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BioShock Widescreen Slices Vertical View
by Nick Breckon, Aug 21, 2007 11:03am PDTIn a rapidly-expanding thread on the 2K Games forum, reports are
coming in that 2K Boston and Australia's just-released shooter BioShock (PC, X360) uses a cropping method for its widescreen display, cutting down on the vertical view rather than expanding the horizontal width (illustrated left). The problem apparently exists for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions, and cannot be fixed with an edit of the game's FOV (field of view) setting.
The issue took forum goers by surprise, as 2K Boston lead programmer Chris Kline assured fans last May that BioShock's widescreen view would show more, rather than less. "The game will render in full 16:9 aspect ratio, with no letterboxing unless your resolution is not true 16:9," Kline said in a thread on the 2K forums. "You will see more in widescreen. We use a different projection matrix; there is no squashing or stretching of the image involved." Shacknews can confirm that the problem exists in the PC demo of BioShock, and has contacted 2K Games for comment.
Comments
It's not like it's a fast paced death match game, I'm sure you will have time to look up and see what's there. Surely if they added the top and bottom in then you would just get a fisheye effect?
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Facts:
* The FOV if being calculated primarily horizontal instead of vertical.
* This results in seeing less of the environment vertically in widescreen.
Now, there are two explanations:
1) It was a fuckup because all of them play on 4:3 monitors. If FOV's are specified horizontally, then you have to do extra math to get the vertical FOV in 4:3, then do the 16:9 aspect ratio calcualations. They may not have done this calculation and nobody complained during test.
2) It was intentional. This could simply be because when you open up the horizontal FOV, you have to bring in your near clip plane to compensate. Doing this could cause Z fighting. Also, you have to check every cinematic and make sure that you suddenly aren't partially through a wall or anything. 16:9 is annoying if you don't develop for it up front.
Either way, yeah, probably a fuckup and something worth fixing, but for eff's sake, stop speculating on the cause of the problems if you don't know what you're talking about. Just complain about the results that you don't like and it'll probably get addressed in some way.
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The gamers who are nitpicking over this Bioshock aspect ratio issue remind me of the citizens of Rapture who tormented over their appearance.
If you are nauseated by viewing the game on a wide screen it is because you are too close to your monitor. The human eye cannot focus on a large area and because the horizontal FOV is the same, although spread out over a larger area, you are feeling nauseated because you are straining your eye trying to take in more than it can handle. Humans are lucky to be able to have a real-life FOV of somewhat less than 180 degrees when facing forward.
16:9 gamers really just need to sit farther away from their monitor if nauseation is their issue. Otherwise, you're just being a baby; Giving 16:9 users an expanded FOV is really just cheating for you, allowing you to see more than the game was designed for. For instance, if 16:9 users had a larger horizontal FOV, they would be able to see the splicer hiding behind the planter in the Medical Lab level of the game, whereas 4:3 users are lucky to spot this denzien because of their tested and approved FOV. Really, 16:9 users are pissed because they don't have an advantage with THIS presentation option, which isn't what a wide screen display is about.
2K is more than justified in their choice for presentation and anyone who mods this FOV or bitches and complains about it needs to find something else to do with their life as they obviously have too much time to spend critiquing something this trivial.
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http://images.pikapuff.com/games/bioshockws.png
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It's a matter of perspective. Is widescreen cut down from 4:3 or is 4:3 cut down from widescreen? I don't see any good reason that one view of this is right and one is wrong. It is arbitrary.
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http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5927
They say they'll have it for the full game soon.
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I've only done student-level cg programming, but it seems that any fix to the on-screen projection math might also create difficulties with other gfx features that rely on the 4:3 aspect assumption. It's not like in the old-days of quake where you could hit the '~' with /fov 110 and get improved results -- there are tons of bleeding-edge gfx effects and filters. Is it possible that the poor widescreen support is a workaround for rendering-bugs to do with 16:9 projection?
I really hope not, I was looking forward to this title being the quintessential example for video game design. I'm holding out that it'll get there.
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1. increased accuracy in projectile shots (could be helpful for the 360)
2. more detail displayed of items at a distance
3. cramped feeling (your underwater in some creepy place, maybe you should feel uncomfortable)
4. enemies feel like they are on top of you when they get close, super scary!
5. less information on the screen to render at once, so you can incude more detailed models. (also helpful to the 360)
that's about all I could come up with.
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Obviously the team put a lot of thought and polish on their game, but this, to me, is a huge oversight on their part. I thoroughly enjoyed the demo but felt like I had tunnel vision, and combine that with the jerky mouse movement (using 1 sensitivity in-game), I had to look around a lot to get a feel for the surroundings. I really hope they fix this in a patch, but Unreal 2004 had this problem, and it never got fixed though they promised they would, and this being an Unreal engine as well ... sigh.
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Sorry about all the conflict. IG development people (specifically Chris and Rowan who are both on vacation) were trying to take a day off today (we've been working about six months 6-7 days a week). I'm trying to see what everybody's concerns are and consult with the staff.
I know people are frustrated, but we are dealing with internet time here. It wasn't until 7 pm EST that I was able to even talk to anybody in our Australian studio, which is open today (9 AM their time).
I hear you that not everybody was thrilled with the PC launch. And I'm trying to collect information and see what the facts are. PC game development does not function in a matter of seconds or hours, especially when most of the team is on vacation. But I hear you, and we're looking into the issue. I'll only ask you have a bit of understanding as to the time scale that software development issues must occur in.
Best regards,
Ken Levine
http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=122353#post122353
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You have total control over whats on the screen, PC or 360, so you are just a little more zoomed in. Based on the screenshots I have seen, it doesnt look to be that big a deal.
I will just go home and fire it up and enjoy the game over the next few evenings and not worry about what I could be missing.
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In fact, in my opinion, it's better to play in a streched 4:3 at non-native resolution then it is to play a game vert-. The "zoom" result of vert- is incredibally annoying, and like someone mentioned it can muddy up textures (I haven't noticed that in Bioshock really, but I haven't played much yet).
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I'll still buy it (as it won't affect me and even if it did I'd still pick it up)...but it does kinda suck.
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http://dot50cal.the-horror.com/gaf/biosuck.jpg
http://dot50cal.the-horror.com/gaf/biosuck2.jpg
Thats the tech specs for having the "Games For Windows" certification splashed on your box.
Notably: The game must not stretch pixels or center a 4:3 render window to support widescreen aspect ratios. However, letterboxing is acceptable.
Naughties!
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As he said, it's like looking through a sniper scope.
The fact is, the 16:9 view has an FOV of a mere 75, this is bad bad bad, sniper scope, claustrophobic and nasty feeling - much like Halo in widescreen.
You guys should remember the quake days, FOV of 90 is standard on a 4:3 let alone a 16:9 - it should be I would think 100 to 110.
This isn't about seeing more for being competitive or "OMG 4:3 sees more it's unfair" I couldn't care less if 4:3 players see FOV 180 - the point is 16:9 players will be looking through a very small window :/
Put your hands up to your eyes, I'd guess us humans see about 150+ seeing half of that yet still in a widescreen layout is just weird.
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"hey guys,
i'm looking in to this for you and i'll get someone, if not me, to report back ASAP."
better then nothing I guess.
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I'll say a prayer for the people saying $3000 televisions are being wasted by Irrational because this problem supposedly somehow also affects the 360 version. The education system has failed.
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So if the game crops the 16:9 view, it means the developers didn't get the point of widescreen in gaming.
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requesting you remove these false widescreen images of the game as they are misleading, all lies, un-facts, and of course false advertising. i've changed my mind, i demand explainations!
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Honestly, is shacknews really stooping so low as to cover what hyperactive internet douchebags are bitching about? Come on now...
Dugg down for inaccurate.
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