Graphics in id Software's next game on XB360, PS3 and PC

[Reverend]

Just a small tidbit and most of it is/should be already known (except maybe for the last part of his email).

Hi John,

I know you guys haven't made any announcements about your upcoming game but being a PS2 owner and will be upgrading to the PS3 (and ignoring the XB360), can you tell me (that can or cannot be posted; please tell me) the differences we'll see on these 3 consoles? Naturally, given my area of interest, I'm more interested in the graphics aspects but any stuff outside of graphics are also very much appreciated.

The graphics are going to be very similar on XB360 / PC / PS3. At launch time, the PC will have more powerful graphics cards available (at a premium price) than either console. The PS3 will be the biggest hassle to develop on, and the extra theoretical CPU power of the cells isn't going to translate into improved games.

He ignored my question about PS2 so it could be that their next game will not be available on it in any dumbed-down graphics way or at all period.

 

[mckmas8808]

Well, well then. I guess will come back to this thread 5 years from now.

 

[booomups]

hmmm...... did anyone ever say they got to use 2+ cores in a succesful way?
i mean... if it is that hard on the closedbox consoles, 5 years might really be the TIME some dual/quad core supporting pc games need to arrive.
just in time for the duke.............

 

[Kolgar]

"At launch time, the PC will have more powerful graphics cards available (at a premium price) than either console. The PS3 will be the biggest hassle to develop on, and the extra theoretical CPU power of the cells isn't going to translate into improved games."

What a nattering nabob of negativity. Sounds no better than half the internet posters I know.

 

[pc999]

What a nattering nabob of negativity. Sounds no better than half the internet posters I know.

What do you want an essay, he probably is trying to give a reply without compromise their marketing plans, just saying that it will look equal and why.

 

[Lysander]

I wonder if his wife is still driving z5.

 

[Robert.L]

I wonder if his wife is still driving z5.

 

[pegisys]

The graphics are going to be very similar on XB360 / PC / PS3

I can believe that, doom 3 looked similar on the xbox, highend and midrange PCs, the difference between them was barely noticeable to people how didn't know what they where looking for(besides resolution of course)

Well, well then. I guess will come back to this thread 5 years from now.

as a playstation fan you should agree, Sony proved with the PS2 that more power doesn't automatically make games better or it would have been struggling to keep up with the xbox

 

[Powderkeg]

He ignored my question about PS2 so it could be that their next game will not be available on it in any dumbed-down graphics way or at all period.

Question for you.

Can you get Doom 3 on the PS2? How about Quake 4?

 

[Kolgar]

What do you want an essay, he probably is trying to give a reply without compromise their marketing plans, just saying that it will look equal and why.

I'm saying his answer sounded whiny. "PS3 will be the biggest hassle to develop on, and the extra theoretical CPU power of the cells isn't going to translate into improved games."

Carmack's a very intelligent guy, and I guess I find his response a little crude and cantankerous. But then, Mr. Carmack's preferences are no secret to anyone. I just expected his answer to be slightly more diplomatic and professional, is all.

 

[Nesh]

Bah thats all he could say?

 

[Reverend]

Question for you.

Can you get Doom 3 on the PS2? How about Quake 4?

Are you asking me the definition for "hope"?

 

[Reverend]

Bah thats all he could say?

To me (and presumably all other media outlet representatives... although I do not fall into that industry category, technically speaking), yes.

I'm sure we'd all love to read what the correspondences are between him and Sony's PS3 division.

I have asked him the difficulties he has encountered when it comes to developing on the XB360 and the PS3. I may or may not be able to post his reply, if I get it.

 

[Nesh]

Well his answer didnt say anything we didnt hear some time ago from him.Actually his reply to you brought more questions.He doesnt say much about PS3's performance or its specific features and at the same time he gives the impression that the PS3 will be a big pain in the ass.
Makes you wonder wether he believes PS3 ports of his games will struggle to even reach the quality of the PC or X360 versions
Sounds more like the PS3 is almost like the 360 with the difference that its even harder to develop on

I hope he gives more info and that its ok with him to post his reply

 

[scooby_dooby]

He's probably talking about the development tools more than anything.

 

[Nesh]

Probably.
He didnt elaborate though.
Which brings another question.Was he refering solely to the tools?

"the extra theoretical CPU power of the cells isn't going to translate into improved games."


Reverend's question was more general most likely refering to all:tools, ease and performance

 

[superguy]

the extra theoretical CPU power of the cells isn't going to translate into improved games.

Wow, harsh.

I have pretty much believed this all along though.

btw, I asked Mark Rein by email which was more powerful 360 or PS3 once. Even after promising not to tell a soul he would only say he couldn't comment on that. Which I guess is the professional thing to do, if boring.

 

[Titanio]

It's nothing we didn't hear at Quakecon. Actually, it's worth familiarising yourself with the Quakecon keynote lest the subtlety of his points are missed (and in fact, he could have qualified his statements a little better here for those who aren't familiar with what he's said before).

It's also a rather bold statement, in that just because he is sceptical of the usefulness of leveraging ever more CPU power to improve gameplay, does not mean everyone else is, or won't have success exploring options beyond the "scripting is all you need!" school of thought that he subscribes to. And in fact, others have already shown Carmack himself up quite badly here (there couldn't be a better illustration of that than what Doom3 brought us vs what Half-Life 2 brought us). It is true that gameplay is not solely or largely a function of processing power at all - some of the best games in the world are made with tiny amounts of CPU power - but more power does offer developers more options and tools to reach that goal of "better gameplay". All else being equal, having those options is better than not having them, and others will use them, some I'm sure to excellent effect..whether Carmack is interested in pursuing them or not.

 

[nintenho]

I can believe that, doom 3 looked similar on the xbox, highend and midrange PCs, the difference between them was barely noticeable to people how didn't know what they where looking for(besides resolution of course)

The game was being coded for three years, which was since before the xbox even came out. The biggest hurdle for porting it to xbox was the fact that the console had so much less ram. However, the xbox version still has all of the bumpmapping that was in the PC version, just longer load times and blurrier textures.