ABOUT BENCH FORUMS PODCAST LOGIN REGISTER
PC Components▼
Smartphones & tablets▼
Systems▼
ENTERPRISE & IT
GUIDES▼
DEALS

Valve's High Dynamic Range Explored

 by Josh Venning on September 30, 2005 12:05 AM EST
47 Comments | Add A Comment
47 Comments
Image Comparison

For those used to the look of Half life 2 and Counterstrike: Source, the new HDR effects in Day of Defeat probably won't blow your socks off. The enhancements are subtle, but you can definitely tell that they are there. Most noticeable is the auto exposure effect, which simulates the way that the eye can be blinded slightly by stepping into the sun from a dark area. While some might complain that this is annoying, it seems to us that annoying or not, it adds another dimension to the gameplay. In other words, in a real battle, the sun in your eyes will affect your aim, thus adding to the realism of the game. The bloom effect is noticeable as well, and it is very effective at making light in the game seem brighter than it really is.

Below are some images that compare the different modes. The top-most image is with no HDR enabled, the middle image is with bloom only enabled, and the bottom is full HDR enabled.


Click to enlarge.


Click to enlarge.


Click to enlarge.

At a glance, it's easy to tell that the image with full HDR enabled is brighter than the one with no HDR enabled, but the differences between the images are subtle. Pay special attention to the glare of the sun on the rifle, as this gives you a sense of the different levels of lighting. Notice how in the middle image (with bloom only enabled), the lighter colors in the distance on the buildings and sand are much brighter and create more contrast to the scene. And with the bottom-most image (full HDR enabled), you can see how the combination of the bloom and auto-exposure brighten the scene even more. This may seem very bright, but keep in mind that this is one of the widest spaces in any of the four maps. The game smoothly brightens or darkens the screen depending on where you are in the map, and the highest contrast ratios are observed when looking out of a dark area into a bright one (or vice versa).

Day of Defeat Performance Tests Final Words
PRINT THIS ARTICLE
Comments Locked

47 Comments

View All Comments

  • route66 - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    There's something wrong with me because I liked Doom3

  • Griswold - Saturday, October 1, 2005 - link

    Nope theres nothing wrong with you. Doom3 was just as fun as HL2 to me - but in a different way. Matter of fact, D3 was the first game since the original Doom that actually had some scary moments for me. THAT is fun.

    I pity those who cant appreciate that, probably because they did not play Doom way back in the day when it was the non-plus-ultra.

  • bob661 - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    quote:
    There's something wrong with me because I liked Doom3
    You are not alone. :)

  • karioskasra - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    Like? I thought bloom looked like crap, but seriously what else is there to do? With PPU units coming and dual core drivers handling some of the GPU loads, I just hope they're not merely limited by direct x

  • StuckMojo - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    meh. to me, from the screenshots, it looks better without it.
    bloom alone really blows, the sand is all washed out.
    full hdr is nice, but you can tell the textures on the buildings weren't created with HDR in mind, they wash out quite a bit with HDR.
    I was reading about this in game developer, and IIRC, you have to modify your textures to really get a bang from HDR.

  • Frallan - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    Im one of the guys who are on the brink of getting that secong 6800gt how does a SLi setup work w. this?

  • Sunrise089 - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    I'm pretty unimpressed with this technology if this is all it will ever look like, not to mention, is this some great step forward from Doom 3's lighting effects, or is Valve just a year behind?

    As far as the coverage goes, I know you can only test so many graphics cards, but why the x800 xt and x850 xt, they are so similar in market and performance. I would have substituted an x800 xl or x800 pro for the x800 xt.

  • DerekWilson - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    though doom 3's shadowing is better, valve's hdr lighting is far beyond what doom 3 does.

    the real advantages can't be shown from a screenshot. it's moving between dark and light areas that really show off the capabilities of the engine. Blooms are nice and add a subtle effect to lights and reflections. But the adaptive exposure has the potential to change the way games are designed and played on a fundamental level. Stealth games would actually change the most with shadows and blooms helping to actually conceal enemies and players naturally.

    Even shining a flashlight in someone's face could be a gameplay aspect. In a dark room, a flashlight would effectively blind the target if used correctly.

  • Avalon - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    Is it just me, or was the resolution not stated for those benches?

  • Bullhonkie - Friday, September 30, 2005 - link

    quote:
    All of the tests were run at a resolution of 1600x1200 with no AA or AF.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.
BENCH
TOPICS
FOLLOW
ABOUT

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now