Rockstar shows amazing LA Noire tech

Published 16 December, 2010 Duration 3:40

Has The Uncanny Valley been bridged?

Comments (64) Latest comment 1 year ago

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  • schmung #1 1 year ago

    Holy crap. That is genuinely staggering. The actual graphics aren't anything to shout about and there's a bit or jarring between the very expressive faces and slightly static bodies, but the actual range and subtlety of facial movement is incredible.

  • CaptainQuint #2 1 year ago

    Impressive stuff, but waaaaaay off defeating the uncanny valley. Way off.

    James Cameron came closest with Avatar, and his technology cost somewhat more than this.

  • PearOfAnguish #3 1 year ago

    Maybe I've misunderstood, but isn't this just motion capture with a higher level of detail? Like Final Fantasy: Spirits Within.

    Don't get me wrong, it's impressive to see it in a game, but this is all pre-scripted (well, pre-acted, anyway), like an interactive movie.

  • Evolution #4 1 year ago

    f*** me, not bad mocap...

    @PearOfAnguish

    Not sure what you expected exactly, but this is quite an impressive level of detail captured for real time use.
    Edited by Evolution at 16/12/10 @ 18:17

  • tiny_Eggy #5 1 year ago

    Too bad the rest of the graphics are not up to par. Maybe a PC version would be nice.

  • Paul_cz #6 1 year ago

    Interesting - facial animations are the best ever seen in the game, but the textures are so low-res that it still looks shitty.
    Hopefully they will improve it, but I wouldn't bet on it.

  • NewbieZilla #7 1 year ago

    "Don't get me wrong, it's impressive to see it in a game, but this is all pre-scripted (well, pre-acted, anyway), like an interactive movie."

    Mind boggle. Maybe I'm being dim, or maybe it is you. What are you expecting? Dynamic, unprogrammed lines? As in, developers playing it, "Hey, that wasn't supposed to be in there". Please, someone point out I'm missing something obvious here because if not, that is one of the most stupid things I've ever read.

    Edit: Do you also hate rereading books because the words are the same?
    Edited by NewbieZilla at 16/12/10 @ 18:27

  • Enigmax #8 1 year ago

    Nice. Me likes.

  • oceanmotion #9 1 year ago

    Impressive but not unexpected with what they are actually doing. Everyone else just didn't care to do this for their games but they have. Very welcome though, the little details add so much. Next gen power would be great to give everything else a bump up, seems a little down with the rest of the detail.

  • I\'mListening #10 1 year ago

    Un-be-lievable.

  • php_penguin #11 1 year ago

    Seriously impressive stuff - it would be a bit less odd if the face was captured at the same time as the body acting but we are a while off having that workable at a reasonable cost I think.

    It's slightly disappointing that they've gone for this balance of polygons vs texture resolution - having a less blurry/splotchy face texture with a slightly normalized poly mesh would probably give a better overall effect.. but then that'd sort of undo the purpose of capturing in such high definition to start with :s

  • PearOfAnguish #12 1 year ago

    "Mind boggle. Maybe I'm being dim, or maybe it is you. What are you expecting? Dynamic, unprogrammed lines? As in, developers playing it, "Hey, that wasn't supposed to be in there". Please, someone point out I'm missing something obvious here because if not, that is one of the most stupid things I've ever read."

    Wind your neck in, there's a good chap.

    I said it was impressive, however it seems to be just better mo-cap. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not ready to break out the uncanny valley yet, and what they're doing is - unless I have misunderstood - recording actors with some very accurate 3D imaging and then putting it in a game with textures. So yes, it does look great but this doesn't appear to be the kind of game where the player's actions will have any effect on the outcome. Unlike, say, a title such as Fallout or Oblivion where dynamically altering an NPCs emotions is a big part of the gameplay, and engaging in a conversation with realistic facial movements would be useful and impressive.
    Edited by PearOfAnguish at 16/12/10 @ 18:37

  • Rodriguez #13 1 year ago

    That really does look very impressive, but I'd imagine tech like that won't be used/seen a lot in other games until the next gen of consoles comes along, so certainly an early peek at the future!! Also, at around 03:24 is that Ted's dad from 'Bill and Ted'!!??

  • AnsemsApprentice #14 1 year ago

    Excellent, a real step forward I think.

    This wouldn't work in the majority of games though. It'd look totally weird in say, Gears of War (just a random example). I can see it working in all of Rockstar's games though. . .and maybe games like Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit etc, where realism is really important. I'm just thinking there isn't much room for artistic creativity when using mo-cap sometimes, but that doesn't seem to be the case with L.A Noire, so what do I know?

    I'm much more excited for this game; was anyway, but now it's a certainty I'll buy it. Awesome.
    Edited by AnsemsApprentice at 16/12/10 @ 18:44

  • NewbieZilla #15 1 year ago

    "Unlike, say, a title such as Fallout or Oblivion where dynamically altering an NPCs emotions is a big part of the gameplay, and engaging in a conversation with realistic facial movements would be useful and impressive."

    But that is still pre scripted/pre acted. It is the nature of games for this to be the case, just as it is the case for a book to have the words on the page. Just as a movie will be filmed before you see it. I see better the point you are trying to make. It just remains stupid.

  • defdaz #16 1 year ago

    Very very cool! Agree on dodgy texture work and how the face doesn't quite fit the body etc. but all the same, wow!

    Interesting to see how actors are being used more and more in games as technology improves, rather than the other way around.

  • des #17 1 year ago

    meh,show some gameplay video(somebody playing) then you might get me interested

    Tech demos=yuck

  • Lukus #18 1 year ago

    I'm pretty sure that's Bill Theodore Logan's dad in the last 10 seconds there. If I'm right, then the tech is pretty good.
    Edited by Lukus at 16/12/10 @ 18:52

  • AnsemsApprentice #19 1 year ago

    I think it'll take getting used to, like the film A Scanner Darkly. That's what it reminds me of, that sort of Rotoscope-y, high-fidelity, oily. . .ness. Makes my head hurt for a while, but in a good way. It's very pleasing to the eye I must say, can't get over how impressive it looks still. Wowza.

    This would be awesome in GTA5. Not sure how it would look, but it sounds like a good idea to me. Max Payne as well, it has a lot of potential for those type of games. Exciting no?
    Edited by AnsemsApprentice at 16/12/10 @ 19:02

  • DDevil #20 1 year ago

    Their skin is still too shiny, and the main guy looks like Odo from Star Trek DS9.

  • Dizzy #21 1 year ago

    Very cool... But where is the game?

  • SleepyDeathFred #22 1 year ago

    Problem is that a character is only as good as the actor playing them. Not convinced by the "I think [swallows wave of nausea] some of your men aren't fully licensed."

  • mikew1985 #23 1 year ago

    Fuck a duck this looks awesome!

  • PearOfAnguish #24 1 year ago

    "Just as a movie will be filmed before you see it."

    Ya don't say. There's a difference between watching something and actually interacting with it and affecting the outcome. That is my point. It is impressive high resolution mo-cap and would seem ideally suited to adventure games like this, or anything else with lots of cutscenes, but I'm just not going to jizz in my pants over something which is the same as what we've had before, except with more detail. If that does it for you, then great, but it is not a massive revolution. When this kind of thing can be done without actors, and the action can be altered on the fly without looking as horrific as Oblivion and Fallout do sometimes, then I'll get excited.

  • Fillem #25 1 year ago

    This looks so....I can't put my finger on it.
    While the facial animation looks spectacular, I don't think it quite holds up next to the way the clothing and backgrounds look?
    I don't know...maybe it just looks odd because the digital faces are full of emotion.

  • Darren #26 1 year ago

    The facial animation is incredible. Uncannily likelife. Must say that I'm really looking forward to playing L.A. Noire.

    And was that Walter Bishop I spotted there near the start (a.k.a. the awesome John Noble)?

  • king26 #27 1 year ago

    read a good article on L.A Noire in Play Gamer, looks awesome

  • r3n #28 1 year ago

    Wowee, I haven't been that impressed with new tech in a long time.

  • bumgut #29 1 year ago

    That is incredible! They just jumped straight over uncanny valley!

  • monkfishjoe #30 1 year ago

    It looksvery good, but if Hollywood can't crack it then it's going to be a few more years for us gamers.

    Has anyone seen the horrific 'CLU 2.0' from Tron Legacy? It's a mass of odd wobbles, waxen skin and funny mouths...

    Still, congrats to the people behind this tech - impressive stuff.

  • arcam #31 1 year ago

    Uncanny valley hasn't even been reached yet, let alone bridged.

    The Uncanny valley effect is at it's strongest when people look very, very close to real, but just not quite perfect. In a 2-3 console generations, when graphics and animation get significantly better, that's when we might have to start worrying about the unsettling effect of the uncanny valley.

    At the moment, graphics are way too unrealistic to give you a creepy feeling about something that looks real but isn't. That applies to things like Madame Tussauds and high quality realistic CGI, not low resolution computer characters..
    Edited by arcam at 16/12/10 @ 20:32

  • Han_Solo #32 1 year ago

    Holy Crap! Was that Walter from Fringe at the beginning?

  • Cjail #33 1 year ago

    Uncharted doesn't use facial motion-capture: those results are more impressive...for me at least.

  • AdamAsunder #34 1 year ago

    That just looks fucking weird to me. Like having real faces on mannequins.

  • binster #35 1 year ago

    Just to clarify, this isn't motion capture so much as surface capture - so the process is seemingly capturing, for every character, for every line of dialogue, for every frame of animation a complete face texture map and mesh object which are then streamed in game.

    I'm actually surprised this is on Xbox 360 as well, purely due to disk space issues. I'm guessing the texture streaming is doing some clever jpeg style compression and difference key-framing from one frame of face texture to the next.

  • imamazed #36 1 year ago

    That is extremely impressive. The best games, or, at least, the one's I've enjoyed the most, are the ones with a great script. This technology offers to make clearer great performances from 'digital' actors in games too. Excited to see what else this could be used for, although the game itself look excellent.

    On a side issue, I've seen some complaining about the graphics in general. They don't seem to be the highest textures or anything, but I'm really liking the art style around it. And they look pretty damn functional where I'm sitting from, even if they're not stunning.
    Edited by imamazed at 16/12/10 @ 22:13

  • paulf #37 1 year ago

    some of you lot are hard to please, for me that is just fucking awesome, and cause it's rockstar then we know there will be a game to go with the tech as well

  • Dave #38 1 year ago

    Review subtext:

    Face value.

  • oerhoert #39 1 year ago

    "Uncanny valley hasn't even been reached yet, let alone bridged."

    Everything he said. Uncanny valley isn't about bridging the gap of realism, it's about when you achieve something to look so real that other people just have a slight—uncanny—sense that there's something 'wrong' (unreal) still.
    Edited by oerhoert at 16/12/10 @ 23:07

  • feline #40 1 year ago

    This is a great jump forward. I especially like the fact that they're not just using it to make cut-scenes look better - there is actually a gameplay-related reason for using the technology. I'm suddenly really excited to play this game!

  • TOSH9313 #41 1 year ago

    Just Came.

  • trip919 #42 1 year ago

    WTF? It just looks so fucking weird.

  • afray #43 1 year ago

    Is everyone so raptured by the amazing facial tech that they've not noticed the awful sound quality? Everyone sounds like they're in that room with the massive camera rig instead of, say, in a street.

  • geeza2020 #44 1 year ago

    sound effects/audio quality are easily changed with a bit of post-processing or added effects though, so dont worry too much :)

  • KrazyFace #45 1 year ago

    Ho-lee-crap!!! Seriously guys half of you sound like spoiled brats. "The graphics aren't very good", "It's just rubbish motion capture" "It's all pre-scripted, I want dynamic acting", I mean, listen to yourselves YOU DON'T KNOW HOW GOOD YOU'VE GOT IT!

    I've been watching this game's development for the last few years now and it's looking really good, I for one am excited to play something different for once, instead of another generic shooter that the main gaming population seem happy to part cash for. Anything that breaks away from the mold in my book is a good thing, regardless of how good the graphics are, just be thankful there are developers out there trying to give you somthing betterfor your own entertainment, rather than just making an identi-kit game just to take your money.

  • intpleeus #46 1 year ago

    Every now and then a game comes along that raises the bar in some important respect. Perhaps the game is nothing special in every other regard, but it does one thing brilliantly. Even if LA Noire is only an average game, it'll be remembered for pushing the envelope of digital acting.

  • intpleeus #47 1 year ago

    Apparently, LA Noire is set in an open world not unlike Grand Theft Auto IV. A lot of people are complaining about the quality of the character models and textures, but the engine probably needs enough slack to pull off huge draw distances, constant streaming, dozens of vehicles, pedestrians, and other goings on. LA Noire, like GTA IV, just cannot afford the same texture and polygon budgets as some of its more narrowly focused competitors, because performance would suffer too much during busy scenes. Of course, this just makes the virtual performances of its characters all the more impressive.

  • Segnit #48 1 year ago

    Really really awesome tech. Can't wait!

  • Ryze #49 1 year ago

    Excellent stuff. Looks like 3D video.

    Only issue is that it appears to eat up the polygon / texture budget. the rest of the graphics appear to be lacking.

    Can't wait to see their finished product, though.

  • Corben_Dallas #50 1 year ago

    wtf is " uncanny valley"????

  • smelly #51 1 year ago

    >Every now and then a game comes along that raises the bar in some important respect. P

    And being a GAME that important aspect should be related to how it plays? No?

  • Cheapshot #52 1 year ago

    That.... was jaw-dropping. The faces are kinda plastic but this is revolutionary stuff no doubt. *shudder*

  • tjlazr #53 1 year ago

    This is going to ruin any other game you play! I remember how jarring the difference in the facial expressions was between uncharted 2 and assassin's creed 2...using the same voice actor meant the lack of expression in the AC2 models took quite a while to get over before I was able to immerse myself in that story. This footage just takes that to a whole new level. Well done guys, just make sure you roll out the tech for everyone!

  • intpleeus #54 1 year ago

    @smelly

    Not really. At least not in a narrow sense. I suspect LA Noire will play like a more realistic and laid-back version of Grand Theft Auto IV. The experience as a whole appears to be more story and character driven, more about the mystery, investigation, and intrigue. The quality of all these elements depends on far more than just core game mechanics, though it appears to blur that line in some respects.

  • UncleLou #55 1 year ago

    "Every now and then a game comes along that raises the bar in some important respect. "

    And being a GAME that important aspect should be related to how it plays? No?

    Like having facial animations that are tied to the gameplay, you mean. Or did you not read the article you are commenting on again?

  • AidyD #56 1 year ago

    This is a genuine leap forward. After this... Any game that doesnt include passable human facial expressions and lip-synching will always be noticed for it.

    Unless its Tetris 3d or something...

  • kongzi #57 1 year ago

    I wouldn't say the uncanny valley has been bridged. It can't be.. In fact this is exactly what the whole theory is about: the more realistic the robot (or in this case character) becomes, the more pronounced the alienating effect will be. And judging from this trailer, it still does that. But apart from that, this does represent a huge leap forward in digital character and i'm really looking forward to the game. I've enjoyed the crap out of every single rockstar game i've bought since gta1 so this is a safe purchase for me anyways.