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The most technically-advanced game for each year
- Thread starter Phediuk
- Start date
Justin Bailey
------ ------
Haha, it was at my local skating rink. I remember thinking that the teleporting in that game looked sooo cool.
Summer Haze
Banned
Oh God. XD
(Please don't let the mods see this and give me a tag).
Half the people discussing specific years and the other half are complaining that getting a good performance out of a limiting platform should account for me. Jeez christ does this shit get annoying, especially when the thread title is clear as day. Might as well split the thread up at this point.
This game is bugged on PC too. I refuse to consider this game a technical achievement where npc use to appear from the nothing.
bananafactory
Banned
What does that have to do with what graphical technologies the game is using?
Summer Haze
Banned
It's just not a fair and balanced list unless we can find a reason for a Sony exclusive in every year.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
I thought you just watched your friend play for two hours after seeing the game for the first time in person recently. The way ACU is built means that it's never "doing next to nothing." The player can be doing next to nothing but there's always things happening in the background, like the AI simulation, the cloth simulation, cloud simulation etc. Also don't know what you're talking about because the game seems to run perfectly fine when the player is doing next to nothing, and next to perfectly fine when the player is doing things. Also on it being next gen:Just the way the world is built is more than anything that could be handled on 360 and ps3. Because it's not just about scaling the graphics down, they would have to rebuild the entire world just for it to run on last gen like they had to do with WD, which definitely looked to be made on a bigger scale than last gen titles, (damn it crossgen). I mean Notre Dame took a year to build, and i'm just talking about the world itself, that's not including the AI, which all are doing their own little routine, even though it may not sound like much, one of the hardest things for them to accomplish was getting npcs to hold hands and be able to react if they get separated, not to mention that if you add cloth physics to every single one of those AI, and not just flappy cloth simulation like what you get when Trevor rides a motorcycle, actual deformation of the cloth. They'd have to do a shit ton of downscaling to get it to run on previous gen, I'd argue that it'd barely be the same game anymore outside of certain concepts like the open mission structure. Take Killzone SF for example, I believe that like CODAW could definitely run on ps3 if they scaled the graphics down, it's a linear shooter after all. It's certainly not as buggy as Skyrim was, I mean come on, Skyrim was ridiculous due to the sheer size.
What superb graphic technology use exactly except the npc number compromised to multiple layers of popin?
SonicKnights
Member
Exactly. Fanboys and the too young to remember arcades, are soiling this great thread made by the OP.
Well, then maybe someone should outline these technologies and compare them with the other games mentioned.
People usually point to "remarkable" the amount of geometry the game has on screen, but it has no bearing on anything. Tech-wise (and ignoring bugs) something like the NPC AI in Unity (individually and as a mob) in a world so open, so big and detailed is far more impressive than the size of the mountains or number of trees in Driveclub that doesn't affect anything. I've heard there's impressive weather tech, but I don't really know how it works. It might be more of a case of great attention to detail than great tech behind the game.
But if you are so certain, by all means, make your case in detail. I just think most people going "Uncharted 2" or "Driveclub" are people who look at small gifs of the games and think it's the best thing ever without concerning themselves with the technologies behind it. Heck, they might even be right about the games, but I've not seen that case been made beyond "they look pretty enough".
TreasureHunterG
Banned
2002 is Star Fox Adventures. It looks amazing even today, especially the fur effects, which were revolutionary for the time.
Were you around at the time?
Were you around at the time?
SonicKnights
Member
This is a joke right? Where are the hidden cameras...
Nah, people posting those one liners actually believe that stuff. Star Fox Adventures changed a whole industry ... UT2k3 on the other hand ... meh.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
-Great example of how to do Physically based shading and rendering, every material looks accurate, from metal to leather to silk.
-Global Illumination that is affected by cloud simulation, even down to the interiors of buildings, some of which are 1:1 scale
-Cloth Simulation that deforms the cloth dynamically based on whatever movement is being made by the character instead of it being a canned animation, this extends to every character, including the tons of npcs, and even down to the type of cloth that's being worn, (leather is different from silk).
-Top Notch facial capture and also top of the line Hair scanning
-Examples of the AI simulation are something that I already noted earlier in the thread.
Interesting set of choices. Nice to see Giants and Outcast get mentions as they were indeed impressive showpieces.
The only one I really strongly disagree with is Return to Castle Wolfenstein. It was a super low poly, poorly animated game that only got by with good texture work and PC resolutions. That's it. The presentation of everything was super sub-par by 2001 standards. What was technically advanced about it? I can't recall it doing ANYTHING special with the Quake 3 engine. The fact that it was a benchmark for graphics cards means nothing when the end results are so unimpressive.
For my money I'd say MGS2 or Rogue Leader stand far far FARRRRRR above RtCW. Only the resolution deficit held them back.
Those games were less about the individual pieces and more about how well everything was pulled together into tight, coherent, 60 fps experiences. They both displayed visual effects that were uncommon in their day.
If you want to talk about a PC game on that list I'd take Max Payne over Wolf any day.
The only one I really strongly disagree with is Return to Castle Wolfenstein. It was a super low poly, poorly animated game that only got by with good texture work and PC resolutions. That's it. The presentation of everything was super sub-par by 2001 standards. What was technically advanced about it? I can't recall it doing ANYTHING special with the Quake 3 engine. The fact that it was a benchmark for graphics cards means nothing when the end results are so unimpressive.
For my money I'd say MGS2 or Rogue Leader stand far far FARRRRRR above RtCW. Only the resolution deficit held them back.
Those games were less about the individual pieces and more about how well everything was pulled together into tight, coherent, 60 fps experiences. They both displayed visual effects that were uncommon in their day.
If you want to talk about a PC game on that list I'd take Max Payne over Wolf any day.
SonicKnights
Member
2002 is Star Fox Adventures. It looks amazing even today, especially the fur effects, which were revolutionary for the time.
Were you around at the time?
Around the time what? When that was a 64DD game called Dinosaur Planet? Yes junior I was around.
Holosseum or Time Traveller.
You point is that with limited tech, you can have maximum impact, which I agree.
Still, this is not the subject of the topic.
thelastword
Banned
I agree with your reasoning for Halo, but the framerate towards the end really kills it. I believe a good framerate should also be a part of any technical achievement.
Summer Haze
Banned
I was clearly referring to the player doing nothing, just like I was talking about the players actions when talking about GTA V's framerate drops. Don't be a smart ass. And in regards to the framerate being "next to perfectly fine when the player is doing things", that is just plain false. The game dips when walking through a crowd. That's laughable. I don't care if there are tons of NPCs on-screen if the game is running at 24fps. I'd gladly take a hit in the number of on-screen NPCs if if means the game will run better. Running through it makes it dip even further. You can't refute this. Digital Foundry videos are up for everyone to see, including a post-patch comparison
That quote above reveals everything I need to know about you when it comes to this game. You will flat out lie and make excuses for it's shortcomings no matter what. So what if NPCs have realistic cloth physics if they pop in and change colour mere feet away from the player? All I hear from you are excuses for why certain things are shitty. It's pointless arguing about it with you. Your love of the franchise has clearly resulted in you viewing the game through rose-tinted glasses.
astroturfing
Member
one of the games i remember being SUPER impressive when i was a kid in the early 90s was Terminal Velocity. holy fuck did it blow my mind.. it looked amazing and the 360 degree freedom of movement was a trip back then for me.
and wow, how about that music that starts at about 2:00? goddamn.
and wow, how about that music that starts at about 2:00? goddamn.
Dictator93
Member
That is interesting, considering I did not compare the two nor did I say it was "that spectacular." Just pointing out how it is not "crap" "poor" or "bad."
SonicKnights
Member
That was impressive to see for the first time, until you actually got hands on with the gameplay. Yesh!
Uncle Rupee
Banned
2002 is Star Fox Adventures. It looks amazing even today, especially the fur effects, which were revolutionary for the time.
Were you around at the time?
There's nothing "revolutionary" about the "fur effects". They just used existing tech in a novel way (multiple layers of polygonal shells with alpha maps). There isn't anything proprietary about it.
It's odd that you're taking such an aggressive stance against the game, to be honest. I don't think it was the most impressive for 2002 but it was still up there. Rare put the TEV to great use with grass (more impressive than fur by far as you could have entire fields of the stuff) and fur, excellent lighting and shadows from environmental light sources (including shadows cast on player characters from scene geometry in many areas), solid texturing, good post processing (depth of field work), and a nearly rock solid 60 fps. Some of the things in SFA weren't really even yet common on the PC (post processing stuff like DOF was definitely not something 2002 PC games were doing with ease, for instance).
Again, I don't think it's the MOST impressive but it's definitely impressive and acting as if it has anything to do with the DD is just silly. They didn't drop N64 assets onto the Gamecube and call it a day - it was a huge re-write. Basically an entirely new game.
It was definitely amazing at the time especially since it ran well on a 486. Nowhere near as impressive as Sega's arcade work, of course, but still cool.
Halo was definitely impressive with its shader use and far beyond RtCW. The frame-rate was it's only real issue, unfortunately. That kind of shader work was rather uncommon in games from that era.
bananafactory
Banned
Don't waste your time. I tried to point out the still broken gameplay mechanics in another thread and was basically told I am just playing the game wrong.
MAX PAYMENT
Member
Summer Haze
Banned
Ha, talking of broken gameplay mechanics, I also noticed that Arno has a mind of his own, just like every other AC protagonist, and will climb the wall either side of a window instead of actually going through the window. I'm amazed that they still haven't fixed that.
astroturfing
Member
yeah, i had very little access to arcades so i don't remember seeing their Virtua Racers and Fighters until they were already yesterday's news.. :/ oh well.
What I find kind of annoying is that constant hyperbole about the technical aspects of the game has pretty much buried discussion of the gameplay, which I thought was a much bigger dealbreaker. The game just isn't fun, and it doesn't matter if it's running at 24fps or 120fps.
Walking through a crowd? You mean the framerate is lower when there's a lot of NPCs on screen than when you're on an empty rooftop? It's not really clear to me what you think that highlights, other than that more objects on-screen means a more taxing scene to render.
bananafactory
Banned
I detailed my window complaints here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=149473448&postcount=139
They did fix it though, you're just pressing the wrong buttons.
Summer Haze
Banned
I actually thought the combat was pretty good. When I realised that you could no longer insta-chain-kill enemies after parrying the first I was pleasantly surprised. And it seemed genuinely challenging too.
But for me it's too little too late. The game is beyond stale for me now.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
The game is also rendering a huge crowd, which explains the dips. Fine here is subjective. You've barely experienced a fraction of the game yet feel that you can make as many blanket assumptions about it as possible, even ignoring the context of the thread, like the pc version being at the top, as well as excusing GTAV's issues when the same explanations can be applied to AC:Unity. This is technical thread. Should we exclude Crysis 2 because the AI was glitchy? Should we exclude Arma? Please give us your arbritrary rules for why we shouldn't include certain games that btw, you've barely played if you have at all, meaning that your opinion on their technical aspects definitely aren't as well informed as those who have.And to bring it back, the inclusion in this thread is like the "Best PC graphics of 2014" thread based on the pc version. Since it's presented with a pc screenshot.
In that thread a person linked a gif of a person failing while trying to go through a window, another had linked a gif, why is it that Arno responds exactly when I use the correct input yet doesn't seem to for so many people? I've experienced the issues in the previous games that I rarely experience in Unity, like the getting stuck on objects thing=why aren't you holding down R2+O. I could even post a comparison video of me holding the controller while doing so.I detailed my window complaints here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=149473448&postcount=139
They did fix it though, you're just pressing the wrong buttons.
petran79
Banned
Another one that I think might be mentioned for 1988 is Reikai Doushi.
Stunning 2D fighting game for the arcades.
Battle Beast for Windows 3.1 was released in 1995. It was perhaps the best looking fighting game for its time. 640x480 resolution in digital monitors. No consoles or arcades could output that high resolution. Game was choppy and was one of the worst fighters though.
Still better than those MK clones with digitized actors.
Summer Haze
Banned
I detailed my window complaints here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=149473448&postcount=139
They did fix it though, you're just pressing the wrong buttons.
Holy shit.
TheRedSnifit
Member
Was going to say this, actually.
bananafactory
Banned
I still disagree, as I had infinite problems, but this thread really isn't the place for this debate. Sorry for contributing to derailment, let's just let this get back on topic which is technical and graphical achievements and not gameplay related.
I'll take a combat system that lets me counter-kill entire groups of enemies over a combat system that makes every combat situation into a frustrating clusterfuck any day of the week.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
I can't believe Doom wasn't chosen for 1993 (or 1994)
Quake 2 for 1997
Unreal should have been chosen for 1998.
Quake 3 Arena 1999
I'll go with Giants for 2000 though.
Quake 2 for 1997
Unreal should have been chosen for 1998.
Quake 3 Arena 1999
I'll go with Giants for 2000 though.
Alright, why are we saying shit like "but it runs like shit on PS4" to discount something like Unity?
That'd be like Crysis getting a 360/PS3 port in 2007, and then that being a reason to eliminate the PC version.
Nobody gives a shit, if the port you played runs at 10fps.. the same applied to many people with Crysis even on PC.
Killer Instinct, whilst nice, would have got beat in 1993. It certainly isn't fucking with Virtua Fighter 2 in 1994.
Yea, but that flamethrower though!
Seriously though I agree. I'm not liking RtCW over Halo at all for that year.
That'd be like Crysis getting a 360/PS3 port in 2007, and then that being a reason to eliminate the PC version.
Nobody gives a shit, if the port you played runs at 10fps.. the same applied to many people with Crysis even on PC.
Killer Instinct, whilst nice, would have got beat in 1993. It certainly isn't fucking with Virtua Fighter 2 in 1994.
Yea, but that flamethrower though!
Seriously though I agree. I'm not liking RtCW over Halo at all for that year.
TreasureHunterG
Banned
Which made it one of the best looking games of the year, so yes, it was a technical achievement. dark10x already made a great explanation about why it was.
I'm glad 2010 is Metro. Saw a ton of posts back in the day ignoring the brilliance of Metro for something as unimpressive as God of War 3.
Hey, let's not forget that Halo also:
1) used the same models for enemies/on the ground that the player held (most games use a lot lower-res models)
2) had huge maps in comparison to most similar games
3) had some incredible physics for the time in terms of explosions and things
Hey, let's not forget that Halo also:
1) used the same models for enemies/on the ground that the player held (most games use a lot lower-res models)
2) had huge maps in comparison to most similar games
3) had some incredible physics for the time in terms of explosions and things
Insane Metal
Member
For me, personally:
1999
My biggest (gaming) mind blowing moment ever. I was used to Tekken on PSX... goddamn.
1999
My biggest (gaming) mind blowing moment ever. I was used to Tekken on PSX... goddamn.