Ray Tracing

As we creep ever closer to the next generation of console gaming hardware, there has been a lot of talk on message boards about what we can expect graphics-wise.  Unlike the jump from, say, NES to SNES there probably won't be much difference in terms of visuals beyond a little sharper, a little faster and a little further...so how do you advertise this new technology to consumers who (possible due to finical hardships) are not especially eager to pick up a PS5 or Xbox One X?  Well, it seems like the selling point and new hotness that tech bros are all excited for is ray tracing.  The problem with that is, it's more of a boon for the people who make games rather than those who only play them.

I'm sure most of the folks reading this blog post have already seen those with/without ray tracing videos of Minecraft (see blog post pic for those few who have not).  The thing with that is ray tracing is such a resource intensive feature you really need a relatively undemanding game like Minecraft in order to keep the GPU from getting overwhelmed.  On top of that, the simple, blocky nature of the game helps highlight the visual differences.  When ray tracing is applied to a game with more polygons and higher res textures to begin with (such as Control) the effect is much more subtle and harder to discern.  One might be tempted to say it looks more realistic, but the same can also be said for frame rates (something that will almost certainly suffer when ray tracing is turned on).  So, ray tracing may or may not be all that impressive visually.  What does it have to do with making game development easier?  As it turns out...a lot, actually...

When you get down to it, ray tracing is just a lot of vectors being sent out from a central source.  It can be used for light, but it also has a number of other applications.  Sound is one such example.  Another is visual detection for AI units, yet another is splash damage from explosions.  Normally, all these different mechanics have to be broken down into separate subroutines.  Even something as basic as proper lighting in games requires special code for reflections and shadows...heck...back in the PSX era, textures themselves had to be created with light source placement already decided on.  With ray tracing though, all these fiddly bits can be put into one universal system that handles all the calculations.  What's more, it's not just a bunch of parlor tricks involving the digital equivalent of smoke and mirrors.  Instead, ray tracing imitates real-life, albeit with some concessions made to fidelity.  The end result of all this is an easier time for developers.  How that actually translates into future games is hard to say because it's up to each and every studio to decide what to do with that freed-up time, money and manpower.