The Future of Game Graphics
 

This one was prompted by a question in GD: How good do you think game graphics will get in the future and how will it affect gameplay?

I think it's definately possible that graphics will become good enough that you won't be able to tell if it's CG or a live-action video. Leaving aside all issues regarding the time and money spent on creating graphics to that level; I think this is still bad for games.

Can you imagine an FPS where you're shooting NPCs that look like real humans? I find that disturbing. Also, once one developer/system boasts about having lifelike characters, all the others will have to match it. All creativity will immediately be sucked out of the industry; I personally think that most of the best characters out there are ones that either aren't human (eg Abe) or are extremely stylised humans (eg Raz).

I think it'll still be a real long time before we can't tell the difference between CG and real-time gameplay, primarily because of animation. The models and textures may have the same poly-counts and maps and all that jazz, but it'll require some seriously intense programming to animate real-time characters to match their CG counterparts. But yes, it will happen eventually.

That wouldn't be bad for games, really. Just a possibility of being bad for society.

Just because everything will/may look realistic is by no means a surrender of creativity. I don't really know what you're getting at there. If anything, some of the competition will be sucked out of the industry, which is a good thing the way I see it.

When first playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted, I kind of had a small moment of 'Wait, is this CG or are these real actors. Because, EA did an EXTREMELY good job in blending them with the digital surroundings. Sure enough, the effect they managed to get is probably the best they could manage in the end. But it's a start. Used by the right people with the right engine, with the right modifications, that same principle could possibly be used in-game. Using actors instead of models.
(Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a great game, btw. I don't like EA at all, but they did a great job on this).

Anyway, videogame graphics should never look like RL. That will take away all the fun of playing a video game. For most gamers, it's a way of escaping reality all together. No point in escaping reality, if the 'reality' on the other side of the screen is just as real O.o.

Well, remember, just because something looks real doesn't mean it's reality. That just means it's pretty. ;)

Heh I thought they used real people for most wanted. (and why do we always so the faces and no other parts of the body? 0.o) Anyway graphics hmm....

Well the way I see it. Graphics are just measurment to the eye. If the eye sees the graphics then they are good. Don't see em and blah-blah......

Yes I have no idea what I just said either...>.>'

Once games get to Real Life-looking graphics, then what are they gonna do >.> ?

Make games, duh. Why would anyone stop making games because they are photor-ealistic? Jesus Christ, not all games rely on graphics you know. :rolleyes:

I think photo-realistic graphics are far off, though. We'll get really good graphics, but to be able to mistake a game for footage of something, that will take a long time.

Most tote def. When and if games ever get to the point of photorealism, then they'll just be like interactive movies. That's pretty freakin' sweet.

To be honest, I'm perfectly happy if graphics don't progress past those coming out on the Xbox360 and PS3. They're realistic enough for me.

Skillful, realistic textures and lighting. That's the trick.

As far as I can see, let the realistic games get more realistic, and let the more artistic games widen their scope. That all I ask of the future of graphics...that, and expressing better emotions on digit characters.

I agree with SeaRex here, allthough I'm realy wanting to see what Valve can do in the future. It's unlikely they are going to build an entirely new engine again for Half Life 3, but it would be cool :P.

Yes please. So then people will stop b1tching about next gen consoles being better because of better graphics!

The future graphics? Elder Scrolls 4 of course.

I've really only one major point to make, and that is that prior to the advent of decent graphics (we're talking late megadrive/genesis, early PS1 stage) games were made to be FUN. Post decent graphics, games will still be primarily made to be fun, because entertainment is the whole object of the damn things. BUT, now that we've got the capability to make games that are really really stunningly realistic, this has become a factor in the experience of the whole game... basically, it's FUN to have cool graphics. But they're not the only reason to play a game, they're just a part of it. A game that has nothing going for it apart from good graphics is like a recipe for a meal with all of the ingredients removed except for one.

What do you mean by "Post decent graphics"? Do you think we may get to the point where graphics are so universally good that there is little to distinguish them from another so instead gameplay and originality will be the criteria on which we judge games?

I'm not sure if I think that will possibly happen.

Why not? Doesn't that make sense? As I said before, games will most likely become like interactive movies when we reach the point of "perfect" graphics. So, doesn't screenplay (movie equivalent of gameplay) and originality determine which movies we consider good? Why would games be any different?

Sorry, what I was saying was that I doubted there would be a universal high-quality of graphics, not questioning how good those graphics would get.

Ah, I see. Then in that case, I don't think there's anyway we can know. In ten years, all sorts of crazy new technology will be popping up. If there are "universally good graphics", then I don't know. Maybe art direction will be a bigger deal.

But, Would that cut down on muders? Or make murder rate higher?
You saying that made me think :p

You may not be aware of the rate that graphics capability have progressed at as you do not have any insider contact with the games industry, but I can tell you that at the rate it's going at the moment, in 2 years time we will be seeing games with Half Life 2 graphics as ancient, which go back to a time when we couldn't quite make photorealistic games due to technological, software, and hardware limitations.

Cast your mind back to the Final Fantasy movie... that was almost completely photorealistic, and at times you could easily be fooled into thinking it was real - now, that was how many years ago? Yep, 4 and a half years ago. These days that level of realism has production costs that are a mere fraction of what they were when the FF movie was made thanks to the many advancements that the CG industry has experienced in the time between then and now.

So, if that was possible then, and things have improved hugely over these 4 and a half years since that film, imagine what must be possible now.