Digital Foundry -- Halo 4 Tech Analysis

I know everyone is raving about Halo 4's graphics, but it's not doing anything for me to be honest. It's the first console game I've played in over a year and the lack of decent AA and lower resolution is ruining the iq, it just looks blurry and jagged...

The game is 720p, maybe you need to adjust your tv settings, what I have seen is not "blurry".
 
While I agree the ship explosions are lacking, I wouldn't call the explosions awful in general. They scales down the alpha effects a little. Seeing how that was the main cause of the performance issues in reach, it was a good call IMO.



They do have a point with some of their comments regarding halo 3 and Reach. Halo 4 does make trade offs, but the same can be said about Halo 3 and Reach as well. I wouldn't necessarily take the term in a negative way.

Alpha effects did not get scaled down. Just the fact there's god rays is a huge boost in alpha processing as well as for the smoke the game throws that is more prevelant than past games. Running around and seeing pipes spew out loads of smoke is something past HALO games did not do. Also the fire is more or same detailed. But that fire leaking from the pipe on Adrift is the highest, most fluid looking fire I've seen in any game.

Please someone make a gif of it. Its on Adrift and in one of the hallways you see a fire spewing out of the pipe. Thanks!

The game is 720p, maybe you need to adjust your tv settings, what I have seen is not "blurry".

Whoever says HALO 4 looks blurry LMAO needs to get a retinal scan. This is one of the cleanest looking games I've seen. It's not just the resolution and their FXAA tech, but something makes the whole screen just pop out with so much clarity.

343 Industries gotta have their tech papers ready for GDC. Going to be great!!!!!
 
The explosions are the biggest downgrade from previous games, grenades especially. In Halo 1, grenades looked and felt like mini-nukes. It was amazing. I thought the Reach explosions were fantastic, and Halo 3 also had some great ones. This time around they definitely feel lacking.

Think I like the DMR more than the BR in Mp
Wrong thread? You're correct though, it is by far the better weapon.
 
Think I like the DMR more than the BR in Mp

I think it's a cooler weapon but had much more success with it in single than multi. I think it becomes a lot less effective at mid range against the BR.

On topic, does anyone know why these games are still using the likes of FXAA and not SMAA?
 
I think it's a cooler weapon but had much more success with it in single than multi. I think it becomes a lot less effective at mid range against the BR.

On topic, does anyone know why these games are still using the likes of FXAA and not SMAA?

Because playing in 10fps isn't ideal.
 
SMAA (Sub-pixel Morphological Anti-aliasing), not SSAA or MSAA. It's a post process solution like FXAA and MLAA but is vastly superior to both, with better edge detection and no texture/text blurring. A free DirectX injector for the 1x version is available and, at least in my experiences, has less than a 1 frame performance hit unless running at resolutions > 2500x1400.
 
SMAA (Sub-pixel Morphological Anti-aliasing), not SSAA or MSAA. It's a post process solution like FXAA and MLAA but is vastly superior to both, with better edge detection and no texture/text blurring. A free DirectX injector for the 1x version is available and, at least in my experiences, has less than a 1 frame performance hit unless running at resolutions > 2500x1400.

It isn't optimized for consoles. (But it's supposedly going to be for Crysis 3 on consoles)

The FXAA in Halo 4 has a very small GPU cost.
 
SMAA (Sub-pixel Morphological Anti-aliasing), not SSAA or MSAA. It's a post process solution like FXAA and MLAA but is vastly superior to both, with better edge detection and no texture/text blurring. A free DirectX injector for the 1x version is available and, at least in my experiences, has less than a 1 frame performance hit unless running at resolutions > 2500x1400.

I've experimented with SMAA in a few games (i.e. taken a bunch of comparison screenshots) and haven't been able to detect any texture blur, but it most definitely affects 2D elements such as text. Also, the performance impact of SMAA depends on the preset you use; for instance, in AC: Brotherhood, High is comparable to 4xMSAA in its impact on framerate (from what I've gleaned, Medium is the sweet spot).
 
Alpha effects did not get scaled down. Just the fact there's god rays is a huge boost in alpha processing as well as for the smoke the game throws that is more prevelant than past games. Running around and seeing pipes spew out loads of smoke is something past HALO games did not do. Also the fire is more or same detailed. But that fire leaking from the pipe on Adrift is the highest, most fluid looking fire I've seen in any game.

Please someone make a gif of it. Its on Adrift and in one of the hallways you see a fire spewing out of the pipe. Thanks!

There are still moments of screen filling alpha effects, but some explosions have been scaled back, most notably are the ship explosions. Your overly defensive and hyperbolic posts aren't helping your cause here. It's possible to look at Halo 4 more objectively without downplaying the end result.
 
There are still moments of screen filling alpha effects, but some explosions have been scaled back, most notably are the ship explosions. Your overly defensive and hyperbolic posts aren't helping your cause here. It's possible to look at Halo 4 more objectively without downplaying the end result.

He doesn't think objectively, might as well be PR for Microsoft.
 
I'm baffled by everyone saying Halo 4 is the "cleanest" console game around. I find the game pretty jagged and muddy looking in general. Uncharted 2/Killzone 2 &3/ God of War all look far cleaner than Halo 4.
 
I'm baffled by everyone saying Halo 4 is the "cleanest" console game around. I find the game pretty jagged and muddy looking in general. Uncharted 2/Killzone 2 &3/ God of War all look far cleaner than

They'd be wrong considering the cleanest console game is Forza Horizon. :P
 
Very few people cared when Halo Reach was pushing out some incredibly massive levels and draw distances, but now everyone's harping on about how amazing Halo 4 looks considering the scale, even though its levels are much smaller and more linear than Reach's, and its draw distance is much smaller as well.

Halo 4's graphics came at a price, one that makes it less impressive than Reach, in my opinion.

This is an interesting post, and one that I must say is re affirmed in nearly every screen shot, which really only shows distance scale (vistas, non active areas etc), and less open immediate environment ala typical Halo. Having said that, is it really that much of a negative, or is a slightly more intimate, but more cinematic take, a nice temporary change in things?

Perhaps they could have had a more dynamic engine, that still allowed more more openness with quick changes to lod, quality etc, but moving back to the visual fidelity of typical Halo 4 for the smaller areas.
 
This is an interesting post, and one that I must say is re affirmed in nearly every screen shot, which really only shows distance scale (vistas, non active areas etc), and less open immediate environment ala typical Halo. Having said that, is it really that much of a negative, or is a slightly more intimate, but more cinematic take, a nice temporary change in things?

Perhaps they could have had a more dynamic engine, that still allowed more more openness with quick changes to lod, quality etc, but moving back to the visual fidelity of typical Halo 4 for the smaller areas.

Overall visuals and cinematics are leagues better than in any previous halo games. Honestly if the price for that is that we don't get that one really big open level, and they had to cut some corners in the areas that people generally don't notice unless actively looking for then, I can accept that. It just looks so freaking good.

Of course, for a Halo 5 on next-gen consoles. I'd love to see the things they had to cut corners with from previous halo games, make a return. Things like those Halo 3 ark style levels, the high-res textures and skyboxes, and proper vechicle explosions instead of the shitty ones in Halo 4.
 
I'm baffled by everyone saying Halo 4 is the "cleanest" console game around. I find the game pretty jagged and muddy looking in general. Uncharted 2/Killzone 2 &3/ God of War all look far cleaner than

God of War 3 yes, but KZ3 looks some blurry, and UC3 is not as "clean" as H4 on my TV.
 
The game is 720p, maybe you need to adjust your tv settings, what I have seen is not "blurry".

Halo 4 has the typical FXAA look. At times the game looks very blurry like the last part of mission 4 with the mech. During that section you can see FXAA at "it´s best".

In comparision: Anniversary has also a FXAA solution but is sharper compared to Halo 4. Just play two Halo 4 levels and than switch to Anniverary and you can clearly see the difference.
 
On frame rate: I was playing split screen on Complex earlier, and the game had some significant chugging going on. It could have been connection, but it only seemed to happen when looking across wide open areas and never really affected me when I was zoomed in or in fire fights. It was enough lagging going on that, if it weren't connection, would indicate a serious problem with the optimizing going on in multiplayer.
 
Halo 4 has the typical FXAA look. At times the game looks very blurry like the last part of mission 4 with the mech. During that section you can see FXAA at "it´s best".

In comparision: Anniversary has also a FXAA solution but is sharper compared to Halo 4. Just play two Halo 4 levels and than switch to Anniverary and you can clearly see the difference.
I was gonna bring that up. Halo Anniversary actually looks cleaner than Halo 4, despite the lower resolution.

This is an interesting post, and one that I must say is re affirmed in nearly every screen shot, which really only shows distance scale (vistas, non active areas etc), and less open immediate environment ala typical Halo. Having said that, is it really that much of a negative, or is a slightly more intimate, but more cinematic take, a nice temporary change in things?

Perhaps they could have had a more dynamic engine, that still allowed more more openness with quick changes to lod, quality etc, but moving back to the visual fidelity of typical Halo 4 for the smaller areas.
It's a minor negative. The game is still bigger in scale than other FPSes, but it does feel like it's lost a bit of its identity. The only reason I talk about this is because of stuff like this, and other hyperbolic statements:

Remember Bungie?

I don't.

The reduction in scale doesn't bother me as much as the very noticeable LOD transitions and pop-in. I'm really susceptible to them.
 
How is KZ3 blurry? It's exceptionally sharp, the only negative is occasional shimmering. Very high res textures and no QAA.

Not only is it exceptionally sharp, I think it may even have some sort of post processing sharpening filter. It's the only console game where dropping sharpness to zero makes no difference to how sharp it looks on screen on my Kuro. In-fact, not having my sharpness set to zero gave me more of the shimmering effect. KZ3, more than any other console game I've played, is negatively affected by TV sharpness, of any kind.
 
People in this thread need to realise that simply being 720p doesn't automatically make a game clean. On a side not it's pretty sad for this gen that being "full" 720p can be championed as some sort of notable achievement.
 
Not only is it exceptionally sharp, I think it may even have some sort of post processing sharpening filter. It's the only console game where dropping sharpness to zero makes no difference to how sharp it looks on screen on my Kuro. In-fact, not having my sharpness set to zero gave me more of the shimmering effect. KZ3, more than any other console game I've played, is negatively affected by TV sharpness, of any kind.

I agree... KZ3 looks pretty damn clean and clear on my 58inch Panasonic plasma, i had my flat screen professionally calibrated so my PQ on my flat screen is phenomenal to say the least. All of PS3's best looking games on my panny look gorgeous...so do some of the best looking PC games and of course 360 games...i own all three platforms...i am too much of a gamer that appreciates good games to by-pass or pass up a console or a particular platform because of being some stupid fanboy of one system...i just cant see myself passing up a good game because it's on different system that is not my favorite system of choice....cant do it, like i said..i respect great developers too much to pass up their quality work because of of personal selfishness and immaturity..some of you guys will one day finally comprehend what i am saying..but until you reach that point..you will continue to miss out on a lot of great games....owell, better you than me i say!

I still cant believe *not directing this to the person i am quoting* ..but i still am baffled by the stealth low blows going on back and forth still about Halo 4 vs KZ2 and 3, UC and God of war...it's like people getting their panties in a bind because Halo 4 came out looking as one of the best looking games on either console...and that really bugs people, i just find it hilarious. And same goes with some people not liking the idea that Kill Zone 3 looks super clean and IS one of the best looking games to date on either console.

Here's what i did to stop the nonsense...i had to examine myself one day and realize that it has been very stupid on my part to allow a damn console of my choice of all things to affect my feelings when a game came out looking better on the "other" console i didnt prefer at the time...now keep in mind i am talking years and years ago..i finally grew up is my point and some of you little brats need to wake the heck up now...your fighting over petty stuff...heck if you are going to let things affect your inner feelings..at least go find something important..like where this country is heading or the crap thats going on in the middle east that seems to never end and just get more intense as time goes on...go let that crap piss you off...not your damn beloved console of choice..besides....believe it or not...you are not representing yourself as a passionate gamer by getting all pissy because a game on the "other" console you personally dislike happens to look as good or better than the best looking game on your console of choice.....that is not how a true gamer represents himself...a true gamer, one that respects the industry and the hobby he or she is involved in...respects games on other systems, gives them props when props are due..and does not EVER let fanboyisim syndrome creep back into their souls.

Keep it real, dont be a lame flake... .are you a gamer or just a whiny little brat that is so spoiled and selfish that you cant give a game that happens to be on a console you dont like props? Fact is Halo 4 "IS" one of the best looking games this generation on either console....if that ruffles up your feathers...deal with it. You or i should say we...because i happen to like both systems...still have Killzone 2, killzone 3, God of War and the uncharted series to enjoy as some of the most impressive looking games this gen and the 360 has a few of its own too! Horizon is to me the cleanest looking game this gen.

Yeah maybe i am babbling on...but reading these cheap low blow stealthy jabs towards Halo 4 is just pathetic. Chill out guys... enjoy gaming, forget system wars and all that other lame stuff... thats some pussy sh1t if you ask me

But yeah back to the subject...i think KZ3 looks super clean..i think Halo 4 looks cleaner for some reason...but all the best looking games ...all look good and all look clean to me.

Oh one more thing...they finally made the gun fire in Halo 4 feel better..i always thought the gun firing sounds in the previous halo games was too low..its louder now...and feels much better too!
 
I'm baffled by everyone saying Halo 4 is the "cleanest" console game around. I find the game pretty jagged and muddy looking in general. Uncharted 2/Killzone 2 &3/ God of War all look far cleaner than Halo 4.

I'm amazed at all the different reactions on the same game.

For example, I've seen an extremely minimal amount of jaggies. It's truly a marvel to me.
 
I'm amazed at all the different reactions on the same game.

For example, I've seen an extremely minimal amount of jaggies. It's truly a marvel to me.

Based on the direct screen captures alone, it doesn't look like it'd be that jaggy. In-fact, it looks very clean imo, all things considered, and given some of the aliasing in past Halo games this gen. Generally games look a lot cleaner on the big screen than they do in direct captures viewed on a PC/laptop anyway.
 
I'm baffled by everyone saying Halo 4 is the "cleanest" console game around. I find the game pretty jagged and muddy looking in general. Uncharted 2/Killzone 2 &3/ God of War all look far cleaner than Halo 4.


Uncharted 2 has 2XMSAA that breaks in a lot of places
Killzone 3 MLAA is not clean. Killzone 2 did better in some spots

But other than that... You are right.

People in this thread need to realise that simply being 720p doesn't automatically make a game clean. On a side not it's pretty sad for this gen that being "full" 720p can be championed as some sort of notable achievement.


Making a game in a deferred renderer with 1080p is absolutely out of the question on current gen consoles.
 
It might not be the cleanest game, but it's just such a huge jump from the other three this generation that it feels like a substantial thing.
 
It might not be the cleanest game, but it's just such a huge jump from the other three this generation that it feels like a substantial thing.

thats the reason why some halo fans are on "OMG BEST GRAPHICS EvAR" mode,the game was a jump on graphical quality for the series ( even if you sacrifice some things reach got right) but this mean now is just on the big league of bad boys
 
To those who were saying Uncharted 2 was clean. It had visible jaggies and some nasty texture filtering just like Halo 4.

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Sometimes it's best to not remember things with rose tinted glasses.
 
@Reiko

you'd be surprised how many people may be unaware of the whole video-cutscenes thing, its not entirely their fault if they consider the cutscene elements as gameplay elements.
 
Personally, Halo 4 deserves the most props for its art team. Bungie's skyboxes were and always will be incredible, but the color palette has obviously been expanded upon and utilized wonderfully in 4. The campaign stands as tall as RAGE and the Metroid Prime series in art direction.
 
Personally, Halo 4 deserves the most props for its art team. Bungie's skyboxes were and always will be incredible, but the color palette has obviously been expanded upon and utilized wonderfully in 4. The campaign stands as tall as RAGE and the Metroid Prime series in art direction.

I'm sorry, but unless Reach was the last HALO game you played, you're smoking something I want.

HALO has always had a great colour palette. HALO 3 had an absolutely fantastic one. The Covenant makes my dick hard just thinking about it. So lush.

Cortana was a much-hated level by many, but damn is it the prettiest kind of ugly ever.
 
I've experimented with SMAA in a few games (i.e. taken a bunch of comparison screenshots) and haven't been able to detect any texture blur, but it most definitely affects 2D elements such as text. Also, the performance impact of SMAA depends on the preset you use; for instance, in AC: Brotherhood, High is comparable to 4xMSAA in its impact on framerate (from what I've gleaned, Medium is the sweet spot).

You'd think at, on a console where the rendering pipeline can be more tightly controlled by the developer, you'd be able to inject different AA methods at different times, and on different regions. Eg don't apply FXAA/MLAA/SMAA to areas that filter badly such as textures with writing, then apply AA to the 3D scene before overlaying HUD items
 
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