The Technology of GTA IV/RDR *Rage Engine*

[SG79]

Let's not get carried away here. Yeah, 60Hz would be nice with every game but that doesn't make 30Hz less adequate for gameplay unless it's a fighter or combat-centric action like DMC because of control responsiveness.

With every single generation, developers have always striven to better the graphics, and that never changed. In fact, all of the top tier 3D games in previous console generations have been 30Hz. The PS2 may have had the largest number of 60Hz games, but the large majority of them had consistency issues. But consistency has always been an issue on consoles. It's just we didn't have people analyzing the games to the teeth before I'm pretty sure a few games, especially on the PS2, were sub-SD.

With games like RDR, atmosphere plays a great role so 30Hz was naturally the way to go. Add horror games, which were always 30Hz, even with pre-rendered backgrounds.

 

[Cyan]

Let's not get carried away here. Yeah, 60Hz would be nice with every game but that doesn't make 30Hz less adequate for gameplay unless it's a fighter or combat-centric action like DMC because of control responsiveness.

With every single generation, developers have always striven to better the graphics, and that never changed. In fact, all of the top tier 3D games in previous console generations have been 30Hz. The PS2 may have had the largest number of 60Hz games, but the large majority of them had consistency issues. But consistency has always been an issue on consoles. It's just we didn't have people analyzing the games to the teeth before I'm pretty sure a few games, especially on the PS2, were sub-SD.

With games like RDR, atmosphere plays a great role so 30Hz was naturally the way to go. Add horror games, which were always 30Hz, even with pre-rendered backgrounds.

There are games that can only look great at 30 Hz - like let's say Doom 4 - and I find fun to play them. 30 fps don't bother me, disturb me, make me awkward in any way as long as it does not involve me noticing the twitchy framerate and getting sick of it.

There are a lot of 60 fps games that somehow managed to look great. Some examples are Burnout 3 and its amazing sensation of speed -PS2 and Xbox-, Ninja Gaiden -Xbox-, and some others.

iD's game Rage looks incredible for a 60 fps game .

I think iD's approach is the most intelligent one. If you want maxed out games and jaw dropping graphics wait for Doom 4- :smile: And if you want great graphics for a 60 fps game then you have Rage, harnessing the power of the consoles this way.

30 fps are good enough for some genres or games ala Doom 4, which are about showing new tech. However. I remember assen's frustration with Tropico 3, for instance, given the fact he wanted 60 fps and it could be done with some more time.

I agree that PS2 had a lot of 60 fps games but nowadays it seems nobody cares and do very little effort to reach that goal.

Currently people like the ones behind DF articles do a better job, and a more painful one, getting their articles right than a lot of developers who just don't care about smoothness.

Some companies would do a better job with their developers knitting scarfs for themselves or their best friends than working on only 30 fps games.

 

[lordofthething]

Do you guys have any actual frame buffer screenshot of the actual resolution that Red Dead Redemption runs on the PS3?

What device is used to get the actual resolution and not the upscaled one?

 

[homerdog]

Do you guys have any actual frame buffer screenshot of the actual resolution that Red Dead Redemption runs on the PS3?

What device is used to get the actual resolution and not the upscaled one?

You can't do that (it will at least be upscaled to 720p or downscaled I suppose if you have an SDTV), but it's easy enough to figure the resolution on the 720p upscaled shots.

 

[Tap In]

Eurogamer looks at the lighting in time lapse

It's game engines as art, innit? In a week where Red Dead Redemption proved its sales dominance throughout the summer, with DLC announcements just yesterday, Digital Foundry set about completing its own RDR project: the world created by Rockstar San Diego, displayed via the beauty of time-lapse video.

 

[flynn]

Eurogamer looks at the lighting in time lapse

Correct link: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-red-dead-redemption-time-lapse

 

[Tap In]

Correct link: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-red-dead-redemption-time-lapse

woops thanks :smile:

 

[digitalwanderer]

how does the chrome 4 engine compare to this? I thought Call of Juarez 2 look pretty nice too.

Much better, it has working AA.

 

[AlNom]

Much better, it has working AA.

Console editions have AA

 

[Gitaroo]

found this

http://www.techland.pl/en/chromeengine4_leaflet.pdf

and a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY0xeCYFpI8

 

[AlNom]

Not exactly a reliable source of tech info Maybe you should ask grandmaster in the digital foundry thread instead of here though. Maybe we can get a good interview.

 

[lordofthething]

You can't do that (it will at least be upscaled to 720p or downscaled I suppose if you have an SDTV), but it's easy enough to figure the resolution on the 720p upscaled shots.

So how can we definitely conclude that it is indeed running at sub-HD resolution without an accurate video or frame buffer screenshot?

 

[AlNom]

*sigh*. yes. RDR is not 720p.

 

[N_B]

One of the stickied threads has information on how to determine that.