Arkaign said:
CPU is the worst-case handler of physics. Remember in the build demo how they talked on and on about how much power it takes to run such advanced physics? That's not an exaggeration, it's HUGELY intensive. And remember, Microsoft bragged about having 300,000 servers. Each of those servers runs a single-package Xeon CPU that is optimistically akin to what kind of power is needed for ONE concurrent game session. So take that for what it is, and best-case, you're talking one server for every player. Great, so a game comes out and sells 1.8M first week with cloud physics support. 500,000 people are trying to play first weekend. Another game comes out when game 1 still has 300,000 people playing it on peak hours and sells 2.2M first week, and 600,000 additional people are hitting the servers. Another game comes out next quarter, rinse/repeat. Pretty soon you're talking MILLIONs of servers that would be necessary to perform CPU physics for these players. And the power has to be available and instantly responsive to player input/changing client-side variables. Easy? No, not even in the same universe as easy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWUf-H1Qjd8 CPU is horrible at physics. CPU is for general purpose computing, GPU is infinitely superior for this kind of thing (same deal with distributed computing, look up Bitcoin mining/folding/etc). If this was a real thing, all it would take is one indie or a small Microsoft demo that XB1 owners could run to show it working in the real world. I'm not against progress, I'd love to see it work. I have over 20 years in IT in areas that overlap EXACTLY what they're talking about, and it's just not realistic. |
You know Gaf is taking it a bit too far they seems to debate over whether or not millions of life like destruction simulation is possible at the same time. Which I agree with you is impossible. But microsoft are not talking about life like simulation.
There is way more than one technique used to for destruction, and some can be used at real time.
If you want more info on procedural destruction technique go on google and type "Procedural Destruction of Objects for Computer Games" you will find a well documented pdf comparing many techniques of mesh destruction.
Many games actually run procedural destruction on the console or on pc itself. The use of cloud only help to do more simulation at the same time at a more realistic level without taxing the system itself wich is clearly not impossible.
And Microsoft also made it clear that the available resource of the cloud will be several time the combined resources of all Xbox One sold : http://www.develop-online.net/news/microsoft-cloud-makes-xbox-one-four-times-more-powerful/0114948
