Another Taste of the Coast

[CSN NewsBot]

Ever felt like there just wasn't enough coverage of the Lost Coast? I feel the same way, which is why I found the bit-tech.net preview of the Lost Coast quite the interesting read. The article breaks down how the HDR technology works, what to expect from the free chapter, and offers up two pages of new, high resolution screenshots! You may want to wear a bib when looking at the new images. Here are a few of the impressions given by the bit-tech crew:

Credit where credit is due: Valve are leading the industry with work like HDR. Thanks to their hard work, along with the pioneering research of guys like Paul Debevec, gamers will soon be able to enjoy much more life-like games. Lost Coast is a great showcase for what is possible, and since it is a free download for all Half-Life 2 owners, everyone will be able to see what all the fuss is about.[...]



Before we received playable code, we asked innocently how many hours of gameplay there would be. In terms of end-to-end gameplay, the answer is measured in minutes, not hours. Be warned: if you are expecting loads of new story, you will be disappointed, and unnecessarily so. Marvel at the graphics, listen to the Developer Commentary, but take it all at face value.

A free chapter that incorporates the latest in graphical rendering for games? Its release can't come soon enough!

[Supersonic^]

Hmmm.. Bloom lighting.



Didn't Deus Ex Invisible War have this?

[thepingofdeath]

Yes, and so did HL2. Bloom is different from HDR. And no, FarCry's implementation hardly counts.



This whole thing sounds overblown. HDR, whooptie fucking do.

[Supersonic^]

Edited by [user="43212"] @ [time="1126722988"]

I guess HDR can't be shown in screenshots. Then why bother?



In case you were wondering, tl;dr.

Supersonic^ wrote..

Hmmm.. Bloom lighting.



Didn't Deus Ex Invisible War have this?

(Score:1, Flamebait)

[xlokix]

You can see HDR lighting in a screenshot. Some HDR effects can only really be seen in a video, though.

[-:Nighthawk:-]

Edited by [user="26841"] @ [time="1126731694"]

HDR can make a huge difference in the quality of an image, namely in terms of how "life-like" the lighting seems.



It's not limited to real-time applications, though. HDR is used when superimposing rendered material into real-life scenes, because without it those models will stick out like a sore thumb because of their flat, unrealistic lighting.



The best example of this for something HL2 related would be

these pics and pretty much anything in this user directory.



In the first forum linked to there, you'll find examples of things rendered with and without HDR exposure. The difference is massive. Now, this is the best-case scenario for HDR effects, using far more light sources and reflections than the HL2 engine is capable of. That said, though, it still makes quite a difference even without that much rendering power available.



So yeah, HDR lighting effects can be pretty cool... this may be just the start of them, but it really won't be all that long before we see this feature set in pretty much everything coming out, because it does look better. Here's a sample or two:

[Zips]

Edited by [user="151473"] @ [time="1126731241"]

Supersonic^ wrote..

I guess HDR can't be shown in screenshots. Then why bother?

HDR goes beyond mere brightness effects. It's lighting a scene using the surrounding (a 3D skybox in terms of HL2) environment. It's creating lighting and coloring on a scene that mimics the real world as close as possible. It's like taking a photograph, making it into a transparency, setting a light behind it and using that transparency to create the only lighting outdoors (sans other artificial light sources).



And it can be shown in images:

• http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/2974371/ (HDR light probe surrounding the scene creating the reflected images you see in the bowl. The only light source is from the HDR light probe)
  
  
• http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/3347736/ (HDR light probe of a kitchen. The brightest lights are from the sun shining through the windows in the kitchen. The kitchen isn't there nor is the sun, it's all just an image, but the light cast from there appears on the scene. The "light that isn't" from the windows can actually create caustics from glass surfaces.) You can see what the scene looks like in an early rendering I did that doesn't make use of HDR at all: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/1344635/
  
  
• http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/1715496/ (Another image using the kitchen HDR light probe. More clearly illustrates the effects a mere image casting light can have on a scene without any additional light sources.)

[snkcube]

I can't wait for Lost Coast.

[V.C. Sniper]

snkcube wrote..

I can't wait for Lost Coast.

Can't wait for it TIMES A BILLION!

[Chris_D]

Looks great

[RavenGT]

For the love of god, HDR IS NOT BLOOMING.



I know not everybody is educated in these stuff, but it is pissing the hell out of me.

[-AK-]

good gawd, did you guys see gabe's monitor? that thing is bigger than my TV screen...

[Spliffmonkey]

DaikenTana's work is amazing.

[[CyW]-=BigBear=-]

Edited by [user="6035"] @ [time="1127041043"]

That bit-tech.net preview was a very interessting read.. I can't wait for DoD:S and LC, looks awesome! And hopefully CS:S gets a HDR upgrade soon too..



About Blooming.. That's just 1 feature of HDR.. So blooming is part of HDR, but blooming is not HDR.. A cow is an animal, but an animal is not a cow, get it? Far Cry's "HDR" update only used blooming, not true full HDR like Valve uses..