It may not be the most impressive by today's standards but Wave Race water makes me the happiest. They encapsulated the spirit of a nice sunny day on the water.
@leftyfourguns8 ай бұрын
My heart skipped a beat when I saw this, I thought it was Volume 3! We really need a vol. 3 to explore current gen water, like the amazing water systems in RDR2, Sea of Thieves, and Mario Odyssey just to name a few
@JoshuaChild848 ай бұрын
Don't forget Horizon Forbidden West.
@lorenzotosiart8 ай бұрын
TOTALLY!
@Danmcrea8 ай бұрын
I would also recommend to check out water in Elex and Elex 2. I was always amazed how it looked for an AA game. The way the streams and rivers flow, and take all rocks under consideration is simply amazing
@1gnore_me.18 күн бұрын
add astro bot to that list as well
@randocalrissian92178 ай бұрын
Love you, DF!!!
@HOSKINGJ8 ай бұрын
This was (and is) a simply excellent series and I’m glad it’s now in an even higher quality. I’d be fascinated to see John or DF do similar videos for other elements eg. smoke
@joejoe26588 ай бұрын
rather a video about what they smoke while gaming.
@iangriffinadams8 ай бұрын
Completely agree! Smoke, Grass, Skyboxes. I have wanted these videos from them ever since this dropped the first time
@antonlouthander77488 ай бұрын
Fire!
@TonyTynebridge8 ай бұрын
John's fantastic in these videos
@kikiphallin8 ай бұрын
@@antonlouthander7748 Fire would be so awesome
@LateNightHalo8 ай бұрын
I’m so glad you spent so much time on Mario Sunshine and Halo 3. Those games still have some of the best looking water I’ve seen in a game. Mario sunshine has the visual authenticity and halo 3 has the interactive authenticity
@federicogarayar22758 ай бұрын
¡Gracias!
@geminijinxies72588 ай бұрын
The water in Mario Sunshine is still impressive today. We get reflection, refraction and proper physics while swimming etc. Nintendo is the king of water and it all started with Wave Race 64!
@Simte8 ай бұрын
I absolutely love this compilation. Ever since the Ps1 days I have been obsessed with water rendering and Skyboxes in games.
@yvesrn8 ай бұрын
I remember being blown away by the water effects in Metal Gear Solid for PS1. I wish that had gotten a mention.
@Matt25th8 ай бұрын
I was waiting for it to get a mention and was surprised when they moved onto the next generation of consoles. Strange omission given the impact of the series.
@Goober898 ай бұрын
I'm such a nerd for stuff like this. So glad DF still outputs such great DF Retro content.
@Swisshost8 ай бұрын
It's a reupload.
@Goober898 ай бұрын
@@Swisshost You're a reupload
@TrepeGB8 ай бұрын
The water in Wave Race 64 is still some of my favourite water effects in games.
@petrlazar52408 ай бұрын
It was... waves ahead of its time.
@markxv22678 ай бұрын
It created a wave through the gaming industry
@bobkerr27558 ай бұрын
What's even more impressive is that it's still actually fun to play. I still enjoy it even more than the sequel.
@Johnjrambo758 ай бұрын
Blew me away when I saw it first.
@TrepeGB8 ай бұрын
@@bobkerr2755 It’s like an arcade game & it’s still so fun to play.
@kazirk88 ай бұрын
This is one of the best things you guys have produced. More videos like this focusing on solutions for specific aspects of games please!
@j.r.shartzer8 ай бұрын
I never thought about it before, but in Metal Gear Solid on PS1, you start right next to water and can walk around in it full submerged. If you do, the camera drops down into the water, and I think it's the only time in the game that the camera actually looks up at Snake. It's a good artistic choice. The camera submerges to make the player feel as if they had been submerged with Snake. Logistically, I imagine this angle also allowed them to achieve their underwater effect by simply applying a filter to the camera. It looks great. Weirdly green, but everything looks appropriately wavy. Snake just movies a tiny, little bit slower, but his physics seem mostly unaltered. I love little technical details like that, which not only help creators clear logistic hurdles but actually help tell the story or express a vibe in a more abstract way. "You didn't notice it, but your brain did." Above the surface, the water slowly rises up and down in different intervals and has a nice (for its time) ripple effect. It's good, but that underwater camera shift is what this video has me thinking about, in particular.
@Zinkolo8 ай бұрын
Fun fact: with a simple code, Mario Sunshine runs at 60 FPS no problem on a GameCube. The only issue you may encounter is with jumping into portals but it's only a slight issue where you have to wait a few seconds for it to appear.
@callmeivan20648 ай бұрын
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 has some great water simulation for pools. Cities skyline, despite being a city building game, has water displacement simulation that actually influences how you mould the landscape.
@unbearifiedbear18858 ай бұрын
Ah yes, the time I removed a whole load of coastal sand to build a port (on pause) and, after spending 45min terraforming, building, adding roads and rail connections, footpaths, beautification, changing traffic priorities and getting it ALL sorted... then when I pressed play, the seawater displaced and my whole City would flood Never overwrite savegames, people 😂😪
@olevet758 ай бұрын
Ico windmill really impressed me back in day, played magazine demo religiously before release, Baldusr's gate dark alliance was also amazing for time
@plume...8 ай бұрын
What a fantastic episode, thank you very much John
@big_turk8 ай бұрын
John, you're a madman and find new ways for me to appreciate things even more through your crazy levels of knowledge and research. Keep it up!
@DarshUK18 ай бұрын
GTA4 has great water and is kinda retro (it’s release date is closer the Waverace 64 than today)
@yewtewbstew5478 ай бұрын
This comment made me feel extremely old lol.
@The_Stolas8 ай бұрын
I'm so old
@lilpain19978 ай бұрын
I still remember the GTA SA release day and me as child being blown away by it lmao. Then GTA IV came out and I legit didn't understand how they would ever get better than that. Time really does fly by huh
@RealFlicke8 ай бұрын
GTA IV also introduced the most impressive character physics engine ever created into a AAA game.
@JaimeMargary8 ай бұрын
You can't just say things like that to people 💀🪦
@Viddy228 ай бұрын
I enjoyed this video immensely. Nothing better during a lazy Sunday afternoon. Keep em coming!
@julianmitchell57768 ай бұрын
Wave race and f zero .. my two most wanted franchise to come back with new games
@FigmentHF8 ай бұрын
Man, Waverace 64 day was such a great day. It was realised in the U.K. on my birthday. Got it from game at 8am and went to Alton Towers (U.K. theme park) with fiends and then got Pizza Hut and went home and had a sleep over and we played Waverace for about 8 hours straight. Thanks Mum 🙏🏻
@riansillett27718 ай бұрын
Thats a fantastic memory to have. N64 game nights were untouchable back in them days
@bananachild19368 ай бұрын
The water in 'Wave Race 64' is still quite impressive in my opinion. If someone in the hacking or modding community can manage to break the magician's code and bring the game up to full a 60FPS, that would be the dream man.
@ottomaticallyawesome8 ай бұрын
Are you taking about emulation or native hardware?
@bananachild19368 ай бұрын
@@ottomaticallyawesome Both. But not for the native N64 hardware in particular. A proper stable 30FPS for that console would suffice.
@Halcos8 ай бұрын
I hope it'll be recompiled someday to allow a proper PC version. Similar recompilations of Mario 64 and Zelda gave us fantastic PC ports with smooth 60 fps (or even 120 in case of Zelda)
@ottomaticallyawesome8 ай бұрын
@@bananachild1936 fair.
@bananachild19368 ай бұрын
@@Halcos That's what I was hoping. Though I think it's gonna be a very long while before we even get to see such a development. Not only will it be a super complex process, but 'Wave Race 64' itself is also super niche and not particularly the most "mainstream" Nintendo IP out there. So it'll take some die-hard fans of the game who conveniently also knows how coding works in order to get the decompiling job done.
@mjc09618 ай бұрын
Bringing me back to the good ol' days of Miiverse with this one.
@saphricpcgaming51828 ай бұрын
Great looking water for a gba game.
@danielnitzan85828 ай бұрын
I Love John's videos and the way he dives deep into computer graphics.
@r-test36688 ай бұрын
THIS WAS TOP CLASS! And this is the exact type of contest I like, Big ups!!!
@randybutternubs12098 ай бұрын
These were the videos that made me subscribe to DF way back, great to see it again in 4K
@yvesrn8 ай бұрын
Wow! This one took a lot of work and time to put together. I appreciate the effort. Great job!
@SLE3PR8 ай бұрын
Great work as usual, John! I've always loved the different ways game devs portray water. Effects work in general is where a lot of the true artistry and wizardry are.
@Zerobob268 ай бұрын
My favourite is the water in Tomb Raider 1. There's just something about the distortion, the way Lara moves in it, and the sound effects that combine to make it feel like water! Sea of Thieves is also excellent... Not only is it a beautiful and convincing water effect, but I've never jumped into video game water before and felt so completely out of my depth and vulnerable to what might be lurking beneath.
@lordioris8 ай бұрын
I would love to see a continuation of sorts for this, like sand and fire rendering/effects on gaming
@FakYuhGoogel8 ай бұрын
Can't believe John didn't mention Crash Bandicoot 3 water here. While the underwater levels convince me artistically, the multiple jetski levels are technically impressive for a ps1 with a wobbly surface and objects reacting accordignly (to me the later levels feel even more wavy than the first) all while holding a decent framerate.
@youngmaster51198 ай бұрын
He hates Crash, and loves Sonic what a dumb taste .😂
@plimsickens8 ай бұрын
This is so relaxing and so pure. Thank you guys so much
@Danusko8 ай бұрын
Amazing videos. A part 3 would be awesome, plenty of new games and techniques to admire and discuss.
@vonmillhausenplays8 ай бұрын
I'd still love to see a deep-dive on Trespasser. There's a lot to talk about with that game: the early full-world physics system (used even for player locomotion), the inverse-kinematics used for dinosaur animation, the impressively in-depth foley system for audio, the unusual world-scale 3D coordinates shared between levels, the production issues and behind-the-scenes drama with the game's development, Stephen Spielberg's involvement, the pre-release promotion vs. what was actually shipped, the work the fan community has done in terms of recovering lost content, etc.. I hope it's still on your radar to do! 🤞
@reav3rtm8 ай бұрын
I can't count how many times I played demo version when it was out when I was a kid. That was scary experience!. Full version was a bit of letdown but I still look at it with nostalgia!
@blalesnail30988 ай бұрын
The LP of it by Research Indicates is one of the best of all time.
@vonmillhausenplays8 ай бұрын
@@blalesnail3098 If I recall correctly, @ThreadbareInc also used to have an excellent Let's Play of it, but it seems like their videos of it no longer exist on their channel, unfortunately!
@Retro_simone8 ай бұрын
These kind of videos is why I love DF> Please more of those.
@spladam38458 ай бұрын
This was FANTASTIC John. Thank you.
@cyrfung8 ай бұрын
What I love about Wave Race 64 is how you can really feel the water physics and it's the core of the gameplay. You really need to work with the water to stay low and go fast or go against it to jump or dive.
@Monticello198 ай бұрын
In Ratchet and Clank Going Commando PS2 there was a hidden developer museum. They had a demo of unused water tech you could run around in and it blew my mind as a kid.
@peterkevintaylor8 ай бұрын
The video I never knew I needed. Great stuff.
@javierfurus52228 ай бұрын
I absolutely love these tech deep dive (pun intended) videos. I adore the tricks used to make games when power was really limited and the tech behind is just so intriguing. Never stop doing these!
@n64fan608 ай бұрын
Great series. DF Retro should also videos on the history of other FX. Reflections, fire, smoke, rain/snow/weather.
@gelfrecs8 ай бұрын
Amazing video. Love this. Love water. Thanks for making this John
@joinkusbelinkiusthethird8 ай бұрын
Videos like these are my favorites from DF
@BlastMaster8 ай бұрын
The intro to Sports Jam on Dreamcast had the best water, golf ball in the lake. "PLUNK!"
@_evildoer8 ай бұрын
More like this please. Love the detailed history of a specific tech in games
@eddyx92x58 ай бұрын
Nice documentary. I remember during the Bisohock Part how beautiful the art and especially the soundtrack of the game is. Fantastic
@SweDownhill8 ай бұрын
Donkey Kong Country (SNES), Wave Race (N64) and Far Cry Instincts Predator (Xbox 360) are three of my most memorable games in regards to water and water effects. I've been blown away by all of them through the years. Thanks for a fantastic video series! I'm looking forward to part 2.
@ripster87668 ай бұрын
I love telling younger people to go play waverace 64 to experience the water physics. To me it still feels as good as it did back in the day.
@meatdouglas8 ай бұрын
crash bandicoot 3 had some mind blowing water back in the day; surprised it wasnt mentioned; it's always one of the first games that come to mind for me when thinking about water in games...
@Loundsify8 ай бұрын
I think it's because wave racer pre dates crash 3.
@RealFlicke8 ай бұрын
I didn't expect a documentary series about my favorite topic of graphics. Love it!
@duncanknipe88948 ай бұрын
This was a great "deep dive" into water effects, thank you for putting it together. Wave Race 64 blew my mind when it released. In my opinion the best in game water today is hands down Sea of Thieves, both visually and in the simulation.
@OneRandomVictory8 ай бұрын
I really loved the look of water in the ps2/xbox/gamecube era. It didn't look real but it looked surreal.
@misterburns1038 ай бұрын
This man has the taste, the talent, and the trust of gamers everywhere. Vice Project Doom referenced straightaway? Hell yeah! Chef's kiss.
@Doug-mu2ev8 ай бұрын
I really love this format John! Nobody can do this type of video except for DF!
@SiStockbridge8 ай бұрын
YES! I've always had a fascination with fluid simulation in games. Hydrophobia & From Dust are a few good examples of this if i remember right. And shooting out the fish tank in MGS2 never gets old!
@D.u.d.e.r8 ай бұрын
Another excellent DF Retro ep which is missing only todays most advanced water simulation in games to compare what amazing road graphics went to get here. Still great job, awesome show thx John and DF team!👍
@AfterlifeGames8 ай бұрын
Excellent video as always! Just one minor correction: At 10:39, you say the N64 was originally released in 1995. However, the N64 was first released in Japan on June 23, 1996. Maybe you were thinking of the PS1's North American release? Not a big deal, just thought you'd want to know. Keep up the incredible work!
@chr1st0pher8 ай бұрын
My fav DF video ever, please do more like this !
@Name-tn3md8 ай бұрын
Unlikely this is old video
@chr1st0pher8 ай бұрын
@@Name-tn3md I’m aware, what’s why I said it’s my fav one ever and I’d like to see more like it
@balaam_70878 ай бұрын
This one is minor and fairly obscure, but I recall at the time thinking the water in Ico on PS2 looked quite a bit better than in most other games of the era. There were only small pools of it here and there in some sections, but it was pretty detailed for the time.
@Swisshost8 ай бұрын
BF4 water maps are still 11 years later so impressive. It reacts to objects and vehicles and is MP, so all the players see the same waves.
@br4kecheckd8 ай бұрын
Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla have amazing water rendering. Couple with the sound and color pallet the design is amazing.
@KnightMD8 ай бұрын
This is the best video that has ever been made, so much that I had to pause it to type this comment because I don't want to miss a second of it.
@NothingHereForYou8 ай бұрын
This was one of the first DF videos i had watched that got me into DF. It actually was a big moment for me because it influenced this cool game idea i had to be water based.
@raphaellewis1878 ай бұрын
You have no idea how long Ive been wait for someone to make a video on this type of thing Ive always felt nostalgic towards the water in Nintendo games specifically.
@tyo1018 ай бұрын
Water cool way to analyse these graphics. Thanks, DF (exclamation point).
@TheLastLineLive8 ай бұрын
That ripple effect on the surfaces that you showed on fear, I remember that technique being used in serious Sam the first encounter three years prior. That game had a really cool engine for its time imo.
@thiagovidal61378 ай бұрын
Still my favourite episodes of DF RETRO.
@ilovelctr8 ай бұрын
I think BioShock DX10 and Tomb Raider Legend on the 360 were two of the stunning milestones in water rendering.
@TheRoninteam8 ай бұрын
This episode was one of the best, really amazing!
@CoastalCutLaser8 ай бұрын
This was most awesome. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Incredible work.
@Modhabobo9 күн бұрын
I judge every new console generation by how they have improved water graphics. This is my dream DF video
@SirCalalot8 ай бұрын
I stand by these two being the best episodes of DF. ❤
@MortenSlottHansen8 ай бұрын
The first 3D water I saw was in Midwinter on the Amiga. It was amazing watching the water slush up on the beach. Think it would fit in this otherwise amazing H2O saga ❤ Keep up the amazing work guys 🍻
@vercetty008 ай бұрын
amazing video, that's for this kind of stuff that i love DF :D During the PS1 era there is also the water levels in Crash Bandicoot 3 with impressive water deformation and physics a bit similar to Wave Race 64.
@kordelas25148 ай бұрын
Maybe a bit but nowhere close.
@jenesuispasbavard7 ай бұрын
Kameo's water was great too.
@alejandrooro99328 ай бұрын
I love this tipe of videos and i personally love how water is represented in games. I will never forget how awesome the water looked to me in crash team racing for the ps1 in the beach track or how beautifull it looked in the dreamcast version of hydro thunder. Also i will never forget how impresive i was when i first saw duken nuken 3d swiming in a 3d world. I had never seen a 3d game before and it was absolutly mind blowing
@shlooky8 ай бұрын
Amazing video thanks!!! Ray Tracing improved on screen space reflections. Lots of games should have been mentioned, but I agree, there is not enough time to cover everything.
@Themootilatr8 ай бұрын
Wish we could somehow get these with a little addendum for anything new. I love this type of content
@gamershaven418 ай бұрын
Wave Race 64 was that true "Awe-inspiring" moment. As for current water effects, IMHO, Sea of Thieves has set the bar so ridiculously high that I don't really see it being topped for a very long time.
@mitchyk8 ай бұрын
This was the DF video We didn't know we needed! Great video John. Keep up the absolutely sterling work! So when are you doing the DF History of the tire in games? Or the DF history of Helicopter windows in games? Or the DF history of history in games? lol Or anything so niche but informative! This was a great video and we need more of these deep dives, if you'll pardon the pun! lol
@nping20018 ай бұрын
Thank you for this. Seriously...thank you!
@david.godlewski8 ай бұрын
I love water in video games. I'd love to see a compilation of brilliant contemporary examples of water sometime!
@TylerNessss8 ай бұрын
5:35... Love that John added Sparkster on SNES. This was such a stunning effect back in the day. I remember seeing this played at a store and I just NEEDED that game. Cant believe Sparkster didnt get a proper come back. If only this was a Nintendo IP.... The little dude deserves a platformer comeback. And how Sparkster is not in Smash Bros is beyond me. Like Crono and some other fan favorites.
@FrankenSama8 ай бұрын
Legendary video, the first two parts made me sub instantly back then
@eliack958 ай бұрын
Me and my buddy back in the day would talk about how the water in Halo looked so good.
@NinGamerDave8 ай бұрын
Quite the insightful video on the subject. Then... the Ys Origin's Flooded Prison ost kicks in.👀 Video got even better.🧐
@TepidsAnalogueHellscape8 ай бұрын
Still my favorite DF thing ever. Peak cozy longform content.
@stevenbatier69748 ай бұрын
Wave race blue storm is still an incredible master pièce. Excellent work Df❤❤
@Mr.Atari26008 ай бұрын
I was blown away to see Water Animation in Pitfall 2 on Atari 2600.
@jshealy12088 ай бұрын
Great video! I think that both Tomb Raider: Legend and Subnautica both have impressive looking water as well.
@stevenallan58228 ай бұрын
Great video, thanks. Nowadays not only are we wanting realistic water but simulating tides too and how the water interacts with objects.
@arghpee8 ай бұрын
Water physics and effects in graphics are always so impressive.
@psygnozis8 ай бұрын
The PlayStation 1 game Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere showcases stunning water effects.
@stephenelliott70718 ай бұрын
I really enjoyed this episode. For me I was blown away with the water effects in Wave Race 64 on N64 (especially on the screen of choice then, the CRT). Then on PC with the original Unreal with that waterfall area and Far Cry.
@訓練された鶏6 ай бұрын
I will never forget the feeling I had as a child when I saw the representation of water in Mario Sunshine. It was the moment when I became more interested in the field of real-time rendering computer graphics than in games themselves. I am now working as an environment artist, although I did not major in computer graphics and only write code in GLSL as a hobby.
@theblubus8 ай бұрын
YESS I've been waiting for this sort of video for so long! :)
@kopek948 ай бұрын
As someone who has always been fascinated by water in games - thank you!
@audiodrocher8 ай бұрын
Really interesting and complicated aspect of CG, thanks for bringing it up.
@mrpetebojangles218 ай бұрын
It’s insane how ahead of its time MGS2. Still some of the best looking rain ever, 24 years later. Will always love that game.