San Andreas Graphics ?

[KieranMurphy]

What do you think so far about the graphics in the game?

I'm a little dissapointed because there seemed to be so much hype about the view distance and about all the bugs they'd fixed.

I haven't done much in open countryside so I can't comment much on the draw distance, but there seems to just as much graphical bugs as in Vice City and GTA III. Objects keep popping into view at the last moment and sometimes the transition between low-res and high-res textures/polygons occurs very suddenly so that an object up close suddenly change into high-res. It's annoying but no more so than Vice City. I can deal with it.

I'm not so sure about the graininess of the screen when it's raining. I thought Vice City handled it less annoyingly. I don't see how the grainy screen helps it look like rain at all. It feels like I'm playing Silent Hill 2.

One change I do like is the way the cars are rendered. They look almost like they're from a cel shaded game or slightly like the 3d rendered vehicles in Futurama. Adds a nice stylistic touch to the game.


KM.

 

[LoudMusic]

So far? Five minutes of play? Best use of PS2 power so far.

View distance? Try HD Loader - you'll get stuff loading off in the distance much quicker.

I need more game time, but what I've seen so far is a pretty good increase in visual quality. They've figured out some more tricks. Their programmers need more money (:

 

[R32GTST/M]

I hate to be the one to say this but there is already a thread created for such views qnd questions.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=50358

 

[KieranMurphy]

I hate to be the one to say this...

Then don't.

Your thread was specifically about graphics "solutions" and "q&a". If your thread was meant to be a general graphics discussion thread then you should have said so. your opening post and the thread title seemed to indicate that your thread was about how to tweak your TV to improve the picutre quality in the game.

My thread is to discuss the quality of graphics in the game. What do people think of the game engine? Is it better or worse? Have Rockstar sorted out the rendering bugs of previous games? Etc. etc.

I'm interested to hear opinions like Loud Music's above. Not other people telling me I should be responding to their threads.


KM.

 

[R32GTST/M]

If your thread was meant to be a general graphics discussion thread then you should have said so

Yeah thats true my bad i thought id mentioned something about posting discussion there.
But im sure you could have used that thread, to post your statement, being that your graphics problem seems to be kinds similar to the problem i had.
But oh well **** happens, i guess this forum is big enough for 2 similar graphics threads, no doubt someone will create another one.

 

[Jay]

I like the car models alot lot better, they look more realistic, I think the whole game looks more realistic and less cartoonish like previous GTA's.

 

[Shannon]

I love the blur effect you get when driving the motorbikes fast. Makes **** harder to see, but adds a sense of realism (more so) to the game. 👍

 

[demon of speed]

The graphics don't touch Driv3r or the forthcoming Getaway 2.

 

[Nasadus]

True, but still it looks better than the previous games.The cars look way better and handle better aswell.The view distance is greatly increased.You may not see that while in Los Santos but go to the countryside where the air is much clearer and you will notice it.

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

But if it looked like Driv3r or Getaway 2, it wouldn't be GTA. Plus, GTA is far better than those games in my opinion.

Also, I like the Grain effect, Blur effect, etc. I haven't had any trouble with the Blue effect so far, it just makes it much cooler. I actually love driving with the Blur effect.

I love the new car look too. Look more real, and less cartoony. It actually reminds me a bit of Gran Turismo 3.

Also, I've noticed the Draw-Distance. The countryside is very cool for this. Also, I noticed how there are hardly any pop-ins. If there are, they are very hard to notice.

 

[KieranMurphy]

Also, I noticed how there are hardly any pop-ins. If there are, they are very hard to notice.

I've noticed just as much pop-ups as in Vice City. As I said I'm a bit dissappointed because there was so much hype about how the bugs have been fixed.

The grass looks good. Nice to see actual blades sticking up. In the ghetto it looks like people have been neglecting their lawns. In Vice City & GTA III all the grass was just flat textures on the ground.

I also like the funky warpspeed effect when you're zooming along at high speed.


KM.

 

[Giancarlo]

The graphics don't touch Driv3r or the forthcoming Getaway 2.

That's because they like to keep the GTA look at Rockstar.

My only issue now is the impossible to read highway signs. I have to stop completely to see where the arrow points, and go about 15 mph or so to read the city/county.

 

[KieranMurphy]

That's because they like to keep the GTA look at Rockstar.

That's a very poor excuse for sub-par graphics. Pop-ups, textures not loading on time and roads turning transparent at random - are they the "GTA look" ?

I think the problem with GTA III was that the Renderware engine used for the graphics wasn't up to much anyway. Maybe Rockstar decided it was better to tweak and improve the engine for Vice City and then for San Andreas than to have to create sequels from scratch.

I played for a couple of hours today and didn't notice popups and glitches as much as I did yesterday.


KM.

 

[R32GTST/M]

That's a very poor excuse for sub-par graphics. Pop-ups, textures not loading on time and roads turning transparent at random - are they the "GTA look" ?

I think the problem with GTA III was that the Renderware engine used for the graphics wasn't up to much anyway. Maybe Rockstar decided it was better to tweak and improve the engine for Vice City and then for San Andreas than to have to create sequels from scratch.

I played for a couple of hours today and didn't notice popups and glitches as much as I did yesterday.


KM.

I think I may have a theory on this, some people are saying they have'nt seen much pop up and some people are saying they've seen heaps.
If anyone saw the news just before the game was released in Europe, there was talk about some earlier model PS2's not being able to cope with the game as well,(something to do with worn out lasers or something) maybe the people who are having graphics complaints are using older PS2's.
I havent had much problem with pop-up only the odd bit.
Im more than Happy with the graphics soo far, the new weather effects and speed blur are awesome, car models and physics are great.
I love the variation between vehicles, and having to learn how to handle them.

 

[ExigeEvan]

That could explain why matt is having no problems with pop-ups on his new PStwo.

 

[KieranMurphy]

I think I may have a theory on this, some people are saying they have'nt seen much pop up and some people are saying they've seen heaps.
If anyone saw the news just before the game was released in Europe, there was talk about some earlier model PS2's not being able to cope with the game as well,(something to do with worn out lasers or something) maybe the people who are having graphics complaints are using older PS2's.

Maybe. I don't know how and when textures are loaded into memory. I'd be surprised if they were loaded on the fly straight from the CD.

But maybe you're right. My PS2 is knackered. Half my games and DVDs get disc read errors and won't load.


KM.

 

[Jay]

Im having pop up problems my PS2 is old.

Once I was driving up to a bridge and I was halfway across it before it popped up, I was driving in mid air.

most of the time it doesnt pop up though.

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

Well, I've noticed 3 pop-ups (while actually looking for them), and they were quite discreet. But I got rid of my old, malfunctioning PS2, in exchange for a PStwo, and it works wonders. I suggest getting rid of your old PS2, trading it in and getting a new one. Even just a better PS2, not a PStwo. It's worth it.

The only problems I get is "overload", where everything seems to happen at once and it lags for about 2 seconds, or one funny thing happened yesterday. I was watching a Plane fly and it just disappeared out of thin air. It was a one-off though.

 

[KieranMurphy]

The only problems I get is "overload", where everything seems to happen at once and it lags for about 2 seconds

I don't know if this is the same thing as you're describing, but I've noticed that the frame-rate crawls to almost a halt when you park a car in the middle of a freeway and let a huge pile-up happen (how stupid are these drivers?). It can get unbearably slow then.


KM.

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

I haven't noticed it while causing a pile-up. It's just in over-crowded areas. It happens anywhere (except probably the Country).

But the Drivers aren't stupid. They just drive really fast. The Bike Riders are quite smart, even in normal traffic.

 

[KieranMurphy]

But the Drivers aren't stupid.

Well, having seen a fair few pile-ups where they've just driven into a huge pile of cars without even braking, I think they are stupid. Every time I leave a car sitting in the middle of a freeway, drivers just plough into it, mostly without even trying to slow down or avoid it.


KM.

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

Well, having seen a fair few pile-ups where they've just driven into a huge pile of cars without even braking, I think they are stupid.

Never happened to me, they always skid to a stop (well, a crash) unless I brake right in front of them.

 

[Max Powers]

I hate to be the one to say this but there is already a thread created for such views qnd questions.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=50358

LET THIS THREAD DIE!!!!!!!!!!! CANT YOU SEE THEY ALREADY CREATED ONE JUST LIKE IT KM. GOD!!!!!!!! HOW CAN YOU BE SO IGNORANT AS TO NOT FOLLOW THE PRE-PLANNED ARRANGMENT OF THREADS. R32GTSEMRHSUT/M WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT, GOD1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ledhed]

dude lay off the crack.

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

LET THIS THREAD DIE!!!!!!!!!!! CANT YOU SEE THEY ALREADY CREATED ONE JUST LIKE IT KM. GOD!!!!!!!! HOW CAN YOU BE SO IGNORANT AS TO NOT FOLLOW THE PRE-PLANNED ARRANGMENT OF THREADS. R32GTSEMRHSUT/M WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT, GOD1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, this thread is here as it is to discuss your thoughts about the graphics. R32GTST/M's thread is for help with fixing any problems with graphics due to possible problems with your TV's settings.

Secondly, a little more polite-ness is a good thing. Just a handy tip.

KM, I suggest you rename this thread to "San Andreas Graphics Discussion", or something along those lines, to prevent these sorts of posts from happening.