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: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 05 2018, @04:56PM (1 child)
It's older than that. I know the original Doom had a demo recording mode that worked exactly like this. Remember the demo playing behind the menus? This tech could be even older than that, but Doom is the oldest I can think of off the top of my head.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 05 2018, @07:31PM
I'm not quite sure Doom counts. Of course it didn't normally record games, you just had to add a switch (-record, IIRC) on the command line to record demos. But the real problem is that that switch also changed gameplay -- because the demo format stored rotation with less precision than normal play, you had to play with that reduced precision when recording a demo. It didn't matter at short range, but could be quite noticeable when e.g. chaingun sniping at long distances.