One of the problems you face when you're expected to create a more realistic game engine is that the amount of detail you need to supply increases quite a bit.  Most people don't care too much whether or not a tiny pixel character has a snooze mode, or if they gasp in horror when, say, their friend is being carved up by an especially resilient chainsaw.  But as we demand more of our games, details might not be important enough to put in.  To wit:

One of the problems you face when you're expected to create a more realistic game engine is that the amount of detail you need to supply increases quite a bit.  Most people don't care too much whether or not a tiny pixel character has a snooze mode, or if they gasp in horror when, say, their friend is being carved up by an especially resilient chainsaw.  But as we demand more of our games, details might not be important enough to put in.  To wit:

:) Nice observation.  How recently do you need to have added something to a profile tab for it light up as "New" do you know/reckon?  2 weeks is my guess from what I've observed but it's just a guess.

Ahaha...anyway yeah. I need more emotion in my characters otherwise I can't give flying shit about them.

Chris's model itself is ample proof of what you're talking about.
 
Pixelated character with massive appendages, who cares.
 
Realistically rendered dude with biceps bigger than his head creates the "jeeze bro, lay off the steroids" reaction.

You gotta keep your cool in extreme situations.

I disagree. I think details like this will become more and more interesting. Did you know in Dirt 2 when you break your rearview mirror off it, and it's dangling by a wire from the side of your car, it still reflects everything as a real mirror would, and that the tires have flat bottoms where they hit the road, like there's a weight on them? Remember what a big step it was when people had context-sensitive walking patterns, so going up hills had a different animation from walking on a flat surface? Or Resident Evil 4 when shooting the lake from the dock made the lake boss come eat you? The statue in MGS4 that if you hid with it too many times the penis snapped off and Snake throws it away? I think it's even possible to deflect bullets with your gun in Halo 3 if you've got god-like reflexes. There's little touches everywhere that make the game world seem more real, making going back to older games difficult because the illusion is gone while they're not there.
 
That said, modern games have a long way to go. GTA 4 you can watch a street sweeper and he'l stay there for hours without moving. Half-Life 2 I took great joy picking up bottles and dumping them on people's heads because they wouldn't do anything. No game will ever be perfect with these things, but it'll happen.

I never thought about that. Nice find.
 
Come to think of it, it surprises me in co-op games like Gears that the partners do not notice the death of one another, and instead the mission failed screen interrupts that. It was cool how in Halo 3 the regular marines acknowledge the death of Master Chief or Arbiter in co-op mode, but the respawning somewhat breaks that realism.

I've never thought about this before either. Unfortunately, all of the reactions that I can think of that Sheva would have would be unintentionally hilarious. I'm not sure what can be done about this. Is this uncanny valley territory?

Someone good at photoshop needs to replace Sheva with the Sony Translator guy.

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