Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The New Difficulties In Making a 3D Game

Posted by samzenpus on from the reach-out-and-shoot-someone dept.

eldavojohn writes "MSNBC spoke with the senior producer of a new stereoscopic 3D game called Killzone 3 and highlighted problems they are trying to solve with being one of the first FPS 3D games for the PS3. The team ran into serious design problems, like where to put the crosshairs for the players (do they constantly hover in front of your vision?) and what to do with any of the heads-up display components. Aside from the obvious marketing thrown in at the end of the article (in a very familiar way), there is an interesting point raised concerning normalized conventions in all video games and how one ports that to the new stereoscopic 3D model — the same way directors continue to grapple with getting 3D right. Will 3D games be just as gimmicky as most 3D movies? If they are, at least Guerrilla Games is making it possible for the player to easily and quickly switch in and out of stereoscopic 3D while playing."

1 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. Experiences: 3D adds a new dimension by LongearedBat · · Score: 5, Informative

    I had 3D glasses for my old games computer a few years ago. (The drivers only worked with CRT's.) Some people had no problems, while others got headaches after just a few moments. I was fine for an hour at a time. I think newer tech makes 3D much more comfortable though.

    Anyway, stereoscopic gaming was great! A couple of experiences:

    WoW
    Wandering in a cave, cave walls are made up of mottled bitmaps...
    Monoscopic: Even though the map shows a branch in a cave, it can sometimes be hard to find it, and one walks back and forth to see if it's there.
    Stereoscopic: You simply cannot miss the branch. The cave now looks like a proper shape, that just happens to be patterened with mottled bitmaps.

    Rome: Total War
    - You get a better feel for distances, so you can see exactly when to tell the archers to unleash a volley of arrows against advancing troops for maximum effect.
    - You get a better idea of how well catapults will be able to shoot over the crest of a hill, or whether the rocks will hit the hill/fly over the enemy.
    - Also, position the camera among those being shot at, and see the cloud of arrows coming at you. Awsome! =)
    Basically, with a sterescopic view, you get a much better idea of the lay of the land, and distances (and therefore timing).

    To me, 3D vision helped so much, that it almost felt like an unfair advantage. Almost.