Rendering a single player character model is no different to rendering a single NPC model. Similarly, rendering 30 NPCs is just as taxing as 30 PCs. However, if I'm writing a single player game I can control the maximum number of models that will ever be displayed on screen at once. If I don't include any crowd scenes or mass battles there will never be a need to render more than 10, 20 whatever models at once.
In an MMO I cannot control or predict how many models will on screen at once. I cannot limit it to a nice low number that would enable me to use super high def models. Just look at places like Orgrimmar in WoW. Now imagine the computing power each player would need if Orgrimmar was rendered with Crysis3 or GTA V quality graphics.
The suits that control the development of my MMO want it to be playable on as many systems as possible. Including machines that were low end 5 years ago! So, I need to make sure the models can render in large quantities on really bad hardware. So, I need to drop the overall model quality.
Does that help answer your question?
Go Hard Nibs!!!
plus juan
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Originally posted by Shadanwolf I would add,,,companies are trying to attract console users. Hence the simplified graphics PC users are told to accept.
Yeah, thats totally what it is and not far fetched nonsense like budget or time constraints or trying to target a wide range of computer set ups to maximize potential consumers.
Because as every PC user knows high end and high res 3-D models are made instantly by pixies for free and can be run on any computer from an Intel i7 to a Pentium 4 because computers run on magic and dreams.
In a multi-player game, the dev's have to plan for 30 or more players in the same area, which might drop fps to 5 fps like in the original raids of Everquest.
Not in 5 man instances. And 30 is not that big a number .. there are more than 30 NPCs (which all have to be rendered) in scenes in SP games such as Hitman Absolution.
Again, it isn't the sheer number and type of objects, rather control over the number and type of objects that is the issue. In MMOs, there is less control over what is present in any given scene, which means other aspects have to have a lower limit somewhere to compensate for it.
You can control the number of objectives pretty well in an instance. In a 5-man instance, you will never have more than 5 player toons, and whatever number of NPCs you decide to have. The same in 25 man raid.
There is no reason a 5-man instance or a 25-man raid cannot look as good as Hitman Absolution, or a CoD multiplayer game, or a Battlefield multiplayer game. The number of players are capped as in all the SP online games.
So many wrong things being said in this thread. time to clarify some shit
1. from a graphical processing perspective, rendering 1 player controlled character is no different than rendering 1 npc controlled character
2. textures, models etc are stored on YOUR computer. the mmo server doesnt send you the texture/model data across the internet. it just tells you which one to load on which character from the ones stored on your computer.
3. modern 3d games dont render huge chunks of the world ( minecraft does though). they render only what you can see. the size of the world is largely irrelevant.
5. mmos DO tend to have more player models to render than single player games. i dont think the difference is that huge that it justifies the shittiness of mmorpg graphics tbh.
6. mmo servers dont do rendering. having insane graphics doesnt mean mmo devs need to buy better servers.
The reason why mmorpg graphics suck is pretty much because:
1. if you make the graphics good lots of people wont be able to play it and that means you have lost potential customers
2. graphics just hasnt been one of those mmo things so i guess it never became a part of the culture/expectations
3. graphics are not worth really investing in when they will look crap anyway a couple of years down the line compared to newer offerings. this is why many mmorpgs adopt a cartoony art style because it ages gracefully.
So many wrong things being said in this thread. time to clarify some shit
1. from a graphical processing perspective, rendering 1 player controlled character is no different than rendering 1 npc controlled character
2. textures, models etc are stored on YOUR computer. the mmo server doesnt send you the texture/model data across the internet. it just tells you which one to load on which character from the ones stored on your computer.
3. modern 3d games dont render huge chunks of the world ( minecraft does though). they render only what you can see. the size of the world is largely irrelevant.
5. mmos DO tend to have more player models to render than single player games. i dont think the difference is that huge that it justifies the shittiness of mmorpg graphics tbh.
6. mmo servers dont do rendering. having insane graphics doesnt mean mmo devs need to buy better servers.
The reason why mmorpg graphics suck is pretty much because:
1. if you make the graphics good lots of people wont be able to play it and that means you have lost potential customers
2. graphics just hasnt been one of those mmo things so i guess it never became a part of the culture/expectations
3. graphics are not worth really investing in when they will look crap anyway a couple of years down the line compared to newer offerings. this is why many mmorpgs adopt a cartoony art style because it ages gracefully.
Comments
plus juan
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Because as every PC user knows high end and high res 3-D models are made instantly by pixies for free and can be run on any computer from an Intel i7 to a Pentium 4 because computers run on magic and dreams.
You can control the number of objectives pretty well in an instance. In a 5-man instance, you will never have more than 5 player toons, and whatever number of NPCs you decide to have. The same in 25 man raid.
There is no reason a 5-man instance or a 25-man raid cannot look as good as Hitman Absolution, or a CoD multiplayer game, or a Battlefield multiplayer game. The number of players are capped as in all the SP online games.
So many wrong things being said in this thread. time to clarify some shit
1. from a graphical processing perspective, rendering 1 player controlled character is no different than rendering 1 npc controlled character
2. textures, models etc are stored on YOUR computer. the mmo server doesnt send you the texture/model data across the internet. it just tells you which one to load on which character from the ones stored on your computer.
3. modern 3d games dont render huge chunks of the world ( minecraft does though). they render only what you can see. the size of the world is largely irrelevant.
5. mmos DO tend to have more player models to render than single player games. i dont think the difference is that huge that it justifies the shittiness of mmorpg graphics tbh.
6. mmo servers dont do rendering. having insane graphics doesnt mean mmo devs need to buy better servers.
The reason why mmorpg graphics suck is pretty much because:
1. if you make the graphics good lots of people wont be able to play it and that means you have lost potential customers
2. graphics just hasnt been one of those mmo things so i guess it never became a part of the culture/expectations
3. graphics are not worth really investing in when they will look crap anyway a couple of years down the line compared to newer offerings. this is why many mmorpgs adopt a cartoony art style because it ages gracefully.
That's it.
Remind me one thing that make WOW become popular : it so light that most computer at 2004 can run it smoothly.
Compare to Lineage II who said best graphic MMORPG at the time it release in 2004 , WOW are lots easy to run .