Ratchet and Clank PS3 - High Resolution screens

[DJ12]

New screens, over at AVS, taken from Insomniac's forums.

Look everyone, shadows under just about everything

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Look everyone, shadows under just about everything

Actually I was thinking what they need is a soft shadow fake to be added under the currently non-shadowed entites. Looking at things like the shields and grass, there's no shadow which has the composition fault of making things look unconnected. The vegetation just looks pasted on after the fact. All it'd take is a darkening underneath all objects to help ground them, without having to calculate proper shadows. I think. Certainly the dayglow leaves without any shadowing jars with me. And the weed just looks like some flat green scribbling. Those are my only complaints, and a fix there would be perfect.

 

[dantruon]

Actually I was thinking what they need is a soft shadow fake to be added under the currently non-shadowed entites. Looking at things like the shields and grass, there's no shadow which has the composition fault of making things look unconnected. The vegetation just looks pasted on after the fact. All it'd take is a darkening underneath all objects to help ground them, without having to calculate proper shadows. I think. Certainly the dayglow leaves without any shadowing jars with me. And the weed just looks like some flat green scribbling. Those are my only complaints, and a fix there would be perfect.

you one hard man to please ! but then i agree with you about the shadow though.

anyway Rachet's model looks out of this world.

 

[Farid]

Actually I was thinking what they need is a soft shadow fake to be added under the currently non-shadowed entites.

I agree that more lightmaps, if not occlusion/radiance transfer maps, would overhaul the "lighting quality" of the game by a large amount.

 

[Nesh]

Actually I was thinking what they need is a soft shadow fake to be added under the currently non-shadowed entites. Looking at things like the shields and grass, there's no shadow which has the composition fault of making things look unconnected. The vegetation just looks pasted on after the fact. All it'd take is a darkening underneath all objects to help ground them, without having to calculate proper shadows. I think. Certainly the dayglow leaves without any shadowing jars with me. And the weed just looks like some flat green scribbling. Those are my only complaints, and a fix there would be perfect.

Its weird that in some screenshots the same objects have shadows underneath them while in others they dont

 

[luke76]

Its weird that in some screenshots the same objects have shadows underneath them while in others they dont

Screenshots taken from different builds ?

 

[NERO]

I was reading the EGM article (again) and noticed that the dev was touting enemy-on-screen numbers. He mentioned how on the PS2 they could generate (I forget the exact numbers) 12 enemies on screen while the PS3 could generate 18. I understand that there is more detail involved, but with the talk of Heavenly Swords numbers and the vast jump in tech, I am not impressed. Could someone advise on this?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I was reading the EGM article (again) and noticed that the dev was touting enemy-on-screen numbers. He mentioned how on the PS2 they could generate (I forget the exact numbers) 12 enemies on screen while the PS3 could generate 18. I understand that there is more detail involved, but with the talk of Heavenly Swords numbers and the vast jump in tech, I am not impressed. Could someone advise on this?

In VF5, they were unable to get more than even 2 fighters on screen. How rubbish is that?! Or...the genre defines the numbers of enemies. If you're not having huge army battles, there's no need for masses of foes. If 18 is considered the number that makes for the best gameplay experience, that's the number you go with. If in playing the game it feels sparse and lacking content, then we can say the game engine isn't pushing enemy numbers enough. Until then, it's just a design decision more than anything.

 

[NERO]

In VF5, they were unable to get more than even 2 fighters on screen... Until then, it's just a design decision more than anything.

I see. I guess I read it as a system limitation instead of a design decision. It just struck me as odd, especially EGM not delving deeper into the statement.

 

[ManuVlad3.0]

PSU interviews Insomniac.

 

[almighty]

I was reading the EGM article (again) and noticed that the dev was touting enemy-on-screen numbers. He mentioned how on the PS2 they could generate (I forget the exact numbers) 12 enemies on screen while the PS3 could generate 18. I understand that there is more detail involved, but with the talk of Heavenly Swords numbers and the vast jump in tech, I am not impressed. Could someone advise on this?

Yes but in what context do they meen 18 enemies on PS3? 18 completely different models with completely independant AI routines VS 12 completely the same models on PS2 that share the same AI?

 

[Arwin]

PSU interviews Insomniac.

It's coming out this fall.

As expected, but still

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I see. I guess I read it as a system limitation instead of a design decision.

It'll never be a system limitation, or always be a system limit, depending on which way you want to look at it. However, you can't say "PS3 can only handle 18 enemies at once! The system is limited"! The number of characters is a factor of detail, variety, abilities, etc. Insomniac could, if they chose, create a RnC with 1000 enemies at once, just as HS can. But it'd be different enemies within a different game. For what they are doing, they set the enemy at standard XYZ in terms of detail, animation, AI, gameplay, etc., and decided upon 18 of them being the limit. They then use the PS3's resources to create that design along with all the rest of the game. Perhaps at one point the sat around a desk (or pub) and considered scenery at half the detail and having 40 enemies at once? That's not the design they settled on.

It's all a balancing act of system resources. Focussing on a single metric like 'number of characters on screen at once' isn't going to give you any insight into the abilities of a machine, either in absolute terms, or relative to its predecessor.

 

[Gamington]

Those dont look like game play shots they look like the usual glam shots that companies love to show and people love to look at but seldom does the game look that good.

 

[almighty]

Those dont look like game play shots they look like the usual glam shots that companies love to show and people love to look at but seldom does the game look that good.

I sugest you watch the trailer before you start saying the game wont look that good

 

[Titanio]

IGN has an interview and two new screenshots, in the run-up to the Gamers' Day event next week. Sounds like it might be playable there, along with a presentation.

IGN: With Sony's Gamers Day coming up next week, the time is nigh. This will be Ratchet's "coming out" party. What do you guys have in store for the show and what are you going to focus on?

Allgeier: We're excited to share a work-in-progress glimpse into Tools of Destruction at Gamer's Day. We're going to talk about our vision for the next-generation of the franchise and why it involves dancing centipedes. We're also going to show examples during gameplay of ways we're trying to make Ratchet Future the most vivid and vibrant Ratchet and Clank game yet. As for specifics, we'll be revealing a new weapon and gadget, along with a new level.

IGN: How long will the demo be and which section of the game is it taken from?

Allgeier: The presentation will be relatively short, though we'll also be showing new content in the Arcade afterwards. The gameplay shown in the presentation will be from Kerchu City, which occurs roughly 2/3 the way through the game. The new level occurs toward the game's onset.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/787/787565p1.html

 

[Arwin]

These shots are starting to impress me!

 

[xmu]

Ok the old ones were great but especially the first shot (to my hungover red eyes) gets so many things right. Brilliant!

 

[Mr. Domino]

Judging by those screen you'd think the game could be shipping tomorrow but they still have +- half a year to further improve the game.

 

[scooby_dooby]

Best looking game I've seen so far, this is what next gen GFX are all about.