Your love of shadows

[Mr-Fusion]

I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable of things that make a game enjoyable but when i see the incessant complaints about the shadows i can't really understand it.

Half-Life 2 is clearly not a shadow dependant game like Doom 3 or Splinter Cell. In fact it seems like they were just thrown in as just so Valve could say "we have shadows". The entire Half-Life experience has almost nothing to do with shadows whilst a game like Doom 3 depends heavily on the shadows of enemies.

So how important will shadows be to your Half-Life 2 experience?

 

[ShinRa]

None whatsoever. Though I don't think the game has bad shadowing effects at all. Anyone who could actually sit and show me any problems with the shadowing needs to A) stop paying attention to pathetic details that have nothing to do with anything. B) Get a life/get laid.

 

[Yombi]

not very imporant...i liked the shadows in Splinter cell 2, but the ending was damn disappointing. So the shadows didnt make me play the game over again.

its a nice extra, but i dont think HL2 shadows are that bad :monkee:

 

[switch]

The only time so far i have really noticed problems with shadows is just in this last bink. Before I have only really noticed it when people have pointed it out; and still i dont care about it.

However, I do hope it will be/has been fixed as it might play a more important roles in MODS. Even if its in a couple of patches after release.

 

[FoB_Ed]

I don't really care about shadows. Infact I turn them off in CS:S to increase my FPS

 

[Ch1cKeN]

Shadows are a nifty little feature. But not dependant. Doom 3 isn't even totally depentant on shadows to have a good visual appearance. Keyword: Good. Games like Splinter Cell are heavily dependant on shadows and could not exist without them.

As far as Half-Life 2 is concerned, shadows I wouldn't think would be a huge factor if they were turned off. So I say. Yeah whatever its in the game. But I'll turn it off if my computer chokes.

 

[iamaelephant]

I think they are important when it comes to making a game look good. They are another feature that developers are using to make their games more and more real, and in that respect they are important. However, for a game like HL2, they don't need to be 100% perfect, but I personally do think there are too many shadow bugs in Source's current incarnation.

And guinny, a statement like that only reinforces my theory that you yourself have never been laid. Grow up kiddo.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

God now i notice the bad grammar and i need to edit it, but thanks to the ridiculous edit time limit i can't!!!

 

[ShinRa]

And guinny, a statement like that only reinforces my theory that you yourself have never been laid. Grow up kiddo.

Your one of the if not biggest troll/lamer on this forum and your telling me to grow up? At least I have an opinion that makes sense/people can respect. Grow up "kiddo."

 

[B.Calhoun]

I don't really care about shadows. Infact I turn them off in CS:S to increase my FPS

Multiplayer is one thing, but in SP is nice to have em i think.

 

[scatr99]

hl2 is going for realism and shadows are a part of that

 

[Zento]

Your one of the if not biggest troll/lamer on this forum and your telling me to grow up? At least I have an opinion that makes sense/people can respect. Grow up "kiddo."

It seems as though you say that because he isn't a hardcore HL2 fanboy like yourself

 

[ShinRa]

It seems as though you say being a HL2 fanboy is a bad thing.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Normally, I wouldn't care about the shadows. But, in the case of HL2, they are the only aspect of the game that I'm not totally satisfied with.

Because of this, the lack of dynamic shadows is more noticable and somewhat distracting. Everytning else is totally awesome except for the shadows that overlap and don't line up.

 

[ButtHoleMcGee]

The last thing on my mind when playing through the high action sequences are going to be shadows. I simply won't have time when I'm having fun shoot the crap out of stuff.

 

[Sparta]

However, for a game like HL2, they don't need to be 100% perfect, but I personally do think there are too many shadow bugs in Source's current incarnation.

I can only really think of 2 things wrong.

1. Not having dynamic shadows when using the flashlight
2. That 2-in-1 Shadow bug you can see everywhere.

But other then that i suppose it really depends on the gameplay itself. If its a creepy game or a stealth game, then yes shadows are important. Other then that....they're just eye candy really

 

[The Dark Elf]

I think they are important when it comes to making a game look good. They are another feature that developers are using to make their games more and more real, and in that respect they are important. However, for a game like HL2, they don't need to be 100% perfect, but I personally do think there are too many shadow bugs in Source's current incarnation.

And guinny, a statement like that only reinforces my theory that you yourself have never been laid. Grow up kiddo.

speaking of growing up. I believe your on a final warning now, so if I were you I'd stop attacking other members. Clear?

 

[marshmallow]

Mmm release the game baby! Isn't the point of steam and, to a lesser extend source, the ability to upgrade whenever? So they could tweak things later if they really wanted.

 

[oldagerocker]

Mmm release the game baby! Isn't the point of steam and, to a lesser extend source, the ability to upgrade whenever? So they could tweak things later if they really wanted.

but on release put up with whinning, moaning and poor reviews from the general hl2 community who expected 'The perfect game'. Even with Steam, nobody will put up with a game that doesnt look right, so blatently shown in the crane scene of the coast bink.
Ofcourse valve will or already have fixed this bug...im thinking it took them longer than expected though.
I cant wait for HL2 to be released either and shadows arent too important to the gameplay but i dont want to be buying a game that'll be sub-par for weeks after release.

 

[Asuka]

Shadows are pivotal to the an enjoyable game experience

But i dont mind if a game doesnt have them.

 

[Maui]

Release the game.

 

[ShinRa]

speaking of growing up. I believe your on a final warning now, so if I were you I'd stop attacking other members. Clear?

fenric defended me??........... :O :|

 

[Calhoun]

I don't care about shadows in a game seeing they don't add anything to the gameplay.

 

[-=DouglasteR=]

Release the game !!

 

[Annihilator_91]

A nice feature... That's all!

 

[The Dark Elf]

fenric defended me??........... :O :|

Don't get used to it, normal service will resume on Monday morning hehe

 

[Geno]

tee....hee?

 

[Varsity]

I find games without shadows very disorientating. When you're moving like a lightning bolt in UT2004, you need to know pretty quickly where someone you're looking at is if they are jumping around, and shadows help your brain sort that out before the usual pathways fire up.

 

[Geno]

yes, that is a good point, they also help to alert you when someone's coming behind a corner.

 

[Sparta]

CS:S has the same shadow problems as HL2 and i have no problem with those shadows

 

[Styloid]

More realistic shadows is definitely the next step for games and I can't wait to start seeing it but I don't consider it a big deal (especially compared to having the game run well on my computer). It is one of those things that is not noticed right away; for example faked photographs in the old days usually had lighting problems yet were effective in fooling many people who did not concentrate on the problems.
To be honest my reasoning for maybe wanting more advanced shadows in HL2 is very flawed; it's mainly so that people will stop attacking it (over and over again I might add) for 'bad graphics', 'dated engine', etc.; it gets tedious.
I voted that it's a nice feature.

 

[destrukt]

As long as I don't notice that they are bad, I'm fine with them as I won't be openly seeking out errors, but enjoying the game :<

 

[westie]

As long as I don't notice that they are bad, I'm fine with them as I won't be openly seeking out errors, but enjoying the game :<

Yeah i dont look for shadows but if notice something I could think WHAT THE GAY!.

 

[Alec_85]

I voted for "Release the game please" even though I got into a shadow discussion here only yesterday I even find myself turning shadows OFF completely in CS:S in hope of better performance (which I still don't get).

Th main reason that I find the shadow bugs annoying is because I have never seen it before & HL2 is supposed to be state-of-the-art in practically all departments (except lighting it seems). And the fact that it have a potential of ruining Multiplayer if it's used as a cheat. Maybe.

 

[poseyjmac]

personally i don't have a love for shadows, i just have a dislike for buggy shadows. which is why im probably going to turn them off if they are still buggy in the final game. i end up turning shadows off in many games because of bugs.

and i agree with what guinny's wise comment saying if you think there are problems with the shadows in hl2 you need to get laid......just kidding, guinny's one grape short of a fruit salad, but entertaining nonetheless.

 

[CrazyHarij]

I like shadows, as long as they are there. I don't care if they're vertex pixel perfect raycasted shadows or plain stiff circle shadows.

 

[lajkonik86]

want the game to look real!

 

[Yellonet]

And guinny, a statement like that only reinforces my theory that you yourself have never been laid. Grow up kiddo.

That's just what I was thinking.. may or may not be true.. but that was what I was thinking. :cheese:

And, yes, if shadows are a part of the game, then they should be made properly. I believe that Valve wasn't satisfied with the shadows. That's why they fixed them.

I can't understand this whole "shadow affair". When someone says; there is something wrong with the shadows, why do people jump on them? In the latest Bink there IS something wrong.
Saying that the game is crap because the shadows are wrong in an unfinished game, that's another matter. But I haven't seen such a statement...

 

[Gunner]

Honestly after Doom 3 I never want to see any shadows ingame

 

[Seppo]

Shadows are a nice feature, but I don't think they're that important in Half-Life 2 compared to Doom 3 or Thief 3 for example.