Grass

[Linkurrra]

OMG OMG OMG! I found some very nice real time rendered grass.

UNIGINE unveiled their newest valley benchmark on the 14th. You can download it and watch some amazing grass. Also I tried the 3D features so it was even more amazing. I almost got stung by a bee!!!
http://unigine.com/products/valley/

I got to say that that engine didn't look anymore impressive than Skyrim's with all the mod enhancements for Grass and vegetation! But when the wind and rain kicked up and I saw actual animated water textures ripple down the rocks I was sold!

Plus, there are very few engines that can go from high in the sky helicopter ride view to taking you right down to actually standing on the ground without a single hiccup or noticeable LoD changes as you zoom in! Most impressive!

Skyrim couldn't do that, it had to load scenes that only rendered part of the landscape at varying details.

But to bring this full circle, I don't expect this kind of Grass detail in FFXIV.
However they can do.

• Rustling in the wind
• Collision detection as player walks through it.
• Ripple effect from spells.
• For extra Polish: HD textures for the last 5-10ft around the character. To show flower petals, leaf veins, and irregularities in the grass.

Just a small tip, we don't need the grass so freaking dense that you can't see treasure chests on the ground or Gridania's Marmot's can't be seen :P

[Radacci]

Just a small tip, we don't need the grass so freaking dense that you can't see treasure chests on the ground or Gridania's Marmot's can't be seen :P

actually i remember from 1.0. that i found a treasure box in a bush once, i just accidentally clicked there when walking by. I think it would be really awesome to have hidden treasures like that ^^

[Shougun]

actually i remember from 1.0. that i found a treasure box in a bush once, i just accidentally clicked there when walking by. I think it would be really awesome to have hidden treasures like that ^^

Lol just want to second that experience. I was like - WE KILLED THE CYCLOPS... WERE IS THE CHEST!?!?!?!?!?!?

.. it was in the bush


I think the grass in that video could keep chests visible - though to prevent grass clipping through the chest they could introduce grass flattening that pops back up after the chest has disappeared (Day Z does this when you crawl on the ground). For people and animals I think grass physics without flattening would look better, like GW2 and other recent games have grass that moves around you and reacts to spells.

I agree though when the video first started I was like hmm I think my modded skyrim does this, and then all the flying around and nice water/weather.. was like nevermind my skyrim doesn't/cant do that. Although looking like a modded Skyrim is still a pretty great compliment, as modded Skyrim is pretty badass.


I think it would come down to personal preference on this but I think marmots being visible by their tail popped out of the grass or when they stand on their back legs would be pretty cool - specially if the grass is moving around in response to them moving (assuming the environment the Marmot is in has a lot of grass, like Grid is tall grass, while some other forests are full of a kind of ankle high grass).

Also this effect would only exist by player choice (by increasing the density/quality to enthusiast).