[Gamers] PS3 Flower's Grass Impossible on Other Systems

2920 Views 61 Replies 38 Participants Last post by VulcanDragon, Mar 19, 2009

ElMikeTheMike

Discussion Starter · Mar 18, 2009

Quote:

ThatGameCompany describes their dependence on the PlayStation 3's SPU processors in rendering Flower's multitude of grass blades.

I was incredibly impressed by the graphics of ThatGameCompany's Flower when I reviewed the game in February. There are thousands of grass blades that all interact with you (the wind) during gameplay.

In an interview with Kellee Santiago, co-founder and president of ThatGameCompany, we spoke on the technology and techniques used in rendering the PlayStation Network game. After complementing the game's graphics, I asked how the developer used the PlayStation 3 in ways they couldn't with their first game flOw:

"We learned so much on flOw, especially about SPUs! The grass system really leverages the PS3 to render 200,000 blades of grass simultaneously, and gives the player this sense of blowing wind through them," said Kellee.

When asking for more detail on intensively using the Cell's SPUs, she responded:

"An artist friend of ours came to us, really hoping that we could tell him some clever trick that we used to make it look like we had so many blades of grass. He was reluctant to believe that really John Edwards just made it happen on the SPUs.

"It really would be impossible to make it look the same on any other system. But, it's one of the pros with knowing your game is exclusive to a specific system - you can really design everything towards that one platform."

The full ThatGameCompany interview will be posted soon, and will cover everything from the inspirations behind the game, whether the company might branch out into full retail games and how many flowers are actually in Flower.

Gamers

Pretty neat game (if you can call it that). But it shows what's possible when Dev's put forth a little effort.

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HardwaterH4ck3r

· #2 · Mar 18, 2009

It looks like a 3dMark test.....

Seriously, if the devs spent as much time tying to code for games as they did tech demos, then the ps3 would really shine.

startekee

· #3 · Mar 18, 2009

I don't know about the 360 or wii, but, I think a pc with physx can do that and more

ENTERPRISE

· #4 · Mar 18, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardwaterH4ck3r

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It looks like a 3dMark test.....

Seriously, if the devs spent as much time tying to code for games as they did tech demos, then the ps3 would really shine.

QFT....

Unfotunately Game companies are more interested than making loads of less quality products to make money rather than take time over a singular great product.

Something STEAM is great at...They really spend time over games. I know this has no bearing on the PS3 but I thought I would mention it lol.

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amder

· #5 · Mar 18, 2009

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Originally Posted by startekee

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I don't know about the 360 or wii, but, I think a pc with physx can do that and more

Yeah, I agree with you

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ipod4ever

· #6 · Mar 18, 2009

The flower game is pretty cool, bought it for my mom lmao

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RonindeBeatrice

· #7 · Mar 18, 2009

The effect is really neat, but I refuse to believe that the PS3 is the only platform capable of rendering multiple non-rigid bodies.

curly haired boy

· #8 · Mar 18, 2009

i'm sure it can be done on a PC....but not the same way.

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GANDALFtheGREY

· #9 · Mar 18, 2009

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Originally Posted by RonindeBeatrice

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The effect is really neat, but I refuse to believe that the PS3 is the only platform capable of rendering multiple non-rigid bodies.

I think that the point they're trying to make is not that it can render multiple non-rigid bodies but that they can render a CRAPload of non-rigid bodies using code specific to the cell processor.

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Bellatrix

· #10 · Mar 18, 2009

This is unique.

lordikon

· #11 · Mar 18, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by ENTERPRISE

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QFT....

Unfotunately Game companies are more interested than making loads of less quality products to make money rather than take time over a singular great product.

If can often be the publisher's influence as well. If the publisher wants the game out by a certain time there isn't much the developer can do about it.

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Ecchi-BANZAII!!!

· #12 · Mar 18, 2009

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Originally Posted by GANDALFtheGREY

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I think that the point they're trying to make is not that it can render multiple non-rigid bodies but that they can render a CRAPload of non-rigid bodies using code specific to the cell processor.

This is the answer I want.

Just wait until some Linux geek releases a CAD program for the PS3 on Linux.

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5

CapDubOh

· #13 · Mar 18, 2009

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Originally Posted by Ecchi-BANZAII!!!

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This is the answer I want.

Just wait until some Linux geek releases a CAD program for the PS3 on Linux.

That would be pretty sweet!

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5

arkheii

· #14 · Mar 18, 2009

Far Cry 2 also has very dense grass. It's not as pretty as in Flower, but using the same technique it's very doable.

lordikon

· #15 · Mar 18, 2009

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Originally Posted by arkheii

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Far Cry 2 also has very dense grass. It's not as pretty as in Flower, but using the same technique it's very doable.

I thought that fry cry 2 was using textures of multiple blades of grass and then using a shader to make the textures move. Whereas this demo shows each blade moving individually.

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Evostance

· #16 · Mar 18, 2009

Quote:

"It really would be impossible to make it look the same on any other system. But, it's one of the pros with knowing your game is exclusive to a specific system - you can really design everything towards that one platform."

Gotta agree there. All the exclusive PS3 games look much better than the exclusive 360 games.

Resistance 1+2, Killzone 2, MGS4

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Ecchi-BANZAII!!!

· #17 · Mar 18, 2009

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Originally Posted by Evostance

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Gotta agree there. All the exclusive PS3 games look much better than the exclusive 360 games.

Resistance 1+2, Killzone 2, MGS4

I haven't played RFoM 2 but the first game isn't really that much eye candy.

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carl25

· #18 · Mar 18, 2009

3core vs single core

doesn't the 360 have more threads ?

lordikon

· #19 · Mar 18, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by carl25

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3core vs single core

doesn't the 360 have more threads ?

The 360 has 3 PPUs, each with 2 threads for a total of 6 threads.

The PS3 has 1 PPU with two threads and 6 usable SPUs, each with one thread, for a total of 8 threads. However, thread count isn't everything, the SPUs are quite a bit different than the PPU.

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JOCKTHEGLIDE

· #20 · Mar 18, 2009

this game rocks and its exclusive only on PS3...

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