Translucency is an area that needs more work.

You can't see it in the video, but that flying monster has translucent wings which look really neat, apparently.

That plus highly destructible environments are going to seriously change how games are played

Yeah but it's a tough challenge - the second the player comes to an indestructible wall (that shouldn't be so - think a brick wall on the edge of a town, a gate that can't be opened by ramming it with a tank - the effect is massively reduced. This means the edges of every map have to be things that are intuitively indestuctible, or water, a la FarCry.
But yeah, it has to happen in the end, and as you say, when it does, it will change how games are played.

Realistic water is something else. Not just Source-style fresnel term refracting water, but I remember in an early interview, someone asked Gabe if there was a barrel of water, and you shoot halfway up the barrel, does water flow out until the level of the bullet hole (presumably leaving the barrel half empty or half full, depending on your outlook :)) That sort of thing - water physics is (I'm sure) unbelievably complex, but would allow for some cool puzzles.

This engine is ahead of HL2 and Doom3 simply because it is aimed at 2006 hardware. HL2 and D3 were aimed at 2003 hardware (earlier in D3's case IIRC).


_____________________________
Insert funny quote here

Lighting is the next "big" thing for gaming

Agreed... with D3 and HL2 likely to be leading the pack as far as this goes.

I think there's some other things that are going to be big as well -- physics for instance. Not the piddly little physics we see in most games (like vehicle interactions or ragdoll corpses), but the kind of stuff we've seen the HL2 movies and D3 leaks. That plus highly destructible environments are going to seriously change how games are played -- it really is absurd that I can hide behind a tree in BF1942 to avoid being shot by a tank's main gun!

There's some other nifty stuff coming too -- like HL2's facial animation stuff. It's not a major gameplay element, at least not in a FPS, but think of what that could do for an RPG or MMORPG. Big stuff there.

Translucency is an area that needs more work. I'm not talking about glass or even water -- think skin. This is a long ways off though, since it's still being worked on for movies (where you don't have to generate every frame in real time). The same effects show up all over the place in real life as well though -- think of sunlight streaming through a curtain on a window.

You hit on most of the other areas, at least as far as graphics go. I think we're going to see big steps in the next 2-3 years on the color richness/vibrancy bits though. The detail level will take a good bit longer to solve.

Uhh...what? Umm...like...uhh...what do you mean?

Joking aside, he is easily on par with many other game/hardware presentations. I have found the presenters often tend to be either too energetic, usually to laughable levels, or a bit too timid, oft giving the impression of being shy and/or weak at presenting.

Yes, the engine looks nice, but it is how far off? Not to take anything away from the crew, but gaming will likely have a different look at E3, much less years from now. I think of Half-Life 2 or even something like Duke Nukem Forever when I consider this. At the very start, my jaw is left on the ground and I am amazed at how a given title looks. As time passes, sometimes even passing a given title by, I lose my amazement due to both the affect of the hype and the other titles/technology slowly raising the bar.

Lighting is the next "big" thing for gaming, but I would like to see games also focus on size, color richness and vibrancy, and random, dynamic geometric detail (death to the flat wall, textures for door handles, sprites for foilage, etc.)

Well, that and making System Shock 3.

Working through Syberia 2, having picked up Painkiller,
Ray

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To not comprehend life is completely absurd.
http://users.ign.com/collection/RayMarden
http://www.guzzlefish.com/collection.php?username=ray_marden
I love you, mom.

None of you are stealing my idea.

not on my watch scumbag

Supporter of "The Only Good fredster Is A Dead fredster" fan club

The Former Leader and Victor of the rebel movement against the dark Lord Surewood and his fiendish cohorts(bunko)

How about we talk about toilets instead. Ya know, A good idea would be to make a toilet seat out of mechanical white gloved hands. You sit down, and as you do you doody, the hand see, the hands, they all massage your buttocks. They squeese and kneed and do shiatsu massage.
You saw it here first, AND IM printing this page with the date on it. None of you are stealing my idea.

-Tony!!!;)

Yeah but bear in mind that Tim Sweeney (sp) said this is aimed at 2006 hardware - even the GF6 stutters a bit on some of those scenes.

Was that Sweeney speaking at the presentation? Whoever he is he would benefit from some coaching on his speech.

The engine looks amazing.

-TPFKAS2S
http://www.braglio.com

that one guy in the movie looks like a skaarj/human hybrid

Supporter of "The Only Good fredster Is A Dead fredster" fan club

The Former Leader and Victor of the rebel movement against the dark Lord Surewood and his fiendish cohorts(bunko)

This isn't official, it's shakycam footage

I just d/led and watched the video, and I was impressed by that. By the time a game made with that engine comes out, the next gen of vid cards should just about be ready to go.

Amazing stuff.

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28:06:42:12

THX, FileRush has a torrent and non torrent version at http://www.filerush.com/download.php?target=unreal3_0002.wmv
This isn't official, it's shakycam footage, but word is (on the not-very-reliable boards) that they may release a high quality version such has been the fanboy moaning.

Edit: I usually don't get excited by shaky cam footage, but OMG that moving coloured "disco" light thing is the coolest effect I've seen since the HL2 facial mapping thing.

Although I was disappointed at the lack of the comedian shouting out "Will this run on my 486?!"

Further edit:

better than half-life2 or doom3 from what i saw

Yeah but bear in mind that Tim Sweeney (sp) said this is aimed at 2006 hardware - even the GF6 stutters a bit on some of those scenes. Joking aside, HL2 and D3 should be long out the door by then. But Im sure it looks better than DNF
This comment was edited on Apr 17, 20:26.

Invest in a more modern toilet, like a power-flush or vacuum-assisted toilet if you're having "difficulties".

http://www.theplumber.com/fhb.html

and smoke crack.


"To a surprising extent the war-lords in shining armour, the apostles of martial virtues, tend not to die fighting when the time comes. History is full of ignominious getaways by the great and famous."
- George Orwell

Well this started as a sore throat, so its been a shitacular week, no doubt.

Nonicknameforme: I have a cold and had it since Wednesday morning when I woke up. I thought it was an allergy, but much worse (cold).

Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx

You know..
I like to poop outside when its warm

I've got a stomach flu, and man it sucks.

I have seen the vid, its a shakeycam and I have no idea if its meant to be out, but some of the graphics were amazing.

It's pouring rain with thunder in Toronto.

Yeah, Dan, I had the same problem here in Waterloo this morning. Unfortunately, I was playing in an outdoor ball hockey tournament. Got a little wet.

442.26 high in Yeti3 so far.

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28:06:42:12

1.6 gallon toilets suck. I take big poops.

First game: Best = 336.21 and Score = 937.42
Second game: Best = 272.82 and Score = 707.98

I suck again.

Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx

Unreal Engine 3 demo? Where did you find it and is it official??

THX
Guild Wars Chronicle
http://www.gwchronicle.com