Remedy developing facial animation tech, aiming to be better than L.A. Noire

Remedy announces that it's developing facial animation technology meant to surpass the impressive tech seen in L.A. Noire.

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A new face-off in the video game industry has begun, but this one has little to do with hockey, John Travolta, or Nicholas Cage. Amidst all of the recent hubbub about the ground-breaking facial animation capture technology in Rockstar's upcoming period cop-drama, L.A. Noire, Remedy Entertainment (Alan Wake, Max Payne), has revealed that it's working on some proprietary tech meant to help games leap even further over the uncanny valley.

According to a report by Edge magazine, who got to visit Remedy's Finland-based offices for a closed-door demonstration, Remedy is going to be using the new tech in their next project, though there's no word of what that project might be.

Created by John Root, former Lead Animator at Id Software, Epic Games, and Disney, explained that the new software helps enhance the "retargeting" process -- the tweaking of raw capture capture data by the animators.

The new tech still uses motion capture as a starting point for their actors (accurate up to half a millimeter), and maps the sixty-four facial expressions that serve as modifiable templates for the entire spectrum of human emotions. Once the detailed model of the actor is captured, animators can use a series of real-time sliders to tweak the digital performance. It sounds quite empowering for animators, given that it eliminates the need for manual animation of actors' faces, or being forced into animating around a pre-recorded vocal performance.

Edge magazine seemed impressed after being shown a tech demo of the software using the actor who played Alan Wake, though the technology isn't yet complete. In particular, Root mentioned a color mapping sub-system of tech that will allow animators to "simulate blood flow beneath the skin, adjusting its colour as brows are furrowed or lips pursed."

CEO Matthias Myllyrinne also noted, "LA Noire has set a bar for facial animation, but [Rockstar’s game] is here," he said, placing one hand higher than the other. "We're aiming to be here."

From The Chatty
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      April 11, 2011 5:31 PM

      now all studios need to develop is writing talent

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      April 11, 2011 5:57 PM

      Okay, see you in five years Remedy.

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        April 11, 2011 6:16 PM

        Don't you think that's a little too optimistic?

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        April 11, 2011 10:25 PM

        I'm curious how many of the cores on my x6 processor this new technology will utilize?

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          April 12, 2011 5:41 AM

          Probably all of them but in the end changed to fit on console and wont be released on PC, so no matter.

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      April 11, 2011 6:02 PM

      Technology to come out in the future is better than what is currently being used. Shocker.

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      April 11, 2011 6:05 PM

      i'd be happy if people caught up with what valve/source games have managed for years now.

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        April 11, 2011 6:07 PM

        Pretty sure valve worked with a doctor who specializes in autistic children & the ways they can tell emotion just from facial expressions. They're also some of the few games with correctly shaped eyes.

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        April 11, 2011 7:33 PM

        It is pretty impressive that, even all these years after HL2's release, L.A. Noire is the first to top their facial animations, let alone come close to touching it.

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          April 12, 2011 4:40 AM

          And even then LA Noire uses a cheating technique. It's basically copying/pasting a real person's face and movement onto a virtual character. The character even looks the same as the actor so you can't even model your own character which is lame; well unless they can modify those details but from what I've seen I don't think it's possible.

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          April 12, 2011 8:02 AM

          [deleted]

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      April 11, 2011 6:08 PM

      [deleted]

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      April 11, 2011 6:12 PM

      won't come out on pc

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      April 11, 2011 6:12 PM

      Worthless boasting until we see this "superior tech" in a shipping title. Most studios don't produce middleware for shit and end up having to source a company like Havok. Frankly, that's the way it should be for all but the largest development houses.

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      April 11, 2011 6:19 PM

      [deleted]

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      April 11, 2011 7:03 PM

      it's easy to do better tech than a game that's coming out next month when you are still building a game with no release date that probably won't even be out this year.

      either way, all i want is alan wake 2 from that studio :(

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      April 11, 2011 7:05 PM

      I guess it's easier to do complex facial animations when your game only has one enemy

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      April 11, 2011 7:07 PM

      They're going to have to lower the texture resolution and draw distance on current gen consoles. Come on devs, (pointing fingers at Remedy and Rockstar) - leverage your uber high tech stuff on the more powerful hardware (aka the PC).

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      April 11, 2011 7:08 PM

      YAY YAY http://i43.tinypic.com/30t08e9.gif

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      April 11, 2011 7:52 PM

      [deleted]

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      April 11, 2011 8:20 PM

      Huh, if this is true it sounds better than Hollywood, in terms of a tool. As far as I know procedural retargeting is not something Hollywood has done yet.

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        April 11, 2011 8:22 PM

        Aaand the post above me proves me wrong, guess I'm behind on the times in terms of Hollywood tech : (

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      April 11, 2011 8:36 PM

      FUTURE GAME MORE FUTURE THAN PRESENT GAME

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      April 11, 2011 9:11 PM

      Well, I guess we pretty much all win in this battle. L.A. Noire is looking as good as it is because they cast people with talent as well as having great tech, though. That's going to continue to be most games' downfall.

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      April 11, 2011 11:53 PM

      Too bad they wouldn't be using it in a new Max Payne game. They could drop good 'ol "constipated Max" in there as an easter egg :D

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        April 12, 2011 2:25 AM

        I'd say it's too bad they didn't care about facial animation that much in Alan Wake ... it was ridiculous how bad the animation was when characters were talking ...

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      April 12, 2011 12:42 AM

      Remedy is a small team, I'm looking forward to their next game though. And to be honest they always had some cool tech. Alan wake was awesome and fuck you if you didn't like it >:D

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        April 12, 2011 5:44 AM

        Well sorry, but I dont have a working 360 since a long time ago so I havent played Alan Wake yet, thanks to them not releasing it on PC.

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      April 12, 2011 5:40 AM

      Remedy? Oh dear, and I was just replaying Max Payne 2 again (on PC of course).

      I really hope their next game is going to be on the PC too...Too many disappointed fans already from Alan Wake :(

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      April 12, 2011 5:52 AM

      If it's console-only then their only aiming here **places hand above testicles**

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      April 12, 2011 5:54 AM

      test

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      April 12, 2011 8:48 AM

      Am i missing something? Where does it say anyone at Remedy says that their tech it's better? All i see, from your own article, is "We're aiming to be here [higher]"

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        April 12, 2011 11:27 AM

        Huh? The title says they are aiming to make it better than LA Noire... which is exactly what that quote says. I don't know what you're confused about.

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