FiringSquad: Home of the Hardcore Gamer - Games, Hardware, Reviews and NewsSubmit your own or view users' CPU overclocking results!

  
 Home   News   THE MATRIX   Deals   Hardware   Games   Features   Media   Products   Forums   FS China 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Home : Games : Adventure : Nocturne Preview
» Join the Greatest Gaming Community NOW! (It's free)

Already a member? Login
 



Random Gallery >> 
Click to view high-res Image!
Need For Speed: The Run Italian Car Pack Screenshots [18] (0)

My Entry For The Contest. (6) by D4rk Force
[FX] 3-Screen Effect - Guide (part-1) (0) by nGAGE
[FX] 3-Screen Effect - Guide (part-2) (0) by nGAGE
My First Video (3) by Stryker
Crank that SH#!t Up Contest Entry (10) by Boltshot
2nd Entry for Crank That S#!t Up! (2) by CamoDaGreat
My Crank That Sh#!t Up! entry :D (3) by chipmunk995
The Nvidia "Crank That S#!T Up" Quiz Show, Part 2 (6) by mohawkade
The Nvidia "Crank That S#!T Up" Quiz Show! (21) by mohawkade
HOW I CRANK THAT S#!T UP!! (4) by nvidia4life

More Blogs >>




Nocturne Preview
August 17, 1999   Bob CalBear Colayco > [View My Other Articles]
Product Info | User Reviews | Article Images(23) | Image Gallery | Comments | Forum Thread
Technology

Settings

Nocturne's scenery and backgrounds are probably the most intricate we've ever seen in a 3D game. Bar scenes are complete with movable chairs, tables, and breakable mirrors and bottles. Buildings have tons of doors and little rooms to walk into. Trees in the forest and their branches cast shadows in the ground from the faint moonlight. All the textures look exquisitely intricate and lifelike. The kicker is seeing the movie theater - you'll walk around and fight it out in there while a movie plays on the screen. Yes, all objects and every part of the screen is a 3D object, which is astounding given the amount of detail there is in the game. To help keep computers from choking on all the polys, the camera in each scene remains static as the Stranger moves about the area. The fixed point of view further enhances that movie feel to Nocturne.

Nocturne Preview [ He looks big @ 597 x 326 ] > View Full-Size in another window.
He looks big

Nocturne Preview [ Burn baby burn @ 602 x 450 ] > View Full-Size in another window.
Burn baby burn

Lighting and Shadow

One of the most impressive things about Nocturne is its real time lighting and shadowing system. While many games boast shadows, close inspection of them reveals them to be decidedly fake looking. Real shadows do not have sharp edges to them and do not have the same intensity throughout all their area. You might already know that 3dfx's new T-buffer technology boasts support for soft shadows that more closely reflect reality. Nocturne's developers worked hard to include similarly realistic shadow and lighting effects by using volumetric lighting. This helps them create shadows with softer edges and varying intensity. Also look for multiple light sources in each scene. Everything is rendered smoothly and on the fly. The short of it is that Nocturne's lighting and shadow system ranks as the best we've seen to date, and adds immeasurably to the mood and atmosphere of the game.

Nocturne Preview [ Two guns are better than one @ 602 x 450 ] > View Full-Size in another window.
Two guns are better than one

Nocturne Preview [ Flashlight in this game is awesome @ 602 x 450 ] > View Full-Size in another window.
Flashlight in this game is awesome

Cloth

If you think all that isn't enough, Terminal Reality's designers bring things to the next level with their cloth modeling system. Nocturne is so detailed that not even the flapping of curtains or the Stranger's trenchcoat is canned. This too is rendered on the fly, depending on what kind of movement and force the cloth is subjected to. Different cloths can be given different weights as well. You'll see Svetlana's light silk cape billow around her much differently than the Stranger's heavier wool trench coat. This might seem like a little thing, but the fact is that looking at the same animation over and over again completely breaks your suspension of disbelief while you play a game. The more unique everything looks, the more immersed you are into the game and the storyline. With a horror/adventure game like Nocturne, immersion is the name of the game.

Nocturne Preview [ Blast it! @ 602 x 450 ] > View Full-Size in another window.
Blast it!

Nocturne Preview [ Two fisted action @ 602 x 450 ] > View Full-Size in another window.
Two fisted action

Back! So what's this about?     Tell us about gameplay Next!
Blog + Share: Digg Del.icio.us Reddit SU furl • More: AddThis Social Bookmark Button
Send This Article to a Friend!  
Table of Contents
  Print Entire Article  

MATRIX CONTENT » RANDOM MEDIA BLOG More Blogs >>
No ratings yet
» Please rate this
Read this Media-Blog entry!» My First Entry For Crank That S#!T Up! (2)
by deathknight.92 () Talk with this user on their Shout Box (My other blogs) Posted 19 months ago


 Latest Headlines
New Alan Wake screens compare PC graphics to Xbox (0)
Mass Effect 3 PC Demo Impressions (2)
PC Game Sales for Wednesday, February 15th (0)
Assassin's Creed 3 announced, coming in October (6)
Syndicate launch trailer gets down to business (0)
Today's News >>
Today's Siteseeing >>


 Table of Contents


 Random Fact
Terminal Reality is a Texas based developer

FiringSquad is powered by... Back to Top Site MapContact UsAdvertise With Us Privacy StatementAbout Us  
News RSSSiteseeing RSSArticle RSS   © 1998-2012 FS Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved