15:46 The slowdown here happened because mario 64 loads the other side of a door when you stand close enough to it, so it was rendering the outside and inside of the mansion
@@roberthorry621 I'm not defending anything though, it's just how the game works. Combine this weird fact about how the game works, demanding WIP graphical improvements and a somewhat demanding area and you're bound to get some slowdown
Yeah! On corridors the soft shadows getting softer in the distance is amazing. I wish it had AO, wonder why they didn’t enable that… should be good to go with all the GI, reflections and all that already on going.
@@alejmc Ambient Occlusion is just fake raytracing, isn't it? It darkens creases, but you don't need to do that when the real-time lighting already realistically lights everything.
@@aortaplatinum my bad, true that, it’s a fake approximation of “lack of light accumulation” at a point… if there are occluding surfaces around said point it “darkens” (fake-ly by force). However I don’t know why a lot of the times full ray traced endeavors don’t get to show that natural darkening of connecting perpendicular surfaces: like the ceiling and the walls intersections here in the video, they look fully Illuminated here.
It really looks like the old SGI renders brought to life. The ones you'd see in Magazines or Instruction Manuals. It reminds me of the renders for Super Mario RPG in particular.
Really hope they can capture that strange, high contrast, shoebox diorama type lighting from the 90s promo renders. It’s really hard to explain what makes that style look so cool to me.
I started liking the direction they went as soon as you showed those pre-rendered promotional images. It's a cool direction to go towards. When I was a kid I expected that games would be going toward that smooth 90s prerendered aesthetic but of course trends changed with the tech and harsher realism became the focus. Good to see those 90s stills come to life.
Ray Tracey is one of today’s most recognized contemporary Navajo jewelers due to his rootedness in the Navajo jewelry tradition while firmly embracing contemporary designs and techniques.
The fact that we are seeing super Mario 64 in a very close manner to how it was originally conceived is incredible. Like some sort of alternative universe
@@philithegamer8265 shit dude you’re so cool! Save some (whatever you’re into) for us, you must be swimming in it. I literally cannot think of a cooler person on RU-vid with more original ideas than this! Incredible.
There are three parts to the SGI render look: 1) Ray tracing, 2)NURBS and 3) Procedurally defined textures. 1) is demonstrated here, 2) is simulated with high polygon models from Render96, so that just (just, hah) leaves procedurally generated texturing and then it will truly be a realtime version of those 1995 magazine pictures.
Looks so much better at 11:01 would love to see a full play through at that setting. Low res and crt hides the flaws really well, you can tell they designed the art with that in mind to some extent.
I was about 12 when it came out and didn't own it, remember a time when you just swapped games with friends for months at a time, I must of borrowed and 100% completed the game about 4 times and I still go back and play it via Project 64 every 3 or 4 years. I'd love to see a fully ray traced version of Ocarina of Time!
This proves that games even in the beginning were so good because they just cared so much about the game being fun. I love to see that being more mixed into modern games.
@@Robert-tl2vg I think his point was that the main emphasis on many of these classic games was good, fun, core mechanics. I mean, I think it's silly when there's a boatload of indie titles that do the same thing. Really, we're in a gaming nirvana right now. The amount of games out, especially if you play on PC, is stupendous.
@@clobbyhardy Exactly. The notion that games somehow STOPPED focusing on fun gameplay in the modern era is foolish. We're spoiled for choice with the sheer number and quality of gameplay focused titles.
@@RicochetForce Yeah it is just nostalgia speaking. We have all flavours of fun gameplay these days from cartoony games to more gritty stuff and everything else you can imagine which is great because what anyone finds fun is subjective. Like how PS5 launched with a fun platformer like Astrobot's Playroom and a hardcore dark fantasy RPG like Demon's Souls at the same time.
I've always wondered when indie games or whoever would finally make a game with CGI 90s graphics. Super high poly models but with really simple textures. I still do this day want a game that looks like that. Also I want this to be done to Wave Race 64!
To an extent? Emulators have been doing this for some time and there's some patches/hacks out there that are noteworthy. But this is deff more like modern day graphics.
This is wonderful.. It's getting very very close to the look of the pre rendered artwork of the manual, which is what these HD models are aiming for. With the dynamic shadows now it's really looking authentic. Funny thing is.. the first time I invited a friend to come see Mario 64 back when I got the console, he saw the manual first and asked: "Is this how the game looks?" lol... 25 years later.. yes it is.
@@truthfuldrake278 updated models is the thing that matters the most and they could easily do it. if they actually put some effort the models will be mario odyssey level at least.
These 34 minutes went by like it was nothing! What a treat to see this and revel in Alex's enthusiasm of RT. Can't stress enough how much DF content (especially the RT related stuff) is an integral part of my RU-vid watching experience.
It looks great at the original 320x240 resolution. Reinforces the fact that games from that time were designed around being played at low resolutions and that increasing to HD is not always a straight improvement, often destroying a games visual identity.
It looked so much better on a real CRT TV with composite cables, trust me. Composite video cable alone added another layer of AA. Also sth about the phosphorus glow that made it lovely.
I still remember playing this in electronic boutique back in 1996 (demo), it was such jump from 2d to 3rd, it’s impossible to convey it words. It felt like it was it was the first time I played a game because it was so new & different. One of greatest game ever made without doubt.
I think its a bit overrated when it comes to influencing future titles compared to games like Doom, Quake, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil to be honest. Not many games not titled Mario out there that use the Mario 64 control and camera scheme or the general gameplay premise.
I know it's cliched to say this but it's so surreal to see this. Fact that fans have reached the levels of the pre-rendered images and it's always beyond It feels so magical, really rekindling old nostalgia for me.
We've had trends in modern graphics with high detail pixel art as well as low poly models to invoke the feel of an old 90s shooter but after seeing this, I want more games with this look. It's just a look you'd over ever see in gaming magazines of the era.
@Ayamalach I'm in the same boat, pal. Next to SA and Spyro 1, this is one of my top 3D platformers. Can't speak for Odyssey, but I know Generations rules, too.
@@tuberoyful Me too! I just got the Steam achievement for getting all of the adventure field emblems in Sonic Adventure. I still have not gotten an A on every action stage yet.
OMG it would be amazing if they could hack Lakitu in to be physically present throughout the game so you'd be able to see him in reflections (unlike the one mirror room that faked it in the original).
This video gave me an idea. I think that DF should occasionally cover fan-made mods, like the HD Texture Project for The Witcher III. This could be another DF series, like DF Retro.
@@MumblyJumbles And diehard fans will still defend Nintendo not adding or improving anything to Mario 64 in the collection with their life for some reason lol. Nintendo could sell them a plate of shit and fans will tell you "Be grateful"
I think it would've been cool to see Lethal Lava Land with the lava being a light source and Wet Dry World with the water and all the things in the stage that it could reflect. Also adding a thought here, the Shifting Sand Land with the sand reflecting light like in the game Journey.
It's crazy that the way this game looks here is how I remember it looking as a kid. Like when they first switch back I couldn't believe how the original looks
so much cutting edge tech has been implemented in Mario 64 mods over the years that I bet in ten to twenty years we will have a Mario 64 experience so profoundly perfect that those playing it will ascend to another plane of existence.
This is freaking awesome. I can't wait to see it when everything is finished. I've been letting my 4-year-old daughter play Mario 64 on my PC with a ton of bells & whistles (It's her favorite game). Even without ray tracing, the game looks very nice and runs buttery smooth This was a fun watch, Alex & John.
For anyone that is going to make a takedown comment, this is legal since it does not get distributed as a Fully fledged game with full assets, but source code and instructions. You would have to get a ROM and the Source code to compile the game and Extract the assets to use in the game
Love the fact john emphasizes how revolutionary this game was back in the day! The sound, the gameplay, the 3d openworld and the gfx were on another level. Fun fact sony tried to compete with crash bandicoot a linear jumpnrun like 2 years later... The fact that this game is the most speedrun game today just shows what a masterpiece this game is!
Haha awesome just one day after I watched the last DF Direct you are dropping this! : D Would you kindly think about filming your faces too? I would have loved to see your reactions
Running it at the original resolution was a good call, it makes the game look exactly like an ad you would watch for the game with all the pre rendered scenes
@@charizardoreo when you're a kid most people always thought there's no way video games can look better. You're not special because you thought they could.
On the Render96 Discord they said "Render96's release will be sometime this week but here's a video from Digital Foundry showcasing the technical preview. Digital Foundry had a bare bones version of the model pack to show off however the finished RTX pack will have a lot more polish to it. Please give the video a watch and enjoy!"
Good to see you guys analyzing mods as well. You absolutely have to make a video on the, now 7 years in the making, RE4 HD project that is almost finished. When the final release happen, you need to do a full video on it. There is some incredibly fascinating processes that went into it.
We will see a literal revival of retro-games thanks to this tech. Imagine playing all the titles from your childhood without the "didn't age well" effect. Good times ahead!
This is insane looking, but it kinda kills the game's artstyle, like Mario looking all green while running on grass is a bit iffy. It's impressive work for sure, can't wait to see more tweaks to make it look even better!
I love that there are people who do this in their spare time. I wish I had the patience and skills to do stuff like this. Mad respect. Thanks for doing it and sharing it. ❤️ It's great to see the game like this. Just hearing the sounds Mario makes when he jumps brings back mad memories of my 11 year old self. I agree. This game is amazing and there is no way to explain how it felt or what it meant when it first came out. You really had to be there. 😁
SM64 was seminal. Nothing else quite made you want to blow 600 pounds and upwards to get it at launch as in import it from Japan. Was clearly a different thing to what the PS 3DO Jaguar and saturn could do....was the first truly fully 3D game. It dropped jaws. Crash was OK and all but, this was the shit.
At first I was thinking that SM64 doesn't need ray tracing, because the simple graphics is part of the charm. But then I thought about how it could have that 90's pre-rendered Silicon Graphics look that was used in advertising and game covers at the time. So I am glad you brought that up at 7:49. I was a big fan of that look as a kid growing up in the 90's and I always thought that would be what games would look like in the future.
