How can new console improve on games compared to this gen?

[fehu]

I have little technical knowledge so I'm wrong, but was thinking that excluding non gaming functionality and exotic controls, next console can be a "little" improvement.
For sure graphic will become more realistic, and openworld will get biggerand bigger (at least if dev have the money), but how will change physic and ai?
Physic can improve, but will dev improve it? I mean, if you are not coding hl2 this is a secondary aspect that can go unnoticed by the player, so most games apply the bareminimum effort to simulate it, and almost no effort to integrate it in the gamplay.
Ai is another problem. Even now I'm sure that we can get decent ai, but all that we have is only scripted routines that schematically react to our actions, because this is simple and because this is enought for the average player.
It looks like even with the most powerfull hardware aside from graphic, sound, and ears movement control nothing will change, what is your opinion?

 

[liolio]

Well I kind of agree. Proper tablet like controls could make a lot of styles more portable to console.
Point is it's not what costumers want they want a new fps.and that's it.
Ultimately the.reason I might stick to pc as that's where diversity is.

 

[ERP]

I had concerns over the upcoming generation, partly because I think it will be more difficult to differentiate graphically.

But the more I think about it, the more I think it'll be interesting, outside the graphical improvements, I think the big move will be towards more open play spaces and more freedom in those spaces.

I'm also hoping, probably in vain we'll be seeing the end of the FPS genre as the driving force in game sales, I just don't find them fun and never have.

The one thing I never want to see in games is technology for technologies sake, doing better AI or physics is fine, but only if it makes the game better as a whole.

 

[almighty]

How can they improve? IMAGE QUALITY.....

That was a major major issue with the current generation consoles.

I do not want t see any sub-hd rendering what so ever next generation and I expect every decent game to be native 1080p

The whole HD era was new when the current generation machines released so I can kind of forgive the short cuts and draws backs but next time around there's no excuse.

 

[liolio]

How can they improve? IMAGE QUALITY.....

That was a major major issue with the current generation consoles.

I do not want t see any sub-hd rendering what so ever next generation and I expect every decent game to be native 1080p

The whole HD era was new when the current generation machines released so I can kind of forgive the short cuts and draws backs but next time around there's no excuse.

well that should be pretty easily provided by pc.
As consoles set a new std, I expect that devs will do more of existing and far from sucky hardware in the pc realm.
On cpu side whatever Sony and MSFT come with they will be lucky if they scratch thr perfs a mid end core i5 4xxx is to deliver.
For core gamers (not even hardcore) pc.gaming is more and more sexy.

 

[Brimstone]

It looks like even with the most powerfull hardware aside from graphic, sound, and ears movement control nothing will change, what is your opinion?

I agree somewhat. My favorite game still remains playing Shadowrun online. Besides pixels with more shine and longer draw distance I'm at loss as to what can really be improved. Slighty better physics and animation that's nice but hardly mindblowing. The Sony portable Vita gives a good idea how you can improve controls with trackpad...and I could that being useful in a first person shooter like Shadowrun. Using the back of a gamepad for new ways of casting spells, curving grenade throws, and using grappling hooks while running up and down walls maybe.

Minecraft could be the tip of the iceberg for new game types. But even here I fail to see how more powerful CPU and GPU will add much but pixels with more shine. The major problem seems to be data storage to create highly detailed virtual worlds. What Lionhead is doing with Mega Meshes and John Carmack with mega textures and letting artists spread their wings by creating whatever art they want could be the mindblowing aspect. Content and pixels will be more inspired with better tools.

 

[orangpelupa]

outside of CPU and gpu, future console also can have innovation on input and output.

allowing controllers customizable and support whatever USB input device will be awesome too.

also maybe bring more immersive experience by using something like kinect move oculus?

if that happens them maybe more people will hit each other

 

[Rurouni]

outside of CPU and gpu, future console also can have innovation on input and output.

allowing controllers customizable and support whatever USB input device will be awesome too.

also maybe bring more immersive experience by using something like kinect move oculus?

if that happens them maybe more people will hit each other

Custom/alternative controller/accessory, based on history, can only gain big enough traction if they making it as a standard controller. Of course there was never a new console launched with different controller on different sku (which some people proposed with the new xbox that MS shouldn't put kinect in all sku), so if MS follow this path then it would be interesting to see the end result.

 

[Billy Idol]

Is there really this much improvement needed?
Drastic 'improvements' lead us to Wii, Kinect and PS Move...which I simple don't like and don't enhance my experience.
I had the most fun with xbox and ps playing the games in a 'standard' way, probably best gen overall! Just iterate and improve on whats already there...

 

[user542745831]

How can they improve? IMAGE QUALITY.....

That was a major major issue with the current generation consoles.

I do not want t see any sub-hd rendering what so ever next generation and I expect every decent game to be native 1080p

Fully agreeing.

How can new console improve on games compared to this gen?

It probably would also be quite nice if, for example, new consoles would enable Just Cause 3 (or whatever it is going to be called) to feature at least a whole and fully detailed planet and space travel on top .

 

[function]

But the more I think about it, the more I think it'll be interesting, outside the graphical improvements, I think the big move will be towards more open play spaces and more freedom in those spaces.

I really hope this is the case. I also want to see some real work going into allowing players to build unique 'relationships' with AI characters so that the player will value interacting with them more. This generation the main emphasis has been on NPCs as fodder to kill or tools to collect or, in some instances, things to shag. Any more interesting forms of interaction are shunted into team death-match style gameplay where another human down a wire does all the thinking.

I'm also hoping, probably in vain we'll be seeing the end of the FPS genre as the driving force in game sales, I just don't find them fun and never have.

I like FPSs but I have to agree that "core gaming" on consoles is starting to stagnate around FPSs or, at a stretch, third person shooters with a cover mechanic (but with similar weapons). Many of these games don't even have co-op and semi-sandbox areas to keep things interesting, and they're increasingly balanced in such a way that that they start to feel the same.

The one thing I never want to see in games is technology for technologies sake, doing better AI or physics is fine, but only if it makes the game better as a whole.

I think that's one way in which it can be disappointing to see games tailored to generic engines (which are themselves tech driven) rather than seeing engines tailored to delivering specific gameplay experiences.

 

[Prophecy2k]

Accurate pointer controls... benefits almost all game types.

Fundamentally however, I think next-gen will end up being about simulation as a big defining factor. Simulatin is what will justify the massive jump in HW performance that a next-gen will bring, and simulation is what will differentiate the consoles as gaming devices from smart-phones and tablets that will simply not have enough compute performance to be able to produce the same effects and same games.

Destruction, improved physics and physics-based animation, crazy particle effects, stuff like wind/smoke/fire simulation, fluid dynamics and explosion simulation, are all things that will make next-gen actually feel "next-gen".

The first developers that capitalise on this with great game concept, design and gameplay ideas will own next-gen, and will be the Infinity Ward of next-gen.

 

[user542745831]

It probably would also be quite nice if, for example, new consoles would enable Just Cause 3 (or whatever it is going to be called) to feature at least a whole and fully detailed planet and space travel on top .

Just came across this :

http://www.vg247.com/2012/09/25/jus...gen-we-want-to-be-the-best-open-world-studio/

 

[Boxercide]

I always chuckle when I see comments such as these.

What can be improved with more powerful hardware? EVERYTHING.

You know what people said at the beginning of this gen? We don't need power/there's no difference/blah blah.

Come on. Physics are a HUGE deal.

Shadows
AA
Textures
AO
GI
viewing distance
AI
texture quality
framerate (not just 60, but stable)
input latency
transparencies
crowd simulations/models
clipping
cloth simulation
animation
resolution
motion blur

Sorry, I'm going to stop now because it's just aggravating. But come on, we go through this every gen. IMHO, this thread should be closed because it's asking a question answered in multiple other threads.

 

[fearsomepirate]

The thing to look at is what games this generation seemed limited by the hardware. The controlled, highly linear action game certainly wasn't, whether we are talking DMC-style brawlers or COD-style shooters (first vs third person is merely cosmetic). As of this generation, hardware no longer meaningfully limits what you can do with that style of game, the same way 2D platformers haven't been meaningfully limited by hardware since the late 1990s.

Where I see limits cropping up are:

1. Open-world games. 512 MB of RAM is clearly a huge constraint. They're clearly a lot better than they were last gen (compare Just Cause 2 to JC1, GTA4 to GTA3, or Skyrim to Morrowind on the OXbox), but this is a genre that would clearly benefit from a couple more gigs of RAM (IMO far more than it would benefit from more fillrate or CPU power).

2. Destructible environments. You saw some realization of it this gen. I mean the difference between the Battlefield games this gen and Red Faction last gen is like the difference between Super Mario Bros and Pitfall, or the difference between Doom and Wolf3D. But much like Doom and SMB, there are clearly a lot of things that aren't happening and could be happening.

3. Physics are happening a lot more, but the models are pretty low-fidelity, and it shows at times. Solid body physics can still be pretty goofy on current gen consoles, and we're still decades away from accurate fluid physics happening in real-time (just finished my dissertation in computational fluids, so feel free to ask me if you want to know more).

4. Large-scale multiplayer games. If you want to see the limits of current-gen consoles, play MAG, Resistance 2, or any version of Battlefield. There are clear tradeoffs among how many players a game supports, how much cool stuff the game can do, and how pretty the graphics are. MAG has 256 players, awful graphics, and not much in the way of physics or vehicles. Resistance 2 had 64 players and (for the time) decent graphics, but not much in the way of anything besides just running around and shooting each other. Battlefield games have good graphics, cool vehicles and physics, and only 24 players. I suspect 90% of the issue here is RAM, but someone who knows more could explain what the deal is.

 

[fehu]

Shadows
AA
Textures
AO
GI
viewing distance
AI
texture quality
framerate (not just 60, but stable)
input latency
transparencies
crowd simulations/models
clipping
cloth simulation
animation
resolution
motion blur

I have some problem to express myself clearly in english :S
Those are all graphic related improvement, and i was asking what other aspect will get a tangible increase.
AI and physic are what I hope, but I have the sensation that dev don't care of them

 

[XpiderMX]

I have some problem to express myself clearly in english :S
Those are all graphic related improvement, and i was asking what other aspect will get a tangible increase.
AI and physic are what I hope, but I have the sensation that dev don't care of them

Well, aside graphics I hope we will see improvements on physics, on animations (body and facial), better object collition, more and more npc (with better AI), better and richer enviroments (more "lifelike"), more ingame options (recording gameplay and send it to youtube, taking screenshots, etc).

 

[schmuck]

I dont understand this type of talk.

I think there are so many thing that look out right terrible today.

hands on real things like:

hair that look and flow like real hair.
eyes that dont look dead or stare like a junkie
trees that dont look mashed paper cut outs.
why not lush forests of trees that dont look like mashed papercut.
fucking realistic grass
clothes that dont like like they are glued to the body.

and so on..

 

[LightHeaven]

I would really like to have the game more simulated... Like everything from player actions (the buttons would represent context actions like legs, hands etc) and the character reacts to the environment and the context action you chose (that is, provided, you used them in the right time and in a possible context for that to be used)...

For instance, if you are fighting an enemy and you are close to a wall, you could run towards it, use the leg context button, and the character would backflip, or use the wall as a propeller to a jump kick, all according to the situation... Or perhaps if there's no space he would just fall while trying to put that off..

Or in a closed combat system, instead of having a simple block button, you would have to chose the right hand, or leg to defend, in the correct time, otherwise you would fail... And of course, with proper hit impact and correct animations... The punches and kicks would also be context adjusted (there's no point in punching the air if your opponent is crouched, or punch the air, because the enemy dodged a blow, and your char just continues the combo punching the air)...

Yeah... i know these sort of thing are ages away, but a boy can dream

 

[Rodéric]

UI and controls are still weak, animations and physics too.
The first two aren't a power problem, it's rather a lack of people knowing how to do it. I've rarely encountered designers which read design manuals (there are many of them).
Animation is a coding and art problem, transitions are tricky, I.K. (Inverse Kinematics) are tricky to get right, interactions with physics may also be a problem. (One reason physics engines now tends to integrate animations.)
As for physics, I'm not too sure as I never really spent a lot of time on the topic, I would guess it's both difficult to get a solid simulation (floating point issues comes to mind), and they don't have a high CPU budget either

Graphics are good, I'm fine with Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda Skyward Sword, and Battlefield 3. (I assume next gen will run it just fine.)

[Get rid of photorealism, it's boring, I just have to look around to see much better Get visual arts back !]