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Why games don't look better

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
Video games these days look pretty good, don't get me wrong. But a Playstation 4 is 50-750 times as powerful as the PS1, and it won't look 50-750 times as good as the PS1 if the PS1 is using something better than composite as its TV connection cord, which it can.

Here are the reasons, I have found there to be, why:

Playstation 4 games are coded in easier languages and less hand-crafted tools, costing 2-4 times the CPU performance with no real benefit to the end user.

Programmable shaders are a newer invention which give a little more control over graphics, but can easily cost well over 10x the performance, sometimes 50x the performance in certain areas of the graphics chip (not necessarily in every last area, though).

Screen resolution is now about 30 times as high in terms of pixel count which though it might result in something like twice as good graphics in some scenarios, will cost pretty much 30 times the performance on the graphics chip.

Bigger, more full featured console operating systems which consume extra processor power even when idle (pretty much) and need RAM held back for them.

If you make the resolution 30 times as high, you typically want to include higher-resolution textures or it still won't look good, it may even look worse. Textures two bumps up in detail tend to cost around 16 times more RAM, as an example. And this is still ignoring the fact that it's more something you have to do, rather than all about improving things. The real way to improve things well, is by better art direction, in my opinion.

My post in layman's terms: There exists a time when a more powerful computer will only solve your problems noticeably in cases where you have 30+ times the performance and can implement a better method. But even then, there still exists a bottleneck in human creativity and human talent and things done by hand.
 

Stanyon

WWMRD?
I won't pretend to provide any useful information so I will just say this, games have come a long way from Pong.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I'm not much on graphics but I do like them to be passable. What's more important for me is gameplay and immersion of the game.

Unfortunately what we have today is basically corporate made games rather than artistically made games. Games are half-finished in complete buggy glitchy all because of the corporate deadlines to push them out to market. It's basically I'll fix it later type of mentality as long as they make the money right away.

Games are no longer made for the gamer in mind, they're made for the investor employing predatory algorithms and schemes to promote in-game purchases.

This is why we have games with massive content cut out of them in comparison to the predecessors, poor quality control, amateurish lazy cut and paste cookie cutter sandboxes, cookie cutter missions, and manipulative algorithms of which have all but sucked out the artistic quality of video games today.

I am desperately hoping for a gaming crash like that had happened in the 90s.

These manipulative practices cant continue as many of them basically turned into casinos marketed to children as young as the age of three .
 

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
I'm not much on graphics but I do like them to be passable. What's more important for me is gameplay and immersion of the game.

Unfortunately what we have today is basically corporate made games rather than artistically made games. Games are half-finished in complete buggy glitchy all because of the corporate deadlines to push them out to market. It's basically I'll fix it later type of mentality as long as they make the money right away.

Games are no longer made for the gamer in mind, they're made for the investor employing predatory algorithms and schemes to promote in-game purchases.

This is why we have games with massive content cut out of them in comparison to the predecessors, poor quality control, amateurish lazy cut and paste cookie cutter sandboxes, cookie cutter missions, and manipulative algorithms of which have all but sucked out the artistic quality of video games today.

I am desperately hoping for a gaming crash like that had happened in the 90s.

These manipulative practices cant continue as many of them basically turned into casinos marketed to children as young as the age of three .

Very true.

And the lack of tactfulness in PR / PR stunts, like the recent Fortnite Black Hole prank.
 

Earthtank

Active Member
But a Playstation 4 is 50-750 times as powerful as the PS1

Powerful as in the overall system not ONLY as it pertains to graphics. Personally, i had more fun playing double dragon on my NES than i do playing Halo or CoD on these "powerful" systems. Today most games are too graphics driven that the story line and game play pay the price for.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Powerful as in the overall system not ONLY as it pertains to graphics. Personally, i had more fun playing double dragon on my NES than i do playing Halo or CoD on these "powerful" systems. Today most games are too graphics driven that the story line and game play pay the price for.
That's the reason why I like Indie Games much better than I used to. Some of them are actually starting to be good just like the old days were they had the gamer and gameplay and fun in mind when making the games.

A big problem is that phone games have infiltrated AAA games and are all but destroying any and all fun you might have with them and horribly diluting the experience to the point where they're pretty much unplayable anymore.

Many of them have been throttled to such a point of frustration some people resort to the microtransactions which is the intent. It's like a cancer that has infiltrated the industry.

Look what happened to Command and Conquer and Diablo Immortal. Corporations have totally destroyed two beloved franchises and made a mockery of them. Turning them into microtransaction pieces of garbage.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
You know there's a serious problem when you see headlines like this......

California man spent $1 million playing Game of War


The DeanBeat: This player spent $2 million in a mobile game. Then he led a boycott.

Graphics and gameplay takes a hit because of people like these who are called "whales". Developers don't want to spend the money and time on good graphics and gameplay because as long as it's addictive, people will continue to buy the microtransactions.

That's my thought on it because I know games can come out looking and playing really good, but they just don't anymore. It's pure greed not art and passion anymore.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Why are you cutting me so deep?

My friends and I still get together once or twice a month and play command and conquer generals
Take a look at what EA did to the beloved franchise.......


It's a pure insult to the fans of the game and made a mockery of it.

But like you, I do Retro Game a lot and still love the old Command and Conquer.

RIP Westwood Studios.
 

Earthtank

Active Member
Take a look at what EA did to the beloved franchise.......


It's a pure insult to the fans of the game and made a mockery of it.

But like you, I do Retro Game a lot and still love the old Command and Conquer.

RIP Westwood Studios.

EA is the Trump of gaming. Everything he/they touch dies/ends up in jail.
 
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