Killzone 2 pre-release discussion thread

[Shifty Geezer]

I watched a Eurogamer gameplay vid yesterday. There is the *pip* *pip* *pip* of grenades, and a synthetic sound - not a screech or whine - that I understood was the ammo running low. Personally I didn't find it at all disconcerting, as it's a sound to inform the troops, and you'd want it to be different and stand out. It's like all the bleeps and boops that abound with button presses.

 

[tha_con]

I played some more last night, and I'm still torn on a few things, but overall it's pretty enjoyable.

I'm noticing some slow down in area's, but in other areas of much much more activity there is none, perhaps it's just the net code?

 

[JardeL]

Do you really believe KZ2 uses only 4 of 6 SPUs available ?..

 

[Mize]

Id rather have it not make a sound until your empty.

That way i can take advantage of all the morons who dont reload after every encounter.

I dont get that, so many times i see people in CoD4 firing of half a clip off, and even if there is no danger around, they dont reload and go into fights with half the ammo.

i allways reload after ive shot somebody (if its safe) even if i just fired 1 round. Why be at any disadvantage..

This, of course, lacks realism. In games you toss the old clip and put in the new and don't lose that half-clip of bullets. In reality to do that you'd have to load a half-clip which can't be done in the typical 1-2 seconds of an ammo-up in the average FPS.

 

[Betanumerical]

Do you really believe KZ2 uses only 4 of 6 SPUs available ?..

In the PDF detailing what they were doing it only showed use of 4 SPE's.

http://www.guerrilla-games.com/publications/dr_kz2_rsx_dev07.pdf

Page 52.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

This, of course, lacks realism. In games you toss the old clip and put in the new and don't lose that half-clip of bullets. In reality to do that you'd have to load a half-clip which can't be done in the typical 1-2 seconds of an ammo-up in the average FPS.

Of course. Some games however have real clips. The player keeps the clip (animation that he puts it down into his thing) and puts in a new one. If you reload enough times you run into old clips again that are half empty etc.

Originial R6 had this, dunno about now.

Do you really believe KZ2 uses only 4 of 6 SPUs available ?..

Its not like amount of SPU's being used has anything to do with graphics for the most part, sure why not.

 

[tha_con]

I'm sure they could offload some things tied to graphics to SPUs in one way or another, and probably are, it's not uncommon.

Though, I would prefer they use the "remaining" 2 SPUs (if it is so) to beef up their physics model. I'd say AI, but I remember reading somewhere that SPU's on their own aren't very profecient with AI.

 

[obonicus]

Of course. Some games however have real clips. The player keeps the clip (animation that he puts it down into his thing) and puts in a new one. If you reload enough times you run into old clips again that are half empty etc.

Originial R6 had this, dunno about now.

I've been trying to remember a game I played recently that had this, maybe it was R6V2. Some other game I played recently didn't save half-empty clips/magazines, reloading would mean you tossed out the half-empty magazine. I sorta like that better if it's a game with ammo restock.

 

[DJ12]

The edge tools (that Killzone uses) have a lot to do with graphics.

In fact from my limited understanding off it, that's exactly what it is, a tool set that does as many things on the SPUs so that RSX has more time to do other things.

I think somewhere around here is a slide that shows how much benefit you get from using a different number of SPUs (but I maybe confusing this with some physics thing that has also just popped into my head)

 

[Mize]

I've been trying to remember a game I played recently that had this, maybe it was R6V2. Some other game I played recently didn't save half-empty clips/magazines, reloading would mean you tossed out the half-empty magazine. I sorta like that better if it's a game with ammo restock.

Nah, not R6V2 since I just finished that a few weeks back. Maybe GRAW? (which remains unopened)

 

[JardeL]

Is DeanA around ?.. I'd like to read his comments on SPU case , if it is not under NDA ... If I'm not mistaken he is in the ICE team , one way or another ...

 

[Cheezdoodles]

I think somewhere around here is a slide that shows how much benefit you get from using a different number of SPUs (but I maybe confusing this with some physics thing that has also just popped into my head)

Your confusing things.

You cannot make some slider that shows how much you benefit from SPU's in graphics, as that is different for every kind of effect you render. Im pretty sure your thinking of the havoc physics slide or whatever it was that showed how much faster SPU's where at running their physics engine.

Can anyone in the beta comment on how much ammo you get per spawn?

I hate it when games give you just 2 clips, 2 clips is nothing in games that has respawns.

 

[RobertR1]

Is there a Hardcore mode like CoD4?

 

[Betanumerical]

The edge tools (that Killzone uses) have a lot to do with graphics.

In fact from my limited understanding off it, that's exactly what it is, a tool set that does as many things on the SPUs so that RSX has more time to do other things.

I think somewhere around here is a slide that shows how much benefit you get from using a different number of SPUs (but I maybe confusing this with some physics thing that has also just popped into my head)

I remember seeing the slides too, i think they were based on the getaway tech demo, had stuff like compression, culling and skinning numbers per SPU.

 

[warb]

In the PDF detailing what they were doing it only showed use of 4 SPE's.

http://www.guerrilla-games.com/publications/dr_kz2_rsx_dev07.pdf

Page 52.

But that looks like a presentation on "Deferred Rendering in Killzone 2", and SPU usage "during rendering".

Maybe SPUs are also put to use for other things that aren't relevant to deferred rendering.

 

[Betanumerical]

But that looks like a presentation on "Deferred Rendering in Killzone 2", and SPU usage "during rendering".

Maybe SPUs are also put to use for other things that aren't relevant to deferred rendering.

So why do they say that physics and AI are done on the PPE in that graph then

 

[Kittonwy]

Is there a Hardcore mode like CoD4?

Not sure why anyone would want one hit kills, the damage is perfectly balanced at this point, you can turn off the hud.

 

[RobertR1]

Not sure why anyone would want one hit kills, the damage is perfectly balanced at this point, you can turn off the hud.

Hopefully there's an open beta to see how well it stacks up with hardcore, if there isn't such a mode. I don't see the fun in turning off the HUD if other have the option to keep it on. The point of hardcore is that you don't get the option to have things on/off. Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a CoD4 vs thread so I'll just wait until I can get to play and decide off that. Was just curious.

 

[tha_con]

Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a CoD4 vs thread so I'll just wait until I can get to play and decide off that. Was just curious.

Why? The game essentially FEELS and PLAYS like CoD4 with more weight.

CoD4 players with the (basically) CoD4 control scheme (alternate 2 I think?) will feel right at home. Add in an EXP pop up and you've got CoD4 (only significantly better looking).

IMO, of course. I will probably pick this game up for SP, but no way am I going to invest any significant amount of time into the MP, it's just not really that fun and has all the same BS that CoD4 had that turned me away from that.

Edit: To be clear for Ostepop, since he was so passionate in his response, I think both this and CoD4 are extremely similar in their multiplayer, neither of which I like, and I am not saying one is better than the other. THey both feel extremely similar.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

FFS. Thacon, cant you comprehend that RobertR1 likes Hardcore mode, and he was simply wondering if it was similar to that.

You dont have to explain how KZ2 is much better blah blah blah, Robert likes hardcore mode, he was wondering about that.. Instead of answering his question, you come down with random babble about KZ2 superiority.

Just like when people like something different in the R2 thread, you come down with some babble about why we really should essentially change our tastes.

I can understand him liking hardcore mode, the radar dots upon firing a gun in CoD4 is silly imo, aspecially if you have a trained eye for looking at the radar while playing a FPS game. It makes all guns without siliencers worthless because good players will track you down and kill you based on those things. I know all i do in deathmatch type games in CoD4 is just run after the red dots and kill people.