Silent hill 3 WTF!!!

[DeanoC]

That's another thing I was going to ask you. Load times in SH2 were really short between the rooms: 3, 4, 5 seconds or so. What do you think it loads during that time? It obviously doesn't replace the whole 32MBs of memory...

I figure DeanoC could better answer that question for SH2 specifically, given his inside knowledge?

I'll try, SH2 streams alot of data using a multi-threaded IO loader. All data is pre-processed into the target platform format, so its mainly actual disk time your seeing. No code is loaded per level/room just graphics data. Faf's assumptions are about right, it trys to keep characters in memory (XBox and PC also hold some other objects always loaded). Things like enviroment map aren't loaded every time.

It was trying to give a subtle hint about there probably are non-PS2 versions of SH3

I thought the game might be released one day on PC, much like SH2 did (after all, SH3 trailer was on the SH2 PC disk) but the screens released so far are all obviously from the PS2 version. For example, you can spot vertex lighting in places, which PC version of SH2 didn't have. Konami often releases high res screens of their PS2 games, that is nothing new. What really interests me is if there is going to be an Xbox version, especially after all the claims from Konami that they will not develop any more for it (in Japan, that is). I'd hate to buy a game that comes out sooner, only to find out few months later that the version for Xbox is coming, and will have additional scenarios or something like that.

As of six months ago, there were early proof of concepts on several platforms, whether they will ever be made I can't say.

Actually SH2 does use vertex lighting in some places(all versions including XBox and PC). I'm glad you can't notice the vertex lighting on the PC version, but we use it I assure you.

The game basically has 2 types of objects, the world enviroment and characters (though its used for lots of things that aren't 'characters' (like cars) ). The world uses a complex pixel shader light model where availible (XBox and decent PC's), it has per-pixel specular exponent, per-pixel spot-light and a few other goodies. The characters have a different specular (env map style) but no per-pixel lighting, all lighting is done via vertex lighting (vertex shader if you have hardware or fixed function if your don't)

All characters on all versions use vertex lighting. If you look very closely at the enemys at the edge of the spot-light, you will notice it 'pop' the same on all 3 versions.

 

[marconelly!]

As of six months ago, there were early proof of concepts on several platforms, whether they will ever be made I can't say.

Do you have any estimation when could we hear about any of those versions, if they indeed exist? I know it took them really long time to make SH3 for PS2 (it's completed now, just not released), so if they started concepts for those ports just several months ago, it might take quite some time? Or not?

Actually SH2 does use vertex lighting in some places(all versions including XBox and PC). I'm glad you can't notice the vertex lighting on the PC version, but we use it I assure you.

Ah, interesting. Anyways, I'm still sure those shots released so far are all from PS2, as the vertex lighting is visible in places where pixel ligting was used on PC/Xbox version (floors and walls, basically)

 

[DeanoC]

As of six months ago, there were early proof of concepts on several platforms, whether they will ever be made I can't say.

Do you have any estimation when could we hear about any of those versions, if they indeed exist? I know it took them really long time to make SH3 for PS2 (it's completed now, just not released), so if they started concepts for those ports just several months ago, it might take quite some time? Or not?

A conversion would likely take between 6 to 9 months from a completed game. If they did the conversion at the same time as making the lead version, they could (in theory) be released at the same time. I do know they hadn't decided (6 months) wether to do any PC version internally or externally (which is why I know anything...), so I can presume that any PC version that had at that time wasn't very far along.

And of course if sales of the ports of SH2 were rubbish, any work they had done on SH3 could have been scrapped.

Actually SH2 does use vertex lighting in some places(all versions including XBox and PC). I'm glad you can't notice the vertex lighting on the PC version, but we use it I assure you.

Ah, interesting. Anyways, I'm still sure those shots released so far are all from PS2, as the vertex lighting is visible in places where pixel ligting was used on PC/Xbox version (floors and walls, basically)

Your probably right, but it wouldn't be that unusual for a early PC version to be using the same method as the PS2. Or they could be using a crap PC video card (we fell back to world vertex lighting for some cards)

 

[Fafalada]

right, faf, what always made me wonder, is.... if 5 secs is enough to fill up almost 32megs of memory, then why on earth do we have some games that take AGES to load???really, i just don't get it..... some games are in the order of 30 seconds, which in theory would be enough to fill up more than 100Mb of memory..........

Actually I have experienced games with load times of 1 minute and more. Not only on console either, but on PCs with hdds Much faster then any optical drive could be.
To answer the question - as I've said before (maybe not on this board, but anyway), loading times are one of those things that really are almost entirely up to the developer.
People credit different things to hardware vs. developer effort, and really, load times in current console hw are one thing where by far the most credit should be given to the effort from devs - hardware is rarely the limiting factor.

Your probably right, but it wouldn't be that unusual for a early PC version to be using the same method as the PS2. Or they could be using a crap PC video card (we fell back to world vertex lighting for some cards)

I just thought I'd point this though - going through the hoops of releasing touched up highres screens, you'd want to use the build with most up to date CG. Now if the planned multiplatform versions would be very close together, I could see another version being very up-to-date feature wise, but I kinda doubt it if it was planned with 6-9months gap.
I mean, we have PC version of our code running too, but it's lacking a lot of graphical touches simply because there's no need for them at this point in time.

 

[jvd]

game looks good , if it gets good reviews i might just have to pick it up .

 

[marconelly!]

DeanoC, thanks for your answers. I guess I'll wait few months after the PS2 version is out and see what happens. Then again, if the soundtrack with game purchase offer is time limited, I'll have to buy PS2 version still

Btw, those high res screens have started appearing almost a year ago, so there's pretty much no chance they are from the PC version

Faf, does that mean at one point in future a PC version of your racer might be in cards?

 

[Fafalada]

Marc, not to my knowledge.
PC stuff main purpose was to help debug/development, particularly early on when PS2 tools were sorely lacking.

 

[DeanoC]

DeanoC, thanks for your answers. I guess I'll wait few months after the PS2 version is out and see what happens. Then again, if the soundtrack with game purchase offer is time limited, I'll have to buy PS2 version still

The PC version of SH2 almost had the soundtrack CD with it, but the deal fell through at the last minute (The Konami soundtrack people are a different company than Konami game people, they couldn't agree royalty terms ). Quite alot of sizeing (amount of CDs) were based on the 3rd CD being mostly used for the CD soundtrack.

Btw, those high res screens have started appearing almost a year ago, so there's pretty much no chance they are from the PC version

I know, I was just playing devils advocate I have no doubt that the PS2 version is completely seperate from any other version. Having seen the way KOJ coded SH2, they made it as a single platform game with almost no consideration for easy porting (which is why they push the PS2 so hard). I'd imagine they are doing the same for SH3

 

[ChryZ]

new 120sec trailer:

http://mms.gpara.com/silenthill3/sh3.wmv

including bleeding-walls/floor-animated-textures sfx

 

[chaphack]

Maybe it is the poor video compression, but am i seeing more polygon edges now?

 

[ChryZ]

Maybe it is the poor video compression, but am i seeing more polygon edges now?

The movie is 320 x 240 ... not really the PS2 rez and additionally it runs in a big black frame , resizing/smoothing the movie even more.

Guess you see what you want to see.

 

[London Geezer]

not working


EDIT: yeah it is working now...

 

[marconelly!]

Maybe it is the poor video compression, but am i seeing more polygon edges now?

That would be weird, because 90% of the trailer consists of video material pasted over from the old videos.

 

[Echarin]

Forget the realistic characters and shadows, check the candle lights!!! That's the best real time candle light I've ever seen in a game!

 

[chaphack]

Maybe it is the poor video compression, but am i seeing more polygon edges now?

That would be weird, because 90% of the trailer consists of video material pasted over from the old videos.

Must be too much stationery hires screens. The edges are not that killAr, but pretty evident in motion. Candle lights are nice.

 

[London Geezer]

Maybe it is the poor video compression, but am i seeing more polygon edges now?

That would be weird, because 90% of the trailer consists of video material pasted over from the old videos.

Must be too much stationery hires screens. The edges are not that killAr, but pretty evident in motion. Candle lights are nice.

i must be the only one to see the video in such a blurry low-res mess i can't really see edges and such.... what u can see though is the animation, which is unbelievable...

 

[ChryZ]

nice preview with developer interview quotes, including hint of the possibility of other platform ports

http://www.gamers.com/game/1160959/previews

 

[ChryZ]

some new shots (new outfit and flame-thrower ... sweet ):

 

[Echarin]

Ooooooh, she looks even sexier with that new outfit.

The flamethrower looks good, too.

 

[zurich]

I hope too much of the gameplay doesn't revolve around action.