400°

Whatever Happened to Destructible Environments?

There was a time, not too long ago, when destructibility was a major selling point in games.

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isarai410d ago

CPU limitations, from the ps3/360 era to the ps4/xb1 there really wasn't an improvement to the CPUs. This gen we got a massive upgrade, but it won't be till games completely abandon last gen that we can begin to see stuff like physics and destruction becomes a focus again.

IamTylerDurden1409d ago (Edited 409d ago )

I blame the companies that pushed native 4K and specs for stagnating innovation. Even with RTX the focus is all about visuals rather than how u interact with the world. Yes, the limited CPU evolution/GPU played into it but that was driven by the resolution/fidelity push which started with 1080. Then the native 4K movement circa Scorpio was particularly bad. It helped solidify a precedent and the ironic thing is that resolution alone still doesn't create beauty. The best looking games were not native 1080 or 4K resolution this gen or last. Ryse, The Order, GoW or Spiderman 2018, TLOU2, Demon's Souls, R&C, Horizon, etc.

Binarycode409d ago

I agree with both parts of the argument tbh.

But the Cell processor actually a very good processor for it's time and for the right dev could be made to sing.

But the 360/PS3 era was lacking because of GPU power.

Whereas the PS4 was lacking CPU power vs GPU. That's why many games now that still run on the PS4 still look decent. Although some games have dropped rez.

I always remember speaking to the DRIVECLUB DEV. and he told me that the game could not run at 60fps not all the time because of the PS4 CPU, he said the GPU was easily running the game at 1080p and they had headroom. the game unlocked was 40-60fps. But they decided to lock to 30fps.

Now with PS5 it has plenty of grunt in both cpu/gpu/ram/ssd etc. But other things come into play. RAYRACING BEING ONE. Which hurts CPU.

Finals Destruction looks fantastic and is server side. Coming to PC/PS5/SX
https://www.digitaltrends.c...

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

I do also agree 4k is great but can be a waste, As upscaling gets better and better lower rez will be used more often. as long as the final image looks like 4k and clear and smooth 60fps gameplay. it's all good.

I really wish that Battlefield 2042 had been smaller maps then they have now and just slightly bigger then BF4 but with more destruction and levolution 2.0. I loved maps turning to waterworlds etc. added something different to the game.

fr0sty409d ago

Remember when magic clouds were supposed to solve this problem for us? lol

isarai409d ago

Oh for sure, they definitely reached a point where something had to give, and devs chose to sacrifice physics and interaction for surface level visuals for those E3 showcases. Definitely a bummer but I feel like we could be seeing a bit of a resurgence in the near future, hopefully at least. The capability is there, they just have to use it.

blacktiger408d ago

To me I thought everything was going to be different by looking at killzone, but after killzone all games started looking like mario 64 with better graphic. Destructible on Bad Company 2 was amazing but not enough :(

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Evan_Beezy409d ago

But will true physics be a function of finally breaking the frontier of multicore processing in games

Bobertt409d ago

I disagree we had Battlefield with great destructible environments on ps3/360 and we don't even get at least that level of destructibility in more recent games. If it was the CPU we should of still have a minimum amount in games but the fact we have basically none show it's the developers who don't want to take the time to design the physics for it. Most developers don't even talk about the CPU being a bottleneck these days. They usually say it's the amount of RAM, decompression speed (XBOX/PC), or the GPU.

SonyStyled409d ago

Bad Company had the destructible environments that altered gameplay and made it fun. Battlefield 3 and 4 went more cod and maintained some destructibility, but it wasn’t the same.

Making a hole in a building wall for a quick exit/entry was a much easier thing to do in bad company, somehow… Can’t really explain it

P_Bomb410d ago

Anyone else remember Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction?

isarai410d ago

Would love for a new mercenaries. I feel like Avalanche would be perfect for the job honestly

P_Bomb410d ago

Nice! I only beat the first one, never got around to World in Flames. But yeah, I could see Avalanche in action too.

neutralgamer1992409d ago

Our best hope is a remake which does well so EA can maybe one day make a new one. I feel like remakes will be now used as a way to gauge interest

EazyC409d ago

One of my favourite games ever made. One of the very few open world games that were completely unshackled from the "GTA-vclone" label because it was so unique. It had an amazing overall vibe.

Would love to see a new one. RIP Pandemic Studios :(

generic-user-name409d ago

Loved the first, the sequel had troubled development and ended up disappointing though.

mkis007409d ago

It was amazing for its time. Red faction guerilla + mercenaries is the game i want to play.

TheColbertinator409d ago

Mercenaries was my bread and butter for years and this was true for both games

DafunkyRebel409d ago

Closes we'll ever get to another Mercenary game is Just Cause franchise

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 409d ago
GoodGuy09409d ago

God I miss bad company and BF3+4

frostypants409d ago

BFBC2 was the pinnacle of destructibility.

Yui_Suzumiya408d ago

I had a blast leveling houses in Bad Company. Also it was alot of fun to destroy and rebuild stuff in Red Faction: Armageddon. It was downright therapeutic.

IamTylerDurden1409d ago

Physics, ai, animation, combat, destruction have seen surprisingly little improvement since PS3 era bc the focus has been fidelity. Even game design has been stagnant. We largely play glossier versions of the same thing going on 10-20 years.

Evan_Beezy409d ago (Edited 409d ago )

I hope they got enough multicore potential from these current gen CPUs because they didn’t even unify the 8 cores into one CCD would be cool to see them get that feature from ZEN 3 or even maybe a little x3d cache if they actually create pro models eventually of this generation. Call it Zen 2.5 X3D chips lol mobile/APU’s

ChasterMies408d ago

Clearly gameplay has stagnated. Halo 3 has more realistic a.i. than any contemporary game. But I wouldn’t say that gameplay and ai have suffered because of a focus on fidelity. The graphics team is separate from the gameplay team. Maybe the problem is corporate consolidation of game studios. As long as games are making a profit, no reason to innovate. If you want to see a parallel, look at the auto industry.

IamTylerDurden1406d ago

But they allocate far more to the visual side. They create prettier versions of what already exists. If CPU is no longer a bottleneck then why aren't we seeing more from physics etc? Framerate and res are the focus. Unreal over proprietary. Nobody experiments anymore and when they do it's for fidelity.

sadraiden408d ago

Go back to the Xbox/PS2/Gamecube, tell me, aside from the inclusion of online multiplayer, what, gameplay-wise, has changed since that era? How the player character accepts a quest? This is a controversial question to most people who aren't paying attention.

When you say 10-20, I definitely feel it's closer to 20. Red Faction had destructible environments in the early 00s.

IamTylerDurden1406d ago

Agreed. Since PS2 era game design has been stagnant. Quest design, combat, AI.

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90°

Two Decades Later, the Original Splinter Cell is Still a Masterpiece

They don't make games like this anymore.

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vgvill6d ago

Too dated in my book. The AI is way too unpredictable to be acceptable today. It's definitely a game of its time.

Jingsing6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

Agreed with those sentiments. The quality of the CPU controlled characters make or break a stealth game and they are pretty poor in all the Splinter Cell games by today's standard. This is what led me to playing Spies vs Mercs all the time in later games just to get a better stealth experience from a real person. Arguably Sony are making better stealth games albeit not Tom Clancy stuff.

TheProfessional5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

You should stick with fortnite or one of the countless bloodborne style games then. What a joke.

rlow15d ago

I had a good time with the game. It is a product of its time. But when it came out it was a must have game for a lot of people. I wish Ubisoft would make another game in the series or at least a reboot.

vgvill5d ago

They are making a remake, I think. I loved the original game when it was released, but I tried to play it again in recent years and just couldn't get on with it. The same with the older Hitman games.

PrecursorOrb5d ago

Yeah chaos theory still holds up though I gotta say. If you’re a fan of the series I highly suggest you go back to that one. Ubi has said they are remaking sc for “modern audiences”. I don’t have a lot of faith for the future of that company

Chocoburger5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Due to the lack of modern stealth games, and me constantly playing the MGS series, I've been looking for alternative stealth games to play, and went back and re-played the SC series recently. I wouldn't call SC1 or SC:PT masterpieces, there are AI issues, they're very much trial-and-error games, and that can lead to a lot of frustration. I also found the stories in this series to be boring, uninteresting, and just sloppily told. Cinematics are also of poor quality for both in-game scenes and CG cut-scenes, the soundtrack didn't leave any impression on me either.

Chaos Theory is better, but there was still a lot of room for improvement, and Double Agent (old gen ver.) was a sloppy mess that ended up a regression from CT. But still, at least they tried back then, these days Ubi-junk doesn't even try to make good games!

70°

A Matter Of Trust: What The Game Industry Should Do To Win Gamers Back

Skewed and Reviewed have written an Opinion Piece covering issues in the gaming industry, how current issues were issues years ago, and what can be done to help restore consumer trust.

anast11d ago

Nothing. It's up to the gamers to stop consuming content from companies that they don't agree with.

Garethvk11d ago

How do you know if you agree with it or not unless you play it? Which without conventions forces gamers to rely on trailers. Perhaps Demos should be made more frequently. But companies need to do better as well.

anast11d ago

Wait until release. Watch Gameplay. Exercise patience.

Garethvk11d ago

But is that not what they have now? Tons of gameplay or are you talking about watching actual gamers play it versus the trailers and streams? The big issue is that some companies pay streamers and influencers and they create content but for me; that is hardly a fair, unbiased, and factual look at a game.

1nsomniac11d ago

Get rid of the suits in the industry and job done!!

Garethvk11d ago

They usually are attached to the money sadly. It would be nice to have gamers in charge but you have so much money invested that business people are needed. Hence the issue; you need people who know business but are also gamers who know have an eye to the community. It sounds simple in theory that if you give gamers quality games that they want to play; money will be made. But that is not always so.

60°

From The Last of Us to Baldur's Gate 3: The success of the Game Music Festival

Marie Dealessandri speaks to Borislav Slavov and Gustavo Santaolalla about “the new golden age of games music”.

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