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8 CommentsRendering an open world with Destiny, Umbra and the occlusion rule
By Dave Tach on Mar 30, 2013 03.30.13
Picture a split screen video. On the left, a camera swoops down slowly through the 3D landscape of buildings the length of a few city blocks. As the camera gets closer to street level, the buildings in front obscure those behind it. As it flies up vertically, they come back into view. A second camera on the right side of the split screen never moves. Perched high above the landscape, it shows an overhead view of the city blocks that the left camera winds through. As objects disappear from the point of view of the left side camera — as they become occluded, in technical terms — they turn red. Identifying those red spots is what Umbra does. At a GDC panel today, Otso Makinen, chief technical officer at Umbra, and Hao Chen, senior graphics architect at Bungie, discussed how using...
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23 CommentsHow Bungie shaped Destiny from fantasy to 'mythic sci-fi' world
By Michael McWhertor on Mar 28, 2013 03.28.13
When Bungie set off on its journey to build an all-new universe for Destiny, the mythic science fiction, "shared world shooter" it unveiled earlier this year, it started with a more traditional fantasy concept starring wizards, grub lords and giant frogs battling in ancient settings. Bungie also wanted to further explore science fiction, design director Christopher Barrett said at GDC today, still enticed by "possibility of a cool future, space ships, different worlds and, of course, shooting aliens, which everybody loves." "Ancient ruins are cool, but so are derelict spaceships," Barrett said. "Both powerful mysteries begging to explore. Then we asked ourselves 'Why can't we have both?' What does a buried tomb look like next to a sci-fi setting? What does gold look like next to an...
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5 CommentsBungie explored 'straight-up' fantasy and modern day settings for Destiny
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Mar 18, 2013 03.18.13
Destiny, Bungie's upcoming mythic sci-fi shooter, could have taken place in a number of different settings, including "straight-up fantasy" or something "a bit more modern," writer and designer director Jospeh Staten told OXM. Speaking with the publication during a recent interview, Staten explained that the team explored several different options in pre-production. The game's current mix of science fiction and fantasy ultimately won out because it "gave us this freedom," Staten said. "You saw small things like the prevalence of cloth in the game, a lot of characters have capes or cloaks and the combatants have cloth as well," Staten said. "Fantasy brings us this texture that we can wrap around sci-fi, which is really appealing, especially if you're an artist who's just been stuck...
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9 CommentsBungie still seeking alpha and beta testers for Destiny
By Michael McWhertor on Mar 06, 2013 03.06.13
The creators of Halo are still accepting applications for alpha and beta testers for their next game, Destiny, looking for interested players to help "shape our glorious future." Bungie sounded the call for testers back in late 2010, long before the Bellevue, Wash. studio had officially unveiled Destiny. A tweet from Bungie senior UI designer David Candland today served as a reminder for interested applicants, warning them not to seek out beta testing invites from third parties. According to Bungie's website, "hundreds of thousands of gamers from all regions and territories around the world will be needed before all is said and done." During our recent visit to Bungie, the developer showed a video of community members playing Destiny in a multiplayer environment, indicating...
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10 CommentsFrom Dead Space to Destiny: Joe Cross' Dead Space 3 concept art
By Dave Tach on Feb 23, 2013 02.23.13
Joe Cross' artistic influence is everywhere in Dead Space 3, and you don't have to look any further than his concept art to prove it. Working with Visceral Games, Cross coordinated with art directors and environment leads to paint the frozen landscapes and corridors, vehicles and characters that would set the visual tone for the recently released game. Cross shared some of that artwork with Polygon recently and told us about his journey from art school to working remotely to his current position in an office working on a highly anticipated upcoming title. Originally from the Bay Area, Cross graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he received a BFA in traditional illustration. He moved to Portland in 2002 and spent time working at Nike and teaching...
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143 CommentsPS4: What We Know
By Russ Pitts on Feb 20, 2013 02.20.13
PS4 in Under Two Minutes Video: PS4 Announcement in Under Two Minutes PS4 Hardware PS4 Hardware At the PlayStation Meeting tonight, Sony announced the four major concepts it was going after with the design of the PS4: Simple, Immediate, Social, Personalized. "Simple" refers to the PS4 architecture, and one assumes is a direct response to the architecture of the PS3, which was widely criticized for being overly complex. "Nothing should come between the platform and the joy of play," said Mark Cerny, lead system architect. As Sony's demonstration video explained, "simple" means "elegant," and with elegant hardware you can achieve "astonishing complexity." Whatever that means. Here are the PS4 specs revealed so far: x86-64 AMD "Jaguar" 8-core CPU "...
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54 CommentsDestiny headed to PS4, will receive exclusive content
By Dave Tach on Feb 20, 2013 02.20.13
Destiny, Halo developer Bungie's recently revealed "always connected" first-person shooter, is headed to PlayStation 4, Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision publishing, announced today at an event that also revealed Sony's next-gen console. After announcing the port, Hirshberg stepped off the stage. A video rolled that included new footage from the game, filled with aliens, grand vistas and capes blowing in the wind. You can watch the video, which was narrated by Bungie co-founder Jason Jones, below. Bungie president Harold Ryan then took to the stage and announced that both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions will include "exclusive, playable content just for the PlayStation community." Details surrounding Destiny first leaked last year in legal documents pertaining to a...
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7 CommentsBungie composer Marty O'Donnell on the music of Destiny, collaborating with Paul McCartney
By Michael McWhertor on Feb 17, 2013 02.17.13
Expect something a little different from the musical score to Bungie's next video game, Destiny. Penned by longtime Bungie composer Marty O'Donnell and partner Mike Salvatori, Destiny's soundtrack has been shaped by two factors: a collaboration with Paul McCartney and the fact that O'Donnell was asked to score a game that did not yet exist. O'Donnell says that Bungie COO Pete Parsons came to him early in Destiny's development and asked him to start writing. "I need more meat," O'Donnell said, hoping for something — a trailer, a documentary — to write music against. But Destiny was a project in its infancy, lacking in gameplay moments that could serve as inspiration. So, O'Donnell said he began writing based solely on Destiny's ideas, stories and artwork. The result was nearly an...
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54 CommentsDestiny available for pre-order now at Best Buy, GameStop
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Feb 17, 2013 02.17.13
Best Buy and GameStop are now taking pre-orders for Bungie's upcoming sci-fi fantasy, action shooter, Destiny, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game retails for $59.99 on both systems, and those who pre-order Destiny at GameStop will receive an exclusive two-sided poster as a bonus. A release date has not yet been announced for the game, and buyers will not be charged until the order is shipped and processed. Details on pre-order promotional materials were leaked earlier this week for both stores. Destiny will allow players to customize characters and earn further customizable weapons, gear and vehicles. The game includes both co-op and competitive multiplayer that will function seamlessly with its single-player experience. Read everything we know about Destiny in our feature here....
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144 CommentsDestiny: Bungie's Brave New Worlds
By Michael McWhertor on Feb 17, 2013 02.17.13
One safe city remains on Earth, shielded from harm by a mysterious entity known as The Traveler. This cracked white orb hovers silently over the last remnants of humanity's Golden Age, protecting us from total annihilation. Knights known as Guardians, protectors empowered by the Traveler, seek to uncover the mysteries of humanity's downfall and keep it safe from persisting threats. This is the setting of Destiny, the beginnings of a decade-long collaboration between Halo creators Bungie and publisher Activision. It's a world "where any story is possible," Bungie says, and where players — as the Guardians of Destiny — will become legend. Players will explore our solar system in Bungie's new first-person shooter, crafting personal stories as they travel Destiny's surreal,...
