Interview Oblivion technology interview at Beyond3D

[Spazmo]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; Gavin Carter

<a href=http://www.beyond3d.com>Beyond3D</a> have posted an <a href=http://www.beyond3d.com/interviews/oblivion/>interview</a> with <b>Gavin Carter</b> from BethSoft about fascinating stuff like shadows in Oblivion.<blockquote>In a recent interview you have revealed Oblivion's engine is capable of sophisticated lighting across surfaces (normal mapping and parallax mapping, for instance). How would you characterise your experience with parallax mapping and its junction and texture warping problems?
<br>
<br>
We avoid texture warping on high-end cards by doing the eye vector calculation per-pixel instead of per-vertex. Some amount of texture warping is inherent to the system no matter what card you’re using, but overall we find it to be virtually a non-issue in game unless you’ve got the camera mashed up against the textures. The artists quickly learned the limits of range in the displacement for what looks good and what looks bad. T-junctions are a problem for just about any lighting calculation, so these are mostly avoided in the art creation stage by being smart about how we construct objects.</blockquote>Astounding! T-junctions! Whoa!
<br>
Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.bluesnews.com">Blue's News</A>

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Does anybody care? Seriously, these guys are just jerking themselves off about how good they are now. Oh man, check this out we made shadows so real your computer will fucking turn into a piece of shit when first runs this game. Hell yeah, we rule.

 

[S4ur0n27]

You're too negative, NL.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

Context, Naked_Lunch, context. It's an interview asking questions primarily about graphics technology on a website devoted to graphics technology. I'm sure that Beyond3D's readers are VERY interested in the interview. I suppose you'd rather Gavin either not give the interview, or insist that this graphics-oriented website ask questions unrelated to graphics?

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Beyond3D can suck my cock.

 

[Fresh]

Lol that is so rude it's funny.

 

[HardCode]

Personally, I'd like to see a real content interview. Something that asks the real reason for Levitation being removed, and what was done in its place, if anything. Also, I'd like to find out what is so "great" that replaces the missing weapons and skills. What exactly makes up for all of the removed content. I'd like to know in general terms what makes the quests more deep and involved. I am sure this can be done with metaphor so as not to give away quest specifics. I'd like to know more concrete examples of what was in Morrowind and is no longer in Oblivion. I'd like to know what was done to make up for that change, outside of pretty graphics. I'd like to know what RPG elements were improved upon from Morrowind. I'd like to know how the world is going to react to choices you make for your player character. I'd like to know if there are consequences for quests done in a certain manner (let the guy go or kill him for example). Will that have any effect on the quest giver (and their organization), or will it simply be like letting the "necromancer" in Mar Gaan escape and lie to the quest giver.

 

[Anoik]

Yeah, i want to know those things too... but it's a interview from a web about graphics's tecnology

 

[obediah]

boring!

shadow-flip-bumped-ergo-6x-cell-per-single-dot-fuckity-fuck-fuck.

But it seems like an approriate interview for the host, so I can't complain too much. Hell I can't even tell if it's hype crap or just honest answers to technical questions. The questions on modding and RAI seemed remarkably frank and hype free - so baby kudos.

On the RAI issue, it's seems an okay trade off. It would be kind of cool if complex things happened while you were away, but only if they were really complex - so it really felt like the world was breathing. Oh well, what's there sounds good if not worth all the hype.

 

[HardCode]

Yeah, i want to know those things too... but it's a interview from a web about graphics's tecnology

No shit dumbass. Obviously I mean a review from another source ... any source that covers those questions. Did I say I want THAT interviewer to ask those questions?

 

[Anoik]

Yeah, i want to know those things too... but it's a interview from a web about graphics's tecnology

No shit dumbass. Obviously I mean a review from another source ... any source that covers those questions. Did I say I want THAT interviewer to ask those questions?

Did i say that you want that interviewer to ask those questions? :wink: But the thread is about that interview, not about what do you (or me) want.

 

[Levski 1912]

Beth doesn't need to wank about how good they are...they have their rationalizing fanboys to fellate them.

 

[ExMonk]

Context, Naked_Lunch, context. It's an interview asking questions primarily about graphics technology on a website devoted to graphics technology. I'm sure that Beyond3D's readers are VERY interested in the interview. I suppose you'd rather Gavin either not give the interview, or insist that this graphics-oriented website ask questions unrelated to graphics?

Don't cast your pearls before cows. They will turn and rend you and trample them underfoot.

 

[Azael]

Why is this even relevant to this site? Like there's not enough Oblivion threads like it is...

 

[bryce777]

Context, Naked_Lunch, context. It's an interview asking questions primarily about graphics technology on a website devoted to graphics technology. I'm sure that Beyond3D's readers are VERY interested in the interview. I suppose you'd rather Gavin either not give the interview, or insist that this graphics-oriented website ask questions unrelated to graphics?

Don't cast your pearls before cows. They will turn and rend you and trample them underfoot.

Wow, you are really mixing your bible metaphors.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Personally, I'd like to see a real content interview. Something that asks the real reason for Levitation being removed, and what was done in its place, if anything. Also, I'd like to find out what is so "great" that replaces the missing weapons and skills. What exactly makes up for all of the removed content. I'd like to know in general terms what makes the quests more deep and involved. I am sure this can be done with metaphor so as not to give away quest specifics. I'd like to know more concrete examples of what was in Morrowind and is no longer in Oblivion. I'd like to know what was done to make up for that change, outside of pretty graphics. I'd like to know what RPG elements were improved upon from Morrowind. I'd like to know how the world is going to react to choices you make for your player character. I'd like to know if there are consequences for quests done in a certain manner (let the guy go or kill him for example). Will that have any effect on the quest giver (and their organization), or will it simply be like letting the "necromancer" in Mar Gaan escape and lie to the quest giver.

Yeah. There should be some kind of really hardcore RPG site out there who's tough enough to ask the real questions of Bethesda and see how they flinch.

 

[Twinfalls]

Context, Naked_Lunch, context. It's an interview asking questions primarily about graphics technology on a website devoted to graphics technology <snip>

Context, MSFD, context. We've seen a gazillion interviews talking about tech, fancy scripting, Patrick Erosion.

How many interviews have Bethesda given talking specifically about writing? Or about creating choices in RPG design?

And don't say 'oh, but no websites are interested in that stuff, we only answer what we're asked'. You could ask a smaller site like quandary to do an interview and they'd want to talk about writing and dialogue. You could say to a lot of sites "we'd like to talk about writing and dialogue. And choices in RPG design." They'd bite.

 

[Mefi]

Yeah. There should be some kind of really hardcore RPG site out there who's tough enough to ask the real questions of Bethesda and see how they flinch.

Do you think if we promises to be very nice and not tubgirl them, MSFD or Kathode might be prepared to do an interview about the issues we want to know about? I for one would promise never to post Russian pictures or Douglas Goodhall interviews on the Elderscrolls forums again. :D

edit: serious offer here, I'd prefer to see someone like Vaultdweller to do the interview but I'd be quite happy to do one if either MSFD or Kathode would be prepared to do it.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

Twinfalls, in general game developers don't ask websites to interview them -- the websites ask the game developers for interviews.

 

[LlamaGod]

if I had my way all people who give a shit about graphics would HANG

 

[Twinfalls]

Twinfalls, in general game developers don't ask websites to interview them -- the websites ask the game developers for interviews.

What, so it is beneath you to e-mail a non-retard site and say 'how about an interview'? And it's beneath you to say to any interviewer 'we'd like to focus on writing and role-playing design this time, the public are getting a bit sick of tech'?

Here's a suggestion. Go to Eurogamer.net (a major mainstream site), and suggest an interview with Kieron Gillen. Say to him 'let's talk about dialogue, choices, consequences in RPGs'. He'd be more than happy to do it.

Only you can't do that. Admit it - Todd Howard and Pete Hines do not see these as marketing points. To hell with doing something real for the genre by at least giving some attention to these things, you guys aren't prepared to use any of your spotlight for this stuff.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

There are thousands of game-related websites out there, and most of them contact us anyway, from the largest to the most obscure. Our time is limited; we aren't going to trawl the Internet trying to find someone to ask us specific questions when they're already asking us. That would be a waste of time & resources.

But that doesn't mean that you couldn't contact the Respected Individual of your choice and suggest he contact us for an interview.

You're making an issue where there isn't one. Seriously.

 

[Drakron]

But that is the point, interviews are part of the game own advertisement and PR campain.

Look at Maxis chat events, they screen the questions and so only anwer the questions they want ... Bethsoft is no diferent.

Also there is something on the contract that does not permit then to disclose information without autorization ... you dont want "MrSmileyFaceDude" became
"MrUnEmployedDude" do you?

 

[LlamaGod]

RPGCodex needs to interview Bethesda

 

[Fresh]

I cant believe no one on the codex hasn't already tried scoring an interview with Beth.