37 réponses à ce sujet

[1483749283]

Despite impressive simulations of new mythologies across several universes (DA, SW, BG, ME), we have detected a limitation to the creators' efforts. The cities in these simulations are largely empty. The simulated organics are not sufficiently numerous, nor do they move about very realistically, if at all.

 

In the past, this limitation was ascribed to a lack of processing power in the hardwdare platforms running the simulations.  However, most have by now upgraded to hardware with multiple central cores, such that this limitation no longer applies.

 

We have recently virtualized the simulation known as 'Assassin's Creed 4.' This runtime includes a city, 'Havana,' with many many simulated organics, all of which have their own business to attend to and react to the movements of the protagonist, going so far as to chide the protagonist for physically running into them. This adds a degree of realism and increases the 'color' and atmosphere of the city.

 

Because the creators' focus is on believability of character and mythos, we do not set as high a bar for vibrancy of cities in DA:I as we would in the aforementioned simulation. However, the standard for simulation of cities has moved quite a bit higher in the past few years.

[In Exile]

There were a lot of engine issues with creating big cities before in DA. Whether or not frostbite can do that right now is up in the air.

This sounds to me more like what Bioware should aim for in future installments now that they turned Frostbite into a functional RPG engine

[David Gaider]

Despite impressive simulations of new mythologies across several universes (DA, SW, BG, ME), we have detected a limitation to the creators' efforts. The cities in these simulations are largely empty. The simulated organics are not sufficiently numerous, nor do they move about very realistically, if at all.

 

In the past, this limitation was ascribed to a lack of processing power in the hardwdare platforms running the simulations.  However, most have by now upgraded to hardware with multiple central cores, such that this limitation no longer applies.

 

We have recently virtualized the simulation known as 'Assassin's Creed 4.' This runtime includes a city, 'Havana,' with many many simulated organics, all of which have their own business to attend to and react to the movements of the protagonist, going so far as to chide the protagonist for physically running into them. This adds a degree of realism and increases the 'color' and atmosphere of the city.

 

Because the creators' focus is on believability of character and mythos, we do not set as high a bar for vibrancy of cities in DA:I as we would in the aforementioned simulation. However, the standard for simulation of cities has moved quite a bit higher in the past few years.

 

We've talked about this a lot. Insofar as the AC games go, you have to understand that this is really the entire point of their games and thus the focus of their engine. We also have party members to consider (and the impact of both their memory footprint and pathfinding). All that's to say that, while we could do much busier cities, we'd have to consider what to give up to get it...at least for the moment. I have no idea what optimizations and/or solutions could be coming down the pipe, particularly with regards to the enhanced hardware.

 

Either way, I'd really like to do an AC-style bustling city. At some point.

[efd731]

Bustling cities is never really a big deal for me(in games where that's not a focus). Like dragon age will have populated areas(keeps etc) but they're pretty much there for a quest giving basis right? So they don't have to be bustling and alive, because isn't their point to throw you back into the wild on quests?

[DragonRacer]

I just wanted to say that I'm very impressed at how you managed to stay in-Geth-character for that post.

 

That was a very entertaining way to bring up a request/discussion!

[efd731]

I just wanted to say that I'm very impressed at how you managed to stay in-Geth-character for that post.

That was a very entertaining way to bring up a request/discussion!

Right? And the whole "creators" thing works too because he's addressing the devs. Clever geth lol

[TheJediSaint]

I would be totally be down with a Dragon Age game set in an urban setting.  At least one better realized than in DA2.

[DragonKingReborn]

Ambient life (whether animal or human/sentient) is great and should be considered desirable, but like David said, it's not really the point.  I've never played AC but I've seen gameplay.  Can you imagine the nightmare of getting your followers through a crowded environment like that?  Constantly trying to run through ambient, pointless figures?  *shudder*

 

Perhaps in time we'll see this sort of thing in DA (and I hope so), but for now, the game we appear to be getting looks amazing.  Ambience (in all it's forms) is something I can be patient for.

[earymir]

... it scares me that the Geth wording didn't even catch my attention until someone pointed it out.  I guess there's a reason I chose Green Ending.  

[Wulfram]

I don't get the impression the cities will be a big focus, so I don't think we need AC levels of bustle.  But definitely better than DA2

 

Jade Empire's city was pretty decently populated IIRC

[kipac]

Bustling cities is never really a big deal for me(in games where that's not a focus). Like dragon age will have populated areas(keeps etc) but they're pretty much there for a quest giving basis right? So they don't have to be bustling and alive, because isn't their point to throw you back into the wild on quests?

I don't like that part of RPG. I don't want other NPCs to be just quest givers that does nothing else other than standing still, displaying a quest icon on their heads. That's just dumb and boring. With that being said, Bioware should stop making delivery quests. It's ridiculous for a so-called heroes (Shepard, Warden, etc) to be wasting their times being an errand boy. Existence of delivery quest itself is just a bad way of filling up the number of side quests in the game.

Anyway, back to the topic, I want other NPCs and animals to be more alive and active as OP said.

[TKavatar]

Yeah, what's the point of making large and detailed environments if it's gonna be lifeless and dull?

[Jsixgun]

I think the fact that Bioware chose to make this game on 360 and ps3 can pretty much shoot our expectations for details like this. I think things like this will prob make more of an appearance in the next installment. No doubt the new-gen versions will outshine the last gen, but it is hard to think the last gen won't hold this game back a bit.

[brightblueink]

I would be totally be down with a Dragon Age game set in an urban setting.  At least one better realized than in DA2.

At first when you said "urban" I misunderstood and read that as "a Dragon Age game, but set in a world similar to around our time period."

 

And now I'm distracted once again by thinking how cool a Bioware-style, pulpy adventure RPG set in the 1920s would be.

[Hrungr]

I would be happy with a more "modest" number of people in a city... so long as the city looks as though you could live in it.

 

I want to see more... stuff. The static details - kitchens, shelves, clutter, toys, gardens, street wares, books, food, dirt, debris, weeds, etc., etc...

 

Places that just make you want to stop in your tracks and take it all in. Places that make you want to walk, not run through...

[CENIC]

I gotta admit... the city life in Dragon Age titles has always felt pretty lackluster to me, too. It's disheartening to know that it takes so much of an engine to do that well (ala Assassin's Creed)

[DragonKingReborn]

Exactly, I want to stop and smell the roses...and not be bothered by the person selling the roses with the 'step right up' animation.

[CENIC]

Exactly, I want to stop and smell the roses...and not be bothered by the person selling the roses with the 'step right up' animation.

LOL! Am I the only one hoping they seriously revamped the animations for their Frostbite debut?

[Zanallen]

I find this thread interesting when you consider the rumors that there really won't be much in the way of cities in DA:I (Aside from the keeps, of course).

[DragonKingReborn]

CENIC - you are not....most definitely not.

 

*when I press quote, nothing happens, yet it has been working fine up until today???*

[Hrungr]

Exactly, I want to stop and smell the roses...and not be bothered by the person selling the roses with the 'step right up' animation.

LOL! Am I the only one hoping they seriously revamped the animations for their Frostbite debut?

 

MoCap.... MoCap it all!

 

 

[KC_Prototype]

I would like this a lot. It gives the game more depth and adds an immersive feeling to the universe. Denerim and Val Royeuax deserve bustling environments with alive citizens to populate them. Let us experience the full power of the Frostbite 3 engine.

[TKavatar]

I would like this a lot. It gives the game more depth and adds an immersive feeling to the universe. Denerim and Val Royeuax deserve bustling environments with alive citizens to populate them. Let us experience the full power of the Frostbite 3 engine.

The full power of the Frostbite engine is hindered by having to support 8 year old hardware. :/

[DragonKingReborn]

Those two definitely need it, if we're going there - and I assume Val Royeaux at the least, although David Gaider warns us about assumptions often enough that I should probably know better.

 

The Keeps we'll get are less in need of being filled to the brim with people.  I doubt medieval forts in our world held thousands of people, or even likely hundreds.  What we saw in the PAX Prime demo was fine by me.