"Fallout 4" will be one of the biggest games of 2015. And the game's developer, Bethesda Game Studios, offered an inside look at the graphics technology powering the game.
One of the biggest inherent differences is an upgrade to the graphics engine powering the game. For the 2011 release of the company's last game, "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," Bethesda built an 3D engine specifically for the experience, called the "Creation Engine."
For "Fallout 4," Bethesda evolved the Creation Engine to render better graphics that could handle all of the things Bethesda's art team wanted to accomplish in the game.
"The first thing we did after 'Skyrim' was to enhance the Creation Engine's graphical core by adding a physically based deferred renderer," Bethesda said in a blog post. "The new renderer allows us to add many more dynamic lights to every scene, and paint our surfaces with realistic materials. We want objects and characters in the world to feel tactile and grounded, and a big part of that is ensuring that these materials are distinct — that metal reflects light in a distinct manner from wood, for example."
One of the other big changes in "Fallout 4" is a dynamic world that constantly changes depending on the time of day and weather. With better rain, water, and wind effects, Bethesda's material system "allows the surfaces of the world to get wet, and a new cloth simulation system makes cloth, hair, and vegetation blow in the wind."
"The player can go anywhere in the world at any time of day, so we added dynamic post-process techniques that enhance the vibrancy and color of our scenery for maximum emotional impact," the company said.
There are plenty of other big graphical changes you'll experience in "Fallout 4." Check out Bethesda's full blog post for all the details. For now, though, check out a few more gorgeous of the environments you'll see in "Fallout 4," courtesy of Bethesda Game Studios.
