The Next Level of Video Games

I probably should have explained the "fractal trees" comment, I'm guessing. A few years ago they were talking about ways to render complex objects using simple fractal generating thingies. Instead of a comples 3D model, toss in some kind of equation (I'm not up on the details, as you might guess) and let the computer render the lifelike object. Properly done, you'd get the same tree (or whatever) in the same place every time, without having to construct each and every one in the forest.

I'm still waiting for one good tree.

On a tangent, I'm really looking forward to Unity. Near as I can tell, the object textures are dynamically created by the music, or something. No (or few?) hand drawn textures, but a constantly shifting, dynamic effect thingy generated by in-game variables on the fly. I'm guessing the "realism in all things" crowd won't be too excited but I can't wait.

James

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Originally Posted by James

I'm guessing the "realism in all things" crowd won't be too excited but I can't wait.

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I don't think all games should look realistic but I would like to play a perfectly realistic-looking game before I die. Besides, reality is the ultimate benchmark by which to judge what a system can do.

Fractals were in Jurassic Park (SNES) ^_^

Eventually game hardware will jack right into your brain, producing a world you cannot distinguish from reality. Then the robot hordes will enslave us all and spell doom for mankind!! O_o

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Originally Posted by Johnny

Eventually game hardware will jack right into your brain, producing a world you cannot distinguish from reality. Then the robot hordes will enslave us all and spell doom for mankind!! O_o

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We'll become friends with the computer and it'll all turn out right in the end though.

Anyone who has played the Dynasty Warriors series can see consoles still have a long way to go before they can actually run that game without cutting a hundred corners from it.

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Originally Posted by Icepick

I hope the next generation of systems are incapable of running any games that don't have "Street Fighter IV" In the title.

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Did you do that double negative on purpose?

Graphics (and memory to store graphics) are crap right now. We won't get to a decent level of 3D graphics for at least a few generations, if you ask me. As was stated, we don't even have decent polygon hair yet. And graphics need to improve not just for realistic-looking games, but for non-realistic as well. What about a game that looks like a 3D oil painting? Or one where everything looks like a rough sketch? What about cel-shaded games which actually look hand drawn? I want to see graphics improve not just to make things more real, but to also give us the chance to use entirely new graphical styles that we haven't even seen yet.

I think the other important thing is AI. AI so terribly needs a boost. I want to play a fighting game or a racing game or a sports gmae and not know I'm playing against a braindead computer "player." But let's go far beyond that - how about an RPG where the main evil character can actually think and react to what I'm doing, and change his plans to try to stop me? How utterly awesome would that be? Online gaming can help some situations, but we still need good AI to fill in all of the times when you need a great deal of characters thinking for themselves and having those be real people just isn't realistic.

Online, of course, must get a bigger push. EVERY multi-player game that is released should be playable online, no exceptions. As well, once we get that, good voice synthasis would be a great thing to have. Having every character in every game having a voice would be fun.

Of course, before we think about such grand things, how about fixing the problems we have now - most importantly, the laziness of the people making our current games? The fact that I can still go out and purchase a game where my controller buttons aren't totally configurable to my liking is in-excusable.

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Originally Posted by James

I probably should have explained the "fractal trees" comment, I'm guessing.

James

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You didn't have to.

I think status screens should be implemented in controllers, as someone else said. It was cool on the DC and with the GC/GBA, but it should really be something more that's just built in.

i think that within the next 2 or 3 generations, consoles will be able to do (on-screen) just about anything a developer can imagine..

but i hope they suprise me.

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Originally Posted by shidoshi

Of course, before we think about such grand things, how about fixing the problems we have now - most importantly, the laziness of the people making our current games? The fact that I can still go out and purchase a game where my controller buttons aren't totally configurable to my liking is in-excusable.

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I heard that.

The console developer needs to step up and make this issue a TCR (Technical Certification Requirement). These are points that all games must have or they automatically fail certification. The big 3 already have a mountain of these the developers need to adhere to, many of them incidental and trivial (like capitilization of Memory Card) and many of them quite worthy (like restrictions on load times). One that demands button customization needs to be added for the next generation.

Hell, if only one company did it, it'd be akin to a "feature" of that specific console and could be advertised as such. In multiplatform releases this console would have an edge since people would know it would have to have button customization. The other console developers would then follow with their own sort of "unofficial" TCR and before long, a standard would be born.