Yeah I do, when the new games came out you didn't have to upgrade, you could just play on the highest settings your system could manage, and when you finally do get round to upgrading it looked and played almost like a new game. Now graphics aren't improving that quickly, which is a bit of a shame.
Is it true we're now running on a console time frame?
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Yeah I do, when the new games came out you didn't have to upgrade, you could just play on the highest settings your system could manage, and when you finally do get round to upgrading it looked and played almost like a new game. Now graphics aren't improving that quickly, which is a bit of a shame.
The problem is its not just the graphics.
Soldato
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Very true. The scope of games is being limited. I can only imagine what kind of games we would be looking at today if the games industry assumed everyone had a Q6600 and a 4870 minimum.
Also, the controls are not as good as they should be. I for one don't feel an FPS game can be done justice to with a gamepad.
yes you will, the unreal engine is always massivly modified and customised over time.
Foir example.
unreal engine 2.5(update)
when it came out
And when it was customised by the bioshock team years later.
Engines change a lot over their life time and are customised for different projects (like the gamebryo engine used in civ 4 being modded by Bethesda to make oblivion with)
Mainly thoguh at this point i don't mind if gfx development slows a bit for a bit so long as animations and AI are brought up to scratch.
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Soldato
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I don't reckon it is too likely. Console makers tend to like having a lot of control over their platform and make most of their money from licensing games. If they made an all-in-one box this would be diluted (ie it would be great for the consumers, but not the industry).
Very few games are pushing the boundaries graphics-wise but poor console ports always struggle no matter how advanced the PC hardware gets compared to consoles. More advanced hardware just means even less optimizations needed for the PC version.
But I'm not worried about graphics, they have been good enough for years. I'm really worried about gameplay mechanics. Most AAA-console games are so short on gameplay features and mechanics that I can't but wonder how people still enjoy those games. Quick action button smashing has made it's way into most genres and even fps games and strategy games are dumbed down with these mechanics now.
It's pretty annoying to see that the spiritual successor to a game like Baldur's Gate is Dragon Age. A game that has taken steps backwards in nearly every way compared to the original game. Deus Ex Human Revolution seems to be doing exactly the same. The only racing game that has taken steps forward in the past few years is iRacing but it's also one of the least played racing games currently active.
Deus Ex was released 10 years ago and it promised a brighter future gameplay-wise. Now, 10 years later, high-budget games are dumber than ever before. That is what I'm worried about.
But I'm not worried about graphics, they have been good enough for years. I'm really worried about gameplay mechanics. Most AAA-console games are so short on gameplay features and mechanics that I can't but wonder how people still enjoy those games. Quick action button smashing has made it's way into most genres and even fps games and strategy games are dumbed down with these mechanics now.
It's pretty annoying to see that the spiritual successor to a game like Baldur's Gate is Dragon Age. A game that has taken steps backwards in nearly every way compared to the original game. Deus Ex Human Revolution seems to be doing exactly the same. The only racing game that has taken steps forward in the past few years is iRacing but it's also one of the least played racing games currently active.
Deus Ex was released 10 years ago and it promised a brighter future gameplay-wise. Now, 10 years later, high-budget games are dumber than ever before. That is what I'm worried about.
Associate
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You're right, of course. But I would argue that the main difference in the pics was DirectX10 v DirectX8, plus a faster CPU and GPU. I was thinking more about innovation, and new ways to present stuff on the screen. (Although ray-tracing currently seems to have gone the way of voxels). The CryEngine3 face animation and skin texteuring is a good example of what I mean.yes you will, the unreal engine is always massivly modified and customised over time.
Foir example.
unreal engine 2.5(update)
when it came out
 pic)
And when it was customised by the bioshock team years later.
Engines change a lot over their life time and are customised for different projects (like the gamebryo engine used in civ 4 being modded by Bethesda to make oblivion with)
Mainly though at this point i don't mind if gfx development slows a bit for a bit so long as animations and AI are brought up to scratch.
However, as you say, intra-generational improvements to the engines can still wring a lot of extra pizzaz out of games.
Soldato
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I wanted a mega-PC but they were 386 just as everyone was buying 486 although it's an interesting point. The console there used different tech than a PC. 68000 not 8086 and therefore both sets of hardware were in the box, the result being that you could play megadrive games ony at megadrive quality. If the next console gen don't use directx etc then a playstation card might be the only way to play those games on a PC. Very pointless.
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