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New PGR4 Hands-on + Pics

Ok so PGR3 was my first foray into this series, and two things turned me off in the game:

a) You could get extremely powerful cars after only competing in a few tournaments
b) Kudos challenges just became boring, like that gate challenges

I guess b is just because I prefer racing to fancy shit, but god I hope they fix the progression in the game.
 
Can't believe I missed this thread!

I've known about bikes in the game ever since I saw the boxart, but damn, finally seeing them in the pics alongside the cars and awesome cities is so sick - damn!

And now we'll have a custom livery editor (although not as deep as Forza 2's) now? Wishes have come true - doesn't have to be as deep as Forza 2's - just to finally have it in a PGR game is what I've been wanting for ages now... BC, you guys rock!

About the car shaders - they look just like they did in the first videos, i.e. a bit early, but even so, with the different lighting, rain effects, etc, you can't really tell directly anymore... I'm not even thinking about unfinished graphics right now when I just read about all the cool things they are adding with this one - THIS is how you make a sequel - as if the weather system wasn't a huge jump for a sequel as is - bikes? stunts on said bikes? livery editor? trading replay videos? website ala YouTube for these videos?

Always was going to buy this as I'm a huge MSR/PGR fan, but now it's cemented in my must-buy list right now... damn there are too many AAA games coming out... oh wow...

Can't wait to see the bikes in motion at E3!
 
SealSqueal said:
Ok so PGR3 was my first foray into this series, and two things turned me off in the game:

a) You could get extremely powerful cars after only competing in a few tournaments
b) Kudos challenges just became boring, like that gate challenges

I guess b is just because I prefer racing to fancy shit, but god I hope they fix the progression in the game.
I never liked the Kudos thing at all really. And usually got bored of it after a couple minutes.
 
Skilotonn said:
I just read about all the cool things they are adding with this one - THIS is how you make a sequel - as if the weather system wasn't a huge jump for a sequel as is - bikes? stunts on said bikes? livery editor? trading replay videos? website ala YouTube for these videos?
agreed.



can we have a list of motorcycles and cars? doesnt even have to be final.. :)
 
GAF loves it bullshots. It'll swallow them up whenever, however.

To be fair... these look like photomode shots... and from what I can recall, PGR3 pictures from photomode looked pretty stunning too.

No doubt these look a bit better due to extra effects, especially that rain effect, but people expecting it to surpass GTHD much less equal real life are not just setting themselves up for a disappointment, but are delusional.

Again to be fair, I think the level of details in these games have progressed to such a point where not even the hyper critical discerning eyes of the hardcore gaming obsessed laymen can accurately point out the artifacts or the effects they're seeing. As a result, you're going to get a lot of confusing jargon pushed back and forth with some attempts at photo comparisons, which are sometimes good, sometimes bad.

The pics look great... but they definetly don't make you bat an eye and think... wait, is that real? I think in that sense Nostromo is pretty justified in saying that the cars look plasticky; for whatever reason, they just don't look 'real', as detailed and gorgeous as they may be.
GTHD on the other hand... it has that ability. If you find some of the photo comparisons of that game, a lot of people would hesitate for a moment or two, to point out the real picture. And if you bring it to a normal person, outside of gaming... you're going to get a few wrong answers.
 
935830_20070510_screen009.jpg


I have to say I really like this shot.
 
i'm still pretty sure that guy doesnt know the car is covered in rain; but if i was him and didnt know there was rain, i too would think the car is plastic looking.
 
Francias Castiglione said:
Not if you aren't talking about humans and human analogues.

Maybe not the exact phrase uncanny valley, but I think it's broader concept than just human characters.

Whenever any attempt for photorealism is made, if it falls short of it, it's going to create a bit of cognitive struggle in the viewer; it looks like it should look real... BUT it doesn't!

That kind of thing.
 
Crayon Shinchan said:
Maybe not the exact phrase uncanny valley, but I think it's broader concept than just human characters.

Whenever any attempt for photorealism is made, if it falls short of it, it's going to create a bit of cognitive struggle in the viewer; it looks like it should look real... BUT it doesn't!

That kind of thing.

I think it varies from shot to shot, some look very close and others scream "I'm a game!"

The dullness of an overcast/raining scene should not be discounted though, especially in some of the less colourful cities. Las Vegas in the rain should be a good indicator of quality.
 
jet1911 said:
Thread gone to shit.

it gone to shit in some of the first posts.

and yeah, GTHD the cars look more realistic, but that game aims to be realistic. PGR series is all about going fast and making crazy turns around corners, getting kudo points for driving awesome, and didnt aim to be some kind of sim.

in some ways the way the cars are shiny and looking more like commercial shots than shots IRL complement the style of the game.
 
SealSqueal said:
Ok so PGR3 was my first foray into this series, and two things turned me off in the game:

a) You could get extremely powerful cars after only competing in a few tournaments
b) Kudos challenges just became boring, like that gate challenges

I guess b is just because I prefer racing to fancy shit, but god I hope they fix the progression in the game.
a) This was new to the series for PGR3 (the progression, or lack there of). Right or wrong, they made a design decision to do it that way for that game, and also decided that there would only be relatively fast cars in the game. The previous games all had a very obvious progression in the cars as you went through the career mode, so if they go back to this approach I think you will be happy.

b) Well, to be blunt the Kudos is a big part of what makes the series what it is and to take it out would cause the game to lose it's charm, IMO.
 
Ashhong said:
You know what I don't get? Why nobody calls bull shot on a 360 game. This and the Halo single player screen shot? Sure it's "rendered in game", but will it look like that when you play? HELL NO. Jesus people, double standard much?

http://joaomgcd.planetaclix.pt/935830_20070703_screen003.jpg

How exactly will you see this in game? Via replay? Bull. Shot.

i ****ing hate the term bullshot and all its derivitives. i ****ing HATE people who ruin threads by bitching about pr pics of games "in engine" but not from "gameplay" angles. **** off, we want to see the best the engine can produce, the pr peeps want to show off the game. we all know its not exactly what we'll see when playing (though replays AND photo modes are becoming more widespread)!

can we please ban any asshole that does this shit?

EDIT: sorry if that sounded especially harsh. i'm still on my first cup of coffee and had a rough night ;)
 
Ashhong said:
You know what I don't get? Why nobody calls bull shot on a 360 game. This and the Halo single player screen shot? Sure it's "rendered in game", but will it look like that when you play? HELL NO. Jesus people, double standard much?


How exactly will you see this in game? Via replay? Bull. Shot.

:lol yeah champ, that never happens.
 
Crayon Shinchan said:
GAF loves it bullshots. It'll swallow them up whenever, however.

To be fair... these look like photomode shots... and from what I can recall, PGR3 pictures from photomode looked pretty stunning too.

No doubt these look a bit better due to extra effects, especially that rain effect, but people expecting it to surpass GTHD much less equal real life are not just setting themselves up for a disappointment, but are delusional.

Again to be fair, I think the level of details in these games have progressed to such a point where not even the hyper critical discerning eyes of the hardcore gaming obsessed laymen can accurately point out the artifacts or the effects they're seeing. As a result, you're going to get a lot of confusing jargon pushed back and forth with some attempts at photo comparisons, which are sometimes good, sometimes bad.

The pics look great... but they definetly don't make you bat an eye and think... wait, is that real? I think in that sense Nostromo is pretty justified in saying that the cars look plasticky; for whatever reason, they just don't look 'real', as detailed and gorgeous as they may be.
GTHD on the other hand... it has that ability. If you find some of the photo comparisons of that game, a lot of people would hesitate for a moment or two, to point out the real picture. And if you bring it to a normal person, outside of gaming... you're going to get a few wrong answers.

1. You are a certified member of the SDF, so we should all take what you say with a grain of salt. Why are you in this thread, anyway, if you don't plan to play this game?

2. Of course these are from replays or photo mode.....nothing is more boring that racing game pics from the gameplay perspective.

3. It DOES surpass GT:HD in a number of areas, especially the weather effects and environments, although the cars and the lighting aren't as good.

4. I think the weather effects and the environments are so damn good that it can definitely be mistaken for real life.

5. Why are you comparing it to GT:HD anyway? If you've ever played this franchise, you would know that it's completely different. A more apt comparison would be to Need for Speed, which it completely and totally destroys.
 
Stinkles said:
If you want to see people calling bullshot on the 360, go read the Halo 3 thread. You do know that racing games on all of the consoles, including the console you like, show off their best in replay modes right? And have done so for years.

Also, calm down.

I know that they show it in replay mode, it's just some people's comments that annoy me, thinking that replay = gameplay. Also, I have 360 and PS3, so I find the trolling implication hurtful. And I'm calm, just annoyed. You can't deny a double standard in the community in favor of MS.
 
Ashhong said:
I know that they show it in replay mode, it's just some people's comments that annoy me, thinking that replay = gameplay. Also, I have 360 and PS3, so I find the trolling implication hurtful. And I'm calm, just annoyed. You can't deny a double standard in the community in favor of MS.

what exactly are you complaining about? bullshots? dude these screens are shots from the game using the engine.

theyre not cg amazing so i know for a fact that this isnt cg. if not cg, what else could it be besides in game?

stop complaining cause you probably never even played any pgr game enough to enjoy it.
 
Ashhong said:
You can't deny a double standard in the community in favor of MS.
:lol
i love that people say this while others say gaf has a sony-bias. poor nintendo fans are left out in the cold it seems
 
op_ivy said:
:lol
i love that people say this while others say gaf has a sony-bias. poor nintendo fans are left out in the cold it seems

Nobody bothers to defend Nintendo cause pretty much everyone here loves them :lol

And I'm not complaining at the fact that they used those shots, I'm complaining of the people in the thread that are comparing the crap out of it to various games like F2 and GTHD, using only these replay shots. If it doesn't apply to you, stfu. I have played the game, and do enjoy it, so your tone is not appreciated Max.
 
Ashhong said:
Nobody bothers to defend Nintendo cause pretty much everyone here loves them :lol

you cant be serious! :lol

And I'm not complaining at the fact that they used those shots, I'm complaining of the people in the thread that are comparing the crap out of it to various games like F2 and GTHD, using only these replay shots. If it doesn't apply to you, stfu. I have played the game, and do enjoy it, so your tone is not appreciated Max.

i wont defend people comparing games straight across (i loathe gt vs forza or gt vs pgr posts), but arent they at least comparing one form of replay/photomode shot to another? both those games you listed have the same sort of features...
 
p3tran said:
it seems like a lot of car experts are gathered in here.....again

well,

photoshop this
IMG_3028-740259.jpg


or photoshop this
800px-Ferrari_BC.jpg


until you are happy guyz. and then, I just might post a photo of a clean but wet red f430 just for laughs.


Notice how I highlighted the word "CLEAN"? For instance, this is a relatively poor picture of car which looks like it needs a good detailing.

ferrari.JPG


Heck, I have shots of a 360 Modena I used to detail from a 2MP Nikon CP 800 which look better than that.
 
Nostromo said:
it was NOT trolling, I truly, sincerely believe their car shading sucks, it does, I write shaders for a living I believe I'm entitled to my own opinion, I usually don't go around trolling threads. (btw..I have stated the SAME opinion on B3D many times before..but hey..no one accused me of trolling, maybe you guys you should open your eyes, observe that image VERY carefully, and then reply to me).
Don't agree with me? fine, It's not like I won't sleep tonight :lol
EDIT: thanks for the the last pics, I'm even more convinced about my statement now.

I definitely agree with you. Since MSR on the DC the cars of BC´s racing franchise always had these toyisch shaders. It seems as if the colors are way to vibrant and that the refraction of environmental light sources is rather subtle. The environmental mapping is really good though. Imo the only two devs who managed it to apply real looking shaders to their cars and environments were Polyphony Digital and Codemasters.

And ya I´m really surprised that they´ve integrated motor bikes...hopefully the handling of em is better than in Polyphony´s Tourist Trophy.
 
Wait ... Nostromo was banned for stating the cars look plasticy?


While he maybe could have put it a bit more delicately, people are acting like this game is beyond criticism. No game is.
 
Onix said:
Wait ... Nostromo was banned for stating the cars look plasticy?


While he maybe could have put it a bit more delicately, people are acting like this game is beyond criticism. No game is.

He's not banned anymore.
 
MassiveAttack said:
He's not banned anymore.
That was a very short ban. IMO he should not have been banned at all. I love it when developers fight to death. jk.
 
It's not what he posted as much as the blatant attempt at trolling style he posted it in.

Besides which, aren't some of these cars actually plastic anyway? Certainly the TVRs are :D
 
Nostromo said:
it was NOT trolling, I truly, sincerely believe their car shading sucks, it does, I write shaders for a living I believe I'm entitled to my own opinion, I usually don't go around trolling threads. (btw..I have stated the SAME opinion on B3D many times before..but hey..no one accused me of trolling, maybe you guys you should open your eyes, observe that image VERY carefully, and then reply to me).
Don't agree with me? fine, It's not like I won't sleep tonight :lol
EDIT: thanks for the the last pics, I'm even more convinced about my statement now.
it was a troll b/c of the way you said it. with the smoothness of a 12 year old fanboy....

"plastic cars confirmed"

...oh sure, that is one way to say something. but as an older, more mature gentleman who is a dev, one might expect it put more something like this...

"Having developed shader routines myself, I see they seem to still be struggling with this aspect of the game. Perhaps with more time it will get better, but I noticed they had the same problem with the last game, so I'm not to optimistic. Everything else in the game looks great except for that. It bothers me so much probably b/c it's my job so I notice it more. ;)"

...might just be another way to put it, without sounding like a complete tool. :D might add some technical aspects to your post also to help others understand just what it is they done wrong [for those here who are so inclinded, gaff'ers love it when a dev talks shop].
 
Linkzg said:
in some ways the way the cars are shiny and looking more like commercial shots than shots IRL complement the style of the game.

Exactly..stylized realism.

To me, Nostromo saying "Plastic cars confirmed" is akin to seeing Gears of War and saying "Comic book character models confirmed."
 
HokieJoe said:
Notice how I highlighted the word "CLEAN"? For instance, this is a relatively poor picture of car which looks like it needs a good detailing.

ferrari.JPG


Heck, I have shots of a 360 Modena I used to detail from a 2MP Nikon CP 800 which look better than that.

Christ, that guy must have been shitting his pants when he tried to get out of there in that Peugeot 205.
 
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