Los Angeles 1947

[DaKra]

Watch this 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRwnJ0EX9Ko

Computer games have come a long way since Atari and Pac Man...

More here

http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/

[LeOn3]

I knew of atari. Those games I knew how to play. 
My son is now playing with those new games on PS3. Most of these games are very realistic... and to violent to me.
I am glad that he also have time to spent some time on modelling and not always computer games.

Leon

[Chuck Doan]

I think if I were an actor or traditional film maker I would be worried. More and more young people are becoming used to this kind of story telling.

Looks neat, I wonder how much accuracy they care about.

[finescalerr]

In radio, many commercials already have computer voices that sound exactly like human announcers. My guess is that, with a big enough budget, Hollywood could create computer generated actors today that would be difficult to tell from humans. A generation from now actors may become unnecessary. Heck, many of today's actors are so bland they may as well be computer generated! -- Russ

[Rasputen]

I've seen ads for that game on TV.  I like that '47 Buick and the Ford police cars!

[DaKra]

Yeah, yeah computer games are evil. 

For me its all about the background scenery, details and texture modelling.  Its a detective game, not a shoot-em-up, which, apparently, also permits players to cruise around and sightsee.   The big picture is very impressive and the details look pretty good, too, some mistakes like blue mailboxes and peculiar looking boxcars notwithstanding.   The designers used research materials like photographic air mapping of LA during that time period, to recreate the city in virtual 3d.   And the story lines are based, loosely, on actual LAPD crime cases.   

Here is a screenshot from actual gameplay.   

[Mobilgas]

Have No use for this type of technology.......

[BKLN]

I am not a video game person at all, but I was so impressed by "Grand Theft Auto IV" that I actually ended up getting a PS3 thru a friend and bought the game. I had seen a little booklet about the concept art and I was blown away by the research that goes into these projects. Nothing short of the "rivet counting" of model train enthusiasts. More so, it is really amazing how realistic the feel virtual landscapes have become. Liberty City was modeled after New York City and the vibe and the textures are just perfect. I can navigate in this game without maps, because the street layout is so realistic.

The (mostly) controversial content is a completely different thing. And violent games are clearly effecting the behavior.

I am surprised by the reaction here, because after all, these video game developers are model builders - just like us.

[W.P. Rayner]

Christian:

I'm a bit of a video game enthusiast and particularly like games with representative or historically accurate interactive environments. I used to be resolutely anti-video game until I met my wife who introduced me to the technology in 1990. Being a gear head, I am also particularly fond of car racing and motorcycle racing games. LA Noire is definitely my sort of game and one day I hope to have the opportunity to try it out. I too also play Grand Theft Auto IV and take great enjoyment in the socially unacceptable aspects of the game. For me they provide relief and relaxation from my day-to-day job of dealing with their contemporary real-life counterparts. I'm not allowed to beat the crap out of them at work, but can do it to my heart's content at home...   I don't play very often anymore, maybe only a couple of evenings/month - just don't have the time.

Another series that you might like is the Assassin's Creed series. These are set in historically accurate environments, the result of many, many hours of research on the part of Ubisoft, the game's designers. The first game takes place in the Holy Land during the time of the Third Crusade. The characters are based on historical figures, the Templars being primary characters and the environments are accurate depictions of Jerusalem, Acre, Masyaf and Damascus. The second game (In my opinion much better than the first) takes place during the Renaissance in Italy and centers around power struggles with the Medici family. Templars still play a significant role. The environments are once again historically accurate recreations of Florence, San Gimignano, Rome and Venice. Leonardo da Vinci is a principle character and a number of his inventions and war machines become available for your use as you progress through the game.

Paul

[finescalerr]

"Have No use for this type of technology."

Craig, the sad thing is that those who do have use for it have no use for OUR technology. And they outnumber us. And they will outlive us.

You can't turn back the clock. I'd like to see a return of the big bands and small groups of the 1930s and '40s to add some variety and style to today's limited choice of sensational but grating entertainment. Ain't gonna happen. Instead, if I want to recreate such music, I have to "model" it with a blend of computer music and real instruments to emulate its "color", "texture", and "detail".

I would urge all of us to embrace technology and use it artfully to create better things than we could without it. It ain't the tool; it's the taste in using it.

Russ

[Mobilgas]

Russ,     Your correct.... THEY may have no use for our technology....and out number us and out live us. This we can not change.  There is something I can DO.....keep my money in my pocket and not buy this kind of C... !!  Ok that said......I feel better now

[Ray Dunakin]

The game's graphics are amazing. Not quite "real" but incredibly detailed, lighted, etc.

[BKLN]

Good discussion here! Because it brings up the old question of bringing new tools to the table. It really is a matter of how you use them. It is easy to say that 3D-Rapid Prototyping or Lasercutting are easy ways out and this is frustrating for some of us, but we all know that none of these technologies are worth anything without the skill of the craftsman who can bring them to life. Let it be by programing or finishing. Masters like Chuck and Marc prove this all the time.

@Russ
Of course we can't turn back the clock, but I think that "a return of the big bands and small groups of the 1930s and '40s" is not out of question. We are currently seeing a big trend of people being fed up with information and technology overload. Every other bar that opens here in New York seems to be decorated by some kind of Gilded Age or old Americana look. Food and Cocktails are reflecting the menus of the era. (I do have any issue with these Twentysomethins' that dress up with a bowler hat and suspenders, twirling their mustache. That's is just a 24/7 Halloween show)

But the fact that a show like "Prairie Home Companion" is sold out for every single show proves that people still care about the good old stuff. We just can't take it for granted and have to prepare to pay a price for this cultural luxury.

@ Paul
I did play Assassins Creed I. Those are indeed incredible graphics, too. But I have to admit that I got bored by the same tasks after a while. (I'd rather spend my time building models, haha!)

[DaKra]

Agreed, this thing is an incredibly intricate, layered and detailed work of art, and a fountain of ideas for model makers.   

[DaKra]

Russ would like this-- besides being able to drive around a reconstruction of 1947 LA, the civilian and unmarked police cars have radios which can play recreated radio broadcasts, with period jazz music.    

http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/features/soundtrack/