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Re: Is Photorealism in Games the Right Direction?
[Re: cartoon_baboon]
#35005
11/02/06 21:45
11/02/06 21:45
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 366
eleroux
Senior Member
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Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 366
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A polemic topic indeed. Mostly, driven by personal interests and subjective points of view.
Those who are wanting and even working for improving photorealism in games of course will be biased to think this is all bullshutt. Other people who have no access to producing photorealistic content will trend to say photorealism is crap.
I don't want to post my opinion in such complex things. I'd only say that Morrowind was lacking some features, like freedom of gameplay. Instead, they added more photorealism in Oblivion. Gameplay features still short. Somehow, photorealism makes some animations like jumping and crawling look like kraps in oblivion. Anyway, the fact is that I quit playing oblivion BEFORE ending the game. It didn't manage to keep me into the story.
Of course that is my personal opinion only, but I do think that, with or without photorealism, game designers are forgetting some things that seem to be far more important. The action, the story, what happens during the game, what happens with the characters: these will be always the priority facts for a game, as they will with any film despite special effects and production budget. If photorealism will or won't do any good, it solely depends if it contributes or distracts from the story essence and lifespan.
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Re: Is Photorealism in Games the Right Direction?
[Re: eleroux]
#35006
11/02/06 21:56
11/02/06 21:56
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,131
Matt_Aufderheide
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,131
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I loved Oblivion, but its far form "photo-realistic", for such graphics we still have many years to go. Maybe in 20 years photorealism in everything aspect will be possible in realtime.
Greats strides have been made in increasing realism in graphics. Remeber that the older primitive graphics were a product of tehcnology, just as modern graphics are. Contrived "styles" or non-photorealsim tend to be gimmicky and not lasting, even if visually interesting.
IN otehr words, if you want to make a cartoon game, make a cartoon game with goofy looking models, not rely on "cell_shading", because the original hand-painted cell animation was also of product of technique, the efficiency of painting frames with simple colors and no modelling of tones. Its not an end in and of itself.
Poeple often confuse technique with art. Just as digital photography is now very much accpeted over film photography, the art is not the technique or technology.
Each method, medium or technique has its unqie characters, but these characters in themselves are incedental, and the idiosyncracies of technique tend to attract only the less orginal creators.
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Re: Is Photorealism in Games the Right Direction?
[Re: Orange Brat]
#35009
11/03/06 20:05
11/03/06 20:05
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 681 Massachusetts, USA
Ichiro
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Posts: 681
Massachusetts, USA
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Is Photorealism in Games the Right Direction?I think that photorealism isn't viable for a small studio like ours, and I'm betting our next title on it. Here's my reasoning for going in the opposite direction: 1. We can't compete on the same footing: The budget for our next title is under $100,000, compared to even the "meager" $10 million that Gears of War received. 2. There are alternatives: Other visual aesthetics are available to us, many of which aren't being investigated by larger studios. Surrealism is one example. Cartoon rendering, less so (as many titles rely on this aesthetic). 3. Some alternatives are viable: The demoscene has produced brilliant, eye-catching displays for years, using small teams. Half Life 2 had "wow" factor, such that experiencing a new vista was, in and of itself, a reward. Watching some of these demoscene productions brings about the same feeling. I think it's that "wow" factor -- not the aesthetic, itself -- that people are looking for. We'll see in 2007 if I'm right, or if I'm living in a cardboard box. : )
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Re: Is Photorealism in Games the Right Direction?
[Re: Ichiro]
#35010
11/03/06 22:46
11/03/06 22:46
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,131
Matt_Aufderheide
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,131
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Quote:
A GAME HAS TO LOOK LIKE A GAME.
Why is that? A game can look however you want.. this is a silly comment.
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