[360] Mass Effect

[morlock]

This game looks good, but one could wonder if this is all about close-up of characters. Where are the new environement and large battle-screens? More shots of that stuff please.


The environments in these "close-up" shots look kinda plain.

 

[Inquisitive_Idiot]

This game looks good, but one could wonder if this is all about close-up of characters. Where are the new environement and large battle-screens? More shots of that stuff please.


The environments in these "close-up" shots look kinda plain.

I agree, I am worried about the detail and scale of the environments in this game. Most of them look undetailed and really bland from what little I can see. I hope they are focusing on the environments as much as they are the characters.

 

[Nesh]

These should be new...

Full story behind the shots:

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/13848/Mass-Effect-Krogan-Battle-Master-Screenshots/

Fucking amazing visuals. Simply awesome!! I want it!

So many good games coming I need both a 360 and a PS3!! And I have no money

Fingers crossed I ll be accepted at the job I applied

 

[one]

Since UE3 will have MSAA on DX10 HW on the PC side(if Sweeney is to be believed), it`s not a leap of faith to assume that in a closed console environment, without the burden of API restrictions you could get MSAA even with the deffered approach to shadowing that UE3 employs.

IMHO rather than the console environment the game design (RPG) itself can allow a different method, they can use different rendering paths for the adventure part and the battle part.

 

[nintenho]

IMHO rather than the console environment the game design (RPG) itself can allow a different method, they can use different rendering paths for the adventure part and the battle part.

The game transferred pretty smoothly from battle to exploring. You could actually keep away from the enemy for a bunch of turns if you wanted to use a lot of med packs by running away with a speed boost.

 

[Rangers]

Since UE3 will have MSAA on DX10 HW on the PC side(if Sweeney is to be believed), it`s not a leap of faith to assume that in a closed console environment, without the burden of API restrictions you could get MSAA even with the deffered approach to shadowing that UE3 employs. Either that or SK have opted for handling the shadowing differently. That being said, I don`t expect Bioware to overhaul the graphics part of the engine in any huge manner, graphics tech isn`t necessarily their strong point/primary focus, so they`ll probably work with what Epic gives them...and maybe Epic added AA for the consoles as well.

It was shown here in a thread at B3D with screenshots (though I dont have a link) that Gears of War is using some AA on some surfaces. I guess you could say selective AA. And I'm not surprised, looking at the game it's just too clean to not be using some type of AA if only partially.

 

[betan]

I am not really big on pure RPGs, and Eye of the Beholder had been my last RPG until KOTOR arrived.
Being a big fan of KOTOR, I already gave my potential GotY award to Mass Effect. Yet I really know next to nothing about the game, apart from X06 video showing the combat system and that its universe borrows heavily from Star Wars.

I feel my hype is dying and those signature UE3 "talk scene" shots with three characters standing aren't really helping. Where are the videos? E3 of course... Wasn't this game supposed to be released before E3? I wonder if it is going to be released this year at all.

 

[AlexV]

It was shown here in a thread at B3D with screenshots (though I dont have a link) that Gears of War is using some AA on some surfaces. I guess you could say selective AA. And I'm not surprised, looking at the game it's just too clean to not be using some type of AA if only partially.

Gears does per edge blurring(GRAW on PC and Stalker do the same thing, for example). In the context of this discussion it is not relevant, as that approach is suboptimal, IMHO.

And could someone please explain to a very dense me what being an RPG has to do with the ability to code directly to the metal(kindof) in a console environment, thus sidestepping API limitations(like DX9 not allowing acces to MSAA samples until a very late stage) and thus enabling you to do stuff that`s undoable otherwise?Like AA in a Deferred renderer?

 

[Inane_Dork]

I feel my hype is dying and those signature UE3 "talk scene" shots with three characters standing aren't really helping.

They've released lots of good screens since then. Go to Bioware's ME site to find them.

Where are the videos? E3 of course...

Um... There have been videos released since E3 and since X06. Again, they're on Bioware's ME site.

Wasn't this game supposed to be released before E3?

No.

I wonder if it is going to be released this year at all.

That's the one thing that Bioware will confirm about the date, so it's pretty likely.

 

[ninzel]

Why is skin so hard to do well as opposed to other surfaces like metal or wood?
What makes it so special?I know it's different in that it's alive but technically it's no different than any other material in that it has physical properties like density,reflectivity,porousness etc.

 

[deepbrown]

Why is skin so hard to do well as opposed to other surfaces like metal or wood?
What makes it so special?I know it's different in that it's alive but technically it's no different than any other material in that it has physical properties like density,reflectivity,porousness etc.

Because light reflects through the skin slightly....it's not a hard surface. Plus it has to move...? I think Ninja Theory have got it pretty good.

 

[betan]

Why is skin so hard to do well as opposed to other surfaces like metal or wood?
What makes it so special?I know it's different in that it's alive but technically it's no different than any other material in that it has physical properties like density,reflectivity,porousness etc.

I think the general problem with skin shading is lack of subsurface scattering.

Since darker skins absorb faster, it seems less of an issue there.

 

[betan]

Um... There have been videos released since E3 and since X06. Again, they're on Bioware's ME site.

Well hidden I suppose, I cannot seem to find any here.

No.

It was implied such.

 

[Inane_Dork]

Why is skin so hard to do well as opposed to other surfaces like metal or wood?
What makes it so special?I know it's different in that it's alive but technically it's no different than any other material in that it has physical properties like density,reflectivity,porousness etc.

Skin is a translucent material resting/bunching/stretching over muscles. That makes both the static and dynamic appearance of skin very difficult to fake. Correct skin simulation needs to trace light scattering through the various layers of skin and it needs to correctly respond to muscle movement.

Contrast that with a rigid, nontranslucent material like steel and you'll see the difference.

Well hidden I suppose, I cannot seem to find any here.

I don't know where you're looking, but they clearly have a section dedicated to ME screens from 2007: http://masseffect.bioware.com/gallery/index.html?g=5#gal-screens

It was implied such.

I don't recall such implications from MS or Bioware, and even if so, you should know that release dates fluctuate way too much to trust anything but an official date.

 

[silhouette]

New Mass Effect screenshots!

 

[AlNom]

Man, this November is going to be packed. :smile:

I really like the detail on the face in this one, but the armour's texture resolution got the shaft.

 

[<nu>faust]

glory to the gamers, mass effect is confirmed to be coming out 2007.

 

[Gollum]

I want this game (trailer inside) now!

 

[Dresden]

I don't understand....



How can anyone possibly be excited for anything else when this is coming out?*















*Crysis excluded

 

[pakotlar]

best new-gen game?