• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Next-gen Racing Graphics Face-off | (Next-gen means current-gen)

I wonder if we can ever make it a page without "hovercraft" or "cartoony" or "stylised" or "looks like a *insert old console* game".

It's getting to be like a bingo card at this point.
 

nib95

Banned
Another awesome comparison from MotoGamesTV. This time a sim battle.

Spa-Francorchamps Comparison - Assetto vs Forza 6 vs pCARS vs R3E [4k]

Hard to tell which looks better graphically tbh, though I feel Project Cars has the most lifelike lighting or colour palette, but obviously that's reliant on time of day differences just as much as the tech or lighting. They all look pretty good tbh. Just certain environmental elements like tree's etc letting things down. Assetto also looking quite realistic, but a tad washed out in places. Forza has a nice richness to it, though there's a bit of an orangey or warm tone about it, almost like there's a filter to the camera. RaceRoom somewhere in-between.

I think they all lack an accurate visual representation of suspension feedback, with Project Cars coming the closest to honest.

Although not graphics, still interesting to note, audio wise, Assetto leads the pack with a very honest reproduction of the vehicles sounds, Project Cars taking second (they got the gear changing and down shifting pinned down pretty well, but not quite as accurate on the general engine note), followed by RaceRoom (still a bit exaggerated and clicky), and Forza coming in last (both the engine note and gear changing/shifting are just off).

Here's the real thing for comparison's sake.

Onboard Classix: Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3 LD Arnold & C. Brück VLN 4.Lauf 2011

Having spent only a little time with Assetto, I honestly think it's likely to be the best sim racer on these systems in terms of accurate physics and audio reproduction, can't really say regarding graphics without a proper A to B comparison, ideally not one where the gameplay is being downsized to a smaller window. Be interesting to see how the console versions hold up graphically once they're released.
 

Stillmatic

Member
I was thinking about the comment by Rushy concerning the update that's going to make DC look even better. Putting crazy ideas to one side, could we get in game graphics of the same quality as photo mode graphics?
That won't happen. When it's all processed it looks like it switches to max LOD for the full draw distance and AA is bonkers. It take like 10 seconds to fully process 1 frame in photomode.


lol This can't be real. DC makes Forza look like a Wii title by comparison.
The gap is large but this is a really bad comparison as it's a sped up tiny 16fps .gif where you can barely make out any real detail, it's also not very flattering footage of FM6. In fact it's probably the worst rain section I've seen footage of, there's much better footage out there.
 
Yeah I can see that. I also remember Forza getting praise for it's saturation choices. Now with people wanting it to go for the lighting voodoo that Polyphony Digital practice I can see it being a letdown if it still looks a bit too much in the cartoon stylized side rather than the life like look side.

That said, the picture with the jeep hitting the tires look pretty good. The only thing that may breaks the illusion is the environment like the grass. I can tell it's a game just by the grass. There's also how the blur looks. Overcast has been a good way for the racing games to look life like. Such as the GT5 blue LFA picture on the ring.

Edit: all that said, remember, real life looks dull. The parts where Drive Club looks insane is when it have a lot of effects going on like the rain or the colors and things going on in the background, or just the awesome track decorations which helps with sense of speed. If Drive Club was on a normal track it would be dull unless Evo dressed it up with custom textures for each thing as they seem to have done in DC.

Man this stinking thing still looks so stinking good.
5247370159_f2b41fd39d_z.jpg

GT7 can't come soon enough!
 

benzy

Member
GT5 Nurburgring LFA photomode screenshot from replay. PD's lighting is something else. The houses in the background might be flat when you get up to them, but they have the correct colors to ground them into reality. There was a photo mode demo that had very flat buildings up close, but it still looked good.

agIcjdG.jpg

Looks awesome in-game too. Really curious what their new tech is for GT7.

8c6b.png


pd6b.png


6c6b.png


Pc6b.png


Rc6b.png


fd6b.png
 
Another awesome comparison from MotoGamesTV. This time a sim battle.

Spa-Francorchamps Comparison - Assetto vs Forza 6 vs pCARS vs R3E [4k]

Hard to tell which looks better graphically tbh, though I feel Project Cars has the most lifelike lighting or colour palette, but obviously that's reliant on time of day differences just as much as the tech or lighting. They all look pretty good tbh. Just certain environmental elements like tree's etc letting things down. Assetto also looking quite realistic, but a tad washed out in places. Forza has a nice richness to it, though there's a bit of an orangey or warm tone about it, almost like there's a filter to the camera. RaceRoom somewhere in-between.

I think they all lack an accurate visual representation of suspension feedback, with Project Cars coming the closest to honest.

Although not graphics, still interesting to note, audio wise, Assetto leads the pack with a very honest reproduction of the vehicles sounds, Project Cars taking second (they got the gear changing and down shifting pinned down pretty well, but not quite as accurate on the general engine note), followed by RaceRoom (still a bit exaggerated and clicky), and Forza coming in last (both the engine note and gear changing/shifting are just off).

Here's the real thing for comparison's sake.

Onboard Classix: Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3 LD Arnold & C. Brück VLN 4.Lauf 2011

Having spent only a little time with Assetto, I honestly think it's likely to be the best sim racer on these systems in terms of accurate physics and audio reproduction, can't really say regarding graphics without a proper A to B comparison, ideally not one where the gameplay is being downsized to a smaller window. Be interesting to see how the console versions hold up graphically once they're released.

Thanks for this! I agree that Assetto is probably the best experience when it comes to the pure driving experience. Such dedication to authenticity in everything. And yes, sounds are really really good. The engines feel lifelike without being overdone. Some cars just scream at you like the Mc Laren F1 LM, really fun. Console gamers are in for a treat when it releases. And yes, the graphics are also serviceable, especially the great car models.

Overall I think:

Best sim: Assetto Corsa
Best tech (sim): Project Cars PC version
Best tech (overall): Drive Club
Best career: Forza

edit: I am myself surprised how good AC holds up graphically. Just like DC they keep patching it I think.
edit2: I would probably give the sound crown to Race Room for the AMG here. Any opinions on it?
 

Insane Metal

Gold Member
Another awesome comparison from MotoGamesTV. This time a sim battle.

Spa-Francorchamps Comparison - Assetto vs Forza 6 vs pCARS vs R3E [4k]

Hard to tell which looks better graphically tbh, though I feel Project Cars has the most lifelike lighting or colour palette, but obviously that's reliant on time of day differences just as much as the tech or lighting. They all look pretty good tbh. Just certain environmental elements like tree's etc letting things down. Assetto also looking quite realistic, but a tad washed out in places. Forza has a nice richness to it, though there's a bit of an orangey or warm tone about it, almost like there's a filter to the camera. RaceRoom somewhere in-between.

I think they all lack an accurate visual representation of suspension feedback, with Project Cars coming the closest to honest.

Although not graphics, still interesting to note, audio wise, Assetto leads the pack with a very honest reproduction of the vehicles sounds, Project Cars taking second (they got the gear changing and down shifting pinned down pretty well, but not quite as accurate on the general engine note), followed by RaceRoom (still a bit exaggerated and clicky), and Forza coming in last (both the engine note and gear changing/shifting are just off).

Here's the real thing for comparison's sake.

Onboard Classix: Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3 LD Arnold & C. Brück VLN 4.Lauf 2011

Having spent only a little time with Assetto, I honestly think it's likely to be the best sim racer on these systems in terms of accurate physics and audio reproduction, can't really say regarding graphics without a proper A to B comparison, ideally not one where the gameplay is being downsized to a smaller window. Be interesting to see how the console versions hold up graphically once they're released.

Holy shit, never thought I'd say this, but Forza sounds like crap compared to the others, lol. Asseto Corsa is VERY impressive!
 

Fredrik

Member
it's also not very flattering footage of FM6. In fact it's probably the worst rain section I've seen footage of
haha yup I laughed first time I saw it it's like they searched through the whole game to find a stretch that looked as bland as possible with lighting that makes it look as ugly as possible. It's not easy to search spots where Driveclub looks bad though, it is THAT good-looking.
But 30fps etc etc. Generally speaking a 30fps game looks better in pics and gifs than when you're playing it, with a 60fps game it's the other way around, and the faster the game is the bigger the difference gets.
 

ss_lemonade

Member
GT5 Nurburgring LFA photomode screenshot from replay. PD's lighting is something else. The houses in the background might be flat when you get up to them, but they have the correct colors to ground them into reality. There was a photo mode demo that had very flat buildings up close, but it still looked good.

agIcjdG.jpg
GT 5/6 look so good in stills but seeing it in motion I think kind of brings things back to reality. Low res reflections, shadow artifacts, popup(?), and an uneven framerate when you default to 1080p.

The natural lighting though is still visible in gameplay
 
Are my shots not showing up???

screenshot-original67w0rya.png


DC >>>>>>FH 2>>F6>Pcars>F5

I think its the lighting that gives DC the edge over the competition.Evo just nailed the lighting engine. Sometimes when I am driving in my car when I see the sunlight being reflected or how the trees and the atmosphere getting blend with the sunlight at the time of sunset or sunrise and I think 'wow this is just how it looks like in DC'. Where as F6/PC, still look like video games. The lighting in PC and F6 is not even close.
I would say that GT6 has much better lighting than those two on PS3. GT7 would be amazing with the power of PS4 and PD knows how to do lighting right. I wish we could see just a teaser for GT7.

GT 5/6 look so good in stills but seeing it in motion I think kind of brings things back to reality. Low res reflections, shadow artifacts, popup(?), and an uneven framerate when you default to 1080p.

The natural lighting though is still visible in gameplay

Well hopefully that will be taken care on the PS4 having more memory and better GPU.
 

leng jai

Member
With all the praise DC's lighting engine why does it seem to struggle to reproduce the look of a bright sunny day? Game always seems to have a dull sheen over it no matter what setting you choose.
 
GT 5/6 look so good in stills but seeing it in motion I think kind of brings things back to reality. Low res reflections, shadow artifacts, popup(?), and an uneven framerate when you default to 1080p.

The natural lighting though is still visible in gameplay

This is a problem with many games, not just racers. I hate seeing yucky low res shadows, especially in cutscenes where they really drag down the image quality.

But I agree with you about those details on GT5/6. How did Forza 3/4 have really good, high quality environment mapping, while GT5/6 went with lower resolution? It was pretty bad from memory. Could be one of the draw backs from running at higher than 720p resolution, having less resources available.
 
I think its the lighting that gives DC the edge over the competition.Evo just nailed the lighting engine. Sometimes when I am driving in my car when I see the sunlight being reflected or how the trees and the atmosphere getting blend with the sunlight at the time of sunset or sunrise and I think 'wow this is just how it looks like in DC'. Where as F6/PC, still look like video games. The lighting in PC and F6 is not even close.
I would say that GT6 has much better lighting than those two on PS3. GT7 would be amazing with the power of PS4 and PD knows how to do lighting right. I wish we could see just a teaser for GT7.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that does this whenever I drive! Sometimes I just want to take a picture to compare haha
 

Mabufu

Banned
With all the praise DC's lighting engine why does it seem to struggle to reproduce the look of a bright sunny day? Game always seems to have a dull sheen over it no matter what setting you choose.

What? It doesnt struggle. Is just that with sunny day lighting, image quality flaws are more noticeable, since there's no illumination effect that can hide them. And it looks worse.

But the lighting is spot on.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that does this whenever I drive! Sometimes I just want to take a picture to compare haha

We got to the point of saying that reality looks like a game. Well played, Evo.
It happens to me also : D
 

SMOK3Y

Generous Member
I think the lighting is what makes the difference in the Gifs, DC just looks more grounded in the world around while the car in FM6 just looks too bright. Probably just a poor combination of factors make it look worse than the majority of the game but it is striking difference between the two.

KrdRXY.gif
The worst thing about the F6 gif is it looks disconnected from the road like its floating
 

dr guildo

Member

Hope it's about the rain, which looks so flat (only white lines, no translucence) in DC by comparison with games such as Batman:AK, GTAV, and MGS5, where the drops react to the ambiant lighting.

There is room to improve AA in still (motion AA is very strong and efficient), but especially AF.

And at last, they could add some DOF on dashboard during cockpit view ala Pcars.
 

nkarafo

Member
After reading all the glorified posts about DC graphics, i was pretty disappointed after actually playing it. Now, the rain effects look incredible. Like, the best rain effects i ever saw in a racing game. And the wet road is probably the best ever too. But other than that, i just wasn't as impressed as i was expecting. Maybe i was expecting too much? Dunno.

One major problem i had with the game was the frame rate. Yes i know its a graphics thread and people probably are sick of this argument already but what's so great about great graphics that you cannot see clearly? I see pictures of incredibly detailed foliage with each leave looking photorealistic, yet when i play the game, all the trees look like a blurry mess in motion. I can't make out any detail with all this motion blur and slower frame update. If i have to stop the car in order to make out the visual details... then there is no point really.

I don't have this problem with Project Cars or any other 60fps racer. Heck, even something silly like Outrun 2006 is so much more pleasing to my eyes (i'm still playing this game today). Sure, maybe those trees look less realistic and not as detailed as in DC but i can make out all the textures and details while i drive full speed, without motion blur and slow frame pacing stripping all out as the background objects zip along.

So in conclusion, yes, i agree that DC looks the best but only during rain (the frame rate and motion blur don't get in the way so much on these effects) or in still pictures. In motion (and clear weather) i prefer almost any other 60fps game visually.


Edit: I would like to add that this is the reason why racing games need high frame rates more than other genres. In almost any other genre you can stop or slow down to marvel at the details. In racing games you are supposed to be in constant motion and move as fast as possible. You are not supposed to stay still and you don't even have enough camera control to see everything up close at your preferred angle. This is why the priority should be that the graphics look good in motion first and then worry about the still pictures.
 

Fredrik

Member
With all the praise DC's lighting engine why does it seem to struggle to reproduce the look of a bright sunny day? Game always seems to have a dull sheen over it no matter what setting you choose.
The real world is dull sometimes too ;)
Forget about the phonequality photo and look at the colors and distance blurriness, DC may look bland in non rainy weather but I'd rather take that than the sun glare from FM5 if we're only talking about the visuals, DC nails the dull real life look.
oPZj0Ch.jpg


FM6 looks way better than FM5 but is still a bit too crisp if you know what I mean, it needs more blurriness or something, I think that's why it look more like a video game than DC. But still, it's getting dangerously close to DC with twice as many frames per second and that's impressive imo.
w3SXpm1.jpg
 

Grassy

Member
The gap is large but this is a really bad comparison as it's a sped up tiny 16fps .gif where you can barely make out any real detail, it's also not very flattering footage of FM6. In fact it's probably the worst rain section I've seen footage of, there's much better footage out there.

Here's what Sebring actually looks like when you don't suck all the detail out of it, it's a clip of the front straight in bumper cam- https://account.xbox.com/en-gb/game...y x&scid=417d0100-b230-41cf-975d-3eaa64f9397e
That's obviously running at 60fps in-game too. Forza 6 doesn't look anywhere near as bad as what some of the Driveclub/GT cheerleaders in here would like people to believe.
 

T.O.P

Banned
Here's what Sebring actually looks like when you don't suck all the detail out of it, it's a clip of the front straight in bumper cam- https://account.xbox.com/en-gb/game...y x&scid=417d0100-b230-41cf-975d-3eaa64f9397e
That's obviously running at 60fps in-game too. Forza 6 doesn't look anywhere near as bad as what some of the Driveclub/GT cheerleaders in here would like people to believe.

Yeah i absolutely don't get it why people are hanging onto that gif so hard

DC looks better and that's no contest, but shitting on F6 using that comparison is totally unfair
 

danowat

Banned
This thread is priceless.

I'm sure I am not alone, but I find it tough to fathom out the mindset behind people, on both sides, actually producing content to purposely make game X look worse than it does to facilitate themselves feeling better about game Y.

Bonkers.
 
With all the praise DC's lighting engine why does it seem to struggle to reproduce the look of a bright sunny day? Game always seems to have a dull sheen over it no matter what setting you choose.

This is a big pet peeve of mine also. I don't think it needs to be massively brighter...just moderately. Especially on all the Chile tracks in cockpit and external view.

Even though there is a "Brightness" setting that was patched into Driveclub....it acts like the brightness level on our HDTV's...which is actually black level. Increasing "brightness" in DC therefore means washing out the image completely cause you're killing the games black level.
 

T.O.P

Banned
It doesn't look any different in the 1080p/60FPS comparison videos.
These gifs are just an easy way to embed these finding into this thread because not everyone is going to watch every youtube video thats linked here.

Are you seriously comparing the above videos/pictures with that gif? for real?
 

Conduit

Banned
Its also a gif where the one game is running at below its native framerate by quite a bit.

A gif.

Sorry, but that 60 fps excuse is funny and stupid. Let's say it's a webm format. What the difference would be except one game run smoother than the other?

You have the Youtube video in 60. And opinions would be the same - DC looks miles better.
 
This is a big pet peeve of mine also. I don't think it needs to be massively brighter...just moderately. Especially on all the Chile tracks in cockpit and external view.

Even though there is a "Brightness" setting that was patched into Driveclub....it acts like the brightness level on our HDTV's...which is actually black level. Increasing "brightness" in DC therefore means washing out the image completely cause you're killing the games black level.

I have that issue with the game too - there's a murkiness that no TV settings can remove. It was the thing that struck me most when I first got the game. I wondered why they didn't go for an approach that adjusts the exposure of the scene in line with the way our eyes react to changing light levels. I guess it's a stylistic choice, but one that means I never find DC very attractive - for all it's technical wonder, the murk is the thing my eyes are most aware of - perhaps because I'm particularly sensitive to light levels due to an eye condition.
 

OmegaDL50

Member
GT 5/6 look so good in stills but seeing it in motion I think kind of brings things back to reality. Low res reflections, shadow artifacts, popup(?), and an uneven framerate when you default to 1080p.

The natural lighting though is still visible in gameplay

You know the best part about this is? GT6's car assets are actually higher res than what the PS3 was capable of rendering, thus they use a higher detail to work with at the source and scale down accordingly on and make it runnable on the PS3.

So if we get GT6 Photomode assets like that Lexus LFA shot as the normal visual quality for GT7, I will have no complaints whatsoever.
 

Hoo-doo

Banned
This thread is priceless.

I'm sure I am not alone, but I find it tough to fathom out the mindset behind people, on both sides, actually producing content to purposely make game X look worse than it does to facilitate themselves feeling better about game Y.

Bonkers.

Is this actually happening? Care to point it out?

Because as far as I know, you too can post gifs, videos and comparisons. And there have been tons of them in this thread. From all kinds of sources, framerates and resolutions.
The F6/DC comparison gif is infamous because the differences are immense in that single instance of gameplay and it's easy to repost.
It's not intentionally producing content to make game X look worse. It's just a snippet from a random comparison video that sticks out.

And honestly, 1080p/60 video doesn't change anything about the visual gap between the two. Or is this video also 'intentionally producing content to make game X look worse'?

The actual thing that's 'priceless' is the poo-pooing about this thread in the F6 OT. This thread has a specific purpose and F6 comes up a bit short. Better call everyone fanboys!
 

OmegaDL50

Member
30fps and 60fps is just a difference in framerate, not a difference in graphical fidelity anyways.

You can still have a awesome looking game that has high end visuals with a meticulous attention to detail but have it run at slog at sub 30FPS frame rate.

It's some wizardry to have Driveclub to look as amazing as it does but have such as awesome sense of speed.

But yes, getting to Hoo-doo's point, you can have direct capture footage on an Xbox One using an Elgato or some other 1080p capable capture device record at 60fps. It doesn't matter if a Forza 6 video is displayed at 30fps or 60 fps. It still doesn't change what it "looks" like.

A better framerate only will make it animate smoother, not change the fidelity of the graphics themselves.
 

danowat

Banned
Is this actually happening? Care to point it out?

Because as far as I know, you too can post gifs, videos and comparisons. And there have been tons of them in this thread. From all kinds of sources, framerates and resolutions.
The F6/DC comparison gif is infamous because the differences are immense in that single instance of gameplay and it's easy to repost.
It's not intentionally producing content to make game X look worse. It's just a snippet from a random comparison video that sticks out.

And honestly, 1080p/60 video doesn't change anything about the visual gap between the two. Or is this video also 'intentionally producing content to make game X look worse'?

The actual thing that's 'priceless' is the poo-pooing about this thread in the F6 OT. This thread has a specific purpose and F6 comes up a bit short. Better call everyone fanboys!

I'll address your second point first.

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly that DriveClub does look better than pretty much any other racing game, I have no vested interest in making one look better than the other, being a multi-platform owner, I have no allegiance, no axe to grind and no reason to misrepresent anything, DC is a beautiful looking game (albeit better static than in motion IMO, simply because 30fps can be pretty jarring for a racing game)

As to your first point, yes, there are, the fact you have to even ask makes me wonder.

The GIF you mention Is a classic example, that is just not truly representative of FM6, at all, maybe the original piece of content wasn't intended to deliberately do a serviced to the game, but it's reproduction here is certainly in that vein.
 

KORNdoggy

Member
1. Makes dodgy claim about all shadows blurred on road in Forza 6.
2. Gets shown evidence that proves otherwise.
3. Grudgingly acknowledges he was wrong.
4. Shifts focus, and claims no matter, they look so artificial anyway.
5. Initial point made now justified. Agenda back on track.

News for you, sir. They are artificial. None of it is real. Its smoke and mirrors, artificially created to pass for something resembling real world. And to most people, they do a great job. Obviously not to Mr Ray Trace ;)

there is a difference between being artificial and looking artificial. and i can't help having standards.

plus i work in 3Ds max 5 days a week 9-5, so mr ray trace isn't far off ;)
 
The GIF you mention Is a classic example, that is just not truly representative of FM6, at all, maybe the original piece of content wasn't intended to deliberately do a serviced to the game, but it's reproduction here is certainly in that vein.

Hmm, looking at the second comparison vid (from a different uploader) Forza seems to have exactly the same problems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=borC9k3dMbc#t=40s

Huracan is extremely floaty here.
 

nib95

Banned
I'll address your second point first.

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly that DriveClub does look better than pretty much any other racing game, I have no vested interest in making one look better than the other, being a multi-platform owner, I have no allegiance, no axe to grind and no reason to misrepresent anything, DC is a beautiful looking game (albeit better static than in motion IMO, simply because 30fps can be pretty jarring for a racing game)

As to your first point, yes, there are, the fact you have to even ask makes me wonder.

The GIF you mention Is a classic example, that is just not truly representative of FM6, at all, maybe the original piece of content wasn't intended to deliberately do a serviced to the game, but it's reproduction here is certainly in that vein.

To be fair, that is one GIF of a single snippet from a larger comparison video. There are several now, including other GIF's that compare the games, also taken from a different video as well. The cries of conspiracy theories are quite amusing tbh. MotoGamesTV and Racing Video Games have been doing this stuff for aeons, for all kinds of games. I think they actually primarily focus on sim racers tbh. If you don't like the results of their comparisons, I don't think they should be the one's to blame. There's no grandiose plan to make whatever game look intentionally worse, it's just in that particular instance Forza 6 happens to fare less favourably.

Here are the comparison videos.

DriveClub vs Forza Motorsport 6 - Rain Effects Comparison

Forza 6 vs. DriveClub vs. Project CARS | Graphics, Rain & Weather Gameplay Comparison (PS4 & Xbox)

Here is the other gif.

XUvfl12.gif


And also this one from the Driveclub vs Project Cars comparison video.

mjadztoani9gxpl7v8ih.gif
 
To be fair, that is one GIF of a single snippet from a larger comparison video. There are several now, including other GIF's that compare the games, also taken from a different video as well.

Like this one.

XUvfl12.gif


And also this one from the Driveclub vs Project Cars comparison video.

mjadztoani9gxpl7v8ih.gif


All the games look great, but DC is just bonkers in it's lighting, it's some of the best I've seen along with The Order which again pushed levels of realism.

As for the new graphical improvements, I would certainly like to see them offer an unlocked framerate to the game, just to see how hard the engine is being pushed and how much headroom they have on a normal sunny day.
 
Top Bottom