[S.T.A.L.K.E.R.] New Screenshots

[Chode]

EDIT: Links updates. Not as higher quality, but it's better than nothing

http://img197.exs.cx/img197/6270/0117051823581wu.jpg (1600x1200, 403,9Kb)

http://img197.exs.cx/img197/3217/0117051828326yj.jpg (1600x1200, 411,1Kb)

http://img197.exs.cx/img197/5154/0118051840412ou.jpg (1600x1200, 131,8Kb)

http://img197.exs.cx/img197/3560/0118051847500cl.jpg (1600x1200, 270,7Kb)

http://img197.exs.cx/img197/8092/0118051849348mx.jpg (1600x1200, 335,4Kb)

These shots are large, averaging just over a meg each. But I've resized one just so it can be shown off...

The city of Pripyat (I think)

Edited January 25, 2005 by Chode

[msg43]

I take this is a new game?

[rpl318]

Nice!

[nexx]

nothing too amazing. Too many ambient light only areas.

Look forward to playing it though.

[GrandMaster]

and it runs so smoooooooooooth....

[lexor]

so are these the long awaited dx9.0 outdor renders?

[Tran]

Damn, that's just sweet!

[Chode]

I take this is a new game?

585345834[/snapback]

It's existed in several forms for quite a while now. Was originally Oblivion Lost, now is Shadows of Chernobyl.

and it runs so smoooooooooooth....

585345872[/snapback]

So we hope. hehehehe

so are these the long awaited dx9.0 outdor renders?

585345889[/snapback]

Nope. Good ol' Dx8. I believe that it will be NVIDIA who release the first Dx9 outdoor media.

[G4M3R]

Still looking good. Some of the local gameshops have dummy boxes out, coming soon.

[asdflkjsdrhthfhrhr]

Looks good.. lack of shadowing on the first picture is painfully apparent though

[muzzle79]

Looks good.. lack of shadowing on the first picture is painfully apparent though

585346065[/snapback]

no look at any of their other pics or ingame videos and it's got one of the most advanced shadow systems in a game.

I suggest those that haven't check the videos out.

[asdflkjsdrhthfhrhr]

Oh, okay. I guess those are early shots without any shadows?

I did notice that there was an excellent architectural effect (high windows) that created a nice shadow on the wall in the second-to-last picture.

[Chode]

Looks good.. lack of shadowing on the first picture is painfully apparent though

585346065[/snapback]

Hey, you're right!

That section of map is most commonly shown for multiplayer. Maybe shadows are toned down in the multiplayer component....or there might not be shadows for movable objects..interesting.

[qdave]

great! as always mate (Y)

[DigitalN.]

I'm beginning to think that the DX 9 technology isn't being developed, or it is too underdeveloped that it won't work right.

[Rogue`]

Nice :wub:

[El-Diablo]

i'm not too excited about this game for some reason iono why.

[Chode]

I'm beginning to think that the DX 9 technology isn't being developed, or it is too underdeveloped that it won't work right.

585346881[/snapback]

Have faith, young one. They're just holding onto it for a surprise. Check out the E3 2003 movie if you need reaffirming of your faith of DirectX9.

i'm not too excited about this game for some reason iono why.

585347395[/snapback]

I can only hope my Stalker news reporting is part of it :happy:

Edit:

These will tide you over. There is (at least the beginnings of) a DirectX 9 renderer.

Edited January 24, 2005 by Chode

[El-Diablo]

Have faith, young one. They're just holding onto it for a surprise. Check out the E3 2003 movie if you need reaffirming of your faith of DirectX9.

I can only hope my Stalker news reporting is part of it  :happy:

585347471[/snapback]

no, i'm just not seeing what's so special about it. I really don't.

[Chode]

If the above screenshots (edited post) don't tide you over.....

...here are the technical specs of the engine.

General:

• Levels combining closed spaces as well as enormous open areas

• On demand loading makes it possible to create a single huge level

• Game time flow, change of time of the day

• Powerful skeleton-based animation allows usage of motion-capture hardware and produces smooth and realistic motion of characters

• VR-Simulation engine optimized for massive load

Graphics:

• Visualization optimized for hardware TnL (both FF and shading capable parts)

• Continuous level of detail technology for all the geometry

• ~300 000 polygons per frame at 60 fps on average hardware

• Detailed character models (500-10 000 polys)

• High-speed blended animation system capable of an infinite number of bone interpolation & modulation operations

• SSE /3Dnow! Technologies used for skinning and forward kinematics

• Visibility determination

• Portal-style, non-linear subdivision based visibility detection system

• Optimized for T&L hardware by batching primitives in optimally sized groups

• Dynamic occlusion culling, contribution culling

• Adaptive hardware state caching technology

• Lighting

• Colored dynamic lights and dynamic "soft" shadows

• Breakable light sources

• Animated lights

• Character shadowing

• Intelligent light source selection, clipping, and merging

• Detail mapping

• Water, flares, coronas, etc.

• Particle system with real physics

• Screen post-processing

• Shading

• The Shader library is central to every part of the rendering pipeline

• Completely abstracts the graphics API.

• Multi-pass Rendering

• Fallback Shaders

• Facilitates cross-platform development

• Separates shader writing from engine development

• Pixel and Vertex shaders are automatically used (on shader capable hardware.)

Detail objects:

• Grass, small stones, etc.

• Enviromental effects, such as wind, turbulence, and tracks

Physics:

• Based on ODE engine

• Simulation speed outperforms commercial engines such as MathEngine, Havok, etc.

• Real-time IK, vehicle physics, etc.

• Collision database with low memory usage

• Collision detection optimized for a large number of queries in a high concentration polygonal environment

• Realistic simulation of ballistics, movement, and fluids

Audio:

• High quality HRTF 3D-sound with clipping and partial wave tracing

• Location-based environmental audio affected by surrounding obstructions

• Context-relative multiple-mixed music streams in MP3/MP2/WMA/ADPCM formats

Network:

• Distributed computing

• Client-Server based system

Tools

• In-house tools (Level, Shader, Particle, and Actor Editors)

• Plug-ins for popular modeling packages

AI:

• Simulation Level-Of-Detail and Culling (2 AI models - high and low detail)

• Fiber based time distribution allows scalable AI without any slowdown

• Virtual senses; sight, hearing and touch

• Terrain-aware tactical assessment system

• FSM with random factor

• Data driven design (pattern based evaluation functions are automatically generated and optimized on training examples - supervised learning)

The part that always makes me most suspicious, yet also most interested, is around 300,000 polygons per frame at 60 fps on average hardware. That's a hell of a lot of 3D data, and this figure has been verified by NVIDIA.

[the_bearded_dope]

Thanks for the update Chode!, the screenshots look fantastic :happy:. I don't understand why some people are fussy about the graphics...

[Spookie]

I'm sure this game is actively out to destroy my hardware. :(

Still can't wait for it though :D

[edgarf28]

mmm....

it looks like half life 2!

[|Rapture|]

mmm....

it looks like half life 2!

I always thought it was the other way round.. Screenshots of STALKER always showed Pripyat and there is no way to avoid the game looking like the place its set in so I was VERY supprised when I saw how eastern bloc the mythical City 17 looked in comparison.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

and now the screenshots dont work :no: :huh: