FSX, Crysis and framerates

[Guest JeanLuc_]

Yes, and I shall add: scale all items 2 times, i.e. makes trees 2 times smaller visually, make rocks 2 times smaller visually, make vehicules 2 times smaller visually, and you now get 120km range.Go further: replace grass blades polys to trees and houses, and you get MASSIVE autogen.In fact, it is a matter of visual scale to the screen only. The thing is that this engine is capable of rendering highly detailed, highly next-gen visuals (well much more than the core FSX rendering engine as we can all easily compare), and adapting it to a flight sim, or an orbital sim, is just a scale factor. all is relative in my opinion.

[Guest griss0m]

err earth's land surface around 148,939,100km

[boshar 6]

I'm still of the opinion that you can compare 3d engines regardless if they are used to show us feet, miles, inches or even millimeters.You can indeed still look at how many objects the engine can handle and how good it can keep up the framerate while doing that. Sure an engine with a fixed map size that pauses while loading the next map (or room) has it easier but with dual cores becomming common hardware how hard is it realy to do such loading in the background.The whole we simulate the whole world exuse is lame. It should be we give you the whole world in raw data. We use that data simulate a few 100 miles around your viewpoint. Thats all.

[Guest]

The game doesn't model the entire earth. So yes there has to be a limit to the size of the "map". The point is, the engine is capable of streaming content in for a flight simulator, and indeed you can fly planes and helicopters in Crysis.I just tried the demo myself (AMD 4800, 7800gtx, 1gb) - it runs awesome here and the graphics Wow!! Now I am going to try the sandbox editor!

[Holger 0]

Hi guys,I really don't know the innards of 3d engines so I'm just looking at the official information. For example, I read the official CryEngine 2 specs and all its says about terrain is "Terrain LOD Management Feature: This feature allows optimal usage of CPU and memory to display closer objects and terrain at a fine level of detail while enabling long view distances of over 8 kilometers."It appears that it's up to the game built on the engine, i.e., Crysis, how the terrain options are implemented.IMO, scaling can only work if you can decouple the visuals from the physics; you certainly don't want trees to behave like blades of grass.And I don't have an answer yet on whether the Crytex engine is based on fixed-boundary maps or is capable of loading data from a planet-wide database (not at once but as the user moves along). The CryEngine specs don't talk about that either so, again, I assume it's something external to the engine itself. The question is whether it's even possible.Cheers, Holger

[Guest JeanLuc_]

Yet, I'll see this from a very practical point:FPS games are the most demanding visually: they require very high frame rates with very sophisticated graphics. Each FPS vendor, with each new version, pull the capabilities further because besides the story and shooting targets, what differenciates them a lot are visuals.I think, given the FS franchise "state of the art in the visuals department", and given the "how hard it is to make a DX10 game engine for FSX", that the ACE team is not specialized in 3d game engines and have a hard time competing in this department with other vendors like ID Software, Valve or Cryotech.A lot of FSX Acceleration pack content was outsourced, and fair enough, the aircraft included, not done by ACE team, are more detailed than stock aircraft (time factor for sure, and probably talent factor as well in making aircraft - I mean some vendors making aircraft in FSX accell spent the last 5 years or more doing aircraft, while I don't really know the people having done the stock aircraft are still in the team nowadays, and makes me wonder with the turn over in the team if the team is not loosing valuable knowledge and experience). I guess one reasoning behind is to leverage resources and talent where it is, i.e. outside the core team.So in that sense, and given the increasing demand (us) it would make sense to outsource the 3d engine of FS, and that ACE team focus in what they do best: gameplay, third party vendors integration and support, mission and world content.Crysis engine may not be the best for an FS title (although I think it is good enough) and there are others outthere! I personally just love what Bandai has done with Ace Combat 6 on X360:http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/894/894201/imgs_1.html

[Guest]

More info on Cryengine here:http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1290000/12...CFTOKEN=6184618And it is reported in a few places about the streaming content. Look for an interview with CEO Yerli. The scaling you mentioned is something MS could never figure out how to do properly.

[WarpD 824]

What's the fastest movement speed in Crysis? Is it at 0.90 mach? Wonder how quickly it can stream all that detail at that speed?Those of you who think it's not apples and oranges... you're being either intentionally obtuse or you're simply unwilling to accept that others know more than you. Not sure which.Crysis couldn't possible run as a flight sim engine at the same detail levels it's running for a FPS. Last I checked human bodies don't have cockpit panels with 20-30 gauge systems interacting with the game. ;)

[Guest]

Couldn't agree more. Its time to outsource the graphics engine to a 3rd party developer. The graphics of Ace Combat are simply stunning and MS are never going to catch up to this standard, without a 3rd party engine.

[Guest]

You didnt read the scalabe terrain part:"Terrain LOD Management Feature: This feature allows optimal usage of CPU and memory to display closer objects and terrain at a fine level of detail while enabling long view distances of over 8 kilometers."

[Guest]

Crysis looks great, FSX doesn't. Crysis is running at least twice the FPS of FSX on my puter.Lots of work for Microsoft ahead.Crysis isn't that great anyway. Its held back by DX10.Call of Duty 4 is the one to wait for.

[WarpD 824]

>You didnt read the scalabe terrain part:>>"Terrain LOD Management Feature: This feature allows optimal>usage of CPU and memory to display closer objects and terrain>at a fine level of detail while enabling long view distances>of over 8 kilometers."You think that at FL510 your line of sight is 8km? *snicker*

[Holger 0]

Hi there,that paragraph says exactly nothing. The FS "engine" has been working with LODs since at least FS2002 and view distances of way more than 8km. In other words, that's not useful information without knowing the limits imposed by the engine itself. We know the limits of the FS engine but there's no information I can find on the limits of the CryTech engine.Keep on trying to convince me ;-)Cheers, Holger

[Guest]

I would rather just play the game! And by the way, take a look at this for "magic screenies":http://gameplanets.blogspot.com/2007/10/st...-2-screens.html

[Holger 0]

Hi wingnut1,tsk, tsk, you're doing it again. First the grand proclamations stated with supreme confidence but when asked a couple of tough questions the evasive action kicks in ;-)Anyone else out there with some factual information?Cheers, Holger