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What gameplay enhancements will be enabled by next-gen tech?

S

somuchwater

Member
I find the recent chatter over choices of cpu/gpu etc in next-gen systems fascinating, and I can't wait to see what Sony and MS come up with for PS4/Nextbox.

But though I love the visual upgrade that comes with a new gen, I'm more concerned about how greater processing power could be used to do novel, interesting things in games.

So my question is this: beyond the graphical enhancements, what specific elements in gameplay will be enabled by the next generation of technology.

Note, what I mean here is not generic statements like "improved AI" or "more characters on screen". I'm talking actual (if totally speculative) examples of how greater processing power will allow for experiences that either aren't possible today, or will be much better with more power.

Generally, I'm curious to find out what greater processing power will do for games as a cultural form - and, potentially, whether or not the emphasis on new tech is a concern of markets and economics more than it is the creative potential of gaming (to the extent you can divorce those two things).
 
Open world gameplay with improved FOV and less loading times, maybe no need to load between outdoor and indoor locations. That would be awesome.
 
PHYSICS!

Big

Fat

Meaty

Believable

Physics.


Edit: Just re-read OP. What I mean is, physics that much more closely replicate real world weight and inertia. Things "float" too much at the minute, nothing feels as heavy or substantial as it should, although dev's like Bungie, R*, Polyphony, DICE, etc get somewhere close.

I want things to fall faster.

I want things to hit harder.
 
Well, if we aren't allowed to say all the things that truly matter / will happen, the only thing I can think of from a gameplay perspective that more power would bring, that'd probably be deeper and better physics engines.
 
Sethos said:
Well, if we aren't allowed to say all the things that truly matter / will happen, the only thing I can think of from a gameplay perspective that more power would bring, that'd probably be deeper and better physics engines.
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No no, I'm not trying to restrict conversation. If you think better graphics will have an increased emotional and intellectual impact, have at it. I'm curious to hear a solid argument from that perspective.
 
Lactose_Intolerant said:
very little. It will be used for graphics.
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There has been done plenty in the gameplay department this generation, think of things like the destruction in the latest Red Faction installments or the larger sized multiplayer maps such as in Battlefield or MAG.

Also, you also maybe get new accessories like Kinect or the headset to offer new enhancements.
 
Hopefully all games will have Alice 2 level of hair physics.

And hopefully all the older people in the industry in japan will get their head out of their ass so they can actually make games for HD platforms that don't have ps1 ground textures.
 
I'm thinking of better AI in not only stealth games but all action games. Maybe one will have to hide the bodies in more games next-gen. I'm interested in seeing pieces of armor and gear falling off, parts of vehicles failing, and enemies reacting to injuries such as a broken tibia.
 
Fully destructible environments in shooters or action games (or any game really) could really enhance gameplay and overall enjoyment. If everything is destructible it changes how you plan attacks and where you choose to take cover. And who doesn't want to collapse the roof of a building that some sniper is hiding on?

Hell I can't even describe the joy I had in lighting fires in Far Cry 2 and having the wind spread them into nearby enemy settlements. Something small like that greatly increased the fun I was having.
 
chickdigger802 said:
Hopefully all games will have Alice 2 level of hair physics.

And hopefully all the older people in the industry in japan will get their head out of their ass so they can actually make games for HD platforms that don't have ps1 ground textures.
Click to expand...

I don't see how this will enhance gameplay.

Unless you are playing a first person game and when you walk backwards fast with your long haired main character your hair gets in your sight.

Even then I would not especially call it an "enhancement".
 
somuchwater said:
No no, I'm not trying to restrict conversation. If you think better graphics will have an increased emotional and intellectual impact, have at it. I'm curious to hear a solid argument from that perspective.
Click to expand...

In that case, graphical presentation will be the biggest winner.

Problem with a lot of games today is, they want to do a realistic or an authentic visual presentation. That quickly falls flat on its ass when games are filled with jaggies, shadows look flat, are pre-baked and aren't soft-shadows. When lighting is also pre-baked, very static and scripted to hell, characters that have a wire mesh made up of 3 strings and some poor lipsyncing, all wrapped up into a cringe-worthy 30FPS package. I feel it's extremely distracting and it ruins my immersion completely when my mind goes from "This story is riveting" to "Why does everything look like ass, why does his face look like a piece of cardboard, why can I count the individual pixels on that cloud"

It may seem shallow to focus on these things if the core gameplay and story is great, but we all do it to some extend and it can ruin atmosphere faster than a knuckle-sandwich before a candlelight dinner. Everything is just so give-and-take these days, every scene is just a big compromise in some department. I just want a console game that runs in a resolution that is fitting to the monitor it's running on ( 1080p ), has believable lighting, characters and the ability to implement stuff like AO, good looking bokeh, dynamic lighting, textures you can actually see what the hell are supposed to look like and the list goes on.

Obviously, when you stray away from the realistic look, there's a whole different set of rules and those kind of games aren't as susceptible to lacking hardware.
 
The higher resolution cameras on the next generation Kinetcs and its kind will together with increased CPU power allow for better targeted in-game advertisement. It reads your clothing brand, it recognizes books and movies on the table, knows what you drink and can recognize speech well enough to identify keywords that might give a clue as to what advertisements it should show you in the artificially lengthened loading sequences.

...what? You know they will do if they can get away with it.

As for real gameplay innovations, I'm not sure. I'm sure Nintendo is up to something with the Wii U controller, like deliberately unbalanced multiplayer with one against many and perhaps the ability to hold the controller in front of the screen to get an overlay. That would require the controller to both know where your eyes are and where the TV screen is if it's going to pull that off, but Nintendo are mad enough to try, I'd think.
 
LumpOfCole said:
Big, fat, meaty character
Click to expand...
Already saw that this gen:

iboEpQF2GaWa4l.JPG


Hehe =)
 
iamshadowlark said:
Imo we are well past the point where stronger HW will offer any gameplay improvements by itself.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. Hearing people talking about the next gen of consoles like it's going to encourage new and exciting gameplay developments baffles me. If anything, we'll see more sequelitis, as development costs rise even further skyward and companies become more risk-averse. Oh and with all the heavy discounting, get ready for companies to start pitching the idea of $70 retail games. :) You'll get your $20 sale or gift card on week one and think "wow, what a deal! I only paid $50!"
 
Sethos said:
In that case, graphical presentation will be the biggest winner.

Problem with a lot of games today is, they want to do a realistic or an authentic visual presentation. That quickly falls flat on its ass when games are filled with jaggies, shadows look flat, are pre-baked and aren't soft-shadows. When lighting is also pre-baked, very static and scripted to hell, characters that have a wire mesh made up of 3 strings and some poor lipsyncing, all wrapped up into a cringe-worthy 30FPS package. I feel it's extremely distracting and it ruins my immersion completely when my mind goes from "This story is riveting" to "Why does everything look like ass, why does his face look like a piece of cardboard, why can I count the individual pixels on that cloud"

It may seem shallow to focus on these things if the core gameplay and story is great, but we all do it to some extend and it can ruin atmosphere faster than a knuckle-sandwich before a candlelight dinner. Everything is just so give-and-take these days, every scene is just a big compromise in some department. I just want a console game that runs in a resolution that is fitting to the monitor it's running on ( 1080p ), has believable lighting, characters and the ability to implement stuff like AO, good looking bokeh, dynamic lighting, textures you can actually see what the hell are supposed to look like and the list goes on.

Obviously, when you stray away from the realistic look, there's a whole different set of rules and those kind of games aren't as susceptible to lacking hardware.
Click to expand...

I see your point, I think: that it's hard to get immersed in a game when the visual presentation keeps taking you out.

I guess I'm not convinced that will make games that much better. I'd love to see an Assassin's Creed with good facial animation and a decent framerate. But I'd also like to see visual realism be less important than it is now. It seems that when the emphasis is on realism or immersion, it's much easier to reproduce cliche game tropes: the lone hero, the dudebro with special powers etc.
 
danwarb said:
Some kind of dynamic dialogue. Slightly less rigid preset responses from game characters.
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That's not even a hardware limitation, that just requires a lot of work. It'll be even less likely to happen next generation as costs go up in every other department, so does development time.
 
I think physics, possibly combined with more destructible/changeable environments, might improve with more processing power. I am not sure I can think of many other specific areas in which dramatic improvements would occur.
 
Interactive environments will become more feasible. Not just destruction but all kinds of interaction and change. But I think the hardware still won't be there for truly realistic environment interaction in open world games.
 
Physics.
When I drop something in skyrim, I want it to drop realistically not act like a feather.
I want a cup to fall and smash.
 
A zillion 16 bit sprites with no slowdowns nor undesirable compromises with screen resolution.

Same with collision detection.
 
Marco1 said:
Physics.
When I drop something in skyrim, I want it to drop realistically not act like a feather.
I want a cup to fall and smash.
Click to expand...
I want the individual leaves and branches in crysis to sway with the wind. When you step in gravel I wanna see each pebble move under your feet. When youre shooting a chain gun, I want the physics of each bullet realistically affecting its target.
 
Physics and destruction. When coupled together, even if the visual jump isn't too big, these will add a ton to the believeablity of games.
 
Loofy said:
I want the individual leaves and branches in crysis to sway with the wind. When you step in gravel I wanna see each pebble move under your feet. When youre shooting a chain gun, I want the physics of each bullet realistically affecting its target.
Click to expand...
Okay but it's not as if I'm asking for much. Is wanting a large item to react differently to a small item that much?
 
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