First Killzone screenshot/details? So says USAToday..

[ultragpu]

did anyone notice in the start of the trailer in the hover craft, when the 2nd hover craft rushed in, the booster actaully made the cloud go spiral. it must hav some wind dynamics that can affect the particles like smoke or fire? somefin abit similar to that dx10 crysis stalker's roar.

 

[Terarrim]

I wonder if the textures are the result of:

a) destriutable environments

b) pre-pre-alpha stage

c) Art direction (with so much going on do the texture really need to be better?

d) A balancing decision (i.e. with all the stuff going on have to sacrifice textures for other aspects of the game).

e) combination of the above elements!

 

[Neb]

did anyone notice in the start of the trailer in the hover craft, when the 2nd hover craft rushed in, the booster actaully made the cloud go spiral. it must hav some wind dynamics that can affect the particles like smoke or fire? somefin abit similar to that dx10 crysis stalker's roar.

The first hovercraft has it to in the beginning of the demonstration. The clouds and fog in the sky looks to be 2D textures/pieces and therefore I dont think it is tied to the wirl effect. I think the wirl effect is an effect tied to the hovercraft (either a sequence of textures and/or volumetric particle effect).

 

[Gradthrawn]

I played around with them also. It's better than you think actually. I've butted some of them that were on a metal object or hanging on a railing, and sometimes they would slip down. Really awesome. It's really quite convincing.

Yeah, that was my problem with it. On a few occasions I could knock a Chimera off a rail he had slumped onto (excellent collision detection and model flexibility), but more often than not, I would just get a solid thud and some slight movement. Even when they're lying on the ground, short of grenade, its normally very hard to move them. However, I like that better than...

Speaking of that, my buddy and I were playing co-op GoW and the bodies were like weightless sacks. The big boom guys that look like they weigh a ton were easy to kick around when you walked on them. How did that make it through play testing?

...the supper floaty stuff Todd is referring to here, which I also noticed in Oblivion (360, not sure about PS3). Huge 500lbs dead Trolls would flail and scatter about easily at the mere sight of my boots.

 

[Neb]

I wonder if the textures are the result of:

a) destriutable environments

b) pre-pre-alpha stage

c) Art direction (with so much going on do the texture really need to be better?

d) A balancing decision (i.e. with all the stuff going on have to sacrifice textures for other aspects of the game).

e) combination of the above elements!

it is always a balance decision since the more textures used (more objects, larger draw distance) the more has to rendered and stored in RAM even with LOD. And destructible environments will require more textures for the debris since thoose objects also need textures!
And the game being pre-alpha means they are not done tweaking it and may improve the texture system/use. .)

 

[archangelmorph]

This bit?



I don't think that's the same as them still needing to implement texture streaming..but general streaming to improve load times. You can see it in that live game demo that the game occasionally pauses very momentarily while the game loads more stuff..this is a bit different than needing to implement texturing streaming, and expecting a quality increase from a result of that. I'm sure things can and will improve, it is still some ways off, but not necessarily because of this.

That's a bit of a strange statement to make..

What do you think they're going to be streaming if it's not textures and maps? (most other data sets would either be batch loaded at set intervals; before or after a level, or procedurally generated/pre-computed..)

Since they referred to "streaming tech" as a solution to "mid-level loading" I would imagine that apart from sounds/music, textures would make up the bulk of the data required from the disc and so it's pretty reasonable to assume that it's a part of it..

 

[Shifty Geezer]

like what? shooting gun making the carrier cast a shadow to the environment behind him?

No. Indirect lighting is where light is cast from a lamp or muzzle flash or outer source and hits a wall, and some of that light bounces back and illuminates other objects. Looking at the scenery, it sure didn't look like any AO/indirect type lighting was in effect. LBP is a good example of how things should look, and the KZ peeps have said they use it.

 

[Neb]

I would think it is more about improving load-times and/or remove loading points and not making big improvements to the texture sizes.

 

[Terarrim]

Sorry double post (issues with browser)!

 

[Shifty Geezer]

De ja vu?

 

[Ben-Nice]

Here's a nice hands on preview

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/leve...orld-exclusive-first-killzone-2-hands-on.aspx

And an article sort of about the graphics

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/leve...exclusive-expanded-details-on-killzone-2.aspx

 

[Todd33]

Here's a nice hands on preview

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/leve...orld-exclusive-first-killzone-2-hands-on.aspx

And an article sort of about the graphics

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/leve...exclusive-expanded-details-on-killzone-2.aspx

Thanks for the links, I liked this part:

(There's practically not a jagged line to be found on the power lines, or any other lines, for that matter; we're told it's because Killzone 2 is using the Cell's SPUs and the RSX graphics chip to achieve 4x full-screen anti-aliasing.)

I hope the AA makes it into the final game.

 

[Terarrim]

As we cautiously picked our way through the ground combat's opening moments, game director Mathijs de Jonge gave us the first official explanation of the game's cover system, which many of our observant peers picked up on during the Tuesday evening previews. You can always simply crouch behind obstacles, as you would in any other shooter, but Guerrilla has added something extra. When you hit L2 near cover, the game puts you into cover mode. Once you're in cover, you can use the left analog stick to pop up, lean left or lean right to take precise aim at your Helghan enemies. Alternatively, you can blindfire by simply pulling the trigger (R2) on your weapon. You're completely safe behind non-erodable cover as long as the enemy is on the same plane as you; if they've got the high ground, they can hit you if they have the right angle. We didn't ask Guerrilla directly whether the use of cover would be all-but-mandatory, as with Gears of War, or optional; regardless, it adds a tactical element to the game that fits seamlessly with the Killzone mythos. Overall, the cover mechanic works extremely well, without ever having to switch the gamer into a third-person view as does Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Vegas, and we won't be surprised when we see a number of Guerrilla's peers paying homage to borrowing stealing this idea after they get their hands on it.

...

If we have a single reservation right now, it's about the level of recoil that Guerrilla has implemented on the weapons. We know that Guerrilla has months to go before they have to bear down and properly tune the game; still, we found ourselves babying the aiming reticule in order to compensate for the amount of drift from each burst of fire. We know from the time that we've spent with the folks from Guerrilla in the past that they're interested in a sense of heightened realism when it comes to their weapons--that's why there aren't any laser guns or energy blades--and we're certainly willing to attribute this to our poor aim or easily panicked demeanor when confronted by waves of armed Helghast. But we suspect that Halo-weaned masses will want to be able to hold down their triggers just a wee bit longer before the reticule starts rising. Nevertheless, we were thoroughly impressed with our single-player hands-on time with Killzone, particularly the first-person cover mechanic, which we provides an excellent tactical option for more deliberate gamers like ourselves, who prefer to hang back rather than rush ahead. If the company continues to design enemy encounters around the optional use of cover, it bodes well for Killzone 2's future depth and replayability.

See our follow-up post about the game's visuals, design and story here.

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/level...-hands-on.aspx

Expanded details--->>

...
...

As he pointed out the game's Mohawk-sporting main character--stressing that there are more polygons in a single character model in Killzone 2 than in an entire level from Killzone 1--it finally clicked that we would no longer be playing as Jan Templar, the hero of both Killzone and Killzone: Liberation. The new lead's name is Sev, a veteran of the Legion, which are the ISA's equivalent of Special Forces. Only Rico returns from the first two games for a major role. Hakha is nowhere to be found, but Lugar will make a small appearance, while Evelyn from Liberation will serve as you point of contact on the cruiser. Gamers will periodically return to one of the cruisers between missions, which will serve as a hub of sorts.

When de Jonge hit the ground and began playing the game, Hulst said that they added the brief checkpoint-style pause at that point specifically for the demo so that journalists could see for themselves that the game is real. The final game will have a seamless transition from cinematics to combat. As de Jong continued to lay waste to the Helghast, Hulst and ter Heide explained the game's extensive post-processing system, which allows for a more subtle film grain effect than the one in the first game, along with blur and depth of field. What was most striking was when they turned the post-processing effects off: the level looked almost completely different, as if it were taking place in the mid-afternoon. It's clear that while Guerilla's painterly art style is still very much in effect, it's not just the PS3 that makes the planet of Helghan look different from that of Vecta; the designers have art directed them differently as well.

When ter Heide turned the post-processing effects back on, we finally understood the uneasy feeling that the level evoked within us; their careful real-time calibration of the game's light, shadow and color--"we replace the sunnier colors with darker, grittier colors," says ter Heide--combined with the art direction and level design to create the oppressive gloom that they wanted. "The planet is meant to be hostile," said de Jonge. "The desaturated colors suit it." We hope that SCE and Guerrilla eventually release some video footage showing the difference that their post-processing effects make, because you have to see it to believe it. And from what sources in the know tell us, it's a similar special sauce that has Activision and Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare looking similarly hot.

...

One of the things that made us believe in Guerrilla's potential, even when it hadn't yet been fully realized, was the company's attention to detail. Looking up above, we see cables that look like power lines or telephone lines, swaying in the wind. (There's practically not a jagged line to be found on the power lines, or any other lines, for that matter; we're told it's because Killzone 2 is using the Cell's SPUs and the RSX graphics chip to achieve 4x full-screen anti-aliasing.) There's a glow decal that happens when bullets make contact; right now it's applied to all weapons, but they're planning to dial it back and only have it apply to certain weapons. Even the tracer fire seems specific to Killzone 2, as if it has a slight upward arc the further it gets from the muzzle. When you kill a Helghast, a red pool of blood not only forms to indicate that he's dead, but it also turns yellowish over time. The dramatic light and shadow in the previous screenshot of the Helghast vaulting over a rail, which has been the subject of much chatter online, comes from the game's multiple dynamic lights. There's even a complete Helghan alphabet, seen on signage throughout the level, which was created by the game's concept designers. And while we don't think it will replace Klingon anytime soon, it's still evidence of how much specificity the people at Guerrilla want to bring to the Killzone universe now that the console they're working on finally matches their ambition.

Some intresting stuff on gameplaying elements there thanks to SCSA on PS3forums for that post.

 

[Archgamer]

As we cautiously picked our way through the ground combat's opening moments, game director Mathijs de Jonge gave us the first official explanation of the game's cover system, which many of our observant peers picked up on during the Tuesday evening previews. You can always simply crouch behind obstacles, as you would in any other shooter, but Guerrilla has added something extra. When you hit L2 near cover, the game puts you into cover mode. Once you're in cover, you can use the left analog stick to pop up, lean left or lean right to take precise aim at your Helghan enemies. Alternatively, you can blindfire by simply pulling the trigger (R2) on your weapon. You're completely safe behind non-erodable cover as long as the enemy is on the same plane as you; if they've got the high ground, they can hit you if they have the right angle. We didn't ask Guerrilla directly whether the use of cover would be all-but-mandatory, as with Gears of War, or optional; regardless, it adds a tactical element to the game that fits seamlessly with the Killzone mythos. Overall, the cover mechanic works extremely well, without ever having to switch the gamer into a third-person view as does Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Vegas, and we won't be surprised when we see a number of Guerrilla's peers paying homage to borrowing stealing this idea after they get their hands on it.

Nice. I've been waiting for a FPS game that gives me a cover system that doesn't pull the camera back and away from the main character like R6:Vegas.

 

[Neb]

...

i like this comment from the devs,

As he pointed out the game's Mohawk-sporting main character--stressing that there are more polygons in a single character model in Killzone 2 than in an entire level from Killzone 1.

Other devs have said the same (in one way or another) and I dont know since when normalmaps/or similar counts as real polygons!

 

[Terarrim]

i like this comment from the devs,


Other devs have said the same (in one way or another) and I dont know since when normalmaps/or similar counts as real polygons!

Remindes me of that Solid Snake mustach comment from MGS4 dev!

 

[Neb]

Remindes me of that Solid Snake mustach comment from MGS4 dev!

hah, yeah I remember that!
But that was different, the mustach was made up of 6000 vertices and the hair of 60k vertices. Konjima said that one character in MGS3 was made up of 6000 vertices. Sadly that mustach and detailed hair is gone now.

 

["Nerve-Damage"]

One of the things that made us believe in Guerrilla's potential, even when it hadn't yet been fully realized, was the company's attention to detail. Looking up above, we see cables that look like power lines or telephone lines, swaying in the wind. (There's practically not a jagged line to be found on the power lines, or any other lines, for that matter; we're told it's because Killzone 2 is using the Cell's SPUs and the RSX graphics chip to achieve 4x full-screen anti-aliasing.) There's a glow decal that happens when bullets make contact; right now it's applied to all weapons, but they're planning to dial it back and only have it apply to certain weapons. Even the tracer fire seems specific to Killzone 2, as if it has a slight upward arc the further it gets from the muzzle. When you kill a Helghast, a red pool of blood not only forms to indicate that he's dead, but it also turns yellowish over time. The dramatic light and shadow in the previous screenshot of the Helghast vaulting over a rail, which has been the subject of much chatter online, comes from the game's multiple dynamic lights. There's even a complete Helghan alphabet, seen on signage throughout the level, which was created by the game's concept designers. And while we don't think it will replace Klingon anytime soon, it's still evidence of how much specificity the people at Guerrilla want to bring to the Killzone universe now that the console they're working on finally matches their ambition.

Want more info...

 

[Neb]

Want more info...

I like the antention to such small details as the moving power lines. Makes a great atmopshere when a heli flies above them making them move with physics (or by any other force). I dont think many games have that but HL2 has it as far as I can remember.

 

[Titanio]

Interesting about the extent and impact of the post-processing. It certainly seems to add a huge amount.