Bioshock

[Arumakani]

Have any of you guys read up on this one? Looks very promising as does Mass Effect by Bioware.

 

http://www.bioshock.co.uk/

 

http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/bioshock/...html?q=bioshock

[Fingernail]

Yeah, I'm lovin' the screens and the previews.

 

Looking forward to it.

[Arumakani]

Should be awesome seeing as it's being tagged as the spiritual succesor of System Shock 2, and having Deus Ex elements to it. Just waiting for a Deus Ex remake with loads of extras and next gen graphics too.

[Fingernail]

there's a whole forum on TTLG dedicated to Bioshock already.

[BlackThief]

looks nice, but I noticed that some of the shadows look rather poor:

http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/20...7_screen001.jpg

 

almost like a simple projected shadow texture like last gen games used it.

any information on the engine?

[Vadrosaul]

They're likely aware of SS2's cult status that System Shock 2 has obtained, and also the convoy of dedicated followers that seem to enjoy the game even after all of the years. I'd like to think that it's going to have elements of System Shock, I just don't know how far they'd be willing to take it; EA would be on them like rabid hounds.

 

I know Shodan won't be in it, which is a shame. I need to find my pin up, all those wires... There's alot of fun to be had there.

[woah]

Modified Unreal Engine 3.

 

 

Does Irrational Games boast some of the developers (from Looking Glass Studios) of Thief II: The Metal Age?

 

 

I'm not really sure what to think of the game itself, though. I just read an E3 preview of it at Gamespot. It definitely seems unique, but I'm having trouble getting interested.

Edited May 26, 2006 by woah

[Maximius]

Should be awesome seeing as it's being tagged as the spiritual succesor of System Shock 2, and having Deus Ex elements to it. Just waiting for a Deus Ex remake with loads of extras and next gen graphics too.

 

 

 

On a related note, I just grabbed Deus Ex Invisible Wars for 5 $$ at the gamestop. Ive heard a lot of talk about it, what do all of you folks think?

Edited May 26, 2006 by Maximius

[Vadrosaul]

On a related note, I just grabbed Deus Ex Invisible Wars for 5 $$ at the gamestop. Ive heard a lot of talk about it, what do all of you folks think?

Would the words "worst case of consolitis" mean anything to you?

[Maximius]

Would the words "worst case of consolitis" mean anything to you?

 

 

So DX 2 is another Eidos abomination along the lines of TDS? When I saw the Eidos logo I flinched.

[ZylonBane]

Whatever you do, don't think of it as Deus Ex 2. Just think of it as NOLF 3 and you'll be fine.

 

Oh, and definitely install JohnP's texture upgrades.

[New Horizon]

Modified Unreal Engine 3.

Does Irrational Games boast some of the developers (from Looking Glass Studios) of Thief II: The Metal Age?

 

Yes, there were/are a number of ex-LGS developers at Irrational Games. Irrational and Ion Storm used to share the same office space....and of course, they used LGS's Dark Engine for System Shock 2. I've long believed that Irrational would have been the most logical choice to make Thief 3...but alas, twas not meant to be.

[Domarius]

looks nice, but I noticed that some of the shadows look rather poor:

http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/20...7_screen001.jpg

 

almost like a simple projected shadow texture like last gen games used it.

any information on the engine?

What's wrong with the shadows in that screenshot? Looks simple enough - a light is coming from the top right corner of the pic, and the wall is using normal maps for its texture and bullet holes, and the guy has a dynamic and soft shadow being projected behind him.

[thestemmer]

In case anyone here missed it, here is a great interview with the developer of the game. At the very least, it's definitely the most literate game interview I've read in a long time. The team really seems to have a vision, and I like the direction they're taking with it.

 

But System Shock 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, so maybe I'm biased

Edited May 27, 2006 by thestemmer

[New Horizon]

I also read on another forum that Ken Levine said their Australian studio is working on a sequel to one of the most beloved PC franchises. No mention of what it could be...seems pretty quiet at the moment.

[sparhawk]

That must be either "Doom" or "Alone In The Dark".

[Arumakani]

Are all you guys pro-pc gamers and anti-console gaming? Don't any of you play console games?

[sparhawk]

My kids have a PS2 but most games I don't like. Console games usually are typically consolish. So if the game is more a domain of PCs I prefer to play it on a PC because it's usually better. There are fun console games which is ok.

[Arumakani]

You get more control with the PC, but I prefer the control scheme of a console. Also upgrading a graphics card etc becomes expensive. However, it's easier to mod and extend the life of a game on the PC.

[BlackThief]

What's wrong with the shadows in that screenshot? Looks simple enough - a light is coming from the top right corner of the pic, and the wall is using normal maps for its texture and bullet holes, and the guy has a dynamic and soft shadow being projected behind him.

 

yes look at the shadow of the guy - it's obviously a shadow texture or the new uber engine Unreal 3 has VERY poor soft dynamic shadows - I can even count every single pixel of the "soft" edge. Look at the other character renders on that site, they all look like that. Battlefield shadows look similar to this...

[Domarius]

So? Can you show any screenshots of games that have real soft dynamic shadows? Doom 3 doesn't have dynamic soft shadows at all.

 

Are all you guys pro-pc gamers and anti-console gaming? Don't any of you play console games?

If this was in reply to "Worst case of consolitis" by Vadrosaul, you need to understand that there are important differences between a console and a PC, and a game cannot be made exactly the same for each. When a game is designed for a console, and then ported over to PC with only just enough changes to make it run, it shows. Horribly.

[ZylonBane]

Yes, there were/are a number of ex-LGS developers at Irrational Games. Irrational and Ion Storm used to share the same office space...

I think you mean Irrational and Looking Glass used to share office space.

 

I prefer the control scheme of a console.

Anyone who prefers a gamepad over a mouse for FPS control needs a boot to the head.

 

yes look at the shadow of the guy - it's obviously a shadow texture or the new uber engine Unreal 3 has VERY poor soft dynamic shadows - I can even count every single pixel of the "soft" edge.

Dur, that's an old render. On the new screenshots the shadows look just fine.

Edited May 27, 2006 by ZylonBane

[Arumakani]

Your points are backed up Domarius, with regards to Thief DS and Deus Ex2. As on the XBox they were magnifique but on the PC the long loads, low textures etc were quite poor.

 

As for FPS and control you are right. However console games such as Halo, show that FPS can be mapped to the control pad effectively. The thing is Halo is a lot slower paced then most twitch shooters which the mouse and keypad are better suited to.

[BlackThief]

So? Can you show any screenshots of games that have real soft dynamic shadows? Doom 3 doesn't have dynamic soft shadows at all.

 

the difference is, that d3's engine was released 2004 and runs on a geforce3 and unreal3 games will be released in 2007 and its minimum specs is a geforce6800. and epic advertises soft dynamic shadows:

Dynamic characters casting dynamic soft, fuzzy shadows on the scene using 16X-oversampled shadow buffers.

 

I know its nitpicking and they'll probably fix this for ut2k7, but it just caught my eye on the screens.

[woah]

Are all you guys pro-pc gamers and anti-console gaming? Don't any of you play console games?

 

I use to be a console gamer. I loved Twisted Metal 2, Metal Gear Solid, Driver, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (original), Vigilante 8, and Syphon Filter. Then a friend of mine introduced me to PC games and internet play, and it blew my mind. I came into the PC world with Team Fortress Classic, I could never go back to consoles afterwards. Nowadays, despite the fact that I'm still quite adept with the controlling-scheme of consoles, playing them just feels awkward and uneventful; I feel like I'm more or less spectating something rather than all around manipulating it.

 

But it all boils down to the controlling scheme and game complexity for me, as it does for many others. The extent of manipulation one can attain with keyboard and mouse is my main favorability.

 

The PS3 is grabbing my attention with its pre-installed linux, open source development, and Keyboard and Mouse support. Quite powerful too. It's going to take PCs a while to catch up to the PS3. Although PC's may have better specifications on paper, actual in game performance is a different story (Even nowadays the Xbox360 can render moderately detailed games like Oblivion and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced War Fighter much better than a high-end, $6000 PC can). Not to mention, decent graphics cards are freaking expensive as all hell these days. And now physics processing units? $600 for a PS3 really doesn't seem so bad now.

 

But I'd still stick with PC's for the keyboard and mouse.