Updated Graphics inf FFXIV???

http://i.imgur.com/KPQlS.jpg

It looks to me like they're making some very important changes to the graphic engine. As of now, structures and landscapes do not cast shadows. This will hugely improve the realism of Eorzea!

I'm starting to feel not so bitter toward Mr. Yoshi!

Yeah i noticed those shadows as well. Maybe something moving in that direction.. it would be so nice to have shadows everywhere. More immersion for sure imo.

Improving the engine is very high priority for them so hopefully it's going smoothly.

Nice spotting.

Hopefully that means good things to come.

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Originally Posted by Armok

Nice spotting.

Hopefully that means good things to come.

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I noticed that instantly before I even read the article. Bad shading is a major pet peeve of mine.

-BR

I can already smell my computer catching on fire. Optimize plz

Mmm, I'm wildly stabbing since I'm not an expert, but I think this is because the outposts are considered objects and not part of the landmass, which is basically how it always has been? I don't know.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18930059/shadow1.png
Shadows from the shields [incredibly mild spoiler in this pic]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18930059/shadow2.png
Shadow from the table

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18930059/shadow3.png
Shadows from many things, although rather subdued and simple shadows

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18930059/shadow4.png
Shadow from the tarp

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18930059/shadow4.5.png
Total lack of shadows from tarps, but why?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18930059/shadow5.png
Aetheryte crystal has a shadow

http://www.thekots.com/Platinumstorm/ff14/sylph.png
Shadow inside of the log, shadow to the right?

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Originally Posted by Platinumstorm

Mmm, I'm wildly stabbing since I'm not an expert, but I think this is because the outposts are considered objects and not part of the landmass, which is basically how it always has been? I don't know.

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Well, the fences of actual Aetherithe camps haven't shadows and they are considered objects as well, i presume.

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Originally Posted by Munba

Well, the fences of actual Aetherithe camps haven't shadows and they are considered objects as well, i presume.

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I think platinum storm may be right that they are just using objects. Either way, it's very important that they realize that there is a real problem with the lighting in FFXIV.

Also i think Platinum has right about objects but why they used shadows only for some of them? For examples Trees in la noscea could be considered objects as well but no shadows around. So they should optimize/add all the objects shadows and it'll be already a big step forward.

Its funny because if you look at the The Coffer & Coffin picture the chocobo has a shadow and i think the npc but nothing else does. SE designers must see this? :S If you ever fish near camp horizan you can see your shadow just floating, it looks really bad and amateurish.

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Originally Posted by Platinumstorm

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18930059/shadow4.5.png
Total lack of shadows from tarps, but why?

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I don't have time to log in right now to double check but in the screenshot it looks like the light source is underneath the tarps, therefore the shadows should not be on the ground. If you look at the tarps, they are shadowed on the material of the tarp itself, which is accurate when the light source is underneath the tarps.

I highly doubt whether they are using "objects" or "land" would make any difference whatsoever on shadows, considering the engine likely looks at light sources, and "stuff". I would say it's more likely that the engine is simply bugged or they are using some stupid method around shadows that clearly doesn't work. Shadow mapping is generally something that is applied to everything. At least to my knowledge as a design student (still learning a lot about 3D :p).

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Originally Posted by Munba

Also i think Platinum has right about objects but why they used shadows only for some of them? For examples Trees in la noscea could be considered objects as well but no shadows around. So they should optimize/add all the objects shadows and it'll be already a big step forward.

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Again, a wild stab, but perhaps it has something to do with what a computer created vs what a developer added to the world. So when the world was materialized, the computer added camps, and the developer added an aethyrite crystal.

This argument isn't amazing because that suggests that towns were created by computers, and chances are that people made those. However, towns also don't have weather effects [save fog] for performance optimization, so shadows may have been removed as part of that optimization process in towns for the most part.

Frankly, their optimizations shouldn't be worried about adding visual fidelity to the game, which already looks nice [save for spell animations], but rather performance to attract a wider range of customers in the future.

Oh crap, that's REALLY interesting, you sir have a good eye.

Though I wouldn't hold my breath over a complete engine overhaul for now. I just think that those items are considered as props by the engine (which are treated the same way as characters by the lighting engine, and as such cast a shadow), pretty much like the big floating easter eggs, the christmas trees and the aetherites.

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Originally Posted by Ava

I don't have time to log in right now to double check but in the screenshot it looks like the light source is underneath the tarps, therefore the shadows should not be on the ground. If you look at the tarps, they are shadowed on the material of the tarp itself, which is accurate when the light source is underneath the tarps.

I highly doubt whether they are using "objects" or "land" would make any difference whatsoever on shadows, considering the engine likely looks at light sources, and "stuff". I would say it's more likely that the engine is simply bugged or they are using some stupid method around shadows that clearly doesn't work. Shadow mapping is generally something that is applied to everything. At least to my knowledge as a design student (still learning a lot about 3D :p).

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My favorite part is that it's just a floating light source and isn't actually attached to anything in particular. I'm not disputing what you're saying, but what might be happening is the light source is directly underneath the one tarp so it shines brightly on that one, but everything else is being effected by the generalized darkness and not that lighting, so no shadows are being cast there, and it's just an optical illusion, otherwise you would expect to see shadows on the ground too from the poles and any of the objects on the ground.

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Originally Posted by Platinumstorm

My favorite part is that it's just a floating light source and isn't actually attached to anything in particular. I'm not disputing what you're saying, but what might be happening is the light source is directly underneath the one tarp so it shines brightly on that one, but everything else is being effected by the generalized darkness and not that lighting, so no shadows are being cast there, and it's just an optical illusion, otherwise you would expect to see shadows on the ground too from the poles and any of the objects on the ground.

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I see the front middle pole should have a shadow coming toward the position you were probably standing in the ss, but it doesn't. I'd also expect the poles on the sides to cast wall shadows, but due to camera angle can't see them. Only other possibility is a secondary light source preventing the shadows. I know that sometimes developers in 3D do some crazy work with light sources to control different environments. It's possible there are hidden light sources that we can't see cancelling out the shadows. An example of what I mean is I've seen situations where it's appropriate to hide light sources underground to make it shine a bit more. Could be something like that at play.

please fix the shadow displaying on characters first

im gonna +1 this thread
shadows make a big difference in immersion to me so heres hoping we get a response from a Rep. as to whether or not things like shadows are in fact being addressed.
anyone ever see the sky shine through trees in Rift? thats something this game should have.

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Originally Posted by Dreadnought

im gonna +1 this thread
shadows make a big difference in immersion to me so heres hoping we get a response from a Rep. as to whether or not things like shadows are in fact being addressed.
anyone ever see the sky shine through trees in Rift? thats something this game should have.

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This isn't going to happen anytime soon. Remember, they're developing for release on PS3 and PS3 can't have the same visual quality as PC's, plus by adding more shadows to the game you're going to hit PC performance, which will ostracize more players from the game. Right now it's sort of a compromise, and it's definitely something most people have gotten used to.

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Originally Posted by Platinumstorm

This isn't going to happen anytime soon. Remember, they're developing for release on PS3 and PS3 can't have the same visual quality as PC's, plus by adding more shadows to the game you're going to hit PC performance, which will ostracize more players from the game. Right now it's sort of a compromise, and it's definitely something most people have gotten used to.

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all i can say is, sad then. Rift may not have the polygon count FFXIV does but its sad things like console limitations get in the way of something that could only serve as direct improvements to this game.
this game has loads of potential and the visual aesthetics (as one of its potentials) are almost there.... just not quite.

i always thought this games lighting looked blatantly generic..... ugh why PS3, why must you force people to design MMOs for you......

for the sake of avoiding any arguments by which game is better - i only play Rift casually since its all around generic. the character designs are horrid IMO. but man, certain lighting effects make a pretty massive difference when it comes to overall appearance and the "mood" of the zone. the landscapes in Rift are better than WoW and FFXIV in my opinion. too bad its boring in ever other aspect.

Considering there is rumor of the PS4 being debuted or even released in 2012,{very doubtful} but you never know. It would be in SEs best interest to wait and release XIV on the new console, cause the PS3 is already 5yrs behind PCs, and if it ever gets a PS3 release it'll just be FFXI all over again, the console holding back the PC ver from becoming better and getting proper visual updates.

And yeah the main reason why they prolly wont is because 10s of millions of potential XIV subs already own the PS3, but I believe that if it was released on the PS4 instead and was more on par with what the PC ver looks like, it'd sell! {Believe it was already said during beta that the PS3 ver would be 1/2 the resolution and 1/4 the textures of the PC ver.}

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Originally Posted by Khalus

Considering there is rumor of the PS4 being debuted or even released in 2012,{very doubtful} but you never know. It would be in SEs best interest to wait and release XIV on the new console, cause the PS3 is already 5yrs behind PCs, and if it ever gets a PS3 release it'll just be FFXI all over again, the console holding back the PC ver from becoming better and getting proper visual updates.

And yeah the main reason why they prolly wont is because 10s of millions of potential XIV subs already own the PS3, but I believe that if it was released on the PS4 instead and was more on par with what the PC ver looks like, it'd sell! {Believe it was already said during beta that the PS3 ver would be 1/2 the resolution and 1/4 the textures of the PC ver.}

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There is 0% chance of PS4 being released this year, but you are right that perhaps it would be in the game's best interest for it to skip PS3. I hadn't thought of that before.

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Originally Posted by Platinumstorm

There is 0% chance of PS4 being released this year, but you are right that perhaps it would be in the game's best interest for it to skip PS3. I hadn't thought of that before.

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Bad port to the PS3 or not, XIV would not survive w/o 80% of its market (JP console gamers). It has to release for the PS3 or its dead in the water. It wont survive another year on PC alone.

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Originally Posted by Richard

It wont survive another year on PC alone.

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Its gonna have too, because even with the summer updates, through 1.20, that won't be enough to warrant a PS3 launch and to begin charging a monthly fee. At the current rate, based on say a major update like 1.18 every 2-3 months; I wouldn't expect to see the PS3 release until fall 2012 when the patch it up too say 1.27~1.28. Or better yet not until 2.0 with a new expansion, a 1/2 dozen or more new zones, the lost races added, and a ton more content.

If SE would attempt to charge before then, I wouldn't be surprised to see a mass exodus of the remaining players...regardless of how great its been. Its needs to be even better!

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Originally Posted by Khalus

Its gonna have too, because even with the summer updates, through 1.20, that won't be enough to warrant a PS3 launch and to begin charging a monthly fee. At the current rate, based on say a major update like 1.18 every 2-3 months; I wouldn't expect to see the PS3 release until fall 2012 when the patch it up too say 1.27~1.28. Or better yet not until 2.0 with a new expansion, a 1/2 dozen or more new zones, the lost races added, and a ton more content.

If SE would attempt to charge before then, I wouldn't be surprised to see a mass exodus of the remaining players...regardless of how great its been. Its needs to be even better!

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premature speculation doesn't befit anyone on these forums as we've seen where that gets people. Saying it "has to" survive means nothing.

eh whatever....

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Originally Posted by Richard

premature speculation doesn't befit anyone on these forums as we've seen where that gets people. Saying it "has to" survive means nothing.

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Originally Posted by Richard

Bad port to the PS3 or not, XIV would not survive w/o 80% of its market (JP console gamers). It has to release for the PS3 or its dead in the water. It wont survive another year on PC alone.

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Oh.

It will do whatever SE wants to. No investors=win.

^Precisely...^