Intel ® Visual

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story unfolds. Technology plays a crucial role in helping the programmers, artists, and effects wizards conjure more believable and higher fidelity characters to which gamers can connect and identify. “Hopefully, if we get better at doing that along the way, someone playing the game may end up getting so emotionally involved that they end up crying or cheering,” said Chamberlain. “We received a really nice e-mail from a fan recently who said that after he watched one of our cinematics he had to run around the block pumping his fists and cheering, so that’s just awesome to know.” “It’s fascinating that we are at this place in time where we can move people emotionally through a video game,” added Chamberlain. “I don’t know The World Ends Better with the 2nd Generation Intel® Core Processor Family World of WarCraft* players who experience the new Cataclysm* expansion on a 2nd gen Intel Core processor-based PC or laptop will be able to enjoy the full vision of the teams behind the massively multiplayer online (MMO) games’ cinematics and gameplay. Intel worked closely with the engineers at Blizzard Entertainment to ensure that the new expansion takes full advantage of the advanced processing power of the 2nd gen Intel Core processor. Throughout the development process, Intel provided Blizzard with access to architects, engineers, graphics specialists, and experts across different product groups to enable collaboration. Together, the technicians went through the online world frame by frame to make the most of the interactive experience. “We captured key frames using Intel® Graphics Performance Analyzers and evaluated the most expensive components of that frame to find the bottlenecks,” explained Josh Doss, senior graphics software engineer at Intel. “We then worked with Blizzard to find ways to mitigate those bottlenecks. In doing so, it often increases the performance not only on our hardware, but also across the board on discrete hardware and for a general increase in performance.” The end result benefits everything from the game engine to the final gameplay experience and the visual fidelity of the game. Even the game’s cinematic performance receives a boost through this enhanced speed. Intel continues to work with Blizzard to ensure that its game developers are well informed about current and future technologies to help make the MMO world essentially future proof. For gamers, that means Azeroth will continue to grow in size and scope. And for 2nd gen Intel Core processor-based PC or laptop owners, this world has never looked better. if that could have been said twenty years ago at the dawn of video games. Now it seems like that line between simple gameplay and embracing a story is getting increasingly blurred. They’re becoming one and the same thing.” The other line that is becoming more blurred in video games is the one between cinematics and the gameplay experience. While there was once a huge downgrade in fidelity when the game transitioned to its playable form, PC gamers are able to more seamlessly wade into interactive experiences such as WoW today. “For in-game cinematics, there’s always the challenge of making the cinematic presentation not exclude the player,” said Gregory. “Technology plays a lot into that as we try and look for more ways to make the transition a seamless experience. With StarCraft* II and Cataclysm, we’ve started to include the player’s character in the cut scenes. We’re just getting into that now, and the future looks really bright with new technologies allowing us to achieve that.” Gregory said storytelling challenges remain, including how to tell a story that keeps the player involved around every corner. He said it takes a lot of creative solutions from a lot of creative people to make it a fun and engaging experience. Blizzard has been doing that well, to the tune of over 11 million devoted subscribers over the years. Looking ahead, advances in technology will allow for more cinematic experiences both in-game and outside of the gameplay to push players further in the fantasy world of Azeroth. • intel visual adrenaline no. 10, 2011 28
DIGITAL ARTISTS Justin Lassen and his friends reveal three ways that Intel® technology keeps them busy If there’s one breed of super-user that has truly benefited from Intel’s role in the computer revolution, it’s the digital artist. Improvements in multi-core CPU technology haven’t just spurred artistic creativity among digital content creators—they’ve unleashed their very souls. Digital art files routinely reach over a gigabyte in size, putting tremendous pressure on CPUs and RAM. Today, netbooks powered by the Intel® Atom processor serve as a readily available conduit to creativity, from capturing reverb in European cathedrals to recording crashing waves on California beaches. Ideas that might have been scribbled on a bar napkin can now be captured safely. Intel® Visual Adrenaline magazine has tracked the career of digital musician Justin Lassen since our earliest editions. For this issue, we checked back with Justin and talked to his artistic friends to learn what technology has done for them lately. Justin introduced three of his digital heroes: Kirsi Salonen, Alex Ruiz, and Erlend Mørk. Lassen credits Intel with bringing him in contact with this trio of creative souls. “As a result of my collaboration with Intel, I was able to meet and develop relationships with them. We did Synaesthesia together, and we’re like a family. We’re all so different and spread across the world. We would never have met if it weren’t for art and technology and that creative drive.” The impact of technology boils down to three key assists for digital artists: power, speed, and creativity. Harness the Power Better technology will always benefit powerhungry customers. But what, exactly, is the significance of that connection? Lassen believes part of the magic is how software vendors continue to upgrade tools to take advantage of the newest processors. “Studio One Pro* is optimized for Intel® multi-core CPUs. For a while, SONAR* was the only software truly optimized for multi-core, but Studio One Pro now does it. And more products are starting to come around. They’re getting ready for the future.” Kirsi Salonen, a dark fantasy author and digital artist from Finland, recently upgraded to 24 GB of RAM and a new Intel® Core i7 processor on an Asus P6T* motherboard. “The more layers you add to the picture, the more you need some serious power. Sometimes I have over 30 layers within one work. It’s easier to play with layers, and it helps to construct the image better than traditional painting.” HARNESS PC POWER Justin Lassen, digital composer. Like most digital artists, Salonen does her own technical support. “I earn my living through the computer, and it’s been my best friend (along with my dog, Wario) for over eight years. I’ve spent most of my adult years learning to paint digitally, so in a way I’m married to technology.” Digital artist and animator Alex Ruiz works in the heart of the digital art scene in Los Angeles. He’s worked on the television series The Simpsons, and he teaches digital art to aspiring students. “Since I use Photoshop* mostly, the faster and stronger the machine, the faster one can be in creating. Photoshop uses a lot of RAM, and since file sizes can get huge, it’s extremely important to have a good setup.” intel visual adrenaline no. 10, 2011 29
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Intel ® Visual

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