I doubt we’ll reach a clear visual limit anytime soon, but it’s possible future tech could change that.
I doubt we’ll reach a clear visual limit anytime soon, but it’s possible future tech could change that.
We aim to push boundaries. We want images so flawless they disappear completely. That’s a goal 20 years from now, at least. Doing this would likely lead to more complaints about violent content in games. Feminists and others who feel uncomfortable would fight against it for years. Making such films is acceptable, so why not games too?
We’ll face challenges in building high-resolution assets: producing detailed meshes and textures is costly, and the benefits start to fade quickly. Doing double or triple the work only yields minor improvements. Eventually, we’ll rely more on tricks like lighting to make up for the shortcomings, but this approach will become increasingly problematic and complicate things further (Think about how frustrating Doom 3 was!).
Tessellation appears in almost every modern game, making discussions about it unnecessary. Battlefield 3 and 4 employ it for background mountains, Crysis 3 and Metro utilize it extensively, and water or hair effects rely on this technique. Even Call Of Duty now incorporates tessellation.
Graphic quality is not a strict, quantifiable measure. It’s possible to hit photorealism, but that doesn’t necessarily stop further progress. Reality isn’t that striking. Game visuals are creative, not purely technical. There’s always potential for innovation.