18th March 2003, 7:49 PM
...except that, on a purely graphical standpoint, pre-rendered graphics wipe the floor with real-time. I mean, look at a screenshot of the main hall in REmake and tell me that GCN could do that much detail in lighting, number of polygons, etc. and not take a huge framerate hit. The reason why I'm so psyched about RE4 is that the real-time graphics in that game miraculously compete with REmake.
Graphical advantages aside, I think pre-rendered backgrounds are limiting. Because it's essentially a fake of the environment, you can't do much with it. Interaction with the environment is painfully minimalistic, and physics is often messed up. I prefer real-time over anything else, but it's only fair to give credit where credit is due.
What I don't understand is when companies use real-time and then limit the interaction with the environment with pre-rendered-esque techniques. For example, I will never understand why Silicon Knights chose to pre-render the light coming in from the windows in the mansion.
Graphical advantages aside, I think pre-rendered backgrounds are limiting. Because it's essentially a fake of the environment, you can't do much with it. Interaction with the environment is painfully minimalistic, and physics is often messed up. I prefer real-time over anything else, but it's only fair to give credit where credit is due.
What I don't understand is when companies use real-time and then limit the interaction with the environment with pre-rendered-esque techniques. For example, I will never understand why Silicon Knights chose to pre-render the light coming in from the windows in the mansion.