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Pre-beta features: Difference between revisions
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When contemplating why various graphical effects below were removed, it's important to first look at the amount of VRAM on the early 3D graphics cards of the time. Computers made when Oni started development in 1997 were coming with 3D cards for the first time, and the VRAM on them ranged from 2 to 6 MB. Bungie West apparently anticipated continual growth in VRAM and they were aiming at that future point during development. As [[Alex Okita]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20170705124855/http://www.glixel.com/interviews/oni-bungies-classic-inspired-by-ghost-in-the-shell-w474297 later recalled], "we had one thing in mind when we were going into it, thinking that video cards would catch up. But then halfway through, Apple hands us this iMac, and our bar just sort of dropped on top of us. We're trying to figure out how we're going to get anything to run on it. They had this, I don't know – [[wp:IMac G3#Second generation|eight-megabyte video card]] or something? It was pretty miserable." VRAM would have been a particularly limiting factor in the use of lightmaps. By the time of Oni's release, the VRAM on 3D cards in new computers ranged from 8 to 64 MB (of course, most computer users did not own a brand-new or top of the line system). Thus, when it shipped, Oni required a mere 4 MB of VRAM.<ref>This is inferred from [https://web.archive.org/web/20210116052716/http://halo.bungie.net/projects/oni/content.aspx?link=onifaq Bungie's Oni FAQ] which lists the ATI Rage Pro as a supported card. The Rage Pro came with as little as 4 MB of memory. Stefan Sinclair's [https://web.archive.org/web/20010429035130/http://www.doomhammer.com/Oni/ personal Oni help page] and Dave Dunn's [http://web.archive.org/web/20000824155730/http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/00/dunn/p3.shtml August 2000 interview] also claimed that the game would run in 4 MB of VRAM. However it's difficult to find any reports from users who ran Oni on such a graphics card. There were reports of running it on 6 MB cards, e.g. [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=9318 "Re: What do you Mac users have?"], [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=18458 "Re: Oni runs really slow"]. Oddly, the [[:Image:Windows (US) box art (holographic) - bottom.jpg|U.S. Windows box]] says "2MB", which is exceedingly unlikely to be correct. The [[:Image:Windows (CA) box art - back.jpg|Canadian box]] (and probably others) stated "4MB".</ref> | When contemplating why various graphical effects below were removed, it's important to first look at the amount of VRAM on the early 3D graphics cards of the time. Computers made when Oni started development in 1997 were coming with 3D cards for the first time, and the VRAM on them ranged from 2 to 6 MB. Bungie West apparently anticipated continual growth in VRAM and they were aiming at that future point during development. As [[Alex Okita]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20170705124855/http://www.glixel.com/interviews/oni-bungies-classic-inspired-by-ghost-in-the-shell-w474297 later recalled], "we had one thing in mind when we were going into it, thinking that video cards would catch up. But then halfway through, Apple hands us this iMac, and our bar just sort of dropped on top of us. We're trying to figure out how we're going to get anything to run on it. They had this, I don't know – [[wp:IMac G3#Second generation|eight-megabyte video card]] or something? It was pretty miserable." VRAM would have been a particularly limiting factor in the use of lightmaps. By the time of Oni's release, the VRAM on 3D cards in new computers ranged from 8 to 64 MB (of course, most computer users did not own a brand-new or top of the line system). Thus, when it shipped, Oni required a mere 4 MB of VRAM.<ref>This is inferred from [https://web.archive.org/web/20210116052716/http://halo.bungie.net/projects/oni/content.aspx?link=onifaq Bungie's Oni FAQ] which lists the ATI Rage Pro as a supported card. The Rage Pro came with as little as 4 MB of memory. Stefan Sinclair's [https://web.archive.org/web/20010429035130/http://www.doomhammer.com/Oni/ personal Oni help page] and Dave Dunn's [http://web.archive.org/web/20000824155730/http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/00/dunn/p3.shtml August 2000 interview] also claimed that the game would run in 4 MB of VRAM. However it's difficult to find any reports from users who ran Oni on such a graphics card. There were reports of running it on 6 MB cards, e.g. [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=9318 "Re: What do you Mac users have?"], [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=18458 "Re: Oni runs really slow"]. Oddly, the [[:Image:Windows (US) box art (holographic) - bottom.jpg|U.S. Windows box]] says "2MB", which is exceedingly unlikely to be correct. The [[:Image:Windows (CA) box art - back.jpg|Canadian box]] (and probably others) stated "4MB".</ref> | ||
The PlayStation 2 was [[wp:PlayStation 2 technical specifications#System memory|even more limited]] than most computers, with 32 MB of main system RAM and 4 MB of VRAM. Bungie West never blamed the PS2 port, which was performed by an outside studio, for any changes to Oni's features or release date, but considering the simultaneous release of the Windows, Mac and PS2 versions, and the [[Oni (PlayStation 2)#Visual differences|small cuts]] made to content in the PS2 version on account of limited RAM, as well as Take-Two's emphasis on the PS2 version in their advertising, it's possible that there was (at best) a lack of interest on Take-Two's part in adding niceties to the PC versions which PlayStation owners would not be able to experience. Likewise, multiplayer was not a common part of the PS2 gaming experience in 2001 (the Network Adaptor being an optional attachment), so it might not have seemed worthwhile to extend development just to make multiplayer happen. | The PlayStation 2 was [[wp:PlayStation 2 technical specifications#System memory|even more limited]] than most computers, with 32 MB of main system RAM and 4 MB of VRAM. (Oni for Windows and Mac required 64 MB of RAM at a bare minimum, though some of this memory would have been used by the OS.) Bungie West never blamed the PS2 port, which was performed by an outside studio, for any changes to Oni's features or release date, but considering the simultaneous release of the Windows, Mac and PS2 versions, and the [[Oni (PlayStation 2)#Visual differences|small cuts]] made to content in the PS2 version on account of limited RAM, as well as Take-Two's emphasis on the PS2 version in their advertising, it's possible that there was (at best) a lack of interest on Take-Two's part in adding niceties to the PC versions which PlayStation owners would not be able to experience. Likewise, multiplayer was not a common part of the PS2 gaming experience in 2001 (the Network Adaptor being an optional attachment), so it might not have seemed worthwhile to extend development just to make multiplayer happen. | ||
An anecdotal report [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=1612 here] from a forum member indicates that Bungie may have had frame rate troubles as well with earlier builds of the game. Even watching the [[1999|1999 trailer]], one can see segments which seem to be running as low as 10 frames per second. Hardy LeBel, the Design Lead, commented on Oni Central Forum that they had issues with performance due to the use of glass in some areas (see {{SectionLink|Pre-beta content|Decline in appearance}} for quotes). If simple glass was causing frame rate issues, we could imagine that performance would have been a huge problem with some of the fancier features above. Even after further optimization, the final game faced complaints from some players about low frame rates even when they played on high-end systems (mainly Macs<ref>[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=13349 This player] considered it acceptable to drop below 5 fps in large areas on his high-end Mac from 1998, and Michael Eilers in [https://web.archive.org/web/20010517121408/https://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=120&Page=5 his IGN review] identified the Mac as getting the short end of the stick performance-wise, as his top of the line 500 MHz G4 with 32 MB VRAM frequently got sub-20 fps.</ref>). | An anecdotal report [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=1612 here] from a forum member indicates that Bungie may have had frame rate troubles as well with earlier builds of the game. Even watching the [[1999|1999 trailer]], one can see segments which seem to be running as low as 10 frames per second. Hardy LeBel, the Design Lead, commented on Oni Central Forum that they had issues with performance due to the use of glass in some areas (see {{SectionLink|Pre-beta content|Decline in appearance}} for quotes). If simple glass was causing frame rate issues, we could imagine that performance would have been a huge problem with some of the fancier features above. Even after further optimization, the final game faced complaints from some players about low frame rates even when they played on high-end systems (mainly Macs<ref>[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=13349 This player] considered it acceptable to drop below 5 fps in large areas on his high-end Mac from 1998, and Michael Eilers in [https://web.archive.org/web/20010517121408/https://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=120&Page=5 his IGN review] identified the Mac as getting the short end of the stick performance-wise, as his top of the line 500 MHz G4 with 32 MB VRAM frequently got sub-20 fps.</ref>). | ||