to release a whole CD full of bug fixes, the graphics were pretty good. Swat 5 is pretty good on graphics too.
What's the plot of Myst 5 like? Any good?
Come to think of it, why are graphics in most games dark? The screenshots here are largely sunrise and sunset, which is the best time to take pictures, but there aren't really any bright shots. There's still something, a je ne sais quoi, thats missing. Maybe it still looks drawn rather than real.
I'm not professing to be an expert, just really food for thought.
Often I've found Western RPGs/MMORPGs etc. to mostly have dark settings and over in the East (Japan etc.) it's much brighter (Wikipedia supports my observation!), which I like more. Although not strictly of course. Plenty of dark Japanese RPGs.Demonlawyer wrote:Come to think of it, why are graphics in most games dark? The screenshots here are largely sunrise and sunset, which is the best time to take pictures, but there aren't really any bright shots. There's still something, a je ne sais quoi, thats missing. Maybe it still looks drawn rather than real.
Mainly I guess I opt for the lighter side because you don't get to see as much when everythings dark (naturally)! Horror games are an exception of course.
I was under the impression games like Lineage II and Final Fantasy XI were almost pitch black at first because all peoples screenshots were so dark... but of course then I saw a load of brighter screenshots heh.
The physics sound cool, nice to hear that such things are moving forward steadily.
(Ruri_Ayanami from the old Tex Murphy ezboard).
"I don't believe in intuition, don't know why... just a feeling." - Tex Murphy
"I don't believe in intuition, don't know why... just a feeling." - Tex Murphy
Three words:
Not available yet
And not soon either. Neither will it run on current generation video cards, unfortunately... looks cool though. But then they have not gone through the process of downscaling yet... all games look stellar before they realise they need to downscale for current generation hardware... that's why the Doom 3 alpha version looked almost 3 times better than the final version... even though it ran like absolute poop!
-Cub. =o)
Sai that's a very good point - I liked FF 7 8 and 9. Even though the graphics are a little dated, the FMVs were amazing. Even in something like FF7 I really felt like I was arriving at the casino myself during that first visit, and in FF8 the dance scene with the witch/matron felt like a movie.
I appreciate the effort involved in things like that - movie sequences in games (probably why I appreciate Tex so much), but still pictures just don't do it. I just figure you could take a real photo rather than draw something, and it would look more life like.
I appreciate the effort involved in things like that - movie sequences in games (probably why I appreciate Tex so much), but still pictures just don't do it. I just figure you could take a real photo rather than draw something, and it would look more life like.
Hah, just try to top these graphics.
Well, one final rant. I can't understand the infatuation with graphics that has been going on for years now. Some game review mentions dated graphics, I can't see it. "That looks bloody incredible! What are you going on about? Try four-color CGA, now that's dated!" Besides that, I'd rather take good AI, developed characters, novel gameplay and a good plot over graphics that are cutting edge instead of looking two years old.
It doesn't work quite like that. Photographs are in a sense frozen. With drawings (sculptures, paintings...) you can create a sense of motion absent from photographs.Demonlawyer wrote:I just figure you could take a real photo rather than draw something, and it would look more life like.
Well, one final rant. I can't understand the infatuation with graphics that has been going on for years now. Some game review mentions dated graphics, I can't see it. "That looks bloody incredible! What are you going on about? Try four-color CGA, now that's dated!" Besides that, I'd rather take good AI, developed characters, novel gameplay and a good plot over graphics that are cutting edge instead of looking two years old.
People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
-Bob Dylan
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
-Bob Dylan
I would too Crowley... but if I had the choice between two games, both with an excellent story, I would take the one with the better graphics. (Unless of course one was a Tex game... then the descision making process becomes a whole lot easier! lol).
These days if you have not got decent enough graphics you are behind the eight-ball I am afraid. There are just too many good games to choose from nowadays and the generation of gamers (like us) that can appreciate story over 'Wow factor' are no longer of importance to the industy. So if you want to make a game, you have to adapt... which does not necessarily mean sacrificing a storyline for graphics, but at least having decent enough visuals to compliment the game's story.
-Cub. =o)
These days if you have not got decent enough graphics you are behind the eight-ball I am afraid. There are just too many good games to choose from nowadays and the generation of gamers (like us) that can appreciate story over 'Wow factor' are no longer of importance to the industy. So if you want to make a game, you have to adapt... which does not necessarily mean sacrificing a storyline for graphics, but at least having decent enough visuals to compliment the game's story.
-Cub. =o)