graphics in episode 2

Illegal Amigo

Illegal Amigo

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This may be a silly question, but apart from HDR effects, what kind of graphical improvements will HL2E:2 have over HL2? I look forward to your responses.
 
Illegal Amigo said:
This may be a silly question, but apart from HDR effects, what kind of graphical improvements will HL2E:2 have over HL2? I look forward to your responses.
Click to expand...

There will be dynamic shadows, improved textures, and improved lighting. :)
 
Dynamic shadows?!?! SWEET! finally

HL2 had some of the worse shadowing I'd ever seen. In some parts you'd see the shadows of 3 object next to each other going 3 different ways.
 
I don't think it's full dynamic shadows. Is it?
 
A powerful new particle system.

Thought the water effects were dull in HL2? Wait for ep2 to come out.
 
EP1 introduced the following:

Facical Aninmation 2
HDR
Phong shading
Enhanced enemy AI for Combine soldiers.

Plus the commentary system introduced with Lost Coast.

EP2 is introducing all that plus:

Facial Aninmation 3 (TF2!)
Dynamic Lighting and Shadowing 2
Cinematic Physics
Updated Particle effects and post-processing system
Multicore optimizations (enhancec view distance, loading times, AI, physics.. you get the point)

As you can see Valve continues to upgrade their technology as they see fit, and they usually have great ideas of what the tech should be like for its generation. I am really looking forward to testing most of this with TF2, if the beta will ever release ;)
 
Be that as it may I bet it won't be able to stack up to Bioshock or Cysis.
 
I want water that fills up in cups etc :(
 
All these new graphical features will surely require a bit more guts in people's rigs ...... or are we in for a nother bout of the st-st-stutter bug with EP2? I only sorted that out with a rebuild that had a lot more guts in it.
 
They're also using a new kind of normal-mapping that self-shadows - hence the heightmaps in the GCF :)

Giwusk said:
It is. Do not forget Cinematic Physics. :bounce:
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AFAIK they're still using world-shadows for everything, even indoors. Isn't dynamic shadowing restricted to the flashlight beam right now?
 
Illegal Amigo said:
Be that as it may I bet it won't be able to stack up to Bioshock or Cysis.
Click to expand...

In my humble opinion the graphics of HL2 is as good as Bioshock's. Moreover, the physics engine of Bioshock is... stuttering... slow in response. HL2 really shines in that sector.
 
jondy said:
They're also using a new kind of normal-mapping that self-shadows - hence the heightmaps in the GCF :)



AFAIK they're still using world-shadows for everything, even indoors. Isn't dynamic shadowing restricted to the flashlight beam right now?
Click to expand...

And the dynamic lighting from glowing antlions and vortibeams.
 
Thats one hell of a stonking game!! :angel:

MASTER OF PAGE 2!!!
 
Valve has also new 1024x1024 textures, look at TF2 textures, that is much hires textures now. And with normalmaps, heightmaps, grey(?) maps, speculars, phong and else. Very much different effects.

But from the look of the new Combine Shotgunner, that is from the preload files, it looks kinda like some Doom 3 :/
 
Well, they better kick it up a notch with Episode Three. After seeing pictures and videos from Cryteks new FPS Crysis you will realize that Direct X10 gives some REALLY INSANE possibilities with the graphics... Time to buy a new graphics card? :rolleyes:

http://www.incrysis.com/incgalleryview.php?file=75.jpg
http://www.incrysis.com/incgalleryview.php?file=359.jpg
http://www.incrysis.com/incgalleryview.php?file=211.jpg
http://www.incrysis.com/incgalleryview.php?file=15.jpg
http://www.incrysis.com/incgalleryview.php?file=365.jpg
http://www.incrysis.com/incgalleryview.php?file=356.jpg

Heres some of the new graphical features the game will utilize. Hope we'll see these in Episode Three

http://www.incrysis.com/wiki/index.php/Crysis_Graphics
 
Oppressor said:
Well, they better kick it up a notch with Episode Three. After seeing pictures and videos from Cryteks new FPS Crysis you will realize that Direct X10 gives some REALLY INSANE possibilities with the graphics... Time to buy a new graphics card?
Click to expand...

Really impressive! But what monster machine is needed to run those things? Valve's philosophy so far has been to keep supporting middle-end machines.
 
Meh, graphic detail will level off within a few years.

The next point of interest will be in things like AI, physics, and game interactivity.
 
Oppressor said:
Well, they better kick it up a notch with Episode Three. After seeing pictures and videos from Cryteks new FPS Crysis you will realize that Direct X10 gives some REALLY INSANE possibilities with the graphics...
Click to expand...

That's great. Another generic FPS with LOLOMG graphics. I'll admit that it looks stunning but everything else leaves much to be desired.
 
Yep, Valve is more to people running with older computers. You can play HL2 with ****ing GeForce 2 and 256 Mb RAM. Of course it will look very shit then, but atleast you can play it, and have ragdoll physics and other stuff.

Ep2 is going to support DX8, and they tried DX7. HL2 supports DX6. I think it is more like gameplay and how well the game runs, than that it looks real good but requires some 1000 $ graphics card along with processor and 65636 Mb RAM.
 
I don't trust Crytek. Crysis will probably be all graphics, no gameplay. I mean, just take a look at Far Cry.

I trust Valve. They focus on story and gameplay, graphics is just a bonus.
 
Stene said:
Yep, Valve is more to people running with older computers. You can play HL2 with ****ing GeForce 2 and 256 Mb RAM. Of course it will look very shit then, but atleast you can play it, and have ragdoll physics and other stuff.

Ep2 is going to support DX8, and they tried DX7. HL2 supports DX6. I think it is more like gameplay and how well the game runs, than that it looks real good but requires some 1000 $ graphics card along with processor and 65636 Mb RAM.
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Surely EP2 will require a bit more oomph from your system than previous instalments? There's more visual FX going on. I'd like to think that Valve have done that with clever programming but I'll be suprised if EP2 runs as well as HL2 & EP1 does on my current system (see sig. I get nice smooth gameplay running the models on 'MEDIUM' & having water set to 'SIMPLE REFLECTIONS'.)

Zombine said:
I don't trust Crytek. Crysis will probably be all graphics, no gameplay. I mean, just take a look at Far Cry.

I trust Valve. They focus on story and gameplay, graphics is just a bonus.
Click to expand...
I don't want to start another debate on the qualities of Far Cry but it's one of the best FPS's I've ever played. Gaemplay wise I think it's better than HL2 personaly but it certainly doesn't have the atmosphere & engaging storyline of HL2. HL2 is king there for sure. If Crysis plays anything like as good as it looks then it will be awesome. Far Cry 2 is also in the making BTW.
 
Crysis looks good in terms of graphics but gameplay wise it clearly hasn't gone anywhere. It looks like your average generic shooter. With Valve taking things new places in terms of gameplay, I don't see Crysis as much competition. I'd rather have something that plays good, rather than looks good.
 
Samon said:
Crysis looks good in terms of graphics but gameplay wise it clearly hasn't gone anywhere. It looks like your average generic shooter. With Valve taking things new places in terms of gameplay, I don't see Crysis as much competition. I'd rather have something that plays good, rather than looks good.
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There's lots of interesting things happening with the main weapon & body armour in Crysis. This will have a huge effect on gameplay far beyond anything that HL has done. Although whether that turns out to be a positive thing for the gameplay remains to be seen. Potentialy though it's going to be very interesting.

I really don't think that HL2 did anything revolutionary with gameplay. It wasn't the leap I'd hoped for after the original HL. HL2 is story driven & that's where it is revolutionary in the FS department.

Anyway, we're going off piste here! I'll just leave it at saying that I think Far Cry was a masterpiece of the genre & still is one of the best FPS's ever made. The same can be said for HL 1 & 2 of course.
 
The weapon/armour thing is ridiculously superficial and won't change a thing in terms of gameplay. It's just a souless feature applied to a sub-standard shooting gallery. HL2 is pretty much leaps and bounds ahead of most in terms of gameplay; it takes varied, ever-changing scenarios and applies it to the core concept. Most shooters are little more than a shooting gallery - knock down one enemy after the other. Valve have done away with that concept and applied far more innovative gameplay to the idea of the FP. It was pretty evolutionary in that respect. That and story is one of the main reasons I like the Half-life series.
 
Illegal Amigo said:
Be that as it may I bet it won't be able to stack up to Bioshock or Cysis.
Click to expand...
No game beats HL2's faces. Plus, most games with supposedly superior graphics just don't look as real as HL2 does. Some games look like all the models have been moulded from plastic or clay. HL2 looks like it should.
 
Samon said:
The weapon/armour thing is ridiculously superficial and won't change a thing in terms of gameplay. It's just a souless feature applied to a sub-standard shooting gallery. HL2 is pretty much leaps and bounds ahead of most in terms of gameplay; it takes varied, ever-changing scenarios and applies it to the core concept. Most shooters are little more than a shooting gallery - knock down one enemy after the other. Valve have done away with that concept and applied far more innovative gameplay to the idea of the FP. It was pretty evolutionary in that respect. That and story is one of the main reasons I like the Half-life series.
Click to expand...
I think gameplay is pretty limited in HL2 & that's partly because of the restrictive environments. There's more than 1 way to skin a cat .... but not in HL2! Far Cry's outdoor environments offer many more ways to takle each situation & obviously that makes for more interesting gameplay mechanics because the player chooses how to proceed. You can go stealth or Rambo depending on your style of play. You don't often get the chance to do this in HL2 so the whole thing, as compelling & atmospheric as the game is, feels very much on rails. Valve are clearly aware of this. That's why they've taken this fully on board for EP2, which obviously has more expansive areas to play in.
 
Actually I'd argue the linearity of Half-life 2 is one of its greatest strengths. It allows the gameplay to be crafted in specific ways - this isn't in anyway a negative trait. It doesn't matter how open your game is at all - Far Cry had poor gameplay and was little more than a shooting gallery. Opening it up in the jungle gave way to tactics, but it's still the same - combat. It's not a patch on the carefully crafted scenarios of HL2/EP1.

You're saying the combat is limited, not gameplay. Combat was limited in the tight spaces, yes (and therefore abit unsatisfying), but the gameplay itself was varied and different at every point in the game. Combat is not gameplay but simply a factor. That mistake is the biggest problem in FPS, and it's why we're still seeing mundane shooters such as Crysis.

Episode 2 will still have this and be open at the same time (mainly for combat), and I'm interested to see how they pull it off.
 
Take a look at their hardware survey to see what Valve is coding for. I applaud them for trying to make their games playable on low-mid range systems and still providing eye candy for high end systems.

http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html

The third most used video card on Steam's survey is a Directx 8 card! Why anyone wouldn't have at least a DX9 card is beyond me but the fact is Valve is forcing these people to upgrade in order to play their games.
 
alehm said:
Take a look at their hardware survey to see what Valve is coding for. I applaud them for trying to make their games playable on low-mid range systems and still providing eye candy for high end systems.

http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html

The third most used video card on Steam's survey is a Directx 8 card! Why anyone wouldn't have at least a DX9 card is beyond me but the fact is Valve is forcing these people to upgrade in order to play their games.
Click to expand...
HL2 and EP1 were DX7 compatable. EP2 is DX8 compatable. Not everyone who has Steam playes HL games.
 
Samon said:
Actually I'd argue the linearity of Half-life 2 is one of its greatest strengths. It allows the gameplay to be crafted in specific ways - this isn't in anyway a negative trait. It doesn't matter how open your game is at all - Far Cry had poor gameplay and was little more than a shooting gallery. Opening it up in the jungle gave way to tactics, but it's still the same - combat. It's not a patch on the carefully crafted scenarios of HL2/EP1.
Click to expand...
Okay I see what your saying. HL2 needed to be linear in order for the carefully crafted set pieces to work. That's true. If you could go wondering off anywhere (a la Far Cry) you'd miss a lot of the stuff that has been put in place for you. I guess you can't have it always. Not without some serious A.I. to make sure that crafted parts come to you rather than you being hearded into them as you are in HL2.

You're saying the combat is limited, not gameplay. Combat was limited in the tight spaces, yes (and therefore abit unsatisfying), but the gameplay itself was varied and different at every point in the game. Combat is not gameplay but simply a factor. That mistake is the biggest problem in FPS, and it's why we're still seeing mundane shooters such as Crysis.
Click to expand...
I would argue that the most important aspect of an FPS is the combat & that this is the most important gameplay mechanic of the genre. Of course the HL series is famed for re-defining this idea & it done this very well. But with HL2 I felt that it lost something in the process. I wanted to explore the world more & make that part of the combat tactics I used to get through the game. But as I said above I guess you can't have the kind of set pieces HL2 has mixed with vast open areas ..... unless EP2 pulls this off. Like yourself, I'm really looing forward to seing if Valve pulled this off. If they have then we'll have something really, really interesting.
 
Valve have perfected their game scenarios, so I'm looking forward to improved combat with the Hunter (because I don't disagree that the combat as a whole needs improving). I'm not expecting vast maps, to be honest, simply more leg-room. I'd never want HL to do a STALKER in the world sense because it'd lose the idea of a cinematic experience and, as I said, the innovative gameplay.
 
Samon said:
Valve have perfected their game scenarios, so I'm looking forward to improved combat with the Hunter (because I don't disagree that the combat as a whole needs improving). I'm not expecting vast maps, to be honest, simply more leg-room. I'd never want HL to do a STALKER in the world sense because it'd lose the idea of a cinematic experience and, as I said, the innovative gameplay.
Click to expand...
That's right. You couldn't possibly do a STALKER with HL2. It's a different concept all together. I don't expect the maps to be vast either. I did read (think it was in an interview somewhere) that the maps will be somewhat larger but more importantly will have more areas to explore like buildings for example. That's cool because the exploration aspect of HL has always been very compelling. You want to explore every nook & cranny so you don't miss a thing. Be great to just have a tad more freedom to aid that exploration. I think HL2 EP2 will be even more immersive if you could explore more. It will only serve to enhance the world that Valve have created.
 
Sounds like VALVe are pulling a lot of graphical things off. GOld star for valve.
 
Do you know what I like the most in HL games? Mood, atmosphere, sense of adventure and puzzles. Long combat sequences bore me to death. We are not all action men! ;)
 
People, I added those screens because we talked about graphics. Crysis graphics is the next generation, but I didn't say the gameplay or story will be :rolleyes:
 
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