1.5

[Enrico Marini]

I was wondering how could PS1 render a lot of zombies at that time?!

A PS1 console could handle 180,000 polygons a second (theorectically 500,000 from some sources), so 6000 per frame (or 16000), if running at 30FPS, double if running at 15fps. Most of the RE2 Human Characters were about 7~800 poly's each. The finalised RE2 zombies were about 410 polys so its not infeasable for the PSX to handle so many zombies on screen.

[ashkan]

A PS1 console could theorectically handle 150,000 polygons a second, so 6000 per frame (if running at 30FPS, double if running at 15fps). Most of the RE2 Human Characters were about 7~800 poly's each. The finalised RE2 zombies were about 410 polys so its not infeasable for the PSX to handle so many zombies on screen.

Thanks for the info. I found an interesting article about Resident Evil PS1 vs Saturn:

http://www.stevemv.com/re.html

[The_15th]

Weren't there more zombies than that in Hunk's misson? That was teh room I always got owned in, I never finished it.

[Alzaire]

There are 7 zombies in the small room you're thinking of in Hunk's mission I believe. Supposedly in the earlier eras of 1.5, it supported a maximum of 10 zombies in a single room. In the later eras when they tweaked the models and (speculatively judged) upped the poly count to all the models it was lowered to 8.

[Vixtro]

Thanks for the info. I found an interesting article about Resident Evil PS1 vs Saturn:

http://www.stevemv.com/re.html

I read that article a while back and it's not bad, but I heard someone say before (I think on this forum) that the Sega Saturn version has better sound since it has a better sound chip in the console. I haven't noticed any difference myself, but it would be hard to tell unless you stopped and played one right after the other.

Going off topic a little here, but I'm now curious and when I get time I'll compare the original and Directors Cut on PSX to the original on the Sega Saturn.

Getting back on topic:

There are 7 zombies in the small room you're thinking of in Hunk's mission I believe. Supposedly in the earlier eras of 1.5, it supported a maximum of 10 zombies in a single room. In the later eras when they tweaked the models and (speculatively judged) upped the poly count to all the models it was lowered to 8.

Are there any pics/vidoes showing up to 10 Zombies on screen?

[Enigma_632]

It's been a long time since I played Hunk's mission, but I could swear there is more than 7 in the office near the end.

[ashkan]

It's strange that Re1.5 wasn't even finished that Capcom tried to port it on Sega Saturn!

[Darkmoon]

Not really. It's a common thing to do for a game they planned to release on two systems. Quite often they seem to begin on one platform, and then start converting it over to the second. Fallout 3 is a good example...you can see from the time difference in releases for it's add ons how much of an extra issue it was for the PS3. Which, of course, was the system I bought it on...

[Carnivol]

The worst types of games (technically/internally) are those bastards that weren't developed with multiplatform in mind, but where first finished on one platform and then somehow turned into victims of digital voodoo as they were brought to another (go read up on Policenauts for PS1 or take a look at why PS1 and Saturn ports for the PSP have yet to become victims of fan translations.)

[ashkan]

They used the blue color to show the environment cold and scary. Specially in the RPD section. But I don't know why did they change the RPD to the new one. the newer RPD doesn't even look like a police department!

[Darkmoon]

They felt it fit the RE theme better. Personally, I disagree. If they wanted to use a gothic, museum style building I'd have, personally, had the museum as a location we could visit and kept the modern style RPD there for the starting part. I do love the current RPD, but it would have been better as another building than a police station.

[The_15th]

If they wanted to use a gothic, museum style building I'd have, personally, had the museum as a location we could visit.

That's too logical for RE. The part that made me laugh the most was the library. When someone showed me all the scapped stuff on the net. oh so many years ago, the station seemed so much more logical. I mean, I love this series, but I've always been aware of it's flaws and exagerations.

[leftshoe18]

You know, I never really thought about how incredibly unrealistic the police station is until now.

[Alzaire]

Well to be fair, it's probably not really as uncommon and "unrealistic" as you'd think for a police station to be fashioned from an old museum, library, or city hall in a lot of places.

Honestly, there are several areas in the retail RPD that I think are fine and fit. The issue I have is the overall details. Except for a few rooms, the overall architecture is too obvious museum/library like. The main hall is such a huge turn-off for me as scenery. I walk into the "police station" and the first impression I get is "oops, I just walked into the city museum, my mistake".

I understand they changed the architecture to give it more variety, and possibly as a bit of a nod to the mansion in RE1. I can see how people might feel the 1.5 RPD was too bland and concrete and repetitive. Without seeing the entire RPD in good quality (judging via Inflames' screenshots which is the only place to see many places in the RPD is unfair imo, as the quality blue-hues everything and makes it all seem the same) I can't really say for sure, but I bet there would/could have been some tweaks that could work out. The game wasn't really finished, so who knows how it would turn out. There are areas in retail beta v.2 that are bland and empty that were later filled with more debri/objects and detail. The RPD is one of my biggest curiosities about 1.5.

[RetroRain]

As you said Alzaire, a lot of it is not really that un-realistic, but what really makes it un-realistic to me are those stupid statue puzzles, moving the automated bookshelves, the cogwheel on that picture, getting the plugs/stones. The mansion was deliberately rigged to scare off people, as stated in the files you found throughout the game. But in made no sense for a Police Station, and the only way to really justify it is that it was Chief Irons that set the station up like that. But it really sounds farfetched. They did away with realism just for the sake of having a varied-environment like the first game.

And they did the same thing for RE3. Making a statue turn by putting something on it, and then finding a battery in the back of it? I mean, come on. That's why I was fascinated by 1.5 and couldn't understand why they did away with the realism. They claim that the zombies in 1.5 aren't scary, but I gotta be honest with you, the zombies in the retail version are not that scary at all, and they are very easy to take down and get around. I find the 1.5 zombies more creepier and true to the first game, in my opinion.

Have you ever noticed how the zombies in 1.5 had the same grey skin as the ones in the first game, where-as in the retail version their skin was peach-colored?