Calm down everybody.(About the graphics)

[Xone]

Everyone is disapointed with the graphics of GR:AW, especially those without an extremely good video card, and I dont see why.

I believe the level in the demo was specificly chosen because of the area of Mexico City in which it takes place. It is in a tourist area with very large elegant buildings. There are very large distances and sometimes it seems a little bland, as if everything is just a wall. You must consider this area has very large buildings. This long distance war-fare is also a reason why people with good video games still see jaggies, because we are looking very closely for the enemy at a distance. This level was chosen because those who do have top of the line cards can truely test them.

This level was chosen to show off the muscle of this game. It is supposed to show off the beautiful architecture. It may not look as good as other levels in different areas using good video cards; The jaggies wont be as apparant.

The question is: Will the graphics look better when youre in an alley slum of Mexico rather than a tourist area with long distances that was chosen to show off the graphical muscle of this game?

The problem is: This is a great display for those with extremely high end cards but a poor sample to those who have good cards wanting to just get a good FPS rate.

I wish they added an option for Bloom lighting+ AA but I doubt that will happen.

So dont worry, we dont know if the whole game will not look as good as we all expected.

I have to say though: I am extremely happy with the graphics, and the AI is amazing. I love everything about GR:AW PC.

My specs are:

AMD 3700+

ATI X1300 Pro 256mb PCI-E

1GB PC3200

Graphics set mostly to medium, somethings like building textures are set to high, no dynamic lighting, AF16, 1024x768 res, and I am getting a very smooth playable frame rate.

Edited April 28, 2006 by Xone

[thrush213]

i have no idea about the graphics either...i think it's excellent. and i'm one of those guys who's always criticising about the graphics hehe. there's nice hdr...you see it in the windows, on the side of the buildings facing the sun. the shader effects work great on nearly every surface in the game. it is seriously on nearly everything in the game giving things depth and shade. the character models are just as great too, taking advantage of shaders. the proportions and polygons are nice as well. little details like the light reflecting on the tiles from grenade explosions just add so much more.

on the graphics, there's nearly nothing to complain about. even as i'm playing on the lowest settings i still enjoy it(can't wait for new hardware)

the graphics is comparable to the likes of splinter cell 3 and the source engine. maybe even better.

[Aaronson]

No... But nice try.

[stormcrow]

i have no idea about the graphics either...i think it's excellent. and i'm one of those guys who's always criticising about the graphics hehe. there's nice hdr...you see it in the windows, on the side of the buildings facing the sun.  the shader effects work great on nearly every surface in the game.  it is seriously on nearly everything in the game giving things depth and shade. the character models are just as great too, taking advantage of shaders. the proportions and polygons are nice as well.  little details like the light reflecting on the tiles from grenade explosions just add so much more.

on the graphics, there's nearly nothing to complain about.  even as i'm playing on the lowest settings i still enjoy it(can't wait for new hardware)

the graphics is comparable to the likes of splinter cell 3 and the source engine. maybe even better.

←

I can't see that point, I have seen far superior visuals in other recent titles that perform at much better FPS. The HDR is not that great compared to titles like DOOM and Far cry even. For me GR is about gameplay tho', eye candy aside its plays well, but not great.

I will wait for the full version..........

[agentkay]

i have no idea about the graphics either...i think it's excellent. and i'm one of those guys who's always criticising about the graphics hehe. there's nice hdr...you see it in the windows, on the side of the buildings facing the sun.  the shader effects work great on nearly every surface in the game.  it is seriously on nearly everything in the game giving things depth and shade. the character models are just as great too, taking advantage of shaders. the proportions and polygons are nice as well.  little details like the light reflecting on the tiles from grenade explosions just add so much more.

on the graphics, there's nearly nothing to complain about.  even as i'm playing on the lowest settings i still enjoy it(can't wait for new hardware)

the graphics is comparable to the likes of splinter cell 3 and the source engine. maybe even better.

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I can't see that point, I have seen far superior visuals in other recent titles that perform at much better FPS. The HDR is not that great compared to titles like DOOM and Far cry even. For me GR is about gameplay tho', eye candy aside its plays well, but not great.

I will wait for the full version..........

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There is NO HDR in Doom and I hope you know how tiny the levels are? Doom has no physics and AI either. It´s a freakin indoor game. There is HDR in FarCry but not only you have to activate it thru the console and you need to have a Nvidia 6/7-series/ATI 1K-series card for it to work. I actually get better performance with HDR in GRAW than in FarCry. FarCry has almost no physics either and the AI is more simple (simple tasks due to level design) but its good.

The HDR in GRAW is less dynamic, but its far more realistic that way and considering how many people complained last year to tune the HDR more down, they did what fans asked for. Here is what I actually impresses me about the HDR.

1) The color of the sun is the factor for the general light or mood of the level and in that level its yellowish/brown.

2) When I look for a couple of seconds into the sun and quickly turn around, the colors seem washed out, everything has a stronger yellowish tint but it goes away after while. When you go into a dark spot, this transition is actually a little faster. I´m not saying its a perfect HDR simulation like in RL but it surely looks more realistic considering the dry and hot place Mexico City. It definitly feels like that.

3) I like the difference how things look in shadowy areas and in bright sunlight. A great example for that are the team mates.

Finally, yes there should have been an option for static light with AA for the naysayers and I can understand when its not peoples cup of tea. However this is GRINs decision, and an artistic one as well and if you don´t like it, buy another game. Simple as that, huh?

[stormcrow]

Fair enough, I won't argue with the HD on DOOM, you got me on that one! Visually though it is clean. Yep, Far cry you have to activate HD thro' the console......but errr....thats hardly a major task.....and again it looks damn good and plays smoothly.

As I said, it gameplay that counts for a GR game, and I do like GRAW's gameplay, but it eats system specs............

[agentkay]

Fair enough, I won't argue with the HD on DOOM, you got me on that one! Visually though it its clean. Yep, Far cry you have to activate HD thro' the console......but errr....thats hardly a major task.....and again it looks damn good and plays smoothly.

As I said, it gameplay that counts for a GR game, and I do like GRAW's gameplay, but it eats system specs............

←

I love the gameplay too. Gameplay>Graphics all the way. By the way, what video card do you have? FarCry with HDR doesn´t run as good GRAW with HDR with mine, I definitly have to switch one or two resolutions lower to get similar framerates as with GRAW.

Bo didn´t lie when he said that this game is meant for the future. I personally can´t wait until my big PC upgrade at the end of this year because then I can enjoy this puppy like its meant to be.

[nasa15]

Doom 3 has physics. Fairly good physics, considering it was coded in-house.

Knowledge is awesome.

[agentkay]

Doom 3 has physics. Fairly good physics, considering it was coded in-house.

Knowledge is awesome.

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The physics in Doom 3 SUCKED. End of discussion from my side.

[fedayn]

All people here in past months demand more attentions to gameplay insted graphics.

So, now i dont understand all discussions about "graphic sucks" , "no AA = GRAW died" etc. etc.

[stormcrow]

I love the gameplay too.  Gameplay>Graphics all the way.   By the way, what video card  do you have?  FarCry with HDR doesn´t run as good GRAW with HDR with mine, I definitly have to switch one or two resolutions lower to get similar framerates as with GRAW.

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I have a 7800GS (256MB). It sucked all that Far cry had to offer............

[agentkay]

I love the gameplay too.  Gameplay>Graphics all the way.   By the way, what video card  do you have?  FarCry with HDR doesn´t run as good GRAW with HDR with mine, I definitly have to switch one or two resolutions lower to get similar framerates as with GRAW.

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I have a 7800GS (256MB). It sucked all that Far cry had to offer............

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Doesn´t surprise me then. I have a 6800nu and it has shortcoming when it comes to FP16 HDR performance. That was one of the major improvement of the 7-series cards.

[WytchDokta]

Doom 3 has physics. Fairly good physics, considering it was coded in-house.

Knowledge is awesome.

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The physics in Doom 3 SUCKED. End of discussion from my side.

←

The D3 physics can be highly modded through the game files. I've done it myself. I can set the shotgun to blow back enemies about ten foot if I wanted too, set them not to gib too. I can make the monsters fight each other (ignoring the player)....

I seem to remember D3 being the first game to introduce that heatwave effect (you know, where it distorts the background) around flames. PainKiller: Battle out of Hell and F.E.A.R copied such an effect.

Edited April 28, 2006 by WytchDokta

[pz3]

oh oh oh oh... let me clear farcry one up..... HDR + 1680x1050 + 70FPS + Everything very high.

graw on medium textures everything else high. 35-45fps,

[agentkay]

Doom 3 has physics. Fairly good physics, considering it was coded in-house.

Knowledge is awesome.

←

The physics in Doom 3 SUCKED. End of discussion from my side.

←

The D3 physics can be highly modded through the game files. I've done it myself. I can set the shotgun to blow back enemies about ten foot if I wanted too, set them not to gib too. I can make the monsters fight each other (ignoring the player)....

I seem to remember D3 being the first game to introduce that heatwave effect around flames. PainKiller: Battle out of Hell and F.E.A.R copied such an effect.

←

Well, I wanted to stay out of a Doom3 and physics discussion, but whatever. When I played the original Doom 3 and compared its physics with HL2 and Painkiller, which came out more or less at a similar time (don´t beat me to this, I´m not good with release dates), I was highly disappointed with its physics. The D3 expansion pack improved gameplay and physics somewhat though and no I didn´t even know that you could mod D3 physics. Thats a good thing, very good for people who are into it. So if you and others enjoyed the D3 physics, more power to you guys, you have my blessings.

I remember a flames/heatwave effect in SplinterCell 1 or 2 and in Black Hawk Down I think as well. Again, I´m not sure about the release dates but some of these games should have been release before Doom 3, IIRC. Either way, it was a nice effect.

[agentkay]

oh oh oh oh... let me clear farcry one up..... HDR + 1680x1050 + 70FPS + Everything very high.

graw on medium textures everything else high. 35-45fps,

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Do you have a Nvidia 6-series card?

[pz3]

7

i need to dl hl2 lost coast to really see what effect hdr makes in HL2 ... since HL really doesnt have it in it

[agentkay]

7

i need to dl hl2 lost coast to really see what effect hdr makes in HL2 ... since HL really doesnt have it in it

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Thought so. BTW, the HDR in HL2 is technically a different kind (Int16 HDR I think) than the one in FarCry, SCCT, Oblivion, and GRAW, and thats why HL2 HDR supports AA on all PS2.0 cards and better. The effects are similar to FarCry, maybe somewhat toned down. I´m not BS-ing anyone when I say that Lost Coast runs also a little bit slower than GRAW on my computer. Strange, well, every computer runs things a little different. Thats one of the pains of PC gaming.

Edited April 28, 2006 by agentkay

[LT.INSTG8R]

My issue is that they are basically FORCING a virtually unsupported standard on the avg gamer. even people with "Now Gen" cards are getting beaten to a pulp with this game and dont even have control over the visual settings. Do people with X1900s even have AA? I know anyone with a 7 series isnt going look any better than my X800XT. They said a 9600 can handle, sure it can with graphic anomalies and almost unplayable framerates at the lowest settings.

I disabled the Post effects and I see almost no gain if FPS, I am currently running it at 1280x1024, Medium textures and everything else low or off(Shadows) and managing 30-35 fps avg tho it does get pretty low with lots of action, I havent even run Fraps on my Wifes machine with a 9800XT 128 in it as it would probably be better off not knowing.

Bottom line is they need to either back off on the "effects" to make it accessable to the Avg gamer or lose sales. I mean to have a card that COULD run this game as they meant it too one could buy an X-box360 for the same price and have half the hassle(granted they wouldnt get the same game but its still a fact)

[Hacksaww]

I wouldnt be dissapointed with the graphics if they actually looked decent on my EVGA (nVidia) 7800GTX overclocked. From what I remember, it isn't exactly an old card. Hopefully nVidia will release some drivers for this thing.

[agentkay]

I disabled the Post effects and I see almost no gain if FPS

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What CPU do you have?

No, the ATI X1900 cards can´t force AA either. Maybe ATI will release a driver or something like they did for Oblivion.

But I do agree, the game should have way more settings for graphics. Not sure if this approach was chosen to keep everyone on the same visual level (more or less) and avoid visual cheating this way, or just not to confuse the average joe who doesn´t even have a clue what all these settings in the demo already do.

Edited April 28, 2006 by agentkay

[::db::Korven]

So dont worry, we dont know if the whole game will not look as good as we all expected.

←

Stop smoking. The full game is exactly as "ugly" as the demo. NO AA! WAKE UP!

[LT.INSTG8R]

I disabled the Post effects and I see almost no gain if FPS

←

What CPU do you have?

No, the ATI X1900 cards can´t force AA either. Maybe ATI will release a driver or something like they did for Oblivion.

But I do agree, the game should have way more settings for graphics. Not sure if this approach was chosen to keep everyone on the same visual level (more or less) and avoid visual cheating this way, or just not to confuse the average joe who doesn´t even have a clue what all these settings in the demo already do.

←

Currently running a 3.2E Prescott at 3.6, yes its showing its age and when playing this it is currently using 50-55% CPU

System Specs below

P43.2E @ 3.6(225FSB)Zalman 7000B-Cu

Abit IC-7

2x1024 Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8(1:1)

X800XT/Arctic Silencer 4

Samsung Spinpoint 120G SATA

SB Audigy 2 ZS

Tagan 420W

LG 1930BQ TFT 19" 12ms

Logitech G5

Saitek X-52

Logitech Driving Force Pro

3DMark05 6174

3DMark03 12917

3Dmark06 2162

Edited April 28, 2006 by LT.INSTG8R

[agentkay]

I thought you might have been CPU-limited and that being the reason why you didn´t see a gain. I have a totally different system and even slower CPU and noticed a decent fps gain when switching the post-processing effects from high to low. Strange. Make sure you update to the latest ATI drivers once they become available.

[ruggbutt]

Everyone is focusing on how "fantastic" the graphics are, how it looks gritty and real then in the very next sentence says AA isn't a big deal. I don't get it, AA is used to make even the worst graphics look better as it fixes the jaggies. And I don't know about you guys, but jaggies ruin the eye candy in the game.

It's kinda like games that have neat features but you can't go prone.