With the recent talk about the evolution of games, I was curious what some opinions were on whats next in games? The amount of realism, expecially with the new 3d engines like Doom 3, is unbelievable. How more real can games become? Is every future game going to look the same because we''ve reached a maximum in realism? Is the next step virtual reality; not just on a computer screen, but on advanced monitors on your head? Just some weird thoughts I had that might spark interesting conversation. Basically, is there anything else after 3d engines take there toll.

My guess is that we''ll finally be able to start working on games
that are more fun than technologically advanced.

-Hyatus
"da da da"

quote: Original post by SamCN
With the recent talk about the evolution of games, I was curious what some opinions were on whats next in games? The amount of realism, expecially with the new 3d engines like Doom 3, is unbelievable. How more real can games become?

We have a long long way to go with regard to realistic 3d graphics. Consider all of the following:

• Supersampling, not just edge antialiasing.
  
• Motion blur.
  
• Micropolygon rendering ala the Reyes rendering architecture as used by Renderman.
  
• Ray traced displacement shaders ala Mental Ray.
  
• Terrain erosion.
  
• Dynamic Weather models.
  
• Physical based models for kinemetic articulated limbs.
  
• Ocean wave models.
  
• Muscle animation.
  
• Hair.
  
• Procedurally generated eco-systems.
  
• Dynamic radiosity models for huge datasets.
  

I could see the glut of 3d games hitting a critical point, then causing a serious retro flashback. Perhaps the reemergence of text adventures or something equally bizarre. Someone will probably theorize that the players imagination would be more effective than the artists skills.

new input devices.

3d headsets will really boost 3d games. Realism without a mouse..

i would love to play a 3d shooter with no mouse or keyboard..

Its my duty, to please that booty ! - John Shaft

PS9 Electronic Spores

In the future I think it will be more focus on details and flexibility. One good example allready is Grand Theft Auto 3 which has a lot of stuff to do in the game, and actually it''s the small details which makes the games fun.


Regards

Daniel

Motion Blur''s already been accomplished, up to a point - but I guess you meant ''a not-slow and cunning form of Motion Blur.''

Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net

In the far future, games in today's form will not be played a lot anymore, just like WE don't play a lot of old middle-age games anymore.

Desktop computers will be rare, because people will find things such as PDA's, sheet of paper computers, computers in glasses, and computers implanted in the brain more useful.

3D engines will be so normal that you can't even imagine what a 2D game is. Atually, a game has photorealistic images, generated by voxel engines where voxels have the size of a molecule and interact to each other like real molecules according to chemical/physical laws. The difference between single player game, multiplayer game, MMORPG, and between games and movies, doesn't exist anymore, and some people will not know anymore if they're inside a game or not.

Because robots do all the work for us, people have not much to do in real life, that's why they go live "real" lives in MMORPG's instead, with the advantage that in a MMORPG you can restart if things go bad, and you can start another one if it gets boring.

Making a map for a game won't be difficult, you say to your computer "I want a grassy terrain with 4 hills, with a river there and a waterfall there, and a swamp over there with some creepy swamp flora in it", and the computer understands what you say and generates it in 0.000000001 seconds, and then you say "I don't like the color of the grass, make it more brownish" and it's done.

Actually, (this hasn't got to do with games), programs like we know them today won't exist, if you want to paint, just say your computer what you want and he shows a painting interface for you, and if you want a fill tool just describe and you get it. The same if you want a 3D modeling program / spreadsheet / and so on. So software companies won't make a lot of money anymore, but who cares as I said above nobody has a job because robots do everything.

That is, considering we won't be killed by a nuclear or antimatter bomb or we'll be able to colonize other planets before we destroy Earth with such a bomb.

[edited by - Lode on May 31, 2002 10:20:39 AM]

Lode: That sounds like a script for a really bad movie

-Luctus