cyberninja45 said:
Scoobes said:
I think when most people think of games this gen they think it's simply been an improvement in graphics without thinking about what some games are achieving beyond simply better "visuals".
For instance most games that utilise physics to any significant degree whilst still maintaining other complex factors (AI, complex animation, graphics, large number of characters on screen etc.). That would be the likes of Crysis, Lair, Gran Turismo 5, Forza3/4, Uncharted 2/3, God of War 3, Skyrim and even generic FPS' like the new Call of Duty games.
For specific examples, a number of levels in Uncharted 2/3 and God of War 3 are in complex motion whilst you play. The level in Uncharted 2 where the building is falling apart wouldn't have been possible with the sheer amount of animation, characters and real-time physics combined together.
Play the original Call of Duty and compare it to the current games and you'll realise you only ever see approx 10 allies and 10 enemies in a single map at any given time. In a few levels this was actually jarring from the action as all your allies might be dead and you end up waiting for the game to spawn more.
Lair (poor game that it was) featured numerous physics effects including real-time fluid simulations on the water that wouldn't have been possible last gen.
Skyrim tracks a ridiculously large number of objects in a huge sandbox world that eats up massive amounts of RAM that wasn't present in previous gen consoles.
Crysis acheived such a huge array of things on a technical level it's not even funny.
Even Gran Turismo and Forza, whilst similar to GT4 and Forza 2 have improved the driving physics to beyond what was possible last gen.
Furthermore, most motion control games probably couldn't be done unless there were specific peripherals for them. Even then, I think a lot of Wii and Kinect titles couldn't have been done last gen.
Lastly, networks infrastructure was poor last gen and a number of games probably wouldn't have been possible. Even the likes of Resistance 2 with its 60 player multiplayer, MAG with 256 players or even Left 4 Dead with all the innovative features it introduced. |
Are the physics in GT5 really that much improved that it is impossible on last gen tech or is it just better programming and optimization by the developers?
Gow 3 does have impressive scaling when the cameras zooms in and out on the titans when you are on it, but I don't think the size of the titans would really strain a system, as I said in GOW 1 there is a level that you are on a titan, sure its not climbing olympus but I'm sure it could be made to look that way (important part being it could be made to LOOK that way).
While Uncharted does have some levels that do use physics well, I have seen the the Havok engine used on wii, and while that engine might not be as good as the one in uncharted it does pull off some very good physics for levels in game and we can all agree by now that the wii uses last gen tech.
Kinect games would not have been possible though and probably those large online games.
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In GT5, yes, you would not be able to do that on PS2 or even X-box. If you have a look on PC they have a few racing sims that have physics engines that are probably beyond the current HD consoles (e.g. iRacing).
In God of War 3 it's not the scale I was talking about but the fact that the level is actually moving as you traverse it and fight on it. If they were to try it on last gen systems they would have had to be passive background video rather then full interactive motion. The levels on the Titan in GoW1 were virtually static; there were a few standout moments that made you realise you were on a Titan. The only game that comes close last gen is Shadow of the Colossus but even then it's only you, Agro (sometimes) and the Colossus rather then numerous enemies. Even then, the Colossi weren't a full level in their own right.
As for Uncharted 2/3, it isn't just Havok physics but a combination of Havok physics, the large scale motion I described in God of War 3 with numerous items of debris and weapons interacting to said motion on top of a number of characters (both allies and enemies) responding to the large-scale motion, each other and the Havok based flying debris (complex for animation and AI). Whilst Havok based physics has been around since last gen, physics implementations have become far more complex and interactive.
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