Thought of the Day - August 15

[zero]

ROCtilia said something in the "What Games Did You Play Today" thread that really got me thinking.

Also, let's be honest, Madden won't probably be truly groundbreaking again at least graphically until the release of it on the next gen consoles

That got me going... can video game graphics really get THAT much better? Honestly? I mean sure, there can be mild improvements, but how the hell do we get better looking than this? Video games now are like playing interactive paintings and there's going to come a time when graphics hit that wall. Thoughts?

[stokeriño]

There's still a fair way to go. When the in-game graphics are *actually* indistinguishable from real life, then there's not much point progressing.

Hell, I've yet to see a cutscene where a character's skin didn't look fake and slightly waxy. ¬_¬

[zero]

There's still a fair way to go. When the in-game graphics are *actually* indistinguishable from real life, then there's not much point progressing.

Hell, I've yet to see a cutscene where a character's skin didn't look fake and slightly waxy. ¬_¬

←

i dont think we'll ever be able to look indistinguishable from real life, and no one wants to play an FMV. it's just going to be a progression of less and less waxy.

[ROC]

I think graphics are going to jump on the details next. No longer do they have to worry about animating the full characters well, as the latest generation has shown that it can be done rather easily, so the programmers are gonna go for the little things, like say bumps on the face, birthmarks, other details, etc. to make things much more similar to our real likenesses. Sure, it will never be truly lifelike, but that's the direction they'll probably go with it.

Also, as the Killzone 2 footage (even if it's just CGI hype and not real game footage) shows, the game industry will probably borrow much more from the movies and make more movie-esque explosions and action scenes almost exactly like the action film we watch.

And, while I'm off topic, after playing Madden 06, I can't see exactly how EA will add to future installments, especially when their biggest improvement this year (barring the fun yet repetitive Superstar mode) is a rather unneeded addition to the passing game. I mean, what else is literally left to fix?

Edited August 17, 2005 by Reptilia

[Docpepper]

I really think the future in gaming will be live action games (like the old Xfiles on playstation) but completely redone. Basically it will be a movie that you play.

[LL!]

One day WE will be the game! In fighting games we will fight each other!

I got to my friends house, put on some crap, beat the shit out of each other and pay him a quarter like if he were the arcade. It will be great!

Other than that, I really think that Graphics can become better as we get technologically advance throughout the years. Every year we get that much closer to even more defined figures and the limits are continued to be pushed with graphic cards.

I gotta say doc has it right on the money.

[Cactus Drags]

And, while I'm off topic, after playing Madden 06, I can't see exactly how EA will add to future installments, especially when their biggest improvement this year (barring the fun yet repetitive Superstar mode) is a rather unneeded addition to the passing game. I mean, what else is literally left to fix?

←

[apsham]

I really think the future  in gaming will be  live action games (like the old  Xfiles  on playstation) but completely redone. Basically it will be a movie that you play.

←

That will be the day that I stop playing as well. I don't actually see it happening, but making everything seem real life and such would take away some of the fun for me.

[Godfatha]

For some games, graphics will hit a wall. In which case, developers will focus on other areas. Things like tighter storylines and better voice-acting. Hell it's already started with games like GTA:SA using Hollywood stars for their games.

Mentioning GTA, the series will obviously add to the graphics. While they're not bad, they still have this annoying thing where the character's hands look like a big triangle. Doesn't ruin anything, just a tad annoying. It's the little things that they'll tweak in order to make it seem more lifelike.

But assuming the graphics hit the wall, there are ALWAYS other aspects of games to improve. Framerate issues during intensive scenes, more background detail, etc.

The main quesiton IMO is not how far will the graphics go, but as we've seen with many games, how willing are the developers going to be with the constant advances in technology? Will they just put out an adequate game and slap a logo on there and assume it will sell (Star Wars Episode III), or will they work to use the console to its full potential?

[jase12881]

I think graphics certainly still have a way to go.

They may not improve as much as they did if you look at Madden (to keep with a common example) on ps vs ps2, but there will probably always be something to improve.

You will probably begin to see more texture in the faces and bodies of human characters. I believe I saw some footage of a ps3 or xbox360 game in which the characters had visible pores. Characters will continue to look more lifelike, though they will never reach the point where they look like real life, imo.

They will however, look like some good CGI sequences you might see in a movie, eventually.

It's all about the small stuff now though. There's other advancements that can be made in the way graphics behave, that will be improvements. As an example, in Madden 2006 (to stay with the theme), the QB looks odd when looking downfield sometimes due to their body contorting oddly. Also, they occasionally will be looking completely backwards. These types of things, I expect to be fixed in the next gen consoles.

In addition, I know one thing they were talking about (somewhere I read it) is ball-tracking for the receivers. They will actually look the ball into their hands instead of raising their arms at just the right moment to catch the ball in stride without ever looking back.

Also, joints and hands need to look better in most games.

There's always little things to work on graphically that will improve the atmosphere of the game, and make it more lifelike, without necessarily being a huge graphical step-up.

I believe that's where graphics are going.

[FunkAsPuck]

As long as people keep treating graphics as the most important part of the game then I really don't see the progress of them "hitting a wall" any time soon.