Game improvements this generation?

animaal

With previous console generations, the games were ok at launch - the developers were getting used to the hardware, the strange arrangements of cell processors, the dev kits etc. As time went on, games got more and more impressive as the devs started understanding and optimising for the platform.

This generation, it looks like both the XBox and PS4 are more similar to PCs than to previous consoles.

Given that the developers have been developing on PCs with equivalent power for some time already, I wonder, are the XBox/PS4 launch titles more representative of what we'll see in the coming 5 years? I.e. maybe the games won't get much more technically impressive than they are at launch? And maybe any real improvement will have to come from more imaginative use of the console-specific features like Kinect, touchpads, etc.

(I'm speaking from a position of ignorance. The last game I wrote was in BASIC on a 3MHz CPU)

sarumite

I can honestly say I really don't care about graphics. I thought and still do think that Uncharted 2 looks great. However I also thought and still do think that Uncharted 2's AI was useless. As such that is really what I hope for, better AI in games that actually show some semblance on intelligence.

While it is not necessarily something that this generation can improve on, I hope story telling becomes a bigger part in many games.

grizzly

sarumite wrote: »

As such that is really what I hope for, better AI in games that actually show some semblance on intelligence.

I wonder if that's the real reason we see so many zombies in games – the worse the AI, the more realistic they seem :pac:

Robert ninja

@ sarumite

There's a little more to it than graphics when it comes to improved tech. The game can be longer (in a meaningful way), with a larger map, more intractable objects, complex animations & effects, more characters & items on screen at one time, larger draw distance, complex physics etc.

Baked.noodle

I think next gen developers will have to program for more cores running at lower frequencies than the current PC generation. Then if you throw in unified memory on the PS4, the Kinect on the Xbone and the lower level programming on similar hardware that doesn't have Windows to hog the system resources; we might see some creative programming down the road. I think in the long run were going to get a HD version of what's come before. Nicer graphics maybe, but technical excellence belongs to only a few developers.

BloodBath

It's still a big jump and the features of dx11 will allow for a lot more graphically than last gen. I suspect with all the ram and enhanced controls you will start seeing a lot more mmorpgs and rts games on consoles as well.

It's only hardware holding back graphics at the moment. The tech is there for far far more advanced graphics and physics than we are currently seeing.

Baked.noodle

I sometimes wonder if it is content creation that holds back the wow. The shear volume of textures, objects and variables that go into a modern game requires a small army years to produce something special. I can only imagine the work that would have to go into something approaching photo realism. Maybe M$ and Sony are lowering the bar because any more would just be too expensive to produce.

krudler

Graphics wise it'll be the little things that make games look even better. There's only so high res you can make stuff it's the details like faces, hair, better mouth and facial movements, lighting etc. that will stand out. There's a cool bit in the trailer for The Division where bullets make holes in a car windshield and it looks really cool, stuff like that will be what impresses this gen.

Potential-Monke

I have to agree with krudler, it'll be the small bits that matter this gen. To again use krudlers example, in The Division, the effect on the glass by the bullets, reaching out your arm to close the door of the cop car, the steam from the vent affecting the lights on the taxi, etc. That's what will immerse gamers this gen, making it feel more real rather than making it look more real. Maybe we'll be lucky and get both...

krudler

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I have to agree with krudler, it'll be the small bits that matter this gen. To again use krudlers example, in The Division, the effect on the glass by the bullets, reaching out your arm to close the door of the cop car, the steam from the vent affecting the lights on the taxi, etc. That's what will immerse gamers this gen, making it feel more real rather than making it look more real. Maybe we'll be lucky and get both...

google delivers, this is the clip in question. Subtle interactions with the backgrounds like that add real weight to the character and world, hell even in stuff like GTAV little things like when you steal a car you actually see your character leaning down to hotwire it and checking around, or losing their balance on uneven terrain, it all makes the experience more realistic even in unrealistic games.



We've come a long way from details like glass that breaks into odd sized triangles and hair that looks like wet rope. Not that graphics are the be all and end all either, I'll take gameplay over looks any time but it's really exciting to see things developing over the years.
I've been a gamer since the 8bit days so going from the NES to what we can see now in games in a few decades is staggering. If you'd showing someone from the early 90's something like Killzone or Drive Club their heads would explode.

Taylor365

grizzly wrote: »

I wonder if that's the real reason we see so many zombies in games – the worse the AI, the more realistic they seem :pac:

I think the opposite.

I had created a project on AI and well, lets say it unfinished.

Basically it was a game where you are hunted down on a 2D map by enemies. When you first set up the Enemies, they know exactly where you are and can zip straight to you. The 'AI' is the rules you give them so they can't auto find you, such as speed they move, senses they have (sight/sound/etc). Then from these rules you create more complex attributes for example:

If player within x distance - chase
if sound within x distance - move to

Then you can go more complex:

If player within x distance and not seen - do not chase
If sound within x distance and behind object - move around object

And then on and on and you end up with a decent entry level of AI.

Sorry for the ramble - i love AI

SeantheMan

Taylor365 wrote: »

Sorry for the ramble - i love AI