The Graphics and wonders in the Game

lysan · Aug 6, 2015

Now we have see a sneak peek of the new add-on Horizons. I must say I'm sold, I want this and I can't wait to play this new expansion. I've raised this question before, and I still haven't been able to settle the question. The picture below are from the trailer, and the Graphics looks great. of course it's pre-rendered so that is maybe the main reason. My question would be if it's possible to render the graphic in the engine so it look this way, or if this will be to much of a task for the Cobra Engine.

ZeeWolf · Aug 6, 2015

I thought Frontier used the Cobra engine for everything, even running the web-site.

I thought that was in 'Cobra' but without the game logic of ED itself. So, I would assume they can produce high detailed movies in Cobra too.

Not that it makes much difference, as the game won't look like that.

StayFrosty · Aug 6, 2015

Game assets aren't as high-quality, nor are the various effects seen here, whether it's the volumetric fog, lighting or reflections.

Frontier already planned for the future, and made sure the game would keep on looking good as time passes, by building an engine that can support higher quality assets than ones that can currently run. But we're not there yet, and your computer couldn't run it anyway.

Dfox · Aug 6, 2015

StayFrosty said:
Game assets aren't as high-quality, nor are the various effects seen here, whether it's the volumetric fog, lighting or reflections.

Frontier already planned for the future, and made sure the game would keep on looking good as time passes, by building an engine that can support higher quality assets than ones that can currently run. But we're not there yet, and your computer couldn't run it anyway.

You mean his XBox couldn't run it anyway. At least bea accurate.

Put simply, a good PC probably could run the game with this level of graphics, or close to it, but by being hamstrung with console support, that isn't going to happen.

Also, with reference to improving the look of the game, that isn't going to happen either until the consoles go up another expansion - simply because Frontier can't up the graphics and retain console support.

Dfox · Aug 6, 2015

This depends heavily on one's PC. Modern PCs can run games at close to this level of graphics, and perhaps at this level. Given the need to keep assets mostly the same for both the PC and Console versions of Elite though, we will not see a PC version supporting this level of graphics on PCs regardless.

StayFrosty · Aug 6, 2015

Dfox said:
You mean his XBox couldn't run it anyway. At least bea accurate.

I'm accurate: a gaming computer can't run something on the level of the trailers in realtime, this is far beyond any video game right now, of which many still struggle to run on current hardware.

h347h · Aug 6, 2015

Graphics are to the point where I could give a rats behind anymore. Its more about making quality gameplay now. Nothing wows me anymore.http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/1...inishing-returns-of-next-gen-console-graphics

lysan · Aug 7, 2015

well, thanks for the explanation, when I look a games in different game engines they all look different. Take VRE used in the Arma 3 game or CE used in the Kingdom come game that is being build. Very different ways of displaying vegetation and plants in a natural environment. When I look at the palm trees in ED, they seem a bit blocky. I just don't know if that is how its suppose to be or if it could be displayed with more details.

Sorry for the questions, I'm just trying to understand why it is as it is.

IronGremlin · Aug 7, 2015

Lysander lysan said:
well, thanks for the explanation, when I look a games in different game engines they all look different. Take VRE used in the Arma 3 game or CE used in the Kingdom come game that is being build. Very different ways of displaying vegetation and plants in a natural environment. When I look at the palm trees in ED, they seem a bit blocky. I just don't know if that is how its suppose to be or if it could be displayed with more details.

Sorry for the questions, I'm just trying to understand why it is as it is.

A lot of the problem comes down to being able to load and unload assets of that quality dynamically.

There are games that can render that hanger scene in real time at about that level of quality. If they can them dump and/or downscale those asswts seamlessly while simultaneously loading or upscaling other assets as you fly through a station at 400 MPS then I have yet to see that.

So yeah, cobra can probably handle displaying beautiful jungle trees too, but can it handle drawing and undrawing them at speeds that make sense as you approach/leave a station?

Probably not yet.