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Cinematic Game Graphics
CowboyRobot writes "LucasArts engineer Nick Porcino has an article detailing what to expect from graphics in the next generation of game systems including the "influence of cinematic realtime rendering, the promise of advanced lighting techniques and high-dynamic range images, the uses of the rendering pipeline, and the future of multiprocessor-based rendering and advanced geometry."
These will allow run-time rendering of high quality backgrounds and characters, ultimately resulting in games that are closer to full-blown Pixar animations, allowing better narratives and more immersive user experiences."
O'Brien, J.F., Cook, P.R., Essl, G., "Synthesizing Sound from Physically Based Motion," In Proc. SIGGRAPH 2001, Los Angeles, CA, August, 529-536, 2001
and other pubs by O'Brien.
word.
Pardon me, but I seem to recall the Mario games having a relatively in-depth storyline about Koopa kidnapping the princess and what not.
I was about to say the same thing actually.
Apart from the HL2 video, no 3D world has really made me think "that's a step forward" until I played Far Cry. I mean, I read about bump mapping, multiple textures, particle systems, and Far Cry has all that, and it rocks! The wave effect on the beaches is one of the best in game 3D effects I've ever seen.
But you're right, it's the AI that sets it apart. There's no telling what people might do. And that even includes jeep and helicopters - the drivers respond intelligently to your movements. In a jeep driver's case, if you go off track, he'll get out his jeep with his buddy and look for you. Make a move, he'll hear you and come to investigate. It's the first game where silenced weapons actually seem worthwhile.
Another nice touch; shoot a guy in a camp with a sniper rifle, and instead of looking at his body like muppets and doing nothing, the rest of the guys will shout a lot, and hit the camp alarm and come look for you.
Best single player FPS I've played since HL - recommended. Play it at night with the lights off and you'll know exactly what I mean!
IAAVGGP. (I am a video game graphics programmer.)
No offense intended, but you really have no idea at all what you are talking about. We're not holding on to old ideas; we're still waiting for hardware to catch up to the ideas we had 30 years ago. Almost all of the algorithms and processes used to do cutting edge rendering today are based on academic papers from the 1970s.
I currently have no clever signature witicism to add here.
I disagree--games like Planescape Torment or the Fallout series had plot, it was just a more general plot outline and let you make a lot of choices along the way. "Post-nuclear villager seeks GECK to save his village, along the way encountering organized crime, disorganized crime, mutants, aliens, and civilizations, and eventually taking down the remnants of the Unites States Government itself!" That sort of general plot outline leaves a player with loads of choice but still guides the plot in its eventualities.
Read jack phelps dot net