MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

[hull kogan]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

I thought it looked great, but too wasnt absolutely blown away. Its a ps4, it BETTER look better, and it does. My issues are really nitpicking but:

1. Hunter Pence's model doesnt look ANYTHING like him, while some of the models are incredibly realistic like I noticed they made McCutchen's dreads longer and his face is spot on.

2. I didnt notice much of a difference in ball movement, there were some quirky throwing animations and the ball ghosted during throws at times.

3. The flags flying in the breeze looked great, but the Palm trees didnt move at all, hope to see this in future versions.

Overall I cannot wait, The Show is the only reason I bought a PS3 a couple of years ago, and MLB 14 will be my primary reason for upgrading to a PS4 in May.

[hull kogan]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

I jus want alot more on this generation then the last is all im saying .....

I think you echo the sentiments of a lot of people that I have talked to, the "next" generation has failed to blow me and many others away regardless of game or platform. But really, I am going to buy the show every year anyway regardless of whether I watch some video of it or not. I am confident that it wont disappoint me, something that most other sports games have already done long ago.

[thaSLAB]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

The pulsation circle is part of pulse pitching so if you don't want that you should go with classic pitching. The other screen clutter like the hud and pitch selection you can turn off since 13 so I'm assuming this is still possible in 14. Maybe someone with a ps3 version can confirm.

Option to turn any/all OSDs off is still there.

htcONE [M8] | Tapatalk Pro

[munky1307]

MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

When people complain about things not looking "next gen", it shows you how spoiled we are by the good graphics we have already across the board on the existing consoles.

I played The Show for the first time ever last night at a buddy's house ('14 on PS3). Maybe you guys are so used to the game year in and year out but the stream looks way more polished graphically and the stadiums are a huge difference from the PS3 version. With that said, it's already a good looking game. I didn't play enough to comment on small details and I can respect people want tweaks to things that haven't changed much over the years.

When you want a solid house, you have to build a solid foundation. Seems that's what they did for the PS4 version. Now they can focus on all the other things the next few years. Seems like a good strategy to me. People who expect the game to have all these differences or be completely rewritten in such a short time truly know nothing about software development.

I for one can't wait for May 6th!

[Qb]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

PS4 only
Over 350 new fielding and baserunning animations
3 new swing types
All new crowd audio and ambient audio recaptured in HD
Team specific and player specific crowd signs
New lighting engine for daytime games
New lighting engine for nighttime games
New skeleton for players
Bat boys and Bay boy presentations
Children in the crowd's
Completely new crowd skeleton (10k polygon count PS3 is 1,600)
Uncompressed jersey textures
New specular models for players skin and equipment
Specular maps in all stadiums (PS3 has none)
Night time self shadowing on players (PS3 has none)
New hair tech that creates individual hair stands
Grass with geometry (PS3 is a flat surface)
New dirt particle effects and dirt clumps


Plus every new feature that was introduced on PS3. That's quite an achievement for 75 man development team creating three skus in 9 months. When one of them had to be built from the ground up.

I can't help myself...

[ckarlic]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

When people complain about things not looking "next gen", it shows you how spoiled we are by the good graphics we have already across the board on the existing consoles.

I played The Show for the first time ever last night at a buddy's house ('14 on PS3). Maybe you guys are so used to the game year in and year out but the stream looks way more polished graphically and the stadiums are a huge difference from the PS3 version. With that said, it's already a good looking game. I didn't play enough to comment on small details and I can respect people want tweaks to things that haven't changed much over the years.

When you want a solid house, you have to build a solid foundation. Seems that's what they did for the PS4 version. Now they can focus on all the other things the next few years. Seems like a good strategy to me. People who expect the game to have all these differences or be completely rewritten in such a short time truly know nothing about software development.

I for one can't wait for May 6th!

Well said. Ive had the PS3 version of the Show since release and last night I played a few games after watching the Live stream and am not sure I want to play the PS3 version as much now. Im reall looking forward to playing the PS4 version and I may cut back on playing the PS3 version a bit knowing what the PS4 version has in store (not going to stop cold turkey though as I need to scratch my baseball itch once in a while and it does play a great game of baseball ) . May 6th can't get here soon enough!

[bluengold34_OS]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

Well said. Ive had the PS3 version of the Show since release and last night I played a few games after watching the Live stream and am not sure I want to play the PS3 version as much now. Im reall looking forward to playing the PS4 version and I may cut back on playing the PS3 version a bit knowing what the PS4 version has in store (not going to stop cold turkey though as I need to scratch my baseball itch once in a while and it does play a great game of baseball ) . May 6th can't get here soon enough!

Ha - Chris, I wish I had that type of constraint. The PS4 version looks just beautiful, but they did such a good job on the PS3 version, that when I'm not playing it, I want to be. I truly appreciate the effort that has been put into the PS3 version, and have no doubt I will still be in awe of the PS4 version -

[ckarlic]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

Ha - Chris, I wish I had that type of constraint. The PS4 version looks just beautiful, but they did such a good job on the PS3 version, that when I'm not playing it, I want to be. I truly appreciate the effort that has been put into the PS3 version, and have no doubt I will still be in awe of the PS4 version -

I agree..the ps3 version is second to none when it comes to baseball games. The best one to date IMHO. Im still going to play it to help pass time until May 6th. Im also going to try to keep myself occupied and busy in hopes of taking my mind off the game.

I wont lie, whenever I watch a baseball game, I get the urge to fire up the game and more times than not, that is exactly what I do. I caught myself watching the Yanks on my ipad on mlb.tv while I play the show

[seanjeezy]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

Saw this in another thread. Graphics can only go so far for those expecting something radically different next generation...

Polygon count isn't everything though... For example, Marius from Ryse looks better than Delsin from InFamous and the difference in triangles is ~40,000 (~85,000 for Marius, ~120,000 for Delsin).

And I can't believe you of all people are bringing up diminishing returns... Weren't you defending the graphics the other day?

A lot of people complain that the jump of graphics isn't that significant between current-gen and next-gen; however, that was crazy good. Watch the stadiums video, then go to the MLB 14 The Show Videos thread in the PS3 side of the forums. The PS3 all of the sudden looks really bad and very very dated. Once you play the PS4 version, you'll never be able to stomach the PS3 version again.

Now its "graphics can only go so far"... Have you not seen Ryse? Driveclub? Killzone? 2K14? Hell, even The Show 2015 will be leaps and bounds above 2014, the same thing happened going from '07 to '08. Don't just brush aside next-gen because it doesn't fit your agenda.

*exhale...*

Surprisingly enough, I personally do not mind the CAP appearances because in the right hands CAPs can equal, and sometimes even exceed, the quality of the face scans. We have some talented creators here who do an amazing job on the PS3, and just having better textures will go a long way.

Anyway, sorry SVCbearcat10 about the rant, I just think diminishing returns is a ridiculous argument since graphics can always get better. Don't you eventually want in-game graphics to be on par with movie quality CGI? I sure do, and while it won't happen anytime in the immediate future, it will happen.

[Will I Am]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

I'd love to see a "Gameplay Improvement" thread after the PS4 release.

Yes the improved graphics will be nice but I'm more interested in whether or not the gameplay itself is better. It's the only reason I would upgrade to PS4.

[SVCbearcat10]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

Polygon count isn't everything though... For example, Marius from Ryse looks better than Delsin from InFamous and the difference in triangles is ~40,000 (~85,000 for Marius, ~120,000 for Delsin).

And I can't believe you of all people are bringing up diminishing returns... Weren't you defending the graphics the other day?



Now its "graphics can only go so far"... Have you not seen Ryse? Driveclub? Killzone? 2K14? Hell, even The Show 2015 will be leaps and bounds above 2014, the same thing happened going from '07 to '08. Don't just brush aside next-gen because it doesn't fit your agenda.

*exhale...*

Surprisingly enough, I personally do not mind the CAP appearances because in the right hands CAPs can equal, and sometimes even exceed, the quality of the face scans. We have some talented creators here who do an amazing job on the PS3, and just having better textures will go a long way.

Anyway, sorry SVCbearcat10 about the rant, I just think diminishing returns is a ridiculous argument since graphics can always get better. Don't you eventually want in-game graphics to be on par with movie quality CGI? I sure do, and while it won't happen anytime in the immediate future, it will happen.

I'm not saying graphics can't be improved or noticeably improved, people are just expecting to be "blown away" by next-gen graphics. If you look at the graphic, you can tell a noticeable difference between the last 2 pictures. However, the difference is a lot more subtle and requires a closer eye than the earlier jumps.

Basically, I'm just saying that the leap from current-gen to next-gen will be much less than last-gen to current-gen. From the PS1 to the PS2 to the PS3 to the PS4, each console's graphical leap was less. Somebody may crack a code and make a huge leap. However, I think improvements will be more in movements than the models themselves, ie. having people walk less rigid, non-robotic lips when speaking, actual facial expressions etc. Eyes, skin, clothes, hair (is hit or miss) has been nailed down pretty good current-gen. Every next-gen game will have facial expressions like La Noire basically.

[nemss316]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

I cannot grasp how people are not seeing a huge difference between the two versions. I loaded up the livestream again through my AppleTV and watched the last 5 minutes or so between the Cubs/Cards at Busch. Looked absolutely fantastic, my wife even came in the room and asked what the score was.

[seanjeezy]

Re: MLB 14 The Show Livestream (PS4)

I'm not saying graphics can't be improved or noticeably improved, people are just expecting to be "blown away" by next-gen graphics. If you look at the graphic, you can tell a noticeable difference between the last 2 pictures. However, the difference is a lot more subtle and requires a closer eye than the earlier jumps.

Basically, I'm just saying that the leap from current-gen to next-gen will be much less than last-gen to current-gen. From the PS1 to the PS2 to the PS3 to the PS4, each console's graphical leap was less. Somebody may crack a code and make a huge leap. However, I think improvements will be more in movements than the models themselves, ie. having people walk less rigid, non-robotic lips when speaking, actual facial expressions etc. Eyes, skin, clothes, hair (is hit or miss) has been nailed down pretty good current-gen. Every next-gen game will have facial expressions like La Noire basically.

There are already games out that are huge leaps over PS360 era though... and its not like early PS360 games were blowing late gen Xbox (specifically Xbox because it had by far had the best graphical capabilities) games out of the water. Remember Wall Guy? Here, this is Ninja Gaiden Black (Xbox) vs. Wall Guy (Xbox 360)

Spoiler

Spoiler

And like I said, polygon count isn't everything. Here's a reddit post from an artist at Guerrilla titled, "Why the 'diminishing returns' picture is a bad example":

Hi, video game artist from Guerrilla Games here! You may know us from the Killzone series.
While the picture OP posted is accurate in the sense of downres/upres methodologies, there is a very important point to be made here.
It's true that subdividing a 2k poly model will not result in a more detailed model. And that downscaling a 20k model will result in a more accurate 2k representation.
But this is not what game graphics are about. We have almost stopped caring about polygon counts in the last couple of years. Increasing the poly count beyond 5k for the bust that is shown in the example picture will add almost nothing. The contour may look a little better, but that's it.
What actually happens in current AND next gen games is that the detail contained in the hipoly model is baked into a "normal map". It's a texture that defines the surface angle for every pixel. That way, even though the model may be relatively low poly, the lighting on it looks like the full high res model.
The guys over at Epic games did a great demonstration of this back in 2006, but it looks like they removed that part of their website by now. It was a great demonstration of how a 4 million poly character model was downressed to 9000 polies and effectively looked the same because of normal maps.
So anyways - about the actual issue at hand; there really is a diminishing returns issue in games. Every time you double the amount of polygons, the subject will only look marginally better than the previous generation did. The difference between PS1 and PS2 was enormous. The difference between PS2 and PS3 was smaller, although still very significant. The difference between PS3 and PS4 is clearly noticeable, but it's not as big a leap as previous generations were. Future generations will no doubt offer smaller changes in graphical fidelity, and put more focus on added features.
#edit: Wow! So many responses. I'd love to answer them all but don't have the time. Some clarification:

1. Poly counts still matter! When I said "stopped caring" I meant that we don't design objects with the intent of saving on polygons. We still do crazy amounts of optimization once the object is made. And of course we use Level of Detail models to reduce poly counts of objects that are further away from the camera.
2. There are still great improvements to be made in graphics technology. We're moving away from static pre-baked lighting and that means we want to simulate light bouncing around in real time. That's ridiculously demanding on the hardware. And you wouldn't see the difference in a screenshot, but you will see it when objects and lights move around.

Game graphics can still get loads better, but the improvements won't come in the form of higher poly counts. At least not by much. Look forward to stuff like realtime global illumination, particles, dynamics, fluids, cloth and hair, etc. It's not necessarily stuff that will make screenshots look better, but it will definitely make game worlds feel more alive.
Also; THANKS FOR THE GOLD! Feel free to call on me if you need me in the future. Cheers!

And btw, here's the "diminishing returns" pic he's talking about:

Spoiler

So yes, while he's saying the actual models might not improve much, game graphics is so much more than that. Lighting, textures, etc. are equally as important.

So I think we agree in some aspects lol

[XMrAngryEyesxX]

I don't if anyone has seen this, but IGN put up a video of Pence playing Injustice and kills the IGN guy he's playing and said he plays that game so I guess he does play just not sports games? Or specifically his own sport's game?
Anyways, great stream in regards to the game, as everyone has said the visuals are great and I think this could be our first look into what EA said when they coined the term "living worlds". This is just the beginning but it looks like a great start. I just keeping thinking the lighting in this game could revolutionize Madden because it has always seemed night games were pale in comparison to day games but if EA can make strides like this then hopefully we will be able to see the "living worlds" they hope to have in the future.

[TheFlamingWeazel]

People have terrible memories. Look at ps3 launch games, then look at Uncharted , god of war. Ps4 games already took big leaps from ps3 (Infamous), that will only get better. We are not even close to diminishing returns. There is a lot more to engines then poly count... This gen is off to a much better start then last.