"We thought it was already clear what graphics processors and drivers work and don't work with Linux desktop eye candy such as Beryl and Compiz, but it seems based upon the number of e-mails we have been receiving along with messages in community bulletin boards that the line isn't so clear after all."
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2006-01-04
I really must do an example of this, but the GP is correct.
If you play something like UT at 24fps, something about it will look jerky, yet even the most fast paced action movie seems fine at 24fps.
It's because the brain actually doesn't really capture images that quickly, so it seems to have some sort of circuitry for using motion blur as a direction and speed indicator. Provided what you're playing has accurate motion blur, it can run at a far lower framerate. Without the motion blur, something seems wrong; that's why CGI always renders with motion blur.
Ever played Gears of War? It only runs on average at about 30fps or lower, but with the motion blur it seems as quick and twitch as you could want. And anyway, usually the TV only displays at about 30fps so for next gen consoles, motion blur seems to be rather important for nice looking games. CryENGINE 2 will do the same thing.
More info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_blur#Computer_animation
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2005-10-13
Member since:2005-07-24
Member since:2005-07-06
> I've seen 3D games that run very smoothly at 30fps
I haven't.
Even my 75 fps mouse pointer looks jerky when I move it fast. It doesn't look like it's moving continuously, but it looks like many pointers disappearing and reappearing along the line of "movement". It's really only one pointer disappearing and simultaneous reappearing, but the relatively slow unbleaching of photoreceptors on your retina makes it seem like many. Moving a real object causes the slow unbleaching to make it seem like a blurry line instead, which makes your brain interpret it much more as motion.
Try this:
Move a pen in a fast left-right movement first in front of your wall and then in front of your (CRT, i.e. not flat-screen) TV/monitor. The difference is very obvious even if you run your display at 75+ Hz.
Member since:
2005-10-13
It only seems that way because most movie makers (or at least most camerapersons) know a thing or two about perceptions of continuity...For anything below 60 fps not to be jerky it'd have to have some motion blur. At least if the moving objects are crisp and high-contrast, like mouse pointers, program windows, scrollable lists/pages etc. usually are.
OK, I'm going to admit I don't know very much about this topic. So maybe you're completely right, but I doubt it. I've seen 3D games that run very smoothly at 30fps, and they look just fine. Obviously they aren't twitch shooters, but then neither is a desktop. If a game can look ok at 30fps, then why can't a desktop? I don't think the game developers did too much especially to make things look smooth, but maybe they did. And if they did, then why couldn't Beryl do the same?