It is pretty graphical, but I guess -- movies can be worse. I am considering showing this to my gamer kid to get his opinion on the content.

*actionpack, *scifi, *promote. Damn, that's some really pretty graphics!

Oh by the way, all the citations in this Koch funded video are, from a Koch funded "think-tank" Why am I not surprised?

Also, I noticed that chart at 0:21 uses "average income per person" which is a highly misleading statistic. Using the median income per person is more reasonable, but that would fuckup their pretty pretty graphic.

Average income per person in the US is ~50k USD
Median income per person is ~26k USD

And yes, for the math impaired, for the average to be so much higher than the median means that the top end of income is incredible skewed.

I have to admit, I made a rookie mistake and actually believed my friend when he told me the it was called the Red Wedding because there was some sort of menstruation scene. I figured hey, GoT is pretty graphic, so this is plausible.

I mean for crying out loud, Shae checked the bedroom sheets for blood the next morning so it wasn't COMPLETELY outside the realm of possibility.

>> ^L0cky:

Real Time Reflections!
Mandatory staple of graphics demos since bump mapping retired.


It's odd that reflections aren't used everywhere. I seem to remember that Duke Nukem 3D had reflections. It's certainly nothing new but even many new, high spec games still use silly silver surfaces. I suspect it's not that it's hard to implement, but that it's so expensive in terms of CPU,GPU and VRAM requirements that it's not worth the fairly marginal visual quality improvement. Hopefully CryEngine does this cheaply enough so it can be used without sacrificing much else.

If I was posting this on Bluesnews someone would blame consoles and they may have a point - when you're try to make ever prettier graphics using the same 5 year old hardware, something's got to give.

Your video, CryEngine SDK 3.4: Seriously pretty graphics!, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

>> ^JiggaJonson:

The fact that they can render CGI this beautiful in real time makes me want to throw up when I think about all of the generic/cartoony CGI movies out there.
I know we've come a long way, but even shudder Star Wars has fallen victim to horrid CGI. Give me a puppet any day over something that looks like a cartoon.


TPM was released in 1999, a LONG time ago in CGI development. Less-advanced CGI doesn't bother me as much as its overuse (think Michael Bay) and using it for its own sake on crap like a Jar Jar Binks.

EDIT: And btw, this is a real-time video game engine. There isn't a single scene in this video that wouldn't like like absolute crap edited into a movie with real actors/locations in it.

>> ^JiggaJonson:

The fact that they can render CGI this beautiful in real time makes me want to throw up when I think about all of the generic/cartoony CGI movies out there.
I know we've come a long way, but even shudder Star Wars has fallen victim to horrid CGI. Give me a puppet any day over something that looks like a cartoon.


I couldn't disagree more. By that logic, Beowulf is a better looking film than The Incredibles, which I think we both know is absurd.

Thanks

In reply to this comment by Hybrid:
*promote

>> ^dag:

Snow Crash is coming.


Loved the ideas in the book, hated the book. Too much like a Michael Bay film.

found this link at the baltimore sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-mcdonalds-beating-20110423,0,3336656.story

pretty graphic video, this.

http://collateralmurder.com/

Pretty graphic--an Apache vs. a man is a pretty brutal confrontation. Taken out of context it's easy to assume that it was a cold-blooded murder, but I'm not sure I'd have made different calls if I were circling above that courtyard. Those cameras looked like they might have been weapons.

It's not clear in the video, but if that group had been designated as terrorists, it does not matter how hostile they seem, they're legitimate targets. The problem being, of course, that they may have been mis-identified.

Also, I think that the Apache pilots assumed they were operating under a time constraint, and that they'd lose the opportunity to strike if they had to appeal to a high level for approval to engage. If it is indeed a time issue, the approval authority to strike is at a lower level, making the strike much more likely to occur.

So let me make this crystal clear (I hope). You are more than welcome to dislike the game, obviously. You're more than welcome to complain about the game, and if your complaints are legitimate, I'll happily debate them. What annoys me is when a new FF game comes out and people are actually surprised by the formula as if they hadn't seen it twelve times before (more or less). It's clear they've seen it at least once or twice before, because they nearly always say that FFx is better, where x is usually the first FF game they've played. So surprise? Really?

Also, I don't think calling my argument a straw man helps. Let's take a look at a few examples:

"I quit the final fantasy series as soon as moved to the playstation. Just like Peter Griffin's critique on the Godfather, the Playstation series insists on itself. ... Most of all, I really liked the Jrpg's battles. There was an element of thought that was needed in order to be successful. It has since mutated into a very bland, almost mortal combat style of predictability."

In other words, FF sucks now and FF6 was better. The characters, plot, and development have been more or less the same for several games. Saying it insists on itself implies to me that you're expecting it to reach for something more, which I don't think was ever the case. Also, the battles in Final Fantasy games have never needed that much thought. You have more likely simply gotten better at these games.

"I don't have a problem with reviewing a game based on the first 5 hours. If the first 5 hours are that bad, shame on the developers; they get what they deserve. Seriously, 5 hours is generous... a game is lucky if I give it 5 minutes to pull me in before I decide to never play it again (*cough* Metro 2033 *cough*)."

What? A JRPG that takes longer than five minutes to get going? This should not be a surprise. You have pretty much dismissed the genre completely.

"I liked Final Fantasy 10. I hated the new combat in 12. It sounds like the combat in 13 is worse."

A variation on FF sucks now, FF10 was better. The combat in every Final Fantasy game has been different in one fashion or another, and FF13's system has to be played to be appreciated since it largely emphasizes quick reactions and decision making. In my opinion the system plays much better than it sounds or looks.

"Personally, I find myself angry and depressed upon each FF release because it's such a sad and pathetic commentary on the world we live in. Here we have a series built on bad storytelling, bad characters, bad plots, bad gameplay, and bad interface design and it's one of the most celebrated game franchises of all time."

Mischaracterizing the series does may be the problem here. Final Fantasy is primarily built on epic-ish plotlines and really pretty graphics. It's not stellar writing, but people seem to like it, so Square-Enix doesn't really improve it -- Yes, that's lazy of them. Gameplay and interface have changed with each iteration so these aren't really central to the series. The graphics get consistently better at every turn -- I don't see why this is a problem.

"If you're going to bash on the bashers you need something better than 'Stop complaining, the game is MEANT to be like this!' because that, believe it or not, is not a valid counter argument. The game depends on whether people find it fun. I can't make my own shit game and defend it by saying 'It's meant to be shit!' and expect people to stop bashing it/not liking it."

Okay, how about "why are you commenting on a game you clearly haven't played" or "why are you expecting something other than a JRPG when playing it"? I may not be able to level this one at you directly, but comments such as "The battle system *sounds* awful" and "The interface *looks* horrible" and "Why don't I know everything about a game after five hours" are missing the point in my opinion. At the end of the day, you have to play a game to get an accurate opinion on it, and if you're somehow expecting it to be different than other JRPGs then I don't know why you're wasting your time.

My goodness... That was WAY too long and COMPLETELY useless. I need some chocolate or something.

That's an extremely impressive strawman you've got there. You've clearly put a lot of work into it.

Personally, I find myself angry and depressed upon each FF release because it's such a sad and pathetic commentary on the world we live in. Here we have a series built on bad storytelling, bad characters, bad plots, bad gameplay, and bad interface design and it's one of the most celebrated game franchises of all time. It would be like Atari Teenage Riot putting out albums for 20+ years and all of them going double-platinum.
>> ^davidraine:

I really don't understand all the Final Fantasy bashing. Final Fantasy = Epic-ish storyline & Archetypal characters & Combat engine & Pretty graphics. Everyone knows this by now, and yet every release everyone whines about how Squaresoft really screwed the pooch this time around, Final Fantasy 6/7/8/10 was way better, and if they don't pull their head out of their ass the company is finished. Never mind that they have enough money to print their next limited edition release on actual gold discs. Okay that's exaggerating, but you see my point.
The point is that you already know for the most part what you're getting into when you open the box, and it should not surprise you. I enjoyed the crap out of Final Fantasy XIII because the graphics amazed me, the combat system was fun and engaging, and I actually enjoyed the story's pacing for the most part. It doesn't hurt that I think their characters have been getting better with each subsequent release. If you can't stand the characters, or don't like the combat, or aren't willing to watch for 20 hours while the thing gets going, then play a different game. No-one is forcing you to buy this one, and I'd be happy to recommend alternatives.

I really don't understand all the Final Fantasy bashing. Final Fantasy = Epic-ish storyline & Archetypal characters & Combat engine & Pretty graphics. Everyone knows this by now, and yet every release everyone whines about how Squaresoft really screwed the pooch this time around, Final Fantasy 6/7/8/10 was way better, and if they don't pull their head out of their ass the company is finished. Never mind that they have enough money to print their next limited edition release on actual gold discs. Okay that's exaggerating, but you see my point.

The point is that you already know for the most part what you're getting into when you open the box, and it should not surprise you. I enjoyed the crap out of Final Fantasy XIII because the graphics amazed me, the combat system was fun and engaging, and I actually enjoyed the story's pacing for the most part. It doesn't hurt that I think their characters have been getting better with each subsequent release. If you can't stand the characters, or don't like the combat, or aren't willing to watch for 20 hours while the thing gets going, then play a different game. No-one is forcing you to buy this one, and I'd be happy to recommend alternatives.

(Disclaimer: The arguments I've seen here are just about the mildest form of FF bashing I've seen on the Internet. It's just that any level of this generic / nostalgic bashing annoys me because the series has been around so long that it should surprise literally no-one by this point.)