| Mail |
You might also like: WoW Insider, Massively, and more

Reader Comments (15)

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 3:38PM Graham Best said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
The main difference are the shadows on the gray wall directly behind the car...
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 3:41PM Haggard said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Now you point it out the wall behind does look a lot nicer.. but I mean, this isn't the only graphics reason to get it on the PC.. way higher resolution and insane anti-aliasing for instance.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 3:44PM Zertoss said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
http://www.flickr.com/photos/criteriongames/2553273047/sizes/o/

The shadow behind the ladder on the water tower looks terrible to me.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 3:46PM Shogan said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
The difference is minor, but it's there. Still, the graphics aren't the problem. It's the Blue and Gray color scheme that makes it very hard to navigate a speedy car in this open world game.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 3:56PM d134 said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
^ thanks for pointing out the differences, cuz i really couldn't tell what was so different between the two shots...
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 4:02PM BizarroPete said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
The difference it pretty easy to see, they pic labled SSAO ON has them numbered. The image does look better/more realistic with SSAO on. I don't know if anyone will notice as they race by though.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 4:20PM dargis49 said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
I really can't see a big difference. It's like one of those bar games where you look at 2 pics to see which one is different.

The only thing that really sticks out to me are the 2 fans(one above the cars wing, and the other on the left edge of the screen). After you notice that, the shadows really start to pop out on the SSAO On side.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 4:21PM einhanderkiller said

  • 1 heart
  • Report
Here's a more noticeable use of SSAO.

http://boris-vorontsov.narod.ru/index_en.html
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 4:23PM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
It's a very slightly noticeable difference. Not really enough to warrant a big deal, but just enough for those who love to have the best looking picture possible.

/wishes he could afford to have the best
//is still happy with 720p though ;P
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 4:56PM bAss ackwards said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Hey guys, here's a better comparison picture:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=258cj9t&s=3
(click image to see larger version)

You can really see that without SSAO on the objects in the world look a little less dimensional. Feel free to use the .gif for this post if you wish.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 5:14PM KiraXD said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
seriously? the difference look huge imo. the ambient occlusion is basically an easier way to add faux GI (Global Illumination)(it works pretty well too)since actually processing global illumination is pretty intensive still.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 5:21PM Ranus Studios said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
AO is awesome if you have a good example of it.

This is not a good example of it.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 8:16PM WiredKnight said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
It's not just "soft shadows."

What ambient occlusion really does is calculate how light interacts with multiple objects, reflecting off of multiple surfaces, instead of on a per-vertex or per-pixel basis only.

See:
http://en.9jcg.com/featured_artists/toni_bratincevic/slow_decay_files/slow_decay_14_l.jpg

This is a flat-shaded render with only ambient occlusion shaders.
As mentioned, tight spaces are on average darker than wide-open spaces. Surfaces catch light reflected from other surfaces, instead of being lit by only direct rays. As you can see, this results in softer shadows, as well as more dynamic transitions from surface to surface.

The next iteration of the Unreal 3 engine is utilizing this as well.
Reply

Posted: Jun 11th 2008 8:42PM Omega2k3 said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
I had to cross my eyes a la magic eye to see the difference...
Reply

Posted: Jun 12th 2008 5:02AM BurntMeatloaf said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
So, this is why development costs are skyrocketing, yes?
Reply
Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.

Featured Stories

WRUP: All the Reckoning

Posted on Feb 10th 2012 11:45PM

Xbox Live Indie Gems: Nyan Cat Adventure

Posted on Feb 10th 2012 10:15PM

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW