Technabob » unreal

I Can’t Believe It’s Not a Mock-Up! Oh Wait Yes I Do.

Lambert Varias — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:00:57 +0000

We need only to look at this oscilloscope if we want to see how far video game technology has come graphics-wise. But sometimes a more recent reminder can also provide proof of how spoiled we gamers are. Case in point:

No way. That’s an ACTUAL SCREENSHOT?! I thought it was real! Sorry, I just had to go there. Meanwhile, here‘s where we’ll be in the near future. So let’s all give virtual high fives and hugs to Epic Games and the other developers who keep pushing the boundaries of gaming technology. Unfortunately, not all aspects of gaming are moving in a forward direction.

[via Reddit]

Unreal Engine 3 Samaritan Demo Lives Up to its Name

Technabob — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:13:44 +0000

…no not so much the samaritan part – the UNREAL ENGINE part. Honest to god, the graphics in this newly released real-time demo footage running on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 is the best looking bit of game engine footage I’ve ever laid eyes on.

The Samaritan demo shows off a variety of new effects the engine can pump out thanks to DirectX11. The latest update to the engine adds tesselation and displacement, geometry shaders, multisampled textures, shader model 5 support, and high-end features like subsurface light scattering, Bokeh depth-of-field effects, and significant improvements to reflections and shadows.

The demo was initially shown at last week’s 2011 GDC show, and now we all get to enjoy the footage. Be sure to crank your display up to full screen mode and switch to one of the HD modes to really get the most out of it:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Pretty incredible, no? I for one can’t wait for games to look this good. I know that the hardware on your average PC or gaming console isn’t quite up to this challenge yet, but I’m happy to hear that Microsoft has already started hiring for their next-generation Xbox console, which I’ll bet will be able to handle it.

In the mean time, you can always grab the latest build of the Unreal Development Kit Beta and see if you can make any of it work on your PC.

[UDK via YouTube]

Game Pumpkin Goodness Doesn’T Stop at Zelda

chris h. — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:38:22 +0000

Fred Fisher isn’t the only game-loving pumpkin carver out there that’s handy with an x-acto knife. Over on Deviant Art, user “ceemdee” posted a veritable cornucopia of video game art carved into pumpkins on her DA gallery.

I kid you not when I say “cornucopia” – there are video game pumpkins a-plenty, and they range from the contemporary to the classic, including Earthworm Jim, Shadow of the Colossus, Plants vs. Zombies, and Fallout’s “Vault Boy.”

As with Fisher’s Zelda pumpkins, ceemdee’s pumpkin art rocks some serious intricacy and detail. When asked about her carving process, ceemdee told Kotaku in an email:

“Mainly I’ve used an x-acto knife and three tiny screwdrivers to do most of the carving. I used some wood carving tools to scrap out the bigger areas on a few of the pumpkins and a needle is used to trace the image. They were all carved in the last four weeks. It’s actually only four pumpkins (one a week) with three carvings on each. : )”

[via Kotaku]

Unreal Tournament 3 Gets the LEGO Treatment [Mods]

Technabob — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:45:16 +0000

UTIII is one of the few console games out there that really lets gamers create their own unique maps. I don’t mean just moving a few things around like you can with Halo 3′s Forge mode. Nope, with the right tools, you can make your own completely custom environment, letting your imagination run wild. Take, for example, this great LEGO map that the guys over at PS3Fanboy found.

Created by Unreal Tournament 3 mod-man Lord Simeon, the map features a totally destructible LEGO block environment. The map features about 20 types of LEGO blocks (including those little yellow dudes), built into structures you can blow to smithereens, thanks to the game’s excellent physics model.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Remember when you were a kid and you’d build some awesome LEGO creation, then smash it into pieces? That’s what it reminds me of. You can grab the entire mod, packaged up for US or European consoles here.