UndeadScottsman
Tank
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2003
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Looking at Valve's latest technological endever still leaves me amazed. Even the fabled Doom3 engine has very few features that Half-Life2 doesn't. But what's next? Where will the Source engine, and engines in general, go in the future? Here's what I think.
1. Fluid physics: I think think this is the next step for First Person Shooters as a whole. Not only would this fix the age-old "issue" (And I use that term lightly
) of shooting a barral full of water and having it empty onto the floor, but you could apply it to stuff like blood as well. I'm sure the little psycho in all of us would love to put a few bullet holes into a combine soldier and have the blood pool and flow like in real life. Imagine killing someone on a roof! Gibbing people would be fun with fluid physics on the blood
2. Infinate break points: Instead of pre-determined breakpoints like Half-Life 2 currently has, the engine could be designed to create a new break point where-ever the player shoots it. The game would use the physics system to determine how, for instance, a piece of wood will splinter and would even know enough to make the new polygons and cover them with the inner wood texture. Tie this into the materials system and you're good to go.
3. Deformable models and terrain: This ties into the infinate break points actually, but would imcompass stuff being able to see through bullet holes, blowing you way through walls, dismemberment and what not. All of which are currently not universal and have to be scripted.
4. Unified light source: About the ONLY thing Doom 3 has on Half-Life 2. Might as well include it in the next iteration of the engine, since once it's there, you really don't have to worry about improving the lighting engine much futher. Tieing the lighting into the AI system can produce some VERY awesome effects.
And.. uhh... Other than upping the detail on the levels and models, and improving the AI. I seriously CAN'T think of anything that would improve the engine.
1. Fluid physics: I think think this is the next step for First Person Shooters as a whole. Not only would this fix the age-old "issue" (And I use that term lightly
) of shooting a barral full of water and having it empty onto the floor, but you could apply it to stuff like blood as well. I'm sure the little psycho in all of us would love to put a few bullet holes into a combine soldier and have the blood pool and flow like in real life. Imagine killing someone on a roof! Gibbing people would be fun with fluid physics on the blood 2. Infinate break points: Instead of pre-determined breakpoints like Half-Life 2 currently has, the engine could be designed to create a new break point where-ever the player shoots it. The game would use the physics system to determine how, for instance, a piece of wood will splinter and would even know enough to make the new polygons and cover them with the inner wood texture. Tie this into the materials system and you're good to go.
3. Deformable models and terrain: This ties into the infinate break points actually, but would imcompass stuff being able to see through bullet holes, blowing you way through walls, dismemberment and what not. All of which are currently not universal and have to be scripted.
4. Unified light source: About the ONLY thing Doom 3 has on Half-Life 2. Might as well include it in the next iteration of the engine, since once it's there, you really don't have to worry about improving the lighting engine much futher. Tieing the lighting into the AI system can produce some VERY awesome effects.
And.. uhh... Other than upping the detail on the levels and models, and improving the AI. I seriously CAN'T think of anything that would improve the engine.
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