NVIDIA PhysX effects in Hawken

#4514919 Posted on: 01/31/2013 01:50 AM

---

I don't think out of place and overdone particle affects makes a game better.

PhysX will forever be a gimmick and a waste of performance.

#4514924 Posted on: 01/31/2013 01:56 AM

---

Wasn't the original idea by ageia to use a dedicated physics card or something?
I think that would be a pretty nice idea, if the majority of games supported it and the cards weren't that expensive.

#4514925 Posted on: 01/31/2013 01:57 AM

---

I don't think out of place and overdone particle affects makes a game better.

PhysX will forever be a gimmick and a waste of performance.

Right, like better shadows, AA, AO and other effects in video options within games. I'll take real-time simulations over scripted anytime.
The destruction looks good, you have a point with the turbulence though it does seem overdone.

@Naike, iirc Ageia's PPU's cost as much as graphics cards did.

#4514941 Posted on: 01/31/2013 02:10 AM

---

Most PC specific visual features are considered gimmicks by most people, but it doesn't mean they shouldn't be explored.

I will admit i'm not a fan of the overdone particle stuff, but physics in games needs a kick up the arse, everything else visually has progressed alot over the years, physics on the other hand is still all over the place, and it's still the scripted stuff being the most impressive looking.

Not saying PhysX is what will take it forward, but it's better than nothing.

#4514949 Posted on: 01/31/2013 02:16 AM

---

not that i hate physx, some of the effects looks just weird (could have been better/believable)

Spilling dynamically simulated oil (with matching fire with it) could prolly look more interesting matching it with dynamic/volumetric smoke that reacts with the environment.

#4515025 Posted on: 01/31/2013 05:01 AM

---

Why do they exaggerate the effects and then think that by doing so it'll look "cool"?

The effects would be much better if only made subtle, rather than being all over the place and distracting. I don't need a thousand pieces of concrete debris catapulted left, right, up and down with each one of my Mech's steps. Instead of making debris fly all around the screen seemingly out of nowhere as if something bad happened to gravity, instead use PhysX to crackle the ground or form a subtle crater the size of the Mech's foot based on its shape. And instead of making a million particles fly on a shield bubble just because you fire at it, instead use PhysX to create something more subtle such as water-ripples like effects onto the shield itself (similar to the visual effect in Independence Day when the missiles hit the shield of the alien ship).

That's what I don't like about PhysX, is its implementation made only to advertise and seemingly create a "oooooh! and "aaaaaah!" moment, when in reality most of us looking at it have the feeling that it's just too much of it for no particular reason and may only contribute to slow general performance down. It reminds me of the high PhysX setting in Borderlands 2, it's just exaggerated. Grab a vehicle and shoot at the ground, and then exit and look at all the debris. Ten lure in some mobs, use Maya's phase-lock ability and watch all them debris fly up in the air and start spinning around the phase-lock bubble. And then thrown some corrosive grenade and watch the acid flow around it, and then all of that falls back down and scatters everywhere after the phase-lock effect stops.

That's under an arranged, controlled condition that you would have provoked. The worst part is that during actual game-play I assure you sometimes it gets worse. I' had co-operative games which I hosted that made me lag like hell when all four of us created too much debris around and made things explode and barrels, grenades and particles... it filled up the screen and the game was a slide show for half a minute. I had to crouch away from the action and look away from it with my camera on several occasions to let the FPS go back up.

I lowered the setting since, but even lowered the actual effects themselves aren't "convincing", it's still just small sized debris flying around, it's not like there's a huge chuck on concrete flying away from a wall (with the wall's physical shape changed afterwards) and then breaking in smaller size chunks when hitting the ground, from a building or something. When I hear PhysX I immediately think "A wall suddenly hit by a missile that happens to magically let a thousand pieces of debris fly away from it without any traces of actual impact on the wall itself". I mean look at the video, at some point it shows the Mech shooting at concrete above it, you see like 100+ pieces of concrete flying away from the structure, even though the structure itself remains completely intact. It feels completely artificial.

The original Red Faction with the Geo-Mod technology did "physical effects" in a much more plausible, believable way and that was more than a decade ago. The technology of PhysX itself has a crap load of potential, my issue, to reiterate, is that it is badly implemented... of course that is in my opinion. If some of you guys around actually like that type of effects exaggeration, then cool for you. I have yet to see PhysX effects that seem "spot on" and fitting and not blatant "show-off" material that ultimately only serve to show-off how you can slow down your game's performance.

#4515043 Posted on: 01/31/2013 05:47 AM

---

heh i remember the original Red Faction and i also remember how deep ive been digging in the test section lol

#4515075 Posted on: 01/31/2013 07:20 AM

---

It would be really nice if Nvidia had ANY kind of strategy when it comes to PhysX.

Like... role of PhysX, near and long term goal. Or by NVIDIA's own words:


Promote defend your productivity mentality
Define a long-term direction
Pick the most important near-term investment(s)
Ensure every project does something to improve your company's methodology
Explicitly allocate budget for methodology staffing
Involve the product engineers
Keep the lights on by maintaining your old flow while rolling out a new tool flow rather than suddenly cut over.

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4405954/DesignCon---engineers-must-demand-better-EDA-tools?pageNumber=1

#4515092 Posted on: 01/31/2013 07:57 AM

---

So you fellas are unawares that Arma3 is gonna have PhysX?
Thanks for vid WhiteLightning!
PhysX = best graphics effect ever. (imo of course).

#4515097 Posted on: 01/31/2013 08:01 AM

---

hehe, glad you like it SLI-756. somehow i knew you would

#4515101 Posted on: 01/31/2013 08:04 AM

---

I seen it posted in work on my phone, luckily i have a fellow gamer colleague that was able to tell me about the game (this guy was the first one to tell me about mechanical keyboards and is the fella i sold my surplus mechanical one to, from the competition, so it went to a very good home).
But yeah, i'll check it out again now in hi res and probably install this.

#4515118 Posted on: 01/31/2013 08:32 AM

---

Pants, the mods removed this from front page.
yeah big surprise, blinded by the truth as they say.
we all love the cards but the graphics effects no?
whateverz
-----

Sorry Hilbert reposted it which is even better but i'll leave my rant here anyways.

#4515157 Posted on: 01/31/2013 10:03 AM

---

Looks like flashy tbh. Never saw the appeal of Physx, completely useless shiny feature.

#4515181 Posted on: 01/31/2013 11:05 AM

---

Umm do you know it's interactable?
I bet you like bf3 destruction better eh?

#4515289 Posted on: 01/31/2013 02:01 PM

---

Absolute rubbish, they just pop, and the bits just drop to the floor