INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Back in 2010, Halo: Reach launched to much fanfare
Almost ten years later, the revamped version has just hit PC, receiving critical acclaim once more and bringing the decade full circle.A lot
has changed in those ten years, and you can now enjoy Halo: Reach in 8K at a smooth 60 frames per second (if budget is no object for your PC
hardware, that is).And of course, a lot more has changed in the broader world of videogames throughout the 2010s
industry.That includes the introduction of ray tracing, adaptive sync technology, and huge leaps in existing tech like motion capture, along
credit: Remedy Entertainment)Ray tracing may be nothing new in the world of movies, but it is in games, and it hit the headlines in a big
way when Nvidia launched its GeForce RTX graphics cards in 2018 (although note that ray tracing had popped up previously on PCs, but in very
as the name suggests, it involves tracing the paths of individual light rays to create a lifelike depiction of how light works in the real
The result is far more realistic shadows, reflections, and so forth, for much better looking graphics all-round (compared to rasterization,
the traditional method of real-time rendering).Although when RTX GPUs were first launched, there were a number of folks arguing that ray
tracing was really a dastardly plot cooked up by Nvidia to sell a load more expensive graphics cards
On PC, AMD and Intel will also be getting on-board, and indeed Microsoft has built ray tracing support right into DirectX 12.But more
importantly, both next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony are going to be ray tracing-capable, with Tatu Aalto, lead graphics programmer
Control looks fantastic and uses ray tracing with elements like diffuse lighting, reflections on glass, and ultra-realistic debris, meaning
of caveats with ray tracing in its current state
so for example Call of Duty: Modern Warfare only does ray-traced shadows.But as everyone adopts the tech, and GPUs evolve and are
continually honed (complete with driver and software innovations) to better cope with ray tracing, we can expect more new games (and indeed
old ones) fully showcasing the visual finery on offer; particularly when the next-gen consoles arrive
In short, it seems that the future of video game graphics, no less, kicked off in 2018.Motion captureMotion capture, known informally as
mo-cap, is nothing new of course
make for more realistic looking characters in games has been around since the 90s (and way before then in movies)
But in the past decade, some big leaps have been made with the technology which are worth highlighting as revolutionary, taking the
game delivered some quite outstanding results in terms of realism.However, as Engadget points out, there was a bit of fudging with the
real-time mo-cap aspect here, such as the actor having to stick to a roughly choreographed set of actions, so the software could keep up
the results transferred directly to a 3D on-screen avatar.Since Hellblade, computing and GPU power has increased massively
able to more easily utilize it, and have more time freed up to hone visual details and animations, with the end result being far more
realistic and immersive games (tying in, of course, with the ray tracing developments discussed above).Adaptive sync(Image credit:
combat screen tearing and stuttering
In other words, they aim to give you a smoother gameplay experience, particularly with the likes of fast-paced shooters where any such
monitor for you, this used to be a straight choice between AMD or Nvidia
AMD-powered screens have traditionally been cheaper because the tech is royalty-free, not requiring proprietary hardware in the monitor, so
FreeSync respectively, and there was no cross-brand pollination
However, that changed recently, when Nvidia made a move to allow its 10-series and newer GPUs to support adaptive sync on third-party
monitors, including FreeSync models.Even more excitingly for many gamers, these adaptive sync technologies are no longer confined to just
introduction of Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) with HDMI 2.1
This means you now get big-screen TVs which support adaptive sync, for example LG introduced G-Sync to its range of 2019 OLEDs.Furthermore,
and immersive graphics, particularly when it comes to playing online games competitively
sizeable step forward for gaming in the 2010s.Live streaming: Twitch (and more)(Image credit: Twitch)Back in 2011, Twitch was born, and
quickly gained millions upon millions of viewers, all watching professional streamers play games
The service really hit the big time in 2014, when Amazon bought it, and Twitch has gone from strength to strength since, with recent stats
such a big phenomenon these days that functionality is built directly into consoles.Although really, the rise of live streaming represents a
cluster of technologies advancing together, alongside the creation of the actual platforms to stream on
and capable of coping with the considerable multitasking demands of playing a game and streaming it fluidly at the same time.All of which
has led to the explosion in popularity of games as a spectator sport
Being a pro streamer is now a potential career path for those able to blend their expert game-playing with suitably entertaining and
incredibly informative experience
Streaming has certainly revolutionized the concept of tips and tricks for popular games, and taken it to another level.Game streaming(Image
remotely playing a game which is hosted on a server somewhere else.Also known as cloud gaming, these kind of services actually kicked off a
surprisingly long time ago, with OnLive launching right at the start of the decade
Ultimately it flopped, because 2010 was simply too early given the contemporary internet infrastructure, but with the same faster broadband
connections which have helped drive the rise of live streaming, game streaming has become a realistic proposition.Since the early days of
angles and approaches as to exactly how they work, but probably the most high-profile offering is Google Stadia
Stadia experience palatable compared to playing on a local machine, plus those with slower broadband connections will struggle
game library, and having missing features
broadband connections still.AI(Image credit: Future)Artificial Intelligence (or AI) is another technology which has been driven forward
massively over the past ten years
which may well threaten to send you into a deep (learning) sleep, AI applies to games as well as all this deadly dull sounding stuff.AI is a
pretty broad umbrella, of course, and accomplishes all manner of things in video games
seen DeepMind hitting the headlines regularly in recent times
The British firm made big waves when its AlphaGo neural network beat South Korean champion Lee Se-dol at the game of Go back in 2016
Having beaten the single-player campaign, engaging an AI opponent in multiplayer resulted in a quick shock defeat, and a brutal lesson that
better than we were expecting).Looking at where we are now with AI engines overturning the very best human players points to the possibility
evolved NPCs in the likes of single-player campaigns?No is the short answer to that
DeepMind or machine learning researchers truck in
require a certain degree of predictability, to ensure that the narrative and overall game experience flows along the lines of what the
developers have in mind for the player
A true AI which could make all sorts of weird and wonderful decisions of its own volition would make for a far more unpredictable game, but
To pick a basic example, an NPC might decide not to perform a critical action which is needed for the player to complete a quest.In short,
maybe even break the game).The Verge suggests that rather than trying to create freethinking NPCs in games, AI will be involved in automated
game design, facilitating the creation of art assets or levels
spread its tendrils to get involved in all manner of different facets of the gaming world
helping to revamp the graphics of old games, with modders using the technology to upscale the visuals of classic titles at speed, such as
giving Morrowind a fresh coat of paint.In the nearer-term, though, competitive gamers might be set to benefit from AI the most in terms of
crunched from top pro players, and suggesting ways that you could be better, or pointing out bad habits that are getting you killed.And from
a wider perspective, away from multiplayer or esports, these sort of analytics running across an entire player base, maybe coupled with the
aforementioned AI games master at the helm, could usher in a kind of evolving game which constantly adjusts and hones itself over
privacy-stripping path of data mining).g2sv8KC2oWV3z4xDcmnzEA.jpg?#
