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[SF Kosmo]

I think it's actually asset libraries more than the engines. Indie devs can cheaply purchase all of these super photoreal models and assets, a lot of which are scanned from real life and easily make these really realistic games.

 

[Clear]

Animation tends to be the best predictor of budget. Yes, a small team can save a huge amount of time with a middleware engine, using a lot of high quality assets sourced from elsewhere, but once it starts to move and elements -characters particularly- within the scene start to interact with one-another... then it typically becomes more apparent the number of man-hours involved.

Its why something as animation focussed as Stray are relatively uncommon in the indie space.

 

[Schmendrick]

someone has been extensively sucking on Epic`s PR tit........

 

[Ribi]

Forget the graphics. Trepang has better gun play than 99% of games. How hard is it to add good gun feedback with good audio design? Add weight to your fucking guns devs

 

[MadchesterManc]

Indie these days is just the AA games of yesteryear. Actual indie games you'll find on the likes of Itch.io and they don't look anywhere close to AAA

 

[IAmRei]

Wow, just one random guy made this! (A team of 80 people including industry veterans with support of a long-established publisher made it)

this!

 

[KXVXII9X]

Let's just forget everything else like art direction, sound direction, animations, optimization, level design, voice acting quality, game design, visual clarity and readable actions, UI/HUD that isn't generic, and a million other things that separate small budget games from big budget ones.

AAA level games still need a ton of man power and talent. Gaming is more than photorealistic (photogrammetry) static assets.

I've seen so many indie/AA trying to look like AAA games use photorealistic assets but the gameplay and the animations are so poor. There is very little artistic expression and liveliness. Just stiff and static worlds with very little attention to detail. Small studios usually can't afford that kind of polish.

The only indies that even come close to AAA games are heavily backed by big publishers and have a sizeable team like Stray, Hi-Rush and Kena to name a few. They are really AA games which people still refer to as "indie."

 

[In Cold Blood]

You can get a certain level of impressive graphics from Indies for sure, but it's scope, AI and animation that needs a big step up.

 

[Edder1]

Wake me up when indie devs can do storytelling and animations right in a 3D game. And no, I'm not talking about walking simulators.

 

[CGNoire]

Animation is always the key give away.

 

[hussar16]

If anything the ease and possible success of these smaller titles which look very marketable with unreal engine 5 will make the big companies to make their devs make more games that aren't just cash grabs .

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

kind of agree that you can make great looking game easier now with aa sized teams. plaque requiem being good example.

unfortunately great looking vistas don't automatically translate to great looking character models, animations, or rich gameplay systems , which are equally important aspects of game presentation.
plaque requiem again being the example

Another reason games aren't impressive with worse performance? Better tools, faster development= more projects, more $$. Makes sense to me.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Sorry OP, you're delusional if you think AAA gaming's only strength is visual fidelity.

Heck, many AAA games fall well below some of the best-looking indie games

Spoiler

Ubisoft

and yet still are able to provide a depth and breadth of content, as well as polished visual and mechanical flourishes, like animation, that is well beyond the capability of most indies.

 

[iHaunter]

I agree to a point. Production value matters. An Indie company could never make FFXVI, Elden Ring, Spiderman, Ratchet and Clank, etc.