Shadowrun "High Capacity Particle System" discussed in latest developer blog.

[Brimstone]

The latest blog entry discusses the "particle systems" FASA developed for Shadowrun. In paticular the newest one designed after E3 and how it enchances the graphics in the game. The one used during e3, pixelstorm, was a carry-over from Mechwarrior 4. They use both particle systems for the game, it just depends which one suits their needs.

To just highlight how awesome the particle effects are, the guy from Slashdot in paticular was blown away by how striking the game looks compared to E3. A lot of this seems to stem from the particle system.

Complaints were leveled at FASA last E3 for the game's looks, and it is now easy to say that graphics are no longer a problem. The game looked phenomenal both on a Vista PC and the 360. Lighting especially gave the crooked alleys and byways of the maps a dramatic tone. Seeing another character teleport, or the growth of the 'tree of life' healing spell, is quite striking the first few times.

These graphical impressions were from GDC. Obviously the new particle system is paying off.

http://games.slashdot.org/games/07/03/09/1726246.shtml


With that I'll segue into some highlights from the blog.

Walking out of E3, after looking at the gaming state of the art, we knew that wouldn’t be enough. Since we couldn’t get more CPU cycles, another approach was needed. We went back to our roots.

...

HCPS is designed as the ideological counterpoint to PixelStorm: where PixelStorm is extremely flexible at the cost of performance, HCPS does one or two things, but does them very well. In the case of HCPS, we wanted to cover the common case usage of PixelStorm – that is, camera-facing particles or “sprites†with very simple movement and no environment interaction – and make displaying them use almost no CPU time.

To accomplish this, HCPS is designed to do almost all of its computation on the graphics unit, using advanced HLSL shaders. Prior to the Xbox 360 and the most recent generation of PC graphics cards, video hardware was good at rendering, but didn’t really have the decision-making capacity to simulate large numbers of particles flying around the world. With Shader Model 2 and Shader Model 3, this simulation can be almost completely accomplished on the graphics card, freeing the CPU up to do other things.

...

Within those constraints, however, HCPS is rather powerful; it renders using about 1/30th the CPU that is required for the equivalent system in PixelStorm. More to the point, for the same amount of CPU effects budget, HCPS can render thirty times more particles. So a particle system (say, an explosion effect) that used to support four hundred particles in the world per frame now supports 12,000 particles for the same cost.

...

Here’s a list of in-game effects that we never would have dreamed of before HCPS:


The elemental minion is now covered with a drippy, distorted ethereal magic fire – he even drools and spits fire when he’s angry.

Players who are critically hit by katana attacks stream gouts of particle-based arterial blood spray while they scream their heads off.

Resurrected players receive showers of “life force†particles from their teammates who brought them back to life.

Every leaf on the Tree of Life spell is simulated using falling particles

http://blogs.ign.com/FASA_Studio/2007/03/16/49435/

 

[_phil_]

Is this what is called stateless GPU particles ? if so ,it's pretty well known tech....

 

[chris100]

Shadowrun has great graphic and unique art style,but only few people want to discuss them.

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/767/767075/shadowrun-next-gen-20070222065946166.jpg
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/767/767075/shadowrun-next-gen-20070222070009071.jpg

 

[Brimstone]

FASA updated information on the summon minion spell and included a few new screenshots on the website. Or at least I hadn't seen these screenshots before. Minions should be a good example of the particle system at work.

http://shadowrun.com/gameguides/magic/summon.htm

 

[almighty]

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/767/767075/shadowrun-next-gen-20070222065946166.jpg

Does'nt seem special to me to in the GFX department, textures are nothing special either.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

FASA updated information on the summon minion spell and included a few new screenshots on the website. Or at least I hadn't seen these screenshots before. Minions should be a good example of the particle system at work.

http://shadowrun.com/gameguides/magic/summon.htm

I dont see anything amazing in those shots

 

[Platon]

I can imagine that their engine is great and that they can do a lot of tricks, unfortunetly it just doesn't show in the game, I don't know if it is because of the art or because it will be an online multiplayer and they keep things simple, but impressive it is really not...

 

[Rainbow Man]

I'm amazed nobody's complained yet about the lack of (environment) shadows in these shots. Must be because it's not a PS3 game.

I know very little about this title. The summoned monsters (demons?) look quite interesting. I love in-game pets. Ecxept those in black and white maybe because they were more work than anything else to deal with..

If it's multiplayer only though I think I'll pass. I prefer campaign type gaems.
Peace.

 

[AlNom]

I can imagine that their engine is great and that they can do a lot of tricks, unfortunetly it just doesn't show in the game, I don't know if it is because of the art or because it will be an online multiplayer and they keep things simple, but impressive it is really not...

It may be due to their wanting to keep a solid 60fps with all the players on screen. The potential is there. The models are pretty high poly.

If it's multiplayer only though I think I'll pass. I prefer campaign type games.

Then I suppose you'll have to pass. It's multiplayer only, and there is no real single player ladder ala UT2k4. There are only 9 multiplayer maps.

 

[scooby_dooby]

Must be because it's not a PS3 game.

Must be cause no-one really cares about this game... (no offense brimstone! )

 

[Acert93]

I'm amazed nobody's complained yet about the lack of (environment) shadows in these shots. Must be because it's not a PS3 game.

No, you only missed the slamfest by 9 months. Seeing as only a handful of people even care and the rest of us got out all our points moons ago there is no point discussing it. I won't even waste my time now discussing the title. If it plays well we can talk later, but the beta users I know don't seem to think so.

 

[blakjedi]

This game should have been a modern day Assassins Creed on steriods... oh well..

 

[Brimstone]

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/767/767075/shadowrun-next-gen-20070222065946166.jpg

Does'nt seem special to me to in the GFX department, textures are nothing special either.

Crysis

http://blog.fyrfli.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/crysis-20060508022306999.jpg

Shadowrun

http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1483/full-res/1173711780.jpg


Crysis will require a cutting edge PC and as a result will have an edge visually, but I see Shadowrun hanging in just fine despite PC's having a vast ocean of RAM.


People that would like an alternitive to Halo's "run and gun" gameplay and desire a more tacticle game style similar to Counter-Strike will have an intrest in Shadowrun.

 

[Rainbow Man]

If it plays well we can talk later, but the beta users I know don't seem to think so.

Oh well that sucks then.

So what is the gameplay like anyeway?
(If you don't want to discuss the game someone else can answer in youtr stead! )

If players can summon demon-like pets it makes me think it's kind of swords and sorcery-like? Or do you have guns also maybe? I guess there's an official website and movies on youtube and stuff but it's more fun to ask here than to go on a romp across the web to find info hee he.

Peace.

 

[Brimstone]

Oh well that sucks then.

So what is the gameplay like anyeway?
(If you don't want to discuss the game someone else can answer in youtr stead! )

If players can summon demon-like pets it makes me think it's kind of swords and sorcery-like? Or do you have guns also maybe? I guess there's an official website and movies on youtube and stuff but it's more fun to ask here than to go on a romp across the web to find info hee he.

Peace.

Yes you can cast spells.

Basicly you have 3 slots where you can assign either a spell or technology.

Left Trigger
Left Bumper
Right Bumper

Right Trigger always fires your gun.


Spells cost essence to cast. You have an essence meter that shows how many magic points you have.

Technology takes away from you permanent amount of essece. So if you equip with a lot of technology powers, you become more cyborg-like but you don't have many magic points to cast spells.

So you balance technology and magic or you can just cocentrate on one of these areas.

 

[cthellis42]

Must be cause no-one really cares about this game... (no offense brimstone! )

Ain't that the truth. Notice all the qualitative comparisons of Bullet Witch!

Though, amusingly, I'd have a better opinion of it as a game if I didn't consider it a horrible application of the Shadowrun license.

 

[Rainbow Man]

Technology takes away from you permanent amount of essece. So if you equip with a lot of technology powers, you become more cyborg-like but you don't have many magic points to cast spells.

That sounds very cool. On paper anyway.
Is there anything in particular the devs seem to have screwed up?

I seem to remember the mix of magic and technology from some kind of adventure game that came out in the past. You started at a crashed airship or somesuch. Of course that could have been something completely different. Gaems borrow all kinds of stuff from other games.

I suppose it's just plain EASIER to make online-only shooting games. No need to invent a plot or quests or make huge sprawling vistas and lots of monsters to squish and loot to gather etc.

Though the super long development cycle of some online shooters (Quake Wars, UT07 etc) kind of speak against this theory also.

Who can say for sure. Maybe the reason some online games take a long time is largely because of limited manpower.
Peace.

 

[whatever7]

My only interest to this game is how much better (or worse) it will do compare to Pinata sales.

 

[Sis]

My only interest to this game is how much better (or worse) it will do compare to Pinata sales.

I thought Pinata sales were doing ok with supposedly lasting sales (though obviously not the break-out you'd hope). Didn't Animal Crossing have long legs? Anyway, I would compare this game more to something like Prey or Quake 4. If it doesn't do as good as those, then something went wrong.