Why Does Everything Look Like Deuce From Far Away?

[topzzz]

UPDATE Just saw this video, and grass looks way better in retail...



Hey guys...

Had to stop playing the demo really quick to mention this.

Everything looks absolutely amazing close up. In fact, this is the BEST
graphic improvement EA has done in a very long time, imo.



But when you get far away, the grass, the graphics (letters / logos) on the grass,
the player models, let's be honest, basically EVERYTHING looks like crap...



Sad to say, this probably just isn't for the "demo" version either. This is
probably going to be how things look in the retail version as well...

Images Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsJ89oNLBrI

[jagsrock95]

that's some good looking crap! Seriously the game looks good to me. What do you except it to look like zoomed out! every watch a live game on T.V. you're gonna lose detail when zoomed out. If it was the other way around and it looked good from far away and not good from up close then we'd have a problem.

[Broncos86]

So, I'll explain this AGAIN.

First and foremost, we're talking about two different aspects when comparing cut scenes and in-game play. Cut scenes require limited assets and are basically refined movies. It's easier to get high levels of detail in a cut scene because the system doesn't have to account for as many player models, there's no AI instructions to run, physics and attributes to calculate, etc.

Secondly, there's the term "Level of Detail" for gameplay. As you zoom in, detail goes up. As you zoom out, detail goes down. Why? Because for starters, the system cannot handle all the player models at such a high level of detail. Secondly, with the players zoomed out, you're not likely going to notice the detail as much anyways. Why draw soft shadows on the players when you won't even really see it very well?

[DaTwolves21]

Looks good to me, I don't understand all the complaining, looks pretty damn good.

[topzzz]

Quote: Originally Posted by Broncos86

So, I'll explain this AGAIN. First and foremost, we're talking about two different aspects when comparing cut scenes and in-game play. Cut scenes require limited assets and are basically refined movies. It's easier to get high levels of detail in a cut scene because the system doesn't have to account for as many player models, there's no AI instructions to run, physics and attributes to calculate, etc. Secondly, there's the term "Level of Detail" for gameplay. As you zoom in, detail goes up. As you zoom out, detail goes down. Why? Because for starters, the system cannot handle all the player models at such a high level of detail. Secondly, with the players zoomed out, you're not likely going to notice the detail as much anyways. Why draw soft shadows on the players when you won't even really see it very well?

What you're saying makes complete sense, and I appreciate a legit response.
I am just confused as to how games like GTA4 can look so amazing (even
from a distance), but EA just can't seem to get it right.



Mainly, I am complaining about the grass here, folks. But the player models,
and crowd don't look too great from a distance either.

But if we're just looking at the grass, (during game play)...

I guess I am kind of just asking for grass that looks like grass...



MLB 2K11 seemed to get it right...



Know what I mean? It just seems like the grass in this game has too many
colors or something...

[Broncos86]

Graphic designers can "cheat" on textures. Those textures on some of those buildings are meant to be viewed from a specific distance. If you got close up, you'd see some dithered images.

GTA 4 certainly has a lot going on with it, and the designers will use a lot of shortcuts and use perspective to their advantage. If you're surrounded by buildings, the system doesn't have to draw what's behind that building. I'd be curious to see the depth of code required for each individual player. Imagine writing code that takes every single situation into consideration. And when it doesn't happen, we gamers freak out.

If it's about grass, we have multiple threads about grass.

[JMUfootball]

Quote: Originally Posted by topzzz

Know what I mean? It just seems like the grass in this game has too many colors or something...

See the excellent thread below regarding the grass. Many people, including myself, agree with you.

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...eeds-work.html

[topzzz]

Quote: Originally Posted by JMUfootball

See the excellent thread below regarding the grass. Many people, including myself, agree with you. http://www.operationsports.com/forum...eeds-work.html

Thanks for the link, man. It's not stupid.... really, folks. If they're really trying
to make things good, they may as well include the thing that is most noticeable.

I bet if they got the grass right, it would make everything else look 10* better.

Look at the MLB the Show grass: