Damn, i need to upgrade my physic card in order to run this game.

Physics are the next graphics.

What if you had to think about physic cards for your pc in the future?

Am i the only one that was more impressed by HL 2 physics than by its graphics? I mean, the textures where incredible, and the effects where stunning, but wow, that physic was the cherry on the top of the sundee!


What if physics remplaced the wow factor of the graphics in a couple of years?

I mean, graphics never ceased to get better in better, but physics relativly stayed the same. Im hearing you, trying to crush my arguments, saying that you would never see the kind of physics that Hl2 have in doom. Yes, true. What i want to say is that physics always been on the second, third, or even fourth plane, in the backround, behind textures, effects, polygons, sound, and sometimes even IA.

To make a virtual world, you need a combination of all. And i really think that physics are so intergrated this world, so existing in our lives, that we don't really pay much attention to it anymore.

We dont really feel it when a game have bad physics right now, but i think its like you played with your playstation ten years ago. It looked so beautiful, and it was so perfect. But now that youve seen better, try to play with it again. Try Gran Tourismo again, when you played gran tourismo 4 for about a year already, and you will just say to yourself that it looked way better in your memories. I think it will be the same for physics.

Physics in games are really under-developed, and i think many gamers dont even notice it. We need to develop phyiscs to enhance Game immersion sinighicantly, to make the game more life-like, and human. Graphics do not have the same impact as it had before.

An Explosion occurs in the middle of a Fight between humans and aliens in a deathmatch over the web. The explosion is beautiful, indeed, But nothing happens to the suroundings. Nothing will change, in most cases. Oh yeah, maybe on or two things will disapear, but generally it wont be in real time, with a developed algoritm that take notice of the power of the explosion, the gravity of the planet, the wind and surounding objects.

Physics are the most fluid, simple yet complicated, life-like effect that you can ever have. Good Physics, imo, are way more mind blowing than good good graphics. And i really think that in the future, graphics will get kicked to the second plane in profit of the physics, that's what i hope anyway.

I hope you understood the point i was trying to make right, i cant totally express myself as i wish i could with english, but i try the best to get my point right.

A pdf :
http://www.ageia.com/products/white_papers/wp_2005_3_physics_gameplay.pdf

and here's some videos for your enjoyement:

http://www.ageia.com/physxInAction/demos.html
www.ageia.com/downloads/airtight/divxphysxairtight720×400.wmv

http://www.airtightgames.com/movies/PhysX_AirtightGames_Fluids640X360.wmv

http://www.airtightgames.com/movies/PhysX_AirtightGames_Bending640X360.wmv

http://www.airtightgames.com/movies/PhysX_AirtightGames640X360.wmv

i think physics are the next graphics in the industry.

 

I agree with you 100% there.

One of the main reasons I don't fancy too much on the latest GFX cards are that most times there is not much of a difference in gameplay. Sure the graphics may look sharper, textures added, but that does not change the way the game is played. As long as I am still able to play the game at a reasonable framerate, why bother on upgrading my GFX card?

I just hope physics in games is one of the major improvements in the upcoming next generation consoles. I'm really looking forward to the Playstation 3 games, possibly another Gran Turismo title. Maybe you'll be able to flip the cars this time! :lol:

There's still the Nintendo Revolution as well. We just have to wait and see...

And many thanks for those links!

 

Recently (post-Ageia's announcement) people talk about physics processing as though it's something that can't be done in hardware without dedicated chips. If console games are anything to go by then it's safe to assume that incapable hardware is rarely an issue in the right hands. So while advanced physics may well feature in next-gen games I doubt physics chips are going to be vital in this shift.

 

I worked on a project trying to design a chip for AI processing. Turns out, it's not really pratical on todays hardware. The real solution is better management of processor time. You'd be surprised how long the processor sits idle even on the most advanced games.

 

I have a friend who's company did a few demo levels for Ageia to show off their PPU. I've seen videos of a game using the hardware and it looks great. Its the price that gets to me. MSRP will be $250, thats as much as a decent videocard.

The cellfactor demo is much better than what AirTight made..

 

PC games BULL$HIT

The PC gaming market has taken the piss, to even play FPS's these days you need to pony up atleast $300 for the damn video card alone and they keep making all the enthusiast crap more and more expensive. These stupid physics cards are going to make it worse if they catch on...

Oh and maybe the dev's should actually spend some time optimizing their games ala Half Life 2. It looks better than FEAR in my opinion except fear requires insane hardware to run decently....

 

dude, the card story was only to get my point, and i wasn't specifically about pc games.

 

I totally agree! Outside my standing as a HL fanboy, I don't see why some people say Doom 3 or Fear are better just because they slap normal mapping everywhere! Half-Life 2 just looks awesome. I mean, when you start adding the normal maps everywhere, everything just starts to get all shiny....like the world has been laminated >_<

Have you seen that "High-Definition" Mod for HL2? Essentially it adds an assload of normal maps to everything. Looks so bad.

 

Doom 3 is more impressing to me, but HL2 Is more realistic. The most realistic looking game to date. Its like two different things. Both are impressing, but not for the same reasons.

To return on topic, One of the many reasons why HL2 looks more realistic is because of the physics.


And do you have a link for the HD mod please?

 

See, Doom 3 looked good on the inside sci-fi environments...but the character models and outdoor areas were mediocre at best.

As for linkage, I can't find teh one I saw before...but I've found a newer one that looks pretty kickass -

Here for the first part

Here for an additional part

It must have been an older version of this one I had. The character faces had really bad normal maps on them making their skin all shiney.

 

I like HL2 more than doom3 simply because it plays better on my system than doom3 does. They programmed the game to run really well on slower systems. Mine is considered low end nowadays but when HL2 came out, it was considered mid-range.

 

This is a bit off topic, but is there any way to play Half-Life 2 if you don't have an internet connection? I'd like to play the game, and I don't want the Xbox version.

 

nope. But you do have internet.. if i take in consideration that you post here...:typin:

 

56k is hell to use (I have AOL at home). I'm at school right now, anyway .

 

oh, but you only need internet to start the game, otherwise its all good.

 

I have to agree with assembler, plus physics programming is pretty difficult, much more than just adding more eye candy.

Plus those Ageia demos were nothing more impressive than any games with good Havok physics

 

You really don't program physx. My buddy made some of the good levels that Ageia showcased in this years CES and last year at E3. Its a bit "tedious" work, but all it is, is just placing points on the level and the card takes care of the rest. The programmers have to put in the proper data, but nothing as far as calculating physics, its as easy as havok but since its hardware, it doesnt take up cpu resources at all.

I doubt the cards will take off in the mainstream but I'm sure the enthusiasts and hardcore PC gamers will pick them up just to get that edge in gameplay for games like UT2k7 (which supports Ageia physx ppus) and so will any other game that uses the unreal3 engine.

 

There you go, it is tedious if you want some good effects, like in HL2.

Anyways, with GPU prices going up I doubt people is going to spend money in PPUs.