N.o.v.a 4

Of course. 3D models for iPhone games have less bones, are low poly, etc., so you can't expect PC animations to work on devices like iPod Touch 4 and such. Animations done in MC4 are still way better than the animations GL did for NOVA 3, MC3, and so on.

 

So maybe we need to move on with technology, to get better quality games like on PC's - you need to have a good device to play lastest games.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if MC5 and NOVA 4 will be a much bigger graphical and technical leap forward than NOVA 3 and MC4 were, since it's highly unlikely that gameloft will contine to support the iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4 and original iPad for their bigger titles releasing later in the year. (I could however see games like Iron Man 3 still running on those devices. Not sure about Dungeon Hunter 4, we'll just have to wait and see.)

Now I can only hope that apple releases a decent new iPod Touch this year (and not one with one year old tech at higher prices than previous generations like they did with the last one), since it really is getting time to say good bye to the 4th gen (for everything other than music).

 

As physics seems to have been mentioned a lot, its worth noting that the Havok physics engine is what drives the physics in Call of Duty Black Ops 2 and Battlefield 3 to mention just two notable pc/console fps games for comparison.

As it is implemented in MC4, its safe to assume it will also be used in NOVA 4.
And it is the king where physics engines are concerned. On any platform.

Animations do need some more work but to be fair, they are pretty top notch in MC4 (for the platform the game is designed to run on) and will only get better next time around in NOVA next installment.

The link provides info and some more (though not the complete) noteworthy examples of what high end console/pc games employ it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havok_(software)

 

I'm surprised anyone has an issue with the animations in MC4. For a mobile game they're top notch; heck, the facial animation is decent too, low res textures notwithstanding.

If this really is NOVA 4, I'm quite excited. I've always felt as though this has/had the most "fun, factor of Gameloft's shooters. The campaigns have always been long, varied and interesting with surprisingly decent AI (MC4 I'm looking at you!) and very decent level design.

As an added bonus, I really like the new art style NOVA 3

 

It may be the same physics engine, but I'd say for example the physics for grenades feel much better in CoD than they do in MC4. They bounce off of things more realisticly (I guess?) and roll arround in CoD, I don't think they do in MC4. It's most likely because of how gameloft used the engine, not because of the engine itself.

 

Oh they definitely roll around in MC4.

One thing I didn't like about the physics implementation is that there really weren't any death animations, the enemies just went flying depending on where they were hit. In COD and other shooters, unless killed by an explosion, enemies typically go through a death animation depending on the area of injury and then after/as they fall to the ground ragdoll takes over.

 

Ok, so I launched MC4 again to have a look at the physics, because I hadn't really played it at all in the last few months and yes, the grenades definetly roll, the problem is they don't bounce propperly. When I throw a grenade against a wall, it just falls down when it hits the wall, it doesn't bounce back at me. Grenades that hit the ground hard don't bounce back into the air, they roll on from the place where they hit the ground.

The ragdoll physics for the bodies do seem pretty good though.

 

I should note Havok is not a true "physics" engine. It is an engine to simulate ragdolls and real-time collision. Depending on how the engine it's built into integrates with it, you can have really great ragdoll physics (such as GTA 4's RAGE engine, and the Euphoria system that causes enemies to react realistically to damage like being shot in the leg or arm), or really poor ragdoll physics (like Bioshock and Bioshock 2's very crude and janky ragdolls that animate poorly and move like a stuttering audio track).

Some games, like Half Life 2, go as far as to introduce mass and scale values to determine physics (resulting in things like a puzzle where you have to weigh down one side of a scale to climb up the other end.

 

I didn't think Bioshock's physics were poor. More stylized and unrealistic just like the world the game creates, but not poor. NOVA 3's ragdolls are a good example of low-end ragdolls.

 

Sorry if I am off topic but The picture referenced is in fact the Nova 2 kal wardin action figure next to a window. you can see this action figure here.
I have not seen or heard anything about NOVA 4. Nothing on the leaked gameloft lineup. Nor anything on gameloft live. Modern Combat 5 is already up on Gameloft live, leading me to believe that they ended the NOVA series.

 

Damn it! That actually kind of makes sense... I feel like crying right now... I waaaaaaaaaaant Nova four!!! ############

 

This concurs with info given to me from a birdy that says Nova 4 will not be released this year. Alsoz further evidence was that the Gameloft leak list did not list Nova 4.

In fact the birdy even states that Nova 4 may not even come next year and there is a possibility that the series will be discontinued. But that is being kept under tight raps right now.

Anyway, take it for what it's worth, but the birdies have so far always been right about iron man 3, rr3, ipad 4, and maybe this game. We shall see.

Personally I hope Nova 4 does come out, the sooner the better, and I pray that they don't discontinue the series cause I love the space theme.

 

I never said they were poor; I said they were janky. Look at how the ragdolls stutter and flop around. While the rest of the game is smooth as silk, and looks great, the ragdolls seem to move at a much slower "framerate", as if they have less frames of animation. Which, for a ragdoll, is bizarre.

 

The first one was released in 2009, the second, in 2010, and the third, in 2012. We won't see NOVA 4 this year, but I'm sure we will see it some day, and the wait will be worth it.

 

I do agree though that the "ragdoll framerate" seemed weird at times.

 

I'm sure there'll be another NOVA. But what I want to know is, WHERE CAN I BUY THAT KAL WARDIN STATUE?!

 

As far as I know they're releasing Dungeon Hunter 4 this month. I think I read somewhere that it'll be free2play, but it will have a propper story, etc. like the first two games in the series.

 

Yeah DH4 is this month, look at the TA article.