Alright, so if any of you watched the new RvB entitled “Save the Date” then you’ll be able to know where this image came from. I noticed that the shadow cascading across the blue spartan on the right is pretty good evidence that Halo 4 will finally have real time shadow maps. Imagine environmental shadows similar to those in Anniversary, ones that behave similarly to real life.
Here’s the image I am talking about. Look specifically at the shadow cast across the spartan on the right.
This most likely means Forge maps will finally look amazing as they can cast shadows upon themselves, the characters and objects. As someone who has wanted this type of lighting since Halo 3, I am incredibly excited as to how it will compliment the visuals, both in Campaign, Multiplayer and Forge.
Does this mean I can finally make a pitch black solitary confinement box!? haha but in all seriousness, that tiny little detail would revolutionize forge, in my opinion. Good find! (:
uhm that doesnt mean that forge will get that feature as well. And i really dont see any realtime shadows besides the shadows from the spartans. Eviroment shadows are still pre baked.
> uhm that doesnt mean that forge will get that feature as well. And i really dont see any realtime shadows besides the shadows from the spartans. Eviroment shadows are still pre baked.
But the prebaked environmental shadows in Halos past have not partially covered a spartan, vehicle or any object for that matter. Load up Halo 3 or Reach right now, drag a forge object or drive a vehicle from a lit area to a shaded area. The shadow doesn’t past gently over the object, it suddenly darkens the entire object at once. Not realistic at all, and definitely not what is being showcased on that blue spartan.
> uhm that doesnt mean that forge will get that feature as well. And i really dont see any realtime shadows besides the shadows from the spartans. Eviroment shadows are still pre baked.
I though those were jet packs on the reds. If that’s what they were then I like that look over the other jet pack in Reach. Blends in with the armor real nice like.
> Does this mean I can finally make a pitch black solitary confinement box!? haha but in all seriousness, that tiny little detail would revolutionize forge, in my opinion. Good find! (:
Dued! I tried to do that in Reach and then I realized it’s impossible, so I used a camera angle trick to get a good snapshot in pitch black. If it really is real time… Absolutely revolutionay. Also, it would make custom lights ACTUALLY USEFULL!
> Does this mean I can finally make a pitch black solitary confinement box!? haha but in all seriousness, that tiny little detail would revolutionize forge, in my opinion. Good find! (:
Probably can’t get completely pitch black, but if you’ve played BF3 which uses global illumination, you’ll see what a naturally dark area should look like.
> > Does this mean I can finally make a pitch black solitary confinement box!? haha but in all seriousness, that tiny little detail would revolutionize forge, in my opinion. Good find! (:
>
> Dued! I tried to do that in Reach and then I realized it’s impossible, so I used a camera angle trick to get a good snapshot in pitch black. If it really is real time… Absolutely revolutionay. Also, it would make custom lights ACTUALLY USEFULL!
Imagine being able to make dark corridors that required the flashlight in your helmet! imagine how fun infection could be!
> > Does this mean I can finally make a pitch black solitary confinement box!? haha but in all seriousness, that tiny little detail would revolutionize forge, in my opinion. Good find! (:
>
> Probably can’t get completely pitch black, but if you’ve played BF3 which uses global illumination, you’ll see what a naturally dark area should look like.
A metal box with no openings would be pitch black on the inside…
That’s a keen observation. I still wouldn’t get my hopes up. Dynamic lighting is demanding, and Halo matches have to individually as undemanding as possible. But maybe they have. It’s possible that they decided that since they’re stuck with the Xbox 360 for a third iteration of the game, they’d focus their cosmetic upgrades on the nitpicks rather than resolution. Which I’d prefer; honestly, a game that has all the nitpicks in place becomes more realistic for me regardless of its resolution. But maybe not. We know little.
Im not quite sure what you mean OP. What i do notice though is the real-time reflection on the armor. “Dynamic cubemaps” on player is a first in Halo i believe.
> > > Does this mean I can finally make a pitch black solitary confinement box!? haha but in all seriousness, that tiny little detail would revolutionize forge, in my opinion. Good find! (:
> >
> > Probably can’t get completely pitch black, but if you’ve played BF3 which uses global illumination, you’ll see what a naturally dark area should look like.
>
> A metal box with no openings would be pitch black on the inside…
I know what you’re getting at, I was actually just watching a BF3 video, the dark area in mind did have a slight opening (container) so I guess pitch black would be possible if it was entirely enclosed.
> Im not quite sure what you mean OP. What i do notice though is the real-time reflection on the armor. “Dynamic cubemaps” on player is a first in Halo i believe.
I’ll do my best to explain. If you pop in Halo 3 or Reach right now, load up a level with a turret so that your player perspective jumps to third person. Or just get a vehicle based map, that’s outside with the sun shining. I’m thinking Highground or maybe Beachead. Now go in and out of the shaded areas. Notice how your character or vehicle suddenly and completely shades darker or lighter depending on whether or not you are going into or out of a shadowed or lit area. With the real time shadow maps, the shadows across that map react realistically to the player, vehicle and other objects. So in first person you would see the individual shadows of each tree leaf on Highground move along your Spartans arm and weapon, not just a sudden darkening of your weapon.
I actually made a thread about this before Halo Reach came out, the pictures and the thread in general will help you understand what I am talking about in greater detail.
