Quote:
Originally Posted by General Zod
It looks like AA isn't enabled in these screenshots. Brad, can you say whether it will be possible to have AA enabled along with HDR, bloom and other post-processing effects? I know several games out there don't allow them to be on at the same time (something to do with the order in which they are processed by the graphics engine, if I understand correctly).


AA is coming. We're focusing our efforts on optimizing the game for beta to make sure players with older machines can play at decent frame rates right now. Things like AA, environmental shadows, taking advantage of shader 3.0 tech, some Unreal 3 tech, SLI/Crossfire, making 64 bit clients, etc. are all going to come, and I wish we could work on them now because it would make the game look that much better, but we have to make the hard choice of optimizing for the average to below average beta tester machine first.

As you can see from our screenshots over the last couple of years, the game has improved big time. I don't see this trend stopping. Before launch the game will make several more significant leaps in visual quality, including AA, which you're right, will be huge. And then post launch, the engine is architected such that keeping up with the latest tech will be relatively painless. Longevity is a big deal for us and with EQ 1 lasting 7 years now and with us never designing that game to last so long, while I give major props to those who have kept working on it and keeping it as current as possible, we have planned Vanguard from the begining in terms of tech, features, content, etc. such that we easily have the next 7 years or so planned out, and I mean planned out in detail, not just some notes jotted down. We have a world map that literally dwarfs what we will be shipping with, with the various expansions planned out in detail, the lore behind those areas, the maps drawn out. Same with features -- city building, lots of cool PvP options for various servers, lots of cool RP and other alternate ruleset server ideas, mounted combat, RTS elements... the list goes on and on. And like I said, the engine technology is the same way -- it's all ready to take advantage of what's going to be out next year and the year after that. Working with Microsoft, Nvidia, ATI, various physics and audio card companies, etc., and even being on several of their 'boards' where you not only hear about what's coming down the pipe but influence what's coming down the pipe (much of this thanks to Microsoft when we were working with them), plus the fact that our Director of Technology is old friends with Tim Sweeney at Epic and they talk all of the time such that not only are we getting Unreal 3.0 tech into our game, the opposite is also occuring -- we are influencing their technology too... all of this is part of our grand plan of creating a game that is not only amazing at launch but that stays exciting, gets new features, expands without obsoleting existing content, and looks great years from now. The Vanguard of 2008 is going to put the Vanguard of 2007 to shame, and the Vangaurd of 2007 is, while I'm obviously biased, already incredible.


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