First Killzone screenshot/details? So says USAToday..

So the change in art direction via PP/other techniques to a grittier closed feel wasn't done for the sake of performance?

 

Yeah the detail is pretty stunning. The world as it was shown in the trailer is highly convincing and feels believable. In other games the general feel was mostly a lifeless or artificial world. The effort in those was appreciated and noticed, often added to the extra impression but they went only as far. Things felt separate to each other and fake, usually because they probably put lots of effort on adding the typical standard effects and improving on them on parts of the game handled as individual pats that needed better graphics.
Unlike these previous efforts everything bonds so nicely in K2 though.

 

Would be very intresting to see how it looks without the PP. I wouldn't be suprised if some people might actually prefer a lighter environment. Be nice if they put a cheat code in (maybe on completion) so you can do it again without PP!

 

I hope they take the opportunity to make the game an unforgettable experience by making at least part of it in a completely different, lush style, just to show off ... This is what BluRay affords them - there is plenty of room on the disc to have a large range of different art styles to bring a lot of variation to the environments.

 

If I had written a lighting system that good, I'd want everything to be dark too

 

Been years since I've been so excited about a video game! This game really raises the bar and more than one notch.

 

Now we know that the game is def using FSAA x4, what does this say for the prowess of the PS3 in terms of everything that is going on graphicly?

Also how many SPU's do you think the Cell use in parallel for gemotry and where do you think they are in use.

(Killzone devs stated multiple SPU's doing gemotry in parallel!).

I.E. are they used in conjunciton with the RSX's gemotry drawing, or is the Cell being called on to do the destriutable envinronment part?

Lastly there seems to be excellent frame rate with no slow downs (apart from the load points), especally with all the other effects, is this showing the advantage of the deferred rendering (i.e. it allows for quicker FPS because the devs have chosen this method of processing)?

 

I think texture quality will likely improve with more flexible streaming. Without it, the level designer has to try to make his memory budget last for, say, the next 8 minutes, or however long he wants the intervals between loading to be. Time is approximately distance travelled, so the same memory over a longer distance means lower resolution textures, or more repeating textures. Being able to hide load times will allow shorter time between load points and hence ultimately better textures.

 

Dark but not litless

 

Just saw a few new Heavenly Sword movies and holy crap I must alter my list

#1 = Killzone2 and Heavenly Sword
#2 = MGS4
#3 = Drake's
#4 = COD4

I am starting to think that I am finding games specifically designed for PS3 are making the multiplatform games look really bad.

 

There is the gameplay video from Killzone 2 at IGN

I am literally speechless

http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/748/748475/vids_1.html

 

The trailer made it look a lot better and after seeing this I can see how people could consider CoD 4: Modern Combat a better looking game.

The sounds are pretty stunning, filling your ears with the constant boom of the thunder and explosions in the background. The visuals are great too, coupled with the sounds it feels like the game is aiming to overload your senses in a cinematic way. I like the constant use of DoF (Halo 3 are you listening) on your characters hands, although I thought it was a bit extreme when he was holding the grenade in his hand and it was blurred out.

Gameplay wise it looks solid, but nothing mind blowing and that part with the thunder rod gun could use a bit of work. Overall I was impressed by that short gameplay clip and with the game still in its "alpha" phase I think it will turn out great.

 

Diffuse reflections? That's featured in some global illumation algorithms like radiosity. Isn't that asking for too much?

 

As good as Killzone looks I have to tell you I am more interested in CoD4 after seeing this video.. http://download.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/t_cod4_e32k7_seaandland_gp_gt_h264.mov

 

Thats because the last sequence with the rod is empty of action, allies and enemies. It seems like one part where you have to do something to accomplish your mission. Its just you and a rod. There isnt much going on. Undouptely this is a minor fracture of the game. If you notice there are sequences missing like what happened after the flying craft appeared.

Places that Killzone seems to excel are areas filled with with lots of enemies and allies. This is where it impresses the most as you can see in the videos. It feels like actual war which is their aim


To get a better idea there is another video on the right btw with the extended trailer. It shows a gameplay sequence in a more filled environment with lots of action going on. Definitely much more impressive. Later it has even more but smaller clips

 

While i liked the video and the artstyle, i couldn't help but notice how flat everything looked. Do theese guys really really hade pixel shaders? A lot of the textures look a bit to flat for my liking.

 

Have you seen this gamespot CoD4 stage demo? This running at 60fps and being multi-platform makes it all the more impressive.

Both games are nice step up for console shooters and are very comparable IMO.

 

Looks great ! No doubt cream of the current FPS crop (Although the sea looks fake, they added a healthy supply of water splashes to overcome it). I think besides excellent lighting, its strength is the realistic weapons and familiar gameplay, which will appeal to war buffs and FPS fans alike.

I hope Guerilla Games takes this opportunity to push FPS to another level. Afterall they are heavily funded. At this early stage, people are already comparing it to near completion games in terms of visual effects. But as I mentioned in another thread, I hope to see additional dimensions in KZ.

Like even better comrade and enemy animation + AI... Based on the KZ trailer, it seems that facial expressions and character animation will be part of the story telling (instead of just run-of-the-mill audio narration/shouting and smooth walk/run cycle). In this area, it is a little like Drake's Fortune and Halo.

The enemies also reacted in more dramatic ways (as opposed to tactical shooters where the enemies pretty much roll over and dies quickly. Most of the cases you can't see close up of the enemy's face/mask because that's not the focus -- They are just a body with a name tag). In KZ, there'd be mini-bosses and boss characters, which I'd imagine will take quite a beating before they go down.

According to what we know so far, weather effects may play a key role in gameplay rather than just a visual effect. Resistance has tried "shallow" but convincing snow, rain and even glass effect at PS3 launch, now is the time to take it further. Looking at how smoke/fog whirl around the flying platforms in the KZ trailer/demo, I hope this is a hint of further game play elements (Wind !).

As for the lightning canon destruction sequence, I also think they should add more disruption to the final few minutes to make it more difficult/interesting to destroy... but then again, a flying drone came out of no where right after the destruction, so perhaps we will have another hectic battle ahead of us. The level is still in pre-alpha, so I'd imagine they will play balance it to death.

For now, I think KZ 2 has started work in more breadth and depth than most FPSes (e.g., destructible environment). However I hope they don't forget about the basics... like what Resistance has already achieved months ago (Silk smooth animation, fast + lag free online, and fun gameplay).

Lastly, I hope Sony stays true to their Game 3.0 vision. As technologically exciting as KZ 2 is, I believe something like LittleBigPlanet will offer more impact and reach in the long haul.

(Now that I said it, can I join the KZ alpha and beta testing now ).

 

Well my 2 cents is it was on the mark graphically. Nothing more nothing less. Lets not forget who caused the storm in the first place, they did bring it on themselves. The CG trailer absolutly had a lot more style to it, and people have even posted a comparison of it where thats evident. The CGI looked much cleaner and certain had that cinematic quality, the realtime looked like a very average FPS, something you would basically be expecting at this point due to the bar set by other titles. I have to be honest, gameplay wise im not impressed at all. I saw not one thing unique and indeed felt like i was watching some other version of Resistance or Gears of War or (enter bastard offspring of Quake and some other FPS here). Personally i think the genre is just being beaten to death and this game looks like garbage to me from a gameplay standpoint. Saw absolutly nothing FPS havent been doing for the last few years. I dont really care how many poly counts are in their models. If they have no innovation, their game sucks. Thats my standard and im sticking to it, and personally unless you're a hardcore FPS junky who never gets tired of it, i think most gamers should indeed be asking and expecting more then hiked poly counts. Motorstom, since it was brought up yesterday, is a prime example. Its a good looking game, but a woefully hollow and down right piss poor excuse for a modern racing game (poor track variation and customization/predictable AI and mechanics) that even lacked something as simple as online. Sorry but put me down as not impressed.

 

I think you just wiped out the entire FPS genre, arcade racers and off-road racers. It sounds like you like racing sims with customization only.

Perhaps you dislike MotorStorm but your comments are inaccurate. It supports online for one. I also can't agree with predictable AI. The group of us love to race against the wild and aggressive computer drivers (Chasing them down a ravine is fun too). We also love the physics (e.g., slippery mud and gravels, flying vehicles, accidents, weight and momentum of cars, etc.). Finally each track has multiple routes (Some are pretty big, although there are shortcuts). To me, the rough terrains are what makes the game more fun than traditional racers.

Most importantly, I managed to get my friend's anti-gamer wife to play it (She picks up the game on her own now, playing and screaming 2-3 times a week).