Digital Foundry tech analysis: Destiny

A lot more at the link: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-destiny-tech-analysis

Texture detail is precise and detail-packed and artwork appears clear and crisp. The close-up detail on some surfaces is good enough to suggest that Bungie is utilizing tessellation - the process of dynamically generating new geometry the closer you get to an object - although this treatment seemingly isn't given to the characters, which appear to feature relatively low polygon counts in comparison to other top-tier titles like Call of Duty: Ghosts and Crysis 3. Overall image quality is impressive, though, with Destiny presenting itself at full 1080p with what looks like a form of post-process anti-aliasing in effect, giving the game a crisp but smooth look that is betrayed only by the way of some very small sub-pixel elements of the scene that lightly shimmer in the distance.

As they head towards the walled city we see the use of advanced cloth physics on the characters' apparel and on the canvas covering one of the rusting vehicles nearby as the wind hits them. The surrounding landscape and characters are also nicely reflected in real time on the stagnant pools of water on the ground.

As they head towards the walled city we see the use of advanced cloth physics on the characters' apparel and on the canvas covering one of the rusting vehicles nearby as the wind hits them. The surrounding landscape and characters are also nicely reflected in real time on the stagnant pools of water on the ground.

Bungie's lighting and effects work stands out, setting the tone for the dimly lit rooms within the structure: dust particles flow through the air, changes in exposure and bloom occur as players move through various locations that feature differing lighting conditions, and these elements are joined by the subtle use of lens flare and light shafts.

At one point, the player activates a probe which partially lights up the nearly pitch-black surroundings, casting dynamic soft shadows across the environment as it ventures deeper into the complex. Moments later, the power is turned back on, illuminating the entire area with pockets of direct and ambient light sources. Impressively, global illumination appears to be in play here, with environmental light being accurately reflected of various surfaces, bringing an extra layer of ambience and depth to this location.

The smoothness and intensity of the combat also leads to some visually pleasing effects when enemies are shot and killed. Physics-based particles are realistically animated, while projectile attacks cast dynamic light sources onto their surroundings. Smoke, fire and contact flash effects are also in effect.

Also another excuse to post more sexy Destiny pics:


EVSM (Exponential Variance Shadow Mapping) in conjunction with SDSM (Sample Distribution Shadow Maps) is used to render soft shadows that appear relatively clean and consistent from various distances, avoiding the jaggie nature of current solutions.
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Projectile attacks accurately illuminate the environment by casting their own lights, sprucing up busy action scenes.
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Smoke and fire effects are a little flat and 'current-gen' in appearance, hinting at the title's multi-format cross-gen target, although they do look aesthetically pleasing and spruce up the combat scenes rather nicely.
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Good read. That's the Bungie I love. They don't go over the top with "Pretty" graphics. Where they shine is lighting and particle work. That's always been their bread and butter.
 
I don't play often care about online multiplayer, but if I do, it's because of Bungie...

I'm seriously intrigued by their Destiny pitch and honestly can't wait to try it out. It looked gorgeous in screenshots and held up when demoed.
 
Looks very similar - visually - to the engine they used in Halo Reach. It'll be interesting what 343i does with it considering they're still using a modified version IIRC.
 
hopefully not on next-gen consoles...

isn't this also for PC?

It was shown on PS4, so 30FPS on next-gen. EDIT, me i don't give a crap as long as it maintains that framerate. After Halo: Reach, i'm very skeptical though....

And no, not confirmed for PC. Unlikely, i think. The leaked contract says Destiny 2 will have PC version but it is old now so take it with a grain of salt.

Looks very similar - visually - to the engine they used in Halo Reach. It'll be interesting what 343i does with it considering they're still using a modified version IIRC.
Bungie probably gutted their Halo Engine and rebuild it, as they did with nearly every Halo (or parts of it).
 
Can't wait to see how bad the current-gen versions look

It's a shame the next-gen versions appear to be suffering because of them
 
Love Bungie's art design. How I missed those skyboxes in Halo 4. Destiny looks fantastic and can't wait to see how all of the social stuff plays out.
 
Looks great, and like a lot of fun. I haven't bought a shooter in years and skipped the last two Halo games, but I'm interested in this. I hope there is a wide variety of exotic locales.
 
Looks very similar - visually - to the engine they used in Halo Reach. It'll be interesting what 343i does with it considering they're still using a modified version IIRC.

I think 343 will rebuild big parts they are aiming for 60 fps.
Does makes me wonder what 343 can do as an exclusive dev for the X1.

If BF4 doesn't get hit to much by the downgrade hammer should be interesting to see Halo 5.

Still waiting for Destiny pc version at launch. From what i heard your character travels with you so same character on X1 and PC. Get X1 version day 1 and double dip on pc and play glorious 1080p@60fps :p shame no cross platform play.
 
Looks awesome. Can't believe these are visuals from an massive online game.

From what I've heard it's not really an MMO, is it? I had the impression that it's more like PSO or Guild Wars, where you're only ever interacting with a handful of people at once.
 
Favorite looking game they shown at E3 this year. Game just looks amazing and looks really fun to play with friends.
 
From what I've heard it's not really an MMO, is it? I had the impression that it's more like PSO or Guild Wars, where you're only ever interacting with a handful of people at once.

Normally, yeah, but there are also public events that dynamically increase the player count and connect you to new people.
 
Thought the game looked great for being a cross-gen title, and people think Bungie sucks at tech. =p

Can't wait to play this on my PS4.
 
Looks fantastic. Technically the game visuals are very very accomplished.

Some of their art design is a little lacking, and I was a little disappointed in that it doesn't live up all that well to the original concept work (very few games do tbh). But had I never been privy to the original concept art I would have been astounded by how awesome everything looks. And it does look awesome.
 

6 of 11: Tessellation appears to bring additional depth and detail to various surfaces. The eroded concrete slab above is a good example of how the effect is used to create a rough and bumpy surface with more tangible detail than standard normal mapping.


This is not tessellation, it's parallax. There isn't geometry subdivision but a simple plane.
 
Keep in mind, they started planning back in 2007 and development around 2009, so this is a current gen game later turned into a next gen title.

Of course it's not going to look amazing from the ground up, I expect Destiny 2 or whatever will be miles better.

That said, I though Destiny looked great. Bungie does great things with its art and level design. Coupled with Marty's music, this will be one hell of an experience.
 
Looks spectacular, especially if you consider that the game is also on current gen. Can't wait for Destiny 2, which will be designed exclusively for PC/PS4/Xbone. It's going to be mindblowing.

relatively low polygon counts in comparison to other top-tier titles like Call of Duty: Ghosts
I lol'd at this part. Ghosts looks nothing short of meh for next-gen.
Barely better than current gen titles like Killzone 2, if at all.
 
Looks awesome. Can't believe these are visuals from an massive online game.
That's because it's not.
It's instanced for players, and sometimes there are events that let a few more small groups in together.
Normally, yeah, but there are also public events that dynamically increase the player count and connect you to new people.
Just like PSO2 has multi party areas.
 
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