Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984
The new replay tools offered in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds are so much more than standard video-capture technology. In fact, it isn't video capture at all -- it's data capture. The 3D replay tools allow players to zoom around the map after a match, tracking their own character, following enemies' movements, slowing down time and setting up cinematic shots of their favorite kills, all within a 1-kilometer radius of their avatar. It's filled with statistics, fresh perspectives and infinite data points to dissect. This isn't just a visual replay; it's a slice of the actual game, perfectly preserved, inviting combatants to play God.
The toolset comes from South Korean company Minkonet, which just opened a second office in Los Angeles. PUBG is its first big client, and last month's rollout marks the first real mainstream implementation of this data-capture technology.
It definitely won't be the last. According to Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Gilbert Kim, Minkonet's phone has been ringing off the hook since the PUBG announcement, with studios around the world wanting a piece of the replay pie.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/01/pubg-playerunknowns-battlegrounds-3d-replay-minkonet-future/
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 05 2018, @12:47PM
Um...
Video capture is expensive. Video capture of the whole map, even in something like Star Craft is even more expensive, and games like that have been able to replay an entire game for many years.
Logging unit positions and actions takes a lot less data, and is therefore a viable strategy even on machines that only live up to the minimum requirements of these kinds of games.
Which method do you thing a ten year old game uses? The one that requires a pretty beefy video capture card even today (I'm not sure how large the maps are, but I'm pretty sure it's more than a regular 4k video stream - remember that you'd need to capture the entire map at the highest available zoom), or this "new" technique that would work even on older hardware?