Uncharted 3

The textures are extremely detailed for a console mp and along with the beautiful lighting and everything all rendered at once, yeah it's quite an amazing feat.
Sure, the textures are nice but hardly "extremely detailed", specially considering it doesn't seem like they're using many layers, just color and normals. It's also just a single material (rock).

Lighting looks nice but it's just lightmapping.

What do you mean by "and everything"? What else is there that I'm missing?
 
Is there any reason to think ND have invented a fabulous realtime GI solution and not told anyone, considering they were happy to use prebaked lighting to the same effect in U2?
 
Is there any reason to think ND have invented a fabulous realtime GI solution and not told anyone, considering they were happy to use prebaked lighting to the same effect in U2?

Are there any PC games using real-time GI?

Is there a chance the next-gen could be capable of such games?
 
Is there any reason to think ND have invented a fabulous realtime GI solution and not told anyone, considering they were happy to use prebaked lighting to the same effect in U2?

The 'new' HDR + beam effects in unchy3 was introduced to Santa Monica Studio in GOW 3, how a sort of GI 'fake' effect simulated or something of similar when posted the pdf paper, time ago... I don't know If I have understood right.
 
Sure, the textures are nice but hardly "extremely detailed", specially considering it doesn't seem like they're using many layers, just color and normals. It's also just a single material (rock).

Lighting looks nice but it's just lightmapping.

What do you mean by "and everything"? What else is there that I'm missing?

Er, define your version of extremely detailed then on consoles of course. Also what other layers would you want for that kind of environment, you don't want specular shaders everywhere do you? You know if you don't see how nice the game looks then that's too bad for you that's all I can say.
 
Are there any PC games using real-time GI?

Is there a chance the next-gen could be capable of such games?

Crysis 2 uses realtime GI for the Sun on the PC. Thats all ! Stalker SOC had a realtime photon based GI implementation but it was turned off and was experimental. it could be turned on through console commands.
 
Sure, the textures are nice but hardly "extremely detailed", specially considering it doesn't seem like they're using many layers, just color and normals. It's also just a single material (rock).

Lighting looks nice but it's just lightmapping.

What do you mean by "and everything"? What else is there that I'm missing?

Well, They did use 7 layers when making Uncharted 1 :p ! But I am sure they were including multiple alpha based colour layers in it too, for moss, foliage on walls, grime, etc.

I am guessing they would stilll exist, but maybe not needed here.

As you say, I have always been curious why other games did not have lightmapped GI like this before? I mean its just a lightmap !!! Mirrors Edge had it done so well, but it is only now that we are seeing beautiful GI in Gears and Uncharted 3 ! What held them back? that is, if it is just a lightmap ;) !
 
Is there any reason to think ND have invented a fabulous realtime GI solution and not told anyone, considering they were happy to use prebaked lighting to the same effect in U2?

No, but all we really know is that the lighting looks nicer than Uncharted 2's. Calling it "just lightmapping" might be understating it.
 
I'd say calling it just lightmapping is the right thing to do until proven otherwise. Otherwise we'd never know much about any game because without absolute clarification, we could never be sure! "It's just normal mapping."
"Well it looks like it, but it might not be..." ;)
Unless there's an example of this lighting affecting characters or changing in realtime, it looks like prebaked lighting and that fits the expectations for current consoles and current tech.

I point you to this screeny and say the U3 pic referenced above isn't doing anything different:
http://ggeek.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/uncharted2-tibetan-village-3.jpg
 
I'd say calling it just lightmapping is the right thing to do until proven otherwise. Otherwise we'd never know much about any game because without absolute clarification, we could never be sure! "It's just normal mapping."
"Well it looks like it, but it might not be..." ;)
Unless there's an example of this lighting affecting characters or changing in realtime, it looks like prebaked lighting and that fits the expectations for current consoles and current tech.

I point you to this screeny and say the U3 pic referenced above isn't doing anything different:
http://ggeek.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/uncharted2-tibetan-village-3.jpg
Seeing that pic makes me think that ND have already reached the ceiling with Uncharted 2
 
I'd say calling it just lightmapping is the right thing to do until proven otherwise. Otherwise we'd never know much about any game because without absolute clarification, we could never be sure! "It's just normal mapping."
"Well it looks like it, but it might not be..." ;)
Unless there's an example of this lighting affecting characters or changing in realtime, it looks like prebaked lighting and that fits the expectations for current consoles and current tech.

I point you to this screeny and say the U3 pic referenced above isn't doing anything different:
http://ggeek.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/uncharted2-tibetan-village-3.jpg

Unchy3 MP has reached the quality of Unchy2 SP... not too bad. ;)
 
I've really come to respect pre-baked lighting, honestly. Between this and RAGE it really seems like the right way to go for next-gen.
 
I've really come to respect pre-baked lighting, honestly. Between this and RAGE it really seems like the right way to go for next-gen.

Unless next gen comes through with more dynamically destructible/modifiable environments in which case bre baking is impossible/difficult.
 
I've really come to respect pre-baked lighting, honestly. Between this and RAGE it really seems like the right way to go for next-gen.

While it can get great results, it would still be much nicer to not have it pre-baked. As a long time gamer, there is now nothing I crave more than a living, breathing world.

Then again, perhaps it's a good thing that reality still looks nicer ... ;) I recorded this this weekend for instance, right here in my own city ... Not even that dynamic, but still very much alive. Would be a nice setting for a fantasy piece that brought this closer back to when it was built.

 
What strikes me the most about Uncharted 3's lighting is how dynamic it is in all the single player footage we've seen so far. The spotlight and runway lighting gives the recent airfield demo this cinematic intensity and puts it a step above UC2.
 
Er, define your version of extremely detailed then on consoles of course.
Actually, it's you who should define it in order to properly claim that this is beyond it.

What happened to simply saying "This looks great!", "I love it"... Proxy-e-penis battles are the bane of the internet.
 
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