Comments on: Why “next-gen games” went gray, brown, and grey. http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:08:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: tom garden http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99/comment-page-1#comment-7902 tom garden Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:32:51 +0000 http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/?p=99#comment-7902 colours bounce around. it is something that is so subtle but important. Every texture and colour refects light in different ways. it is hard physics to simulate. but they'll get there. colours bounce around. it is something that is so subtle but important. Every texture and colour refects light in different ways. it is hard physics to simulate. but they’ll get there.

]]> By: Tetris Games http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99/comment-page-1#comment-7877 Tetris Games Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:55:44 +0000 http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/?p=99#comment-7877 Nice blog man, enjoyed it. Nice blog man, enjoyed it.

]]> By: admin http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99/comment-page-1#comment-5224 admin Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:11 +0000 http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/?p=99#comment-5224 Part of the reason those games are classics has more to do with them being highly accessible and easily emulated, and having been released at a time when there was little competition, rather than being related to a lack of realism, which was simply not possible back in those days. Plenty of games are released today that fall in the same category as Tetris and co., but the market has changed, there is more competition, so it's more difficult for games to become classics. Part of the reason those games are classics has more to do with them being highly accessible and easily emulated, and having been released at a time when there was little competition, rather than being related to a lack of realism, which was simply not possible back in those days. Plenty of games are released today that fall in the same category as Tetris and co., but the market has changed, there is more competition, so it’s more difficult for games to become classics.

]]> By: Ken http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99/comment-page-1#comment-5222 Ken Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:56:26 +0000 http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/?p=99#comment-5222 I would take what Jennifer said one step further: why do we need sky or trees at all? Tetris wouldn't be a better game if it was shoehorned into a world that tried to imitate real life. Attempting to connect your game to *anything* in the real world (photorealism being just one part) ties you to whatever the state-of-the-art is this month for simulation. A game's long-term popularity seems inversely proportional to its realism: the most abstract games are the most long-lived. At the top, Pong, and then Tetris and Pac-Man, and below that Frogger and Joust, and so on. Almost no classics from before 1990 I can remember tried to imitate life. I would take what Jennifer said one step further: why do we need sky or trees at all? Tetris wouldn’t be a better game if it was shoehorned into a world that tried to imitate real life.

Attempting to connect your game to *anything* in the real world (photorealism being just one part) ties you to whatever the state-of-the-art is this month for simulation.

A game’s long-term popularity seems inversely proportional to its realism: the most abstract games are the most long-lived. At the top, Pong, and then Tetris and Pac-Man, and below that Frogger and Joust, and so on. Almost no classics from before 1990 I can remember tried to imitate life.

]]> By: Odysseus http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99/comment-page-1#comment-4010 Odysseus Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:02:39 +0000 http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/?p=99#comment-4010 Jennifer Diane Reitz +1,000,000 It's sad how game development has stagnated for a decade or more as everything has been focused into video. Tetris isn't a better game if you add 3D graphics. Neverwinter Nights has an atrociously lobotomized AI (can't do shoot-n-scoot, or any of a dozen other rookie tactics) because of the focus of graphics. Sigh. So many wasted resources. Jennifer Diane Reitz +1,000,000

It’s sad how game development has stagnated for a decade or more as everything has been focused into video. Tetris isn’t a better game if you add 3D graphics. Neverwinter Nights has an atrociously lobotomized AI (can’t do shoot-n-scoot, or any of a dozen other rookie tactics) because of the focus of graphics. Sigh. So many wasted resources.

]]> By: Ken http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99/comment-page-1#comment-3681 Ken Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:55:41 +0000 http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/?p=99#comment-3681 It probably comes down to money, like anything in games. Okami is an excellent game, but it's probably a lot harder to make a completely new game like that every year than it is to make another "guy with a gun shoots things" game. Or at least a lot riskier. It probably comes down to money, like anything in games. Okami is an excellent game, but it’s probably a lot harder to make a completely new game like that every year than it is to make another “guy with a gun shoots things” game. Or at least a lot riskier.

]]> By: admin http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99/comment-page-1#comment-389 admin Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:36:06 +0000 http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/?p=99#comment-389 Hi Jennifer, thank you for reading! I am not advocating the idea that we should make games more realistic at the detriment of colorful games, I point out one of the reasons why a lot of games have gone in a desaturated direction. It's a sort of uncanny valley effect where, if you present the game as being realistic, you have to remain loyal to this level of realism throughout the game, otherwise perceived quality becomes unstable. So if one wants really colorful worlds instead of photorealism, it's simply a question of not fooling the player into thinking the game will be realistic. In Okami, the lack of radiosity is never a problem, because ours minds never expect to see any. When we make a realistic game where we worked hard on making it look convincing at various levels such as AI, animations, textures, etc., the lack of radiosity becomes a problem if we have saturated colors because it gives an impression of lesser quality, so we desaturate the culprits. If we want colors in a realistically rendered game, having radiosity will significantly improve the quality; in the absence of this tech, developers will tend to desaturate the colors. This is what many devs do without even realizing it. Hi Jennifer, thank you for reading!

I am not advocating the idea that we should make games more realistic at the detriment of colorful games, I point out one of the reasons why a lot of games have gone in a desaturated direction.

It’s a sort of uncanny valley effect where, if you present the game as being realistic, you have to remain loyal to this level of realism throughout the game, otherwise perceived quality becomes unstable.

So if one wants really colorful worlds instead of photorealism, it’s simply a question of not fooling the player into thinking the game will be realistic. In Okami, the lack of radiosity is never a problem, because ours minds never expect to see any.

When we make a realistic game where we worked hard on making it look convincing at various levels such as AI, animations, textures, etc., the lack of radiosity becomes a problem if we have saturated colors because it gives an impression of lesser quality, so we desaturate the culprits. If we want colors in a realistically rendered game, having radiosity will significantly improve the quality; in the absence of this tech, developers will tend to desaturate the colors. This is what many devs do without even realizing it.

]]> By: Jennifer Diane Reitz http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/archives/99/comment-page-1#comment-332 Jennifer Diane Reitz Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:26:58 +0000 http://www.allegory-of-the-game.com/?p=99#comment-332 Personally, I would gladly, happily take the less real, but more brightly colored world every time. I can get photorealism from real life. I want to experience bright worlds of fun and wonder in my games. I want those blue skies and green forests - give me surreal before you give me brown. I don't care that the hues do not reflect off of the walls. I'd rather have fake, than drab -every time. I don't like this choice of visual detail being more important than mood and visual appeal. It seems more like one-ups-manship (our graphics engine is more bonerific than your graphics engine) than doing what is best for the actual game. Personally, I would gladly, happily take the less real, but more brightly colored world every time.

I can get photorealism from real life. I want to experience bright worlds of fun and wonder in my games. I want those blue skies and green forests - give me surreal before you give me brown.

I don’t care that the hues do not reflect off of the walls. I’d rather have fake, than drab -every time.

I don’t like this choice of visual detail being more important than mood and visual appeal. It seems more like one-ups-manship (our graphics engine is more bonerific than your graphics engine) than doing what is best for the actual game.

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