Thoughts on Euphoria (NPC animations)?

[The Bus Driver]

Hi all.

 

Saw this time round there seems to be way less advertising for the Euphoria engine going round (that's the animation engine that makes NPCs flail around etc. when they get hit - when IV got this far into dev I'm sure it was everywhere, remember seeing loads of vids of people falling off things, hitting each other and getting run over etc.).

 

Made me think, I never really liked it. Just didn't look right to me most of the time. Hoping it's come along a bit for five though. Anyone else with me on that or am I on my own here, couldn't find anyone who didn't like it so wondering if it's just me. Haha.

 

Made a poll also, seemed a good topic for it.

[AceHigh11]

I'm a Euphoria fanboy

[SmileyHam]

Looks like a smooth version of the GTA IV animations. GTA IV was rough when it came to animations. It was sluggish and slow but good looking.

[The Bus Driver]

Yeah, I thought kinda choppy moving. Clearly I'm on my own not liking it though. Haha.

 

How'd you compare it to other games, like non GTA animations. Did you guys play Red Dead etc. too btw?

[The Scottish Guy]

When I first played IV, the new ragdoll physics were f*cking amazing. I had hours of fun just speeding around smashing into peds and watching them fly all over the place! The loud thudding noise when your front bonnet smashed into your unfortunate victim made the whole thing even funnier!

 

One of the first things I'm doing in V is grabbing some wheels, choosing some ped, and hitting the f*cker at 80mph to test out the new physics.

[killahmatic]

more realistic and more fun.

 

Other than the way cars handled and the graphics, it was the best addition to the franchise.

 

And how about car crashes? In previous GTAs you'd be going full speed, hit a car, and pretty much stop, in IV you'd hit the car, the car itself would smash into people or other cars, you'd get turned, flipped, all while knocking down poles and signs, and stop half a block away... good times.

Edited November 27, 2012 by killahmatic

[The Bus Driver]

Gotta admit I did a fair bit of that too. Do you reckon they look better in Five from what you seen or waiting till you get to play? Hah.

 

Starting to wonder if anyone out there didn't like it. Haha. Not as good a poll as I thought. xD

 

 

edit @ killahmatic: Seriously as far as best addition? I had more freedom and things to do as mine, meant I could play waaay longer.

Edited November 27, 2012 by The Bus Driver

[Miss Darko]

One thing people need to remember (and I'm not saying that anyone in this topic so far hasn't made this distinction) is that the euphoria animation system is primarily just for when "rag-doll physics" are induced, only when it happens, the affected don't simply fall to the ground but flail around, attempting to maintain balance, and interact with objects in their surroundings in order to do so, creating much more realistic reactions to getting shot or hit by a car.

 

Euphoria had nothing to do with the way people normally walked, or jumped, or ran, or the driving physics, or much of anything else, those were just normal animations (and a separate physics engine for the driving) and their oft-considered "sluggishness" in GTA IV was due to different factors entirely. Just want people to keep that in mind when answering this poll.

 

My answer is that yes, it was amazing in IV, and has only improved in RDR and even further in MP3. I expect V's take on it to be quite impressive.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Mr. Darko

[The Bus Driver]

Yeah, I should've put that in the poll header really but there wasn't much room. >.<

 

I've seen the tech demos for Euphoria too but it just didn't look quite the same in game I think. Too much bouncing around and flappyness... or something... didn't feel right. Haha. I liked it a lot more in Red Dead, more reason for asking.

 

Forgive me, what's MP3? *awaits shaming xD*

[Miss Darko]

Max Payne 3.

[The Bus Driver]

*facepalm* I totally forgot about Max Payne, never got round to playing the second one so I think the 3rd release just went right past me. >.<

Didn't realise they'd used Euphoria in it actually, but I guess it makes sense having the contract and all. Shall have a look at some vids.

 

edit: Does look kinda cool in Max Payne 3 - from most vids I saw looks like it was mainly used for when the player falls. Kind of interesting.

 

double edit: Who was the 'more real, less fun' voter? I've finally found another Euphoriaphobe! xD

Edited November 27, 2012 by The Bus Driver

[Lil ski]

*facepalm* I totally forgot about Max Payne, never got round to playing the second one so I think the 3rd release just went right past me. >.<

Didn't realise they'd used Euphoria in it actually, but I guess it makes sense having the contract and all. Shall have a look at some vids.

Dude Max Payne 3's animation was awesome!! It was one of the more realistic animations I've seen in alot of games today. Like the animation is more fluid when someone is walking or whatever and when some grabs an item (like a drink, weapon, cigarette, etc) it's real close to watching a real life footage of somthing. It's amazing how far computer graphics and animation has come, it's like we're almost out of uncanny valley! (probably wont happen until next gen machines but it's a big step than 5 years ago!)

[The Bus Driver]

Yeah I'm still watching the vids. I've got to say it is impressive.

 

I guess GTA can't quite match it yet but it's got to deal with a lot more on screen characters so it kinda makes sense. Who knows though, maybe 5 will look just as good. I guess the test for animation is to put a bit of lens blur on it and see if people realise they're watching polys rather than people on distorted footage.

 

Also, totally want Max Payne 3 now... and 2... >.<

[redjamspear]

Yeah I'm still watching the vids. I've got to say it is impressive.

 

I guess GTA can't quite match it yet but it's got to deal with a lot more on screen characters so it kinda makes sense. Who knows though, maybe 5 will look just as good. I guess the test for animation is to put a bit of lens blur on it and see if people realise they're watching polys rather than people on distorted footage.

 

Also, totally want Max Payne 3 now... and 2... >.<

Probably don't bother with Max Payne 2, as it's almost 10 years old and I'm assuming hasn't aged well. More importantly, the story of MP3 doesn't directly follow on from the previous games at all, so you won't feel like you're at a disadvantage in terms of knowing what's going on.

I've been playing MP3 a lot over the past few days though, and it's pretty wonderful.

[Grand Cannon]

In the GI article it said Rockstar is using Euphoria to its full potential so I'm friggen excited.

[The Bus Driver]

Oh really? That's a shame to hear, really enjoyed the first game's story. Ah well, maybe I'll wikipedia for the bit in the middle. Heh.

Course, might get it anyway if Steam has it cheap.

 

You got a link to that article GodZxSAINT? Does GI = Games Insider (I can just find it then)?

 

 

edit: night all - cheers for putting me in my place. haha.

Edited November 27, 2012 by The Bus Driver

[sivaG]

Euphoria in GTA IV was fun.And my favorite part is when we steal a guy's car,he would come to open the car door.But if we start driving,he would be sliding on the road holding our car's handle.

[The Bus Driver]

lol! Actually that is kinda cool. I actually don't think I ever waited long enough for that to happen. haha.

 

But yeah, work tomorrow. Night folks.