HDR (cont’d)/3Dc

More HDR

FiringSquad: Well, the 5900 series also supports FP32, so will those cards support HDR as well or will it be a feature unique to the 6800 cards?

Cevat Yerli: Yes it’s unique to the 6800 series because of the blending capabilities.

GeForce 6800 GT 4xAA/8xAF SM2.0

GeForce 6800 GT 4xAA/8xAF SM3.0

X800 XT 4xAA/8xAF

FiringSquad: Are there any plans to incorporate 3Dc into Far Cry?

Cevat Yerli: In fact yes. In the next patch, 1.3.

FiringSquad: Oh that’s going to be in 1.3?

Cevat Yerli: Yeah, we have the technology support for it now, but also here, it’s content-sensitive. Wherever there’s something content-specific we first have to take the time to make sure the entire game looks good with it, that it’s high quality. So the QA process takes longer. But we’re planning to add it with 1.3.

FiringSquad: Okay so 1.2 is your performance patch and 1.3 is your content-sensitive quality [Cevat interrupts]

Cevat Yerli: No, I wouldn’t say it like that because there will also be performance improvements in 1.3. Well I can’t say everything because 1.3 isn’t outlined yet, but 3Dc support, which is normal map compression, performance improvements, and content improvements like HDR will be in 1.3. That’s the plan right now but more than this, we don’t know yet. But 1.2 right now, it’s definitely the performance and bug fixes and tuning mainly.

GeForce 6800 GT 4xAA/8xAF SM3.0

X800 XT 4xAA/8xAF

Nice waterfall

FiringSquad What kind of additional performance do you think you’ll be able to get out of 1.3? Will it just be more cases of instancing and more branching?

Cevat Yerli: Uh, let me think. I think we have pretty much a peak on enhancing performance via shader model 3.0. If we get more performance it will be related to maybe fill rate raising, compression (we assume Cavet was referring to normal map compression (3Dc) here – Brandon), and other techniques. But it’s too early to say just yet [inaudible]

Fill rate can be used to essentially achieve less passes, we may find ways, for example to do less passes with 3.0 even more, but not with geometry instancing or looping with the lights, it will be with other techniques. But it’s still early, we’re only at the beginning in this area.

FiringSquad: What is your ETA for the 1.3 patch?

Cevat Yerli: I can’t say for sure right now.