Agreed.Can we at least agree that a console manufacturer having large infrastructure support at a subsidized price to devs/pubs is a good thing?
I'm really trying to wonder why people are so bent on trying to spin this.
The only thing that dedicated servers can offer is client-side processing for A.I.
Games such as Diablo 3 already do this. The game requires an internet connection at all times, and enemies, drops, loots are generated by the server which are then streamed to the player and back. All data and stats are handled by the server.
As for improved graphics.... Lol.
I'll give you one guess. Some people are trying hard these days to make sure the Xbox One has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Its sad, immature and doesn't reflect well on the community at all.Can we at least agree that a console manufacturer having large infrastructure support at a subsidized price to devs/pubs is a good thing?
I'm really trying to wonder why people are so bent on trying to spin this.
We should stop using the world cloud and start using the right name:
is a centralized server multiplayer. Nothing new.
Can we at least agree that a console manufacturer having large infrastructure support at a subsidized price to devs/pubs is a good thing?
I'm really trying to wonder why people are so bent on trying to spin this.
Can we at least agree that a console manufacturer having large infrastructure support at a subsidized price to devs/pubs is a good thing?
I'm really trying to wonder why people are so bent on trying to spin this.
We should stop using the world cloud and start using the right name:
is a centralized server multiplayer. Nothing new.
This pretty much indicates that Azure isn't any kind of amazing wonder-technology (like I wrote before and is pretty evident).
Can we at least agree that a console manufacturer having large infrastructure support at a subsidized price to devs/pubs is a good thing?
I'm really trying to wonder why people are so bent on trying to spin this.
Can we at least agree that a console manufacturer having large infrastructure support at a subsidized price to devs/pubs is a good thing?
I'm really trying to wonder why people are so bent on trying to spin this.
Respawn is an independend developer with no loyalties at all
Respawn and EA got a rumored 50 million dollars to make the game exclusive. You don't think that using MS talking points was part of that deal?
I think it's awesome that Microsoft is using Azure for multiplayer games. The problem they have is with their bullshit messaging. The first thing they ever said about the cloud was "it's like having 5 xbox ones at your disposal" like it was magically going to make your system 'infinitely' more powerful. That was an outright lie. We knew it was an outright lie, the internet at large called them on the outright lie... and now they are explaining what "the cloud" really does.
And the thing is... what it really does is AWESOME! Dedicated servers for cheap (not free... like some had us believe), the ability for them to adjust dynamically based on how many are playing the game and where. And the ability to use it for very basic offloaded tasks. All of this stuff is AWESOME! If this is what they announced instead of that complete sack of lies I think people in general would be much more enthusiastic about it. This is microsoft's blunder, not ours.
The "cloud" (I strongly dislike that term) is raw compute power. That part is absolutely true.Confirming what everyone already knew.. Cloud = dedicated servers. Which are a good thing, and it's nice that Microsoft is providing them, but trying to act like 3 servers are sitting there to help out your Xbox One with the graphics on level 3 is misleading (Respawn didn't say this, Microsoft has implied it).
The "cloud" (I strongly dislike that term) is raw compute power. That part is absolutely true.
The fact that we're using it as our dedi solution in the short term should in no way imply that's all we (or anyone else) *could* use it for. People will figure out nifty stuff to do with it! F'rinstance, I'd love to explore offloading low frequency lighting calculations for things like updated "static" lighting when the level environment changes. That's pretty far from cloud = dedicated servers.
The "cloud" (I strongly dislike that term) is raw compute power. That part is absolutely true.
The fact that we're using it as our dedi solution in the short term should in no way imply that's all we (or anyone else) *could* use it for. People will figure out nifty stuff to do with it! F'rinstance, I'd love to explore offloading low frequency lighting calculations for things like updated "static" lighting when the level environment changes. That's pretty far from cloud = dedicated servers.
Not necessarily.Really don't understand why lighting keeps coming up as a thing to offload onto the cloud. It's like one of the most time sensitive and data rich things there is. Completely the opposite of the sort of service you want on a remote server.
Ever heard of Microsoft Orleans? It's a pretty significant deal, and likely part of what MS is offering to XO devs. Likely, though not certain. The latest news I'm aware of on the Orleans front was a mass market blurb penned by Mary Jo Foley.
Whether or not Orleans is, in fact, part of this, your comment is ludicrous. You're arrogantly dismissing the work of Microsoft in the cloud computing field. One of the best funded, best staffed groups in the entire world. Certainly hosted multiplayer is part of this, but if you only pay attention to the talk of fast, flexible scalability then you should be aware that there is much more going on that is beneficial to devs and, ultimately, gamers.
The "cloud" (I strongly dislike that term) is raw compute power. That part is absolutely true.
The fact that we're using it as our dedi solution in the short term should in no way imply that's all we (or anyone else) *could* use it for. People will figure out nifty stuff to do with it! F'rinstance, I'd love to explore offloading low frequency lighting calculations for things like updated "static" lighting when the level environment changes. That's pretty far from cloud = dedicated servers.
Not necessarily.
REAL TIME lighting is something you need to do in as few milliseconds per frame as possible. Many games still have a huge precalculation step when maps are compiled that does higher quality global illumination from static light sources, so the average quality of the map is much higher without having to spend the CPU/GPU to do all that stuff in real time. If you have a "cloud style" compute farm, you could also do some of that higher quality stuff as light sources move around your map. It wouldn't necessarily matter that your secondary bounces and the other more subtle things took a second or two to update themselves.
So is this based on Microsoft's "Orleans" project? http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-orleans-cloud-programming-model-gets-a-halo-test-drive-7000009300/
People will figure out nifty stuff to do with it! F'rinstance, I'd love to explore offloading low frequency lighting calculations for things like updated "static" lighting when the level environment changes. That's pretty far from cloud = dedicated servers.
Well that makes sense. I talked to one of our lighting guys as well (I'm gameplay, not rendering). The actual set of coefficients you get back is pretty small, and cpu is cheap these days. The cost is mostly from i/o for the source data. So if you have the entire level including graphics, not just collision, in memory, it's entirely possible. Although it's still going to be a challenge. Our light baking takes anywhere from several minutes to an hour, and we have a large local farm. So I'm still skeptical as to the practicality, but the theory is reasonable. I wish you the best of luck with that! Looking forward to the game too.Not necessarily.
REAL TIME lighting is something you need to do in as few milliseconds per frame as possible. Many games still have a huge precalculation step when maps are compiled that does higher quality global illumination from static light sources, so the average quality of the map is much higher without having to spend the CPU/GPU to do all that stuff in real time. If you have a "cloud style" compute farm, you could also do some of that higher quality stuff as light sources move around your map. It wouldn't necessarily matter that your secondary bounces and the other more subtle things took a second or two to update themselves.
The "cloud" (I strongly dislike that term) is raw compute power. That part is absolutely true.
The fact that we're using it as our dedi solution in the short term should in no way imply that's all we (or anyone else) *could* use it for. People will figure out nifty stuff to do with it! F'rinstance, I'd love to explore offloading low frequency lighting calculations for things like updated "static" lighting when the level environment changes. That's pretty far from cloud = dedicated servers.
I think all of this is just a bunch of PR bullshit that was written in the contract for exclusivity between MS and Respawn. I am sure MS paid quite a bit of money for Titanfall and in the contract before payment, there is something in there written saying Respawn has to say its only possible with the cloud. I am calling BS on all this shit.
Can we at least agree that a console manufacturer having large infrastructure support at a subsidized price to devs/pubs is a good thing?
I'm really trying to wonder why people are so bent on trying to spin this.
So people who actually work with it are saying what they are saying because they are paid to? You know what, I now think YOU are paid to trash it...who is paying you?
Can we at least agree that a console manufacturer having large infrastructure support at a subsidized price to devs/pubs is a good thing?
I'm really trying to wonder why people are so bent on trying to spin this.
So you know they are telling the truth? If someone gave me a lot of money, I would say anything to make them sound good.....wouldn't you?
I take their word for it, by backing things up in here, over your baseless accusation. Once again though, who is paying YOU to talk it down and say it is BS?
The "cloud" (I strongly dislike that term) is raw compute power. That part is absolutely true.
The fact that we're using it as our dedi solution in the short term should in no way imply that's all we (or anyone else) *could* use it for. People will figure out nifty stuff to do with it! F'rinstance, I'd love to explore offloading low frequency lighting calculations for things like updated "static" lighting when the level environment changes. That's pretty far from cloud = dedicated servers.
Wow, ElTorro is still trying to fight back the bullshit.
Dedication!
I've gotten too frustrated to fight back the PR Bullshit, as it's the same names in every thread.
But seriously, I consider myself a novice in regards to the subject, but ElTorro is an expert.
And Calen is what?
And Calen is what?
an idiot console warrior, clearly.
Awesome post; please tell more people in the industry to post on here as the cacaphony of people who know nothing but post the same drivel outweighs the ones who actually know.
an idiot console warrior, clearly.
And Calen is what?
I can't tell which is sarcastic and which isn't but Calen is a programmer at Respawn. I think he probably knows more about this subject than any of us.
The discussion about Orleans and lighting in the cloud are separate. Just saying, before I get assigned to a camp...