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I predict that in ten years time, photo-realism will be perfected. After all, with Moore’s Law stating that computing power doubles every 18 months we should see processing speeds of about 128 Gigabytes in a standard PC!
This raises two important questions for the gaming industry:
Firstly, imagine the cost of making a photo-realistic game; every single character, object and building has to be designed completely- without a single detail left out. I think this will lead to a number of important changes in the industry.
To begin with, middleware will become more important to the industry- and not just for use in 3D engines, physics and AI. Now developers may be forced to buy pre-made computer generated characters, simply because there is no way they can possibly make every single one of their game’s characters from scratch. And this doesn’t just apply to characters- also building, objects and textures will need to be bought “off the shelf” so-to-speak.
Also, imagine the cost of making a game like this! If we assume that the technology available to make games increases at the same speed as game complexity, the cost won’t be as high as you might imagine, but games will certainly cost more than they do now. This could easily lead to the end of the small scale development houses we see at the moment- instead all games may be made by far larger corporations.
The second question such an advance in technology raises is “how can games get any better”? After all, if you’ve generated photo-realistic graphics, you’ve hit a wall.
Well, to begin with, the way we interact with games will have to change. The limitations of the controller- a simple piece of plastic with buttons on- will hold gameplay back far more than anything else. After all, what’s the point in generating a perfectly crafter world if you can’t do anything with it?
Next, we can start to use other senses in gaming- not just seeing and hearing. Now, we could start to see rumble packs that cover your whole body- shaking as you bump into objects.
Maybe the biggest change would be transferring games from the simple 2d Television screen onto another media. Perhaps VR headsets will make a comeback? Or even more radically, maybe games will be played inside “capsules” that, as well as giving you a 3D view of everything, allow you to walk freely within the game, and could even begin to incorporate new sensations like smell. Such capsules would certainly make Arcades far more popular!
I can imagine that in several decades we will have direct brain interaction with games. So then we have perfect sights, sounds and smells of environments. No more limitations are imposed by controllers, and we are truly free to do anything….
But what then?
Sonic
This raises two important questions for the gaming industry:
Firstly, imagine the cost of making a photo-realistic game; every single character, object and building has to be designed completely- without a single detail left out. I think this will lead to a number of important changes in the industry.
To begin with, middleware will become more important to the industry- and not just for use in 3D engines, physics and AI. Now developers may be forced to buy pre-made computer generated characters, simply because there is no way they can possibly make every single one of their game’s characters from scratch. And this doesn’t just apply to characters- also building, objects and textures will need to be bought “off the shelf” so-to-speak.
Also, imagine the cost of making a game like this! If we assume that the technology available to make games increases at the same speed as game complexity, the cost won’t be as high as you might imagine, but games will certainly cost more than they do now. This could easily lead to the end of the small scale development houses we see at the moment- instead all games may be made by far larger corporations.
The second question such an advance in technology raises is “how can games get any better”? After all, if you’ve generated photo-realistic graphics, you’ve hit a wall.
Well, to begin with, the way we interact with games will have to change. The limitations of the controller- a simple piece of plastic with buttons on- will hold gameplay back far more than anything else. After all, what’s the point in generating a perfectly crafter world if you can’t do anything with it?
Next, we can start to use other senses in gaming- not just seeing and hearing. Now, we could start to see rumble packs that cover your whole body- shaking as you bump into objects.
Maybe the biggest change would be transferring games from the simple 2d Television screen onto another media. Perhaps VR headsets will make a comeback? Or even more radically, maybe games will be played inside “capsules” that, as well as giving you a 3D view of everything, allow you to walk freely within the game, and could even begin to incorporate new sensations like smell. Such capsules would certainly make Arcades far more popular!
I can imagine that in several decades we will have direct brain interaction with games. So then we have perfect sights, sounds and smells of environments. No more limitations are imposed by controllers, and we are truly free to do anything….
But what then?
Sonic
Page:
hmm... you know too much about programming... all I know is how to make (basic) Half-Life levels... (well I used to. Probably forgotten by now!)
Anyway, if the price skyrockets, then gaming may become the passtime of the few (again) and if small development companies go out of business it is obviously going to be bad for the industry (less competition, more sales just based on big name brands, like the EA sports series, etc.)
But to this we can expect a reaction. If games get too expensive, then (small) developers are going to start shunning the new technology, and going back to basics. We have seen the huge success of series like Baldurs Gate, Worms, Commandos, and these are all in 2D. No polygons, no 3D engines, but extraordinary gameplay. That is why now there is such a large number of gamers who buy and sell retro games and consoles, and download ROMs and emulators from the internet. Quite simply they miss the old days where gaming was simpler, and easier. These games were (in general) easier to pick up, and easier to develop. Not to say these new 'capsule' games wouldn't be good, but how many could afford them? How many games would come out on them? How much would a single game on one cost? How much would the actual console cost? All unanswerable, but if things like this are to happen, gaming is likely to become the passtime of the few again, unless the reaction to these (in the form of 'retro' gaming, which by then will be the kind of stuff we play now) is strong enough, and has good enough games.
And also what would happen if games were as realistic as reality? Ever seen the film Existenz?
"What if we're still in the game?"
Anyway, if the price skyrockets, then gaming may become the passtime of the few (again) and if small development companies go out of business it is obviously going to be bad for the industry (less competition, more sales just based on big name brands, like the EA sports series, etc.)
But to this we can expect a reaction. If games get too expensive, then (small) developers are going to start shunning the new technology, and going back to basics. We have seen the huge success of series like Baldurs Gate, Worms, Commandos, and these are all in 2D. No polygons, no 3D engines, but extraordinary gameplay. That is why now there is such a large number of gamers who buy and sell retro games and consoles, and download ROMs and emulators from the internet. Quite simply they miss the old days where gaming was simpler, and easier. These games were (in general) easier to pick up, and easier to develop. Not to say these new 'capsule' games wouldn't be good, but how many could afford them? How many games would come out on them? How much would a single game on one cost? How much would the actual console cost? All unanswerable, but if things like this are to happen, gaming is likely to become the passtime of the few again, unless the reaction to these (in the form of 'retro' gaming, which by then will be the kind of stuff we play now) is strong enough, and has good enough games.
And also what would happen if games were as realistic as reality? Ever seen the film Existenz?
"What if we're still in the game?"
As it happens, I was going to speak about coding things as fractals, but didn't think anyone would understand it!
Anyway, the idea goes as so. You have a mathematical "function" (like an equaltion) that takes values (like an equation takes x and y) and gives an output. In computer games, you could use such a function to, say, define what a wooden surafce will look like. The developer feeds certain values into the function (like what type of wood it is, and, say, a number to calculate how many knots the wood should have. That way you have just a few numbers to describe each texture in a games, and the game engine will render them for you.
Whether such techniques can be used to create characters in games would be very interesting to see... maybe I'll have to do that as a Masters at Uni ;)
Sonic
Anyway, the idea goes as so. You have a mathematical "function" (like an equaltion) that takes values (like an equation takes x and y) and gives an output. In computer games, you could use such a function to, say, define what a wooden surafce will look like. The developer feeds certain values into the function (like what type of wood it is, and, say, a number to calculate how many knots the wood should have. That way you have just a few numbers to describe each texture in a games, and the game engine will render them for you.
Whether such techniques can be used to create characters in games would be very interesting to see... maybe I'll have to do that as a Masters at Uni ;)
Sonic
Better graphics don't make better games, they just expand the possibilities that make better games. Also, it's the power of the CPU which allows you to simulate different things to a greater degree. That will never hit the wall.
On the subject of detail: Everything will have to be rendered procedurally, like fractals. You have a "fur" fractal, which will render fur according to parameters you set. It will be much like the GIMP's IfsCompose.
On the subject of detail: Everything will have to be rendered procedurally, like fractals. You have a "fur" fractal, which will render fur according to parameters you set. It will be much like the GIMP's IfsCompose.
I predict that in ten years time, photo-realism will be perfected. After all, with Moore’s Law stating that computing power doubles every 18 months we should see processing speeds of about 128 Gigabytes in a standard PC!
This raises two important questions for the gaming industry:
Firstly, imagine the cost of making a photo-realistic game; every single character, object and building has to be designed completely- without a single detail left out. I think this will lead to a number of important changes in the industry.
To begin with, middleware will become more important to the industry- and not just for use in 3D engines, physics and AI. Now developers may be forced to buy pre-made computer generated characters, simply because there is no way they can possibly make every single one of their game’s characters from scratch. And this doesn’t just apply to characters- also building, objects and textures will need to be bought “off the shelf” so-to-speak.
Also, imagine the cost of making a game like this! If we assume that the technology available to make games increases at the same speed as game complexity, the cost won’t be as high as you might imagine, but games will certainly cost more than they do now. This could easily lead to the end of the small scale development houses we see at the moment- instead all games may be made by far larger corporations.
The second question such an advance in technology raises is “how can games get any better”? After all, if you’ve generated photo-realistic graphics, you’ve hit a wall.
Well, to begin with, the way we interact with games will have to change. The limitations of the controller- a simple piece of plastic with buttons on- will hold gameplay back far more than anything else. After all, what’s the point in generating a perfectly crafter world if you can’t do anything with it?
Next, we can start to use other senses in gaming- not just seeing and hearing. Now, we could start to see rumble packs that cover your whole body- shaking as you bump into objects.
Maybe the biggest change would be transferring games from the simple 2d Television screen onto another media. Perhaps VR headsets will make a comeback? Or even more radically, maybe games will be played inside “capsules” that, as well as giving you a 3D view of everything, allow you to walk freely within the game, and could even begin to incorporate new sensations like smell. Such capsules would certainly make Arcades far more popular!
I can imagine that in several decades we will have direct brain interaction with games. So then we have perfect sights, sounds and smells of environments. No more limitations are imposed by controllers, and we are truly free to do anything….
But what then?
Sonic
This raises two important questions for the gaming industry:
Firstly, imagine the cost of making a photo-realistic game; every single character, object and building has to be designed completely- without a single detail left out. I think this will lead to a number of important changes in the industry.
To begin with, middleware will become more important to the industry- and not just for use in 3D engines, physics and AI. Now developers may be forced to buy pre-made computer generated characters, simply because there is no way they can possibly make every single one of their game’s characters from scratch. And this doesn’t just apply to characters- also building, objects and textures will need to be bought “off the shelf” so-to-speak.
Also, imagine the cost of making a game like this! If we assume that the technology available to make games increases at the same speed as game complexity, the cost won’t be as high as you might imagine, but games will certainly cost more than they do now. This could easily lead to the end of the small scale development houses we see at the moment- instead all games may be made by far larger corporations.
The second question such an advance in technology raises is “how can games get any better”? After all, if you’ve generated photo-realistic graphics, you’ve hit a wall.
Well, to begin with, the way we interact with games will have to change. The limitations of the controller- a simple piece of plastic with buttons on- will hold gameplay back far more than anything else. After all, what’s the point in generating a perfectly crafter world if you can’t do anything with it?
Next, we can start to use other senses in gaming- not just seeing and hearing. Now, we could start to see rumble packs that cover your whole body- shaking as you bump into objects.
Maybe the biggest change would be transferring games from the simple 2d Television screen onto another media. Perhaps VR headsets will make a comeback? Or even more radically, maybe games will be played inside “capsules” that, as well as giving you a 3D view of everything, allow you to walk freely within the game, and could even begin to incorporate new sensations like smell. Such capsules would certainly make Arcades far more popular!
I can imagine that in several decades we will have direct brain interaction with games. So then we have perfect sights, sounds and smells of environments. No more limitations are imposed by controllers, and we are truly free to do anything….
But what then?
Sonic
Page: