Bump-mapping really helps !

[Joeyslucky22]

Moron. Shows you know nothing about what you're talking about.

Your responses upset me.

you're not a very bright person are you?

all your responses really dont help anyone so I dont even see why you replied.

Im saying i saw the STALKER video and really... it looks like crap... its got original ideas and seems way to plain for my taste..

thats my opinion.

 

[Lifthz]

Anyone who couldn't see the major difference between most of the video and the last minute of the video is really blind or stupid or tired or something.

You're talking about if my responses are helping anyone while you come in here bashing something you don't even know about talking about it's a "wannabe". If you act foolish like that, you deserve what you get.

 

[Joeyslucky22]

...what are you talking about

 

[Dagobert]

Very very very important point kids -

HL2 is designed to ALSO run on machines with no native support for bump-maps.

So all the diffuse (colour) maps are designed to look good without bumps (i.e. they have shadows painted into them). Therefore your bump maps aren't going to look as good as they would if the game was developed for only hardware that supports bumps. (if it were they could not paint any shadows into the diff maps and have all the shading come from bumps and specs)

As usual, Valve have made the very wise decision to compromise visuals for people with a high end card (the tiny minority) in order to make sure the game looks good for people with lower-end hardware (the vast majority).

 

[Mr.Reak]

Originally posted by Dagobert
Very very very important point kids -

HL2 is designed to ALSO run on machines with no native support for bump-maps.

So all the diffuse (colour) maps are designed to look good without bumps (i.e. they have shadows painted into them). Therefore your bump maps aren't going to look as good as they would if the game was developed for only hardware that supports bumps. (if it were they could not paint any shadows into the diff maps and have all the shading come from bumps and specs)

As usual, Valve have made the very wise decision to compromise visuals for people with a high end card (the tiny minority) in order to make sure the game looks good for people with lower-end hardware (the vast majority).

I don't think that it works that way. If you have DirectX9 based card, you will get bump-mapping without any problem, if you have other older cards, you will get just flat texture. I don't think they need to sacrifice quality of bump-mapping at all.

 

[A2597]

all I can say is that Gabe has said that Spectacular Effects are being IMPLEMENTED, same for bump mapping.

Conclusion: Most likely we haven't seen it implemented hardly at all yet.

 

[LoneDeranger]

Originally posted by A2597
all I can say is that Gabe has said that Spectacular Effects are being IMPLEMENTED, same for bump mapping.

Conclusion: Most likely we haven't seen it implemented hardly at all yet.

Yeah, if they put in more bumpmapping, then that would be great. If they don't - I'm not gona loose any sleep over it. Since the engine fully supports it, it can be esily utilized in future mods/games.

 

[reever2]

Originally posted by Lifthz
Perhaps. Gabe did tell me they were working on putting "a lot more DX9" into the game. But as of right now, the same doesn't go for Half-Life 2. Not until I see it. So far i've seen mostly flat detailed textures that dissappoint when you get close. Seeing is believing, we'll see what happens when it comes out.

Excuse me, but when were these movies made? And what version of the Source engine were they made from? Do you know specifically what features are missing that are NEVER going to be implemented, do you know what IS going to be put in? Im guessing you and everybody else on this board with the exception of Gabe knows any of these answers, so it would be wise to stop being so skeptical when you dont even know anything,

 

[X-Vector]

Originally posted by Lifthz
By the way, I saw the specular on the walls in Bugbait since the Gamespy 600MB video, didn't anyone else?

Yes I did, quite frankly I was amazed to see some people deny the existence of any type of bumpmapping or specularity in the footage released so far.

Perhaps this is a good thing though, the fact that these effects don't scream at us from a blurry filmed off-screen video suggests that Valve are keeping things in moderation.
I've seen the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video and I must say that the "DX9 part" reminds me too much of a tech demo, the specularity and shadowplay strikes me as a bit overdone.

No, most surfaces ARE bumpy. Some more than others. Walls are bumpy. Imperfections are very common. Specular isn't enough for most things, most things can use a combination of specular and bumps, other things can do without specular and just have bump.

As I've posted earlier, real life doesn't use bumpmapping or specularity tricks, these techniques are fairly unsubtle approximations that are quite unconvincing in a number of instances.
Sure it looks good in some places (I don't have a problem with Bugbait's tiled wall specularity and wall and ground/floor bumpmapping in other parts of HL2), but it should be used discriminately and it seems to me that Valve have a good sense of aesthetic quality (or perhaps just a visual sensitvity similar to mine).

 

[Dagobert]

I don't think that it works that way. If you have DirectX9 based card, you will get bump-mapping without any problem, if you have other older cards, you will get just flat texture. I don't think they need to sacrifice quality of bump-mapping at all.

That's correct. BUT a diffuse map designed to be seen on it's own, will not look as good with a bump and spec as a diffuse map designed to be viewed only with a bump and a spec.

 

[Dave]

Originally posted by Joeyslucky22
Why does stalker even have any hype?

It really does not look that good.. its like a hl2 wanna be... lol

Heh, each to his own.

Personally, I think S.T.A.L.K.E.R owns Half-Life 2. Yes, I'm a fan of Valve and Half-Life, but I am anticipating S.T.A.L.K.E.R way more than Half-Life 2. Have you seen the latest trailer yet? http://www.stalker-game.com

But seriously, a Half-Life 2 wannabe? S.T.A.L.K.E.R is based on the (many) books about "The Zone" (Chernobyl). It's not trying to be like Half-Life 2, it's trying to capture the atmosphere and feeling of The Zone whilst bringing an excellent sub-story and video game to the player, and personally I think they have accomplished this perfectly.

My bottom line is that Half-Life 2 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R will both be great games. The engines each have their own advantages over each other (E.g. Half-Life has advanced facial animations, S.T.A.L.K.E.R has huge levels and imperceptible loading times. Half-Life 2 has headcrabs, S.T.A.L.K.E.R has dynamic day to night switching and cool dynamic weather effects, Half-Life 2 has the crowbar, S.T.A.L.K.E.R has 'absolute freedom of movement').

 

[Styloid]

I don't think it's really fair to say anything about the lack of bumpmapping(and it's relatives) or high quality textures in HL2 (some of the walls, some boxes) or Stalker (the inside of the car, some of the railings, some of the walls) based on some early videos. As long as the engine is capable of them, you can trust that these artist will make full use of them to make a good looking game.

On the Stalker issue, I'm not looking forward to non-linear games that much (except Deus Ex 2). I prefer a more dramatic, well paced, well constructed and well executed story (i guess I'm an old fashioned books and movies kind of guy).