Just Curious

**Skaruts** · 02-21-2011, 01:03 AM

I'm not too fond of useless eye-candy and pimping-effects, but whenever I see an engine that supports most of that stuff and still runs well in my mother's PC I get surprised. This is the case with HPL/HPL2 engines. (Even tho Amnesia crashes and is buggy, due to the gfx card)

But I'm fond of certain effects in certain contexts, like Motion Blur in the horror context from Penumbra (Single Player horror + Motion Blur = <3), the Noise Filter was kind of a nice grungie looking feature, tho I turned it off most times due to the unrealistic look of it.

I only played Amnesia a bit (still waiting for my own PC to be fully fixed), but I noticed that while it has some other features, it also lacks some features from before. I was wondering, if Amnesia uses the same engine from Penumbra BP (or at least I was convinced it did), even tho it may be an improved version of it, why were some things removed?

Mind you that I don't think any less of Amnesia or FG because of that. I'm asking this for pure curiosity born from a chat between me and a friend tonight.

Cheers

**Kein** · 02-21-2011, 09:43 AM

Quote:runs well in my mother's PC I get surprised

Because, unlike Crysis and other games, Amnesia don't have tons of objects in the location, does not uses global illumination and open-world with full shadows. It mostly has empty indoors environments and there is nothing to load your system so much.

Quote:But I'm fond of certain effects in certain contexts, like Motion Blur in the horror context from Penumbra (Single Player horror + Motion Blur = <3)

I still don't understand that. Why ppl liek motion blur? It makes my eyes bleed so much.

**Bek** · 02-21-2011, 12:31 PM

I like it depending on the usage. Was pretty cool in some Stalker mods (priboi)

**Tintin** · 02-21-2011, 02:18 PM

Motion blur adds to the atmosphere and provides extra excitement. If people don't get motion-sickness from it, why try advising them from using the option?

**Arvuti** · 02-21-2011, 02:33 PM

I am mostly sad that frictional for some reason scrapped mostly the dynamic lighting, what was used in penumbra games and what really added to the atmosphere.

**Skaruts** · 02-21-2011, 03:14 PM

(02-21-2011, 09:43 AM)Kein Wrote: I still don't understand that. Why ppl liek motion blur? It makes my eyes bleed so much.

Allow me to clear my point of view a bit:

First Person Single Player Horror games with Motion Blur = a great combo. Motion Blur adds a bit of something I can't really explain, and it doesn't destroy immersion from not looking real, since in reality, you do see motion blur, depending on how fast you turn you head and your eyes.
However, if the game sucks, I will NOT consider Motion Blur when trying to find positive features in it, and if it's a great game it will NOT be because of it, at all, either.

Any other type of games with Motion Blur = Whatever. Rolleyes

I don't really care for it. I can't really explain why, but I only care for it in horror games that are played in first person perspective. (well, motion blur is exclusive to first person, I guess...)

(02-21-2011, 09:43 AM)Kein Wrote: Because, unlike Crysis and other games, Amnesia don't have tons of objects in the location, does not uses global illumination and open-world with full shadows. It mostly has empty indoors environments and there is nothing to load your system so much.

Yea, I have noticed that. But many times games use all that stuff without really needing them. And I always noticed a much higher fps count overall in penumbra games than in other games with similar maps.

I used to map for hl2dm and the max fps rate I could get in a map was around 900 in a very very simple map, while in Penumbra I could have 1000+ in most of the game's stock maps. So in shorter words, Hl2dm almost empty map had 900, Penumbra full featured maps had more than 1000.

Hl2dm's old engine was not such a heavy one, and still I've seen a bit of a diference. Maybe because of BSP geometry being more wasteful of resources, in contrast to 3d models...

(02-21-2011, 02:33 PM)Arvuti Wrote: I am mostly sad that frictional for some reason scrapped mostly the dynamic lighting, what was used in penumbra games and what really added to the atmosphere.

I didn't know that... But now I wander, maybe they wanted to keep system requirements low while adding some other features?

**Kein** · 02-21-2011, 08:12 PM

Quote:I used to map for hl2dm and the max fps rate I could get in a map was around 900 in a very very simple map, while in Penumbra I could have 1000+ in most of the game's stock maps. So in shorter words, Hl2dm almost empty map had 900, Penumbra full featured maps had more than 1000.

Awfully wrong way to compare performance.

Quote:Motion blur adds to the atmosphere and provides extra excitement. If people don't get motion-sickness from it, why try advising them from using the option?

I'm not advising anything, and I don't fell "sick" from motion blur. No, it really make my eyes hurts and I just wonder why it's only me. May be coz I have already issues with eyesight.

**Skaruts** · 02-21-2011, 08:48 PM

I'm just comparing the fps rates given the discrepancy of assets ammount in the maps. It's not right, nor wrong. They are diferent engines, with diferent mechanics. And diferent graphics features, for that matter... But Penumbra had some features that should be more resource wasting than Hl2dm. I'm not trying to reach a deep technical level of comparison, but rather speaking my thoughts of that particular time.

And btw... a rant about Motion Blur wasn't in my plans... I should've known better... Dodgy