AfterWorld Survival Forum

I am interested if anyone knows what the devs plan on doing about improving the Survival graphics. Compared to what is there of it now, and what has been planned to be added (in the limits of what Torque3D is able to support). Like shaders, PhysX, lightning models, textures..

Most players judge games like they would judge people in real life. By first glance impressions, if it's being found lacking, they move on. Simple as that. And graphics can get outdated rather fast with proprietary engines (with huge sums supporting the development) pushing the limits each year..

So, I think that success of the AW:S will be affected a lot by how appeasing it looks. Not just by interesting gameplay but how the game itself looks for newcomer on first glance.

Engine itself seems quite capable (PhysX demo)

Torque 3D Pacific Physics (PhysX) Demo Video

Sahara tech extension which would help a lot..
http://www.bitgap.com/products/12/sahara.html

I am curious is there a willingness among devs to spend time on improving the "looks department" next to dedicating time for adding to gameplay?

man puts is product straight out in front of ya...

nothing better to make a point in this case with some awesome pics hehe

I think it would be super awesome if the objects were interactable like in the clip as in, boxes and trashcans can be kicked around and stuff like that.

One thing for me is that just looking at awesome architecture isn't enough i want to be able to climb on it walk around on it jump on it, most of the buildings and towers and stuff u can't go there, i want to be able to get onto a buildings roof and walk on it, lots of buildings that are currently in AW are just for view from outside, i want to be able to go inside them, maybe even open/close doors, open/close trashcans and dumpsters.. just some thoughts


EDIT: on a side note, the difference between alpha and rebirth with graphics is like from elementary school to university, big jump!

Graphics is an important component of any game, and the pictures Vik posted look very nice.
That said, I don't have any problem with the current graphics, and undoubtedly the number 1 aspect of any game is Gameplay.
I don't care how pretty a game looks, if it doesn't have gameplay I don't stay.
Pretty gets boring after a few hours, gameplay lasts for ever

Zen

what he said

Very nice !

We can see escalators on the first screen (I guess it is new Sar)... Will we able to climb up to the roofs ? 

+++

Now we're starting to see what's the concept AW:S has aspired to reach all along. The beauty of the decay, truthful down to the smallest details.

I got no info from the devs, i don't know their plans, but if u been with the project for a long time u start seeing the general logic behind stuff...
If i'm right it's only a start, and in the end we'll have perfect replicas of the RL locations where u can walk around, with real houses, roofs, backyards... maybe even real flats.
Then again, if u make every flat inside every house realistic with it's own individual design and details (and not just a copy of every other flat in town) - this is a huge work. There has to be a reason to do that.


So here we arrive at the gameplay concept - if there's all those realistic flats, there has to be a reason for all this hard work. Just so u can visit em all once and never return? Not good enough, not worth the effort.
Suppose there will be a mission - clean the town from mankurts, capture their children (that can be saved and rehabilitated) and escort em to the closest quarantine zone.
It would give all this work some justification and meaning... but it's nothing new. There's heap of MMO's with this type of gameplay already, if this is all there is in the game it'll never make it big.

Have to take another step.
Dynamic areas, places where the space-time fabric is torn apart by powerful energies (black matter!) that follow the laws of the quantum physics, but when applied to the real environments will appear as mysterious and unpredictable.
This is the Zone i've been thinking about a long time. Doesn't have to be Tarkovsky's Zone ofc, it could be anything. The keyword is "unpredictable", as in opposite to "predictable, repetitive, boring". Ever-changing environment, endless combinations of numerous factors. The hardcore player's paradise where u can live forever and never get bored.


Yes, something like that is not easy to code.
Yes, it's a totally crazy idea, anything but easy for several serious reasons... but if u got the idea, u already know it's worth it.

Hehe fifth you remember that big NUKE you suggested in AWA ... we could all get stuff going good a town and city etc taking ages to build it up and you come in and put your nuke ... we would never be bored again ,we would have to build it up again ^_^

Oh yeah there's been many crazy ideas...


Then again, although i might be pretty unpredictable at times if i try real hard, i doubt i could possibly compete with complex mathematical algorithms designed specifically for this task - to produce unpredictable outcomes while still remaining inside certain general framework.


This nuke blast idea is a pretty good example actually.
Suppose in a very rare coincidence of multiple factors inside our theoretical Dynamic Zone (generated by the scripts run by the game engine + actions of the human players) might eventually generate such a devastating outcome that would be comparable to a nuke blast. Everything alive and moving would be wiped out instantly, game over. Fun!


Obviously such things can't happen in the whole game, it has to be limited only to certain designated areas (similar to our good old Labyrinth of Death). Peaceful towns have to remain both stable and reasonably predictable to maintain stable game economy.