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[Man]

http://fumufumu.q-games.com/archives/2014_09.php#000934

That's some HOT technology.
Cascaced Voxel Cone Tracing enables them to simulate lighting in real time (ray-tracing), and uses actual real reflections, and not screen space reflections like most games.

EDIT: Dylan Cuthbert in this thread:

Hey, it's Dylan here from Q,

Thanks for checking out James' presentation, he put a lot of work into that to try and help people understand what is going on with our engine!

The game has freely deform-able geometry which is why right at the start we decided we couldn't go with the more standard graphics pipelines that need a lot of pre-baked information. However, we *did* want the very nice lighting that those pre-baked systems can give (like the lighting you are seeing in the Silicon Studios demo released this week).

When you guys see this game actually *running* in 1080p on your tvs with the lighting all simply *working* you are going to love it; dig into a mountain and the light spills around correctly, and the shadowing from things cast in all directions natually and realistically. It /almost/ looks like a Pixar movie at times and is the closest to that "rendered" ideal I've seen so far in an actual game (not a tech demo). Although I do have high hopes for Uncharted on the PS4!

Release information and types of release etc., are entirely up to Sony. Although, because this game is only online, an online-only release does make sense.

*quote*

Thanks, this is the kind of comment I like to see because I am amazed daily by how it looks. The latest builds actually look a lot better than the footage in those videos now too because we're constantly tweaking and tuning.

The game is a bit of a crazy sandbox experience, we don't force you to do anything really and you can decide either collectively/collaboratively or egotistically to do whatever you want. You could just set up a picnic up in the hills if you like. (of course if everyone does that your beautiful vista might eventually become marred by the sight of the burning town in the distance, but hey, someone will do the work right?)

The response has been truly amazing since Gamescom.

We are kind of sticking our necks out a bit on this one, new technology and a new genre, it's been a huge challenge for us.

One side of the game people haven't picked up on yet is that it also has hints of a collaborative Animal Crossing in it (without drawing on that too much), but with kaiju and missile launchers!

SCEE and SCEA should be making announcements regarding the alpha testing in their respective territories soon.

*snipped quote*

You live in a particular town with X no. of other people, you can visit other people's towns too. The world and its objects are entirely shared but you only see each-other when you perform actions that can affect other players because you are projected clones all a little shifted away from each-other on the plane of reality.

So for example, if you pick up an object, you will appear in the other people's worlds, stoop down, pick up the object, stand up and then fizzle out of existence (taking the object with you).
When you put it down again, the same thing happens again, leaving the object in everyone's world.

Someone was saying on twitter that in an earlier thread on neogaf a false rumour was spread saying that we aren't 1080p. Well, I'm saying it now, we've always been 1080p, right from the very start and never even considered a lower resolution. There is no up-scaling.

Lukas - you really need to read the pdf - we ditched octrees for 3d textures which sped up everything, especially when we moved to multiple sets of 3d textures. Have a read through, we have some pretty damn good optimisations detailed in there.

Async compute does let the ps4 punch above its weight, because code can be fine-tuned to the system we have to use it fully (filling in the holes).

Callibretto - because it adds a lot of uniqueness to the game and lets us do things a bit differently. It also lets us support a ton of people in the same area with no slow down.
The most important thing though is that it lets you feel more in control, more as if you are playing a single player game (like Journey or Dark Souls) and the other players simply pop in from time to time.

Actually we do optimize down to the register level for a lot of stuff; we check and fine-tune all the important core loops to that level. It's how we squeeze stuff to be the fastest it can be.

We took the challenge because several years ago right at the start of the project Mark [Cerny] personally asked us to use it, as other devs will initially use the simpler "PC" gpu pipeline. He wanted someone to try and use all the cool hardware he had spent years putting together

 

[Ran rp]

The game looks incredible.

 

[Daviii]

There's a nice PDF in the link

 

[plasmawave]

UE4 am cry.

 

[Kuro]

Interesting. The game has a stop motion Coraline/Paranorman look to it. Must be this lighting technique.

 

[KainXVIII]

With simplistic look this game can use some advenced effects indeed.

 

[nelchaar]

Absolutely love the art style. Glad the engine packs a punch.

 

[Nirolak]

UE4 am cry.

Capcom uses voxel cone tracing too.

To be fair to Epic though, they were using octree tracing which is way more expensive. Cone tracing is a less expensive version that's feasible on current-gen.

 

[jooey]

now THIS is why I buy a next-gen console: some new words for graphics I'll never understand

 

[JCreasy]

So is this really real-time ray tracing, or ray casting?

 

[HassanJamal]

Interesting stuff, looking forward to trying the beta.

 

[Fix The Scientist]

Ah yes, a bit of the ol' cascaced voxel cone tracing, just when i thought i couldn't be any more intrigued by this game

 

[FeiRR]

That's the kind of realtime graphics magic I like. If it's too slow, find a way to optimize, not "we recommend a faster GPU". This game is instant buy for me, even if just for the graphics.

 

[coolasj19]

So is this game gonna have the cleanest IQ ever (outside of Okami HD)? Cause that's what I want. I mean, look at all the fancy words and pretty graphs !! Isn't it just amazing? It makes you want to swoon~

 

[Hydrargyrus]

This game looks awesome and strange in the same way.

I think that it's going to be a revolutionary game, but not for everyone because seems like you will need time to really go deeper in its possibilities

 

[Nirolak]

So is this really real-time ray tracing, or ray casting?

It's an approximation of doing global illumination without baked lights.

It's not comparable to a full ray tracing setup, but it looks good.

 

[bigboss370]

i'm excited for this game

 

[pottuvoi]

Quite interestingly they use cone tracing for a lot of the direct lighting as well.
For moving object shadowing they seem to go TloU style, tracing capsules for characters and 3D texture for objects.

 

[Squire]

Interesting. The game has a stop motion Coraline/Paranorman look to it. Must be this lighting technique.

Yeah, it's always remained me of Corpse Bride.

 

[Callibretto]

Capcom uses voxel cone tracing too.

To be fair to Epic though, they were using octree tracing which is way more expensive. Cone tracing is a less expensive version that's feasible on current-gen.

well, why don't Epic use this one instead?

 

[JCreasy]

Just in case anyone was looking for the most recent trailer: http://youtu.be/4oOLDeDD6Zc

 

[FeiRR]

well, why don't Epic use this one instead?

UE is multiplatform. This might be a problem.

 

[Dictator93]

SOme great tech slides at that link. Thanks OP.

5ms back on a 33ms frame from using Async Compute.

Nice!

 

[Callibretto]

UE is multiplatform. This might be a problem.

why would multiplat be a problem?

 

[san00ake]

Could someone explain how this method works in a simple way? What is the difference with regular GI?

 

[tensuke]

Just in case anyone was looking for the most recent trailer: http://youtu.be/4oOLDeDD6Zc

There will be an open beta in October only for PS plus members.

Damn, so this open beta, Driveclub PS+, and the two PS4 games (as long as DC doesn't count as one of them like they said before)? Not a bad month at all.

 

[Baroquemantic]

The game looks stunning. Everything in the trailer looks like real life toys. Good lighting really does help with realism.

 

[EGM1966]

Loving the look of this game and happy to see more quirky titles coming for PS4.

It looks like a wonderful stop motion film and I love that asthetic.

 

[FeiRR]

why would multiplat be a problem?

Some platforms are slower than PS4.

 

[Lord of Castamere]

This game really was a pleasent surprise. Hopefully it turns out well.

 

[lord pie]

http://fumufumu.q-games.com/archives/2014_09.php#000934

That's some HOT technology.
Cascaced Voxel Cone Tracing enables them to simulate lighting in real time (ray-tracing), and uses actual real reflections, and not screen space reflections like most games.

Just for clarity sake, they do still heavily rely on screen space reflections and a form of directional SSAO. The voxelization and subsequent cone tracing is primarily for large scale diffuse / bounce / ambient occlusion / glossy specular. It is only used on static geometry and updates slower further in the distance.
This picture:

for example, is primarily screen space reflections.

The character occlusion is generated locally around each character, it's not part of the voxelization (as the smallest voxels are nearly half a meter cubed, according to the PDF).

Still very funky tech though and one hell of a good implementation (voxelization and conetracing a very hard to do well and efficiently

 

[jpax]

Holy shit, that is impressive. I love new tech beeing implemented into games. This sounds like a real evolution.

 

[KKRT00]

well, why don't Epic use this one instead?

Its still very expensive and not really precise enough in comparison to the octree.

---
Very nice pdf btw

 

[coolasj19]

Damn, so this open beta, Driveclub PS+, and the two PS4 games (as long as DC doesn't count as one of them like they said before)? Not a bad month at all.

The Beta is Japan Exclusive.
http://gematsu.com/2014/09/tomorrow-children-closed-alpha-japan-next-month

 

[maquiladora]

I know some of these words.

 

[drotahorror]

Interesting stuff, looking forward to trying the beta.

Is the beta Japan only?

Nvm, I see a couple posts above me that yes it is.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

The Beta is Japan Exclusive.
http://gematsu.com/2014/09/tomorrow-children-closed-alpha-japan-next-month

Nowhere near enough info in those sentences to infer the beta is JP only. The only fact it gives is that it's limited to PS plus subscribers

 

[pottuvoi]

Could someone explain how this method works in a simple way? What is the difference with regular GI?

There isn't really 'regular' Global Illumination, just different implementation methods which try to get it done in decent manner.

Many games currently store 'GI' or indirect light into a textures called lightmaps and for dynamic objects into a light probes. (usually precomputed in a way that makes it static.. IE. TloU)

How dynamic the lighting can be depends a lot on what was stored etc. (like battlefield method supports moving lights that cast indirect light, but it seems to be disabled.)

TTC converts scene information into 3d texture maps which it stores and which samples (ray-trace) to get lighting information.
Read the paper, pictures do describe it quite nicely.

 

[KOHIPEET]

The game looks phenomenal. The subsurface scattering is just amazing.

Also, graphics kind of reminds me of Warhawk, would definitely see a sequel with this engine.

Spoiler

Or with any kind of engine to be honest.

 

[B.O.O.M]

This game intrigues me...and I'm not even sure why

 

[coolasj19]

Nowhere near enough info in those sentences to infer the beta is JP only. The only fact it gives is that it's limited to PS plus subscribers

Sony will host a closed alpha test for The Tomorrow Children in Japan next month, the company announced at its Japan Asia press conference this morning.
The beta will be exclusive to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Further details were not announced

Sony announces a closed alpha test for the game in Japan.
Sony says it's exclusive to PS+ members.
No further details were announced.

I don't know about you, but the only thing you can infer is that the Alpha is coming to Japan for PS+ subscribers. LIkewise, it's completely impossible to even begin to attempt to infer that the Alpha is coming anywhere else but Japan. I say it like that because you say there's not enough info in the sentences but you see, that's all the info we were given. The entire article, is everything we know.

 

[Inuhanyou]

The power of asynchronous compute strikes again. This kind of thing really excites me and interests me for the future. What other kind of things can GPU computations do?

 

[san00ake]

There isn't really 'regular' Global Illumination, just different implementation methods which try to get it done in decent manner.

Many games currently store 'GI' or indirect light into a textures called lightmaps and for dynamic objects into a light probes. (usually precomputed in a way that makes it static.. IE. TloU)

How dynamic the lighting can be depends a lot on what was stored etc. (like battlefield method supports moving lights that cast indirect light, but it seems to be disabled.)

TTC converts scene information into 3d texture maps which it stores and which samples (ray-trace) to get lighting information.
Read the paper, pictures do describe it quite nicely.

Thank you for the explanation.
I was a 3D artist before so I'm familiar with most terminology, but I still don't quite understand how this particular method works.
I'll give the paper another read and try to understand it,

 

[gofreak]

Just for clarity sake, they do still heavily rely on screen space reflections and a form of directional SSAO. The voxelization and subsequent cone tracing is primarily for large scale diffuse / bounce / ambient occlusion / glossy specular. It is only used on static geometry and updates slower further in the distance.
This picture:

for example, is primarily screen space reflections.

The character occlusion is generated locally around each character, it's not part of the voxelization (as the smallest voxels are nearly half a meter cubed, according to the PDF).

Still very funky tech though and one hell of a good implementation (voxelization and conetracing a very hard to do well and efficiently

The reflections, including glossy specular, are done in world (voxel) space, so while it's subject to the granularity of the voxel grid (like everything else), it does provide reflections of off-screen surfaces.

Anyway, really interesting presentation. So many clever little optimisations and reuses of data. Love the subsurface scattering approx from reusing data generated for something else. And the 'third bounce'

 

[tensuke]

The Beta is Japan Exclusive.
http://gematsu.com/2014/09/tomorrow-children-closed-alpha-japan-next-month

Oh, hrmph, I was thinking I could just log in with a JP PSN account, but I guess I'd need PS+ there as well. Eh, I think it'd be about $15 to get a month or two of JP PS+, not sure if that's worth it for essentially a demo..

 

[GraveRobberX]

Only word I know is Voxel and that's due to resogun

The other 3 mixed in is just wat?

So now games with CVCT will become the new hotness?
Wonder how a Lego game would do as this... Minecraft @_@!

 

[Footos22]

Just for clarity sake, they do still heavily rely on screen space reflections and a form of directional SSAO. The voxelization and subsequent cone tracing is primarily for large scale diffuse / bounce / ambient occlusion / glossy specular. It is only used on static geometry and updates slower further in the distance.
This picture:

for example, is primarily screen space reflections.

The character occlusion is generated locally around each character, it's not part of the voxelization (as the smallest voxels are nearly half a meter cubed, according to the PDF).

Still very funky tech though and one hell of a good implementation (voxelization and conetracing a very hard to do well and efficiently

Stop! you're making me feel stupid.

 

[RageBot]

I really like the look of the game, it looked like authentic stop motion animation.

*Reading the PDF*

 

[Stampy]

This game hugely reminds of the Media Molecules' PS4 tech demo. To be honest I am somewhat believing this two games will have somewhat similar looks.

Do we have any info if they using the same technologies?

 

[kulapik]

The giant carving looked good, sad I won't play it