If graphics could induce orgasms....

[Fum]

...Then these would probably do it:

For some reason those trees immediately screamed out Kings Quest 9 when I saw them. Something about the short grass and gnarly trees make me want to set out on an expedition through a real-time Daventry....

From Unreal Engine 3, by the way, sadly not an actual game, just tech stuff....

[David]

And now I'm thinking they should remake Kings Quest in that engine. Hah.

[Kolzig]

Those SpeedTree guys are crazy...

That's damn beautiful.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Is that real time 3D? I've been having yet another argument over at AG with some hypocrites who want to keep Myst V in 2D and say that 3D can never come close to being as beautiful. I showed them the screenies to The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.

[Fum]

Is that real time 3D? I've been having yet another argument over at AG with some hypocrites who want to keep Myst V in 2D and say that 3D can never come close to being as beautiful. I showed them the screenies to The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.

Yep, all real-time. I think you've got some new firepower to unload against the stubborn adventure game purists.

...And you just know all the leaves and braches are swaying with the wind, and affecting the subtle lighting on themselves, the tree trunks, and the ground. Pre-rendered can't do that. Even if you were stuck standing still for no plausible reason, I bet those graphics are better in real-time then most pre-rendered games are in real-time.

[baconian]

i think you can get a real time demo .exe from their website. at least I think it was speedtree. You need a monster PC though.

[Lechimp]

Yep, all real-time. I think you've got some new firepower to unload against the stubborn adventure game purists.

...And you just know all the leaves and braches are swaying with the wind, and affecting the subtle lighting on themselves, the tree trunks, and the ground. Pre-rendered can't do that. Even if you were stuck standing still for no plausible reason, I bet those graphics are better in real-time then most pre-rendered games are in real-time.

Well no matter what, they're going to hate 3-d graphics even though it's better. They just hate change and refuse to admit that 3-d allows for deeper gameplay and exploration, which is what adventure games are about.

[Kolzig]

i think you can get a real time demo .exe from their website. at least I think it was speedtree. You need a monster PC though.

At least there are some older Unreal engine speedtree demos in there.

Like The trees of Pangaea.

http://www.idvinc.com/html/pangaea_images.htm

[Fum]

At least there are some older Unreal engine speedtree demos in there.

Yeah, the demos they have available on the Speedtree website aren't the Unreal Engine 3 demo which we're seeing here. They are still pretty damn impressive, though. Check 'em out if your PC's got the guts.

Well no matter what, they're going to hate 3-d graphics even though it's better. They just hate change and refuse to admit that 3-d allows for deeper gameplay and exploration, which is what adventure games are about.

I don't completely agree with the 'no matter what' part, I think they'll get over their fear of 3D eventually. But I do agree completely with the part about adventure games being about exploration; I can't wait until we get a mostly non-violent full 3D game that is all about exploring a vast and open world, and uncovering clues and solving puzzles. One day. Dreamfall is going to be a major step in the right direction for that kind of game, but I don't think it's there yet, the forced camera angles give me the impression of allot of linearity.

[lailoken]

I think you really need to have some kind of program to create woods for you. I imagine that is one heck of a lot of work to do stuff like this by hand. It should be possible to write stuff like that, right?

[lailoken]

I can't wait until we get a mostly non-violent full 3D game that is all about exploring a vast and open world, and uncovering clues and solving puzzles. One day. Dreamfall is going to be a major step in the right direction for that kind of game, but I don't think it's there yet, the forced camera angles give me the impression of allot of linearity.

I would have really liked a lot more of that in WoW as well. I mean more about solving puzzles and getting drawn into the logic of the world. Most of the quests in there to me still seem quite shallow...

[Nick]

Speedtree looks a lot better than last time I saw it.

One day, I dream of playing a something like planetside in an environment like that :9~

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Yep, all real-time. I think you've got some new firepower to unload against the stubborn adventure game purists.

...And you just know all the leaves and braches are swaying with the wind, and affecting the subtle lighting on themselves, the tree trunks, and the ground. Pre-rendered can't do that. Even if you were stuck standing still for no plausible reason, I bet those graphics are better in real-time then most pre-rendered games are in real-time.

I think they'll get over their fear of 3D eventually.

Thing is, what EXACTLY are they afraid of?

[Intrepid Homoludens]

I just had to compare Oblivion to Speedtree. Personally I prefer Oblivion's look more because it feels more naturalistic, whereas Speedtree has that annoying shiny shiny veneer to it. I didn't like the Doom 3 look for the same reason, the gameworld looked too......'plastic-y'?

[Fum]

Thing is, what EXACTLY are they afraid of?

That's easy: change. The same thing we all are afraid of to some degree, its a natural human defense mechanism. It's just kind of dumb when you apply this aspect of human nature to video games. 2D, tried and true point and click style games are known to work, and the jump to 3D for some old franchises in the past definitely have not worked out so well, so I understand some people's wariness towards 3D. And decent PC's aren't cheap.... But still, just imagine exploring a 3D location like the one I posted in an adventure style game, I don't see how anyone could be afraid of that.

[Erkki]

I agree. The Oblivion screen looks more beautiful.

[Fum]

Yeah, Oblivion does look fuckin' sweet, but man, I just love gnarly trees.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

...I just love gnarly trees.

Then why don't you marry one?!!!

Audience:

[Jayel]

I think you really need to have some kind of program to create woods for you. I imagine that is one heck of a lot of work to do stuff like this by hand. It should be possible to write stuff like that, right?

Almost all trees in cg movies are procedually created (since 80's), so yeah, it's possible to do it for games too.

[New_Order]

Yep, Oblivion is amazing:

[Kolzig]

I just had to compare Oblivion to Speedtree. Personally I prefer Oblivion's look more because it feels more naturalistic, whereas Speedtree has that annoying shiny shiny veneer to it. I didn't like the Doom 3 look for the same reason, the gameworld looked too......'plastic-y'?

Mmmmmm, you do realize that Oblivion uses Speedtree too? It's just applied differently.

And those UE 3.0 Speedtree screenies are only demo pics, think what they'll look like when some team like the Oblivion team uses UE 3.0 in Elder Scrolls.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Like I implied in my preferences, I'm not basing it on the technology, I'm basing it more on gut feelings, on the art direction. I would feel more 'at home' in the forests of Oblivion than the Unreal one.

[Fum]

Mmmmmm, you do realize that Oblivion uses Speedtree too? It's just applied differently.

And those UE 3.0 Speedtree screenies are only demo pics, think what they'll look like when some team like the Oblivion team uses UE 3.0 in Elder Scrolls.

Or is Oblivion an UE 3.0 game, I haven't really checked the facts...

Speedtree is some kind of tree and foliage engine that can be added onto an already existing engine, kind of like a physics engine. Oblivion uses its own engine which Bethsoft added Speedtree to, and UE3 will have Speedtree built into it. If anyone cares. ...I'm off to try and persuade one of those gnarly trees to marry me; wish me luck, please, because I can't stand rejection.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

You might wanna try courtship first, Fum. I heard that trees weaken when you present them beribboned gifts of fertilizer.

[MrHoatzin]

That oblivion forest looked better last time I saw it... Man, that is one artificial shade of green... I could go with a little more variety...