I don't want to start a fiery argument. However, I would be interested in a debate over this. Not because I am looking for a fight but more because I just feel that better graphics enhance a game play experience. Draw distances, frame rates and so on. Now obviously they may not seem like huge improvements to some, but I just
truly feel that an already great game can indeed be made better by a few things that have been mentioned. Namely visual quality, draw distances, frame rates and so on. Also, with any luck we can all fight, I mean argue, I mean debate over it here instead of in a serious game thread
Now obviously you guys (well, some of you at least) saw the pics I posted of Just Cause 2 yesterday. I did report having an issue when driving the car (which was odd) but last night I tracked it down to garbage build up on my SSD. NP, 12 mins later I was back to full RW speeds which in turn solved my lag issues in game.
So I won't bore you with those screenshots but the difference between that and a 360 game are surely pretty vast? Now I admit in that game it probably wouldn't make too much difference as the landscapes are pretty barren and thus detail and draw distances are not that important. However, as I mentioned in the other thread in Fallout 3 the differences changed the game quite dramatically into something better, even though it was merely graphical.
Now I know using Dirt 2 could be considered a dirty trick here as tbh? It's really not very fair. The graphics being pumped out by dual 5 series Radeons will pretty much slay anything put in front of them. But it's not just about the graphics it's about the entire experience. And I can swear with my hand on my heart that I have never played a game that was made so much better by graphics. Now with Fallout 3 I
read about the differences, but they were pretty clear. With Dirt 2 I have experienced first hand the switchover from DX9 to DX11 and I must say I was totally wrong about DX11. The differences are fucking immense. It's not just some wavey flags and tesselation it's the entire game. It also uses lots of DX10 lighting which of course isn't enabled with the DX9 version. I remember saying when I got Radeon 1 something along the lines of "Man, I swear the Radeon has nicer truer deeper colours than my Nvidia". And I wasn't saying that because I had read something, it was just something I noticed immediately. It turns out that it was down to DX10 and DX11 working in unison and was due to a new lighting technique in DX11 where colours can be ovelaid to create shadows that are not white and washed out. And noone told me that but I noticed it IMMEDIATELY. So much for the diffrerences in DX11 not being noticable. So I admit it, I was completely wrong.
And it wasn't just the wavey flags either. It was also the water effects, the shadows, the particles. All added together it makes a game so gorgeous it brings tears to my eyes.
Apologies for the large sized screen shots but I find this important. I'm not going to post JPGs because they degrade the quality. The pics do speak for themselves, however.
So, the pics I have chosen are to demonstrate IMO how graphics can change a game. I have decided to play Dirt 2 from the cockpit as it's the most realistic. It's also the hardest way to play due to a couple of reasons but it's BY FAR the most realistic. And realism DOES affect a game's overall feel and playability IMO.
PIC 1. Due to DX11's tesselation when you crash through a puddle the water sprays all over the screen. You can not see where you are going. The wipers come on, and after a second or two push the water from view. However, it doesn't just vanish. It goes up above the wipers and slowly trickles up the screen due to the wind pushing it away. And, having driven a car in the pissing rain this is absolutely 100% as it would be in a real car, in real rain. It's actually quite frightening too. I played the game in DX9 and the effect was absolutely no match for what DX11 does with it.
PIC 2. The wavey flags in the parking lot. Now yes, this bit is whorey as it doesn't make a difference to the game play. But it is noticable (but doesn't matter).
PIC3. Lighting. Here I am un Utah with a nice folded bonnet from pressing F10. However, note how the light falls into the car accross my arm and the carbon dash and accessories? That light moves around and at points hits you in the eyes, temporarily taking your view from the road ahead. Again, totally realistic and does offer a gameplay element created by a visual effect. Also note my left window is cracked and the side mirror is now broken? well again because of tesselation the mirror can break more, and more, until you can't see anything out of it. The windshield can also break ruining your view. But, again, this isn't just nice looking shit it affects the gameplay. It adds realism which to me adds to the experience.
Now of course I have never seen Dirt 2 on a 360 or ps3. However, I have seen it in Directx 9 on the same computer I run it on now and DX11 does make a huge difference. I do know that on ps3 it suffers with terrible slowdown. Especially on the Battersea stage.