Prospects of 3D gaming?

[Synapses]

So here I go. I dont put much stock in the whole "3D UBER GAMING!" deal that has been going on in the past months.

Personally I just dont see it working in games, BUT!

I wonder how it would work on Planetside 2? I think it would be totally sweet if I was sitting here playing on 3D and as someone is shooting at me I see there tracers coming flying at me for the shots that they miss. I see them go "wizzing" by me.

Anyone else think this would be kind of neat? And is it even possible?

[Espion]

It would probably work like a gimmick, because that's what it is, and not be used by any player that is even semi-competent.

[Synapses]

Originally Posted by Espion

It would probably work like a gimmick, because that's what it is, and not be used by any player that is even semi-competent.

No no I totally get that, thats what I was implaying about this whole "3d Fad" that was/is happening.

I was just in a sense trying to say "Wouldn't it be cool" to have bullets wizzing past your head kind of thing.

[Erendil]

Yes, gaming in 3D with LCD shutter glasses using a properly configured setup is actually quite cool. Usable technology that works with Direct3D games has actually been around for the better part of a decade, and so long as all in-game elements are given an accurate depth value (which is stored for every single pixel in the z-buffer), it can look quite astounding.

IMO it's only a gimmick to those people who offhandedly dismiss it either because they equate 3D gaming with what they've seen in a Best Buy 3DTV floor demo or an iMax theater with $2 polarized glasses, or because they don't understand how human perception works and can't imagine that it'd be possible to perceive a decent 3D image on a 2D screen. But trust me. You can.

So long as the Devs don't try to cut corners to save on framerates and give all screen/HUD elements a proper z-value, PS2 should look fantastic with a 3D setup like Nvidia's 3D vision glasses. I for one plan on buying such a setup of my own in time for Beta.

[Skitrel]

3d fad is and will continue to happen folks, not a fad. There are kids growing up today that have ONLY seen movies in cinemas in 3D, as the technology decreases in cost that'll enter their homes, over time it will become an expected medium, eventually. That won't be quick, it won't be happening tomorrow.

It's effect on gaming is yet to be seen, but there is absolutely no doubt that as a movie format we're only going to see more and more of it. Not a fad, unfortunately. We will all be laughed at in later years as the old folks that moan about 3D.

[Synapses]

Originally Posted by Skitrel

3d fad is and will continue to happen folks, not a fad. There are kids growing up today that have ONLY seen movies in cinemas in 3D, as the technology decreases in cost that'll enter their homes, over time it will become an expected medium, eventually. That won't be quick, it won't be happening tomorrow.

It's effect on gaming is yet to be seen, but there is absolutely no doubt that as a movie format we're only going to see more and more of it. Not a fad, unfortunately. We will all be laughed at in later years as the old folks that moan about 3D.

Are you sure it wont be like it was back in the what? 70's or 80's when 3D got big and then died out? I could see it going this way again. The thing with 3D is its hard to show off in gaming unless you know someone who has a setup for it, as recording video of 3D gameplay is nearly impossible.

[Skitrel]

Originally Posted by Synapses

Are you sure it wont be like it was back in the what? 70's or 80's when 3D got big and then died out? I could see it going this way again. The thing with 3D is its hard to show off in gaming unless you know someone who has a setup for it, as recording video of 3D gameplay is nearly impossible.

Nah. The problem then was expense. That's rapidly disappearing this time around.

As for showing it off, that is indeed a problem, and some might say it was the reason the 3DS failed. I disagree though. The Nintendo made the mistake of being WAAAY ahead of the curve on this one, before 3D gaming takes off 3D TVs need to become commonplace in households. That's not going to happen for a while yet, people are still only on the edge of recently getting HDTVs. However, I think we can expect the next TV replacements people buy in 5 years time will probably all be both HD and 3D TVs. At that point things will get interesting. Almost all games will have some kind of support for 3D and the majority of people will be actively exposed to it in gaming. Whether it becomes a staple of gaming at that point remains to be seen however. I'm hoping we see motion sensor gaming decrease in latency (and thus increase in control and accuracy) as well as be combined with 3D tech. That kind of combination could see some really interesting new stuff.

But yeah, I think we've got several years to go yet. But 3D is here to stay this time, people are paying for it and they've managed to get a foothold, at least with the younger crowd.

Hopefully something new will come along and it'll all fall by the wayside though. Quantum computing is going to happen over the next ten years, so new tech is going to be interesting as the entire architecture of programming and computing as we currently know it changes. Never know what that might bring.

[Death2All]

Cool, but unnecessary.

[Synapses]

So what do you guys think this would look like in Planetside 2 if done right? I dont have any experience in anything 3D, was never my thing. I also never really watch movies in 3D because rarely are any of the scenes actually 3d, just little side things (thinking of Avatar here).

I am just curious what you guys think it would look like? For me I just think it would be cool to be playing and have those off target rounds go wizzing by my head coming at me kind of thing. Is that how it would work or what? Or say rockets being fired at you from a distance by a reaver, popping out at you as they get closer?

[Erendil]

EDIT: LOL ninja'd.

I think PS2 will look amazing. Even PS1 was pretty impressive when I first tried my old shutter glasses with it. It still had its issues though. because the z-Values for some HUD elements weren't selected with 3D in mind, you ended up getting 2 crosshairs and 2 weapon drawings side-by-side on the screen, which was weird. And a few fog effects like the steam coming out of the pipes and floor of spawn rooms looked flat. But everything else was gorgeous. I'll never forget weaving in and out of trees in a Mossie on Cyssor while in 3D.

PS2 is going to be way better though. LCD Shutter technology has improved to the point where they've virtually eliminated any ghosting effects. With all of the particle effects in PS2 it's going to be dazzling. Bullets, etc are all real 3D objects, so larger ordinance like tank shells and rockets will show up in 3D, as will bullet tracers. True volumetric clouds will be actual 3D objects in space too and I can't wait to dogfight while zooming in and out of 3D clouds. And the setting sun's ray effects should be in 3D too.

As long as they get the HUD elements right it should be fantastic. I can't wait to try it.

[MonsterBone]

Better off to go the other way and go 2D. Here is a picture of Planetside 3 featuring 2D technology.

[Synapses]

If Planetside 2 ends up working out well in 3D, you should let me know Eran, maybe ill invest some money in to it. Wish I could see it myself before though.

[Lythca Frost]

I'm hoping, support or no from the dev team, that PS2 will turn out well in 3D.

I have the Nvidia 3D set up, and my personal opinion on the matter is that it can create a qualitatively different experience IF the game can convert properly and the games meshes are detailed enough.

The two games that I've played most with it are Skyrim and Battlefield 3. BF3 is nice, but once that other dimension is present, the boxiness of the meshes becomes rather apparent and can be distracting. Skyrim on the otherhand (despite not being officially 3D Ready) converts amazingly (with the help of user created fix). I find that game so much more immersive, it's actually incredible.

It's worth noting, that everyone I've shown my 3D setup to ends up falling in love with the effect, most of them initially being skeptical. Gimmick or not, you really do have to test it out (with a high depth and proper convergence/pop-out settings) yourself before making a judgement, it's nothing like 3D movies.

I will say this though, it does make fast, competitive first person shooters more difficult, because no longer is everything in focus on a 2D display. As in real vision, you now have to adjust focus between objects at varying depth so it becomes harder to do quick scans of an area.

[megamold]

what ive seen so from from 3D tech, i wasnt very impressed
i dont mind if they add it into ps2 but its not a bandwagon i will be jumping on

[Erendil]

Originally Posted by Lythca Frost

It's worth noting, that everyone I've shown my 3D setup to ends up falling in love with the effect, most of them initially being skeptical. Gimmick or not, you really do have to test it out (with a high depth and proper convergence/pop-out settings) yourself before making a judgement, it's nothing like 3D movies.

I will say this though, it does make fast, competitive first person shooters more difficult, because no longer is everything in focus on a 2D display. As in real vision, you now have to adjust focus between objects at varying depth so it becomes harder to do quick scans of an area.

Yeah the people I'd shown my old setup to were pretty impressed too. Most of them weren't gamers tho so I didn't get much feedback from them other than it "looks so real," etc..

However, on the FPSes I played it on it actually made things easier for me rather then harder, due to increased depth perception it gave me and the tendency for 3D objects (like enemies) to "pop" out of the backdrop they were in front of. My combat effectiveness in MOHAA, Descent 2/3, and COD2 all went up a notch because I could spot enemies just a hair quicker than I could before because of the 3D effect and I could judge distances more quickly as well.

PS1 probably would've befitted too but for the fact that my rig at the time t lacked a bit in the horsepower dept so the framerate hit was a little too much for me to gain an overall benefit.

I gotta say tho, it was REEEEEEEALLY hard to have to go back to plain ol' 2D once my 22" CRT died and I switched to an LCD panel.