Thread: Medieval II Total War!!!

One of the most controversial subjects when it comes to benchmarking graphics performance is undoubtedly Futuremark — specifically their "gaming" benchmarks, the 3DMark series. For 10 years now, we have seen graphics card reviews bicker and argue about the viability of using 3DMark. On the one hand, we have those who insist the 3DMark tools are nothing more than a synthetic graphics benchmark, encouraging heavy optimizations from the various GPU companies in order to come out on top. The other side of the equation consists of people looking for an easy way to categorize performance, plus a group of diehard benchmarkers who are in constant competition to come out on top of the ORB (Online Results Browser) charts. As with so many things in life, reality strikes more of a middle ground.

While there are occasions where the performance metrics generated by the Futuremark tools correlate well to certain real-world games, very few people are going to be interested in purchasing hardware based solely on 3DMark performance. On the other hand, there have been many occasions throughout the history of PC gaming where users have upgraded hardware purely to improve performance in the latest and greatest game. GL-Quake helped to sell thousands (millions even?) of 3dfx graphics cards, which in turn helped to kick-start our modern obsession with 3D gaming.

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Take a look at the images in this article for a moment; certainly we're not the only people in the world who when first greeted by a new 3DMark have thought, "Daaaaamn! That is a sweet looking benchmark and it would make an awesome game. They should turn that concept into a real game rather than a 60 second benchmark scene." If you're with us on this one, the wait may be over... sort of.

It appears that Futuremark has been secretly hard at work on their first full retail game, and while we don't have any details on what sort of game it will be or when it will launch, they have announced the formation of Futuremark Games Studio. The plans sound ambitious, with the following statement: "For years, our fans have been asking us when we will start making games. Very soon they are going to get it - and then some!" If we're lucky, we may end up with not just one title but numerous cutting edge titles over the coming years.

Enter the Futuremark Games Studio

Why is it that the ideal review needs to look at performance in a large variety of applications/games? It is precisely because it is difficult (if not impossible) to predict performance without such a broad selection of performance results. If we run performance benchmarks on a dozen applications and a component comes out ahead of its competition in all 12 tests, it's reasonably safe to state that this component is going to be faster in the majority of applications. This is currently the case with Intel's Core 2 pitted against AMD's Athlon X2 — and now Phenom — processors. More often, we encounter situations where some applications perform better on one architecture and the remainder are faster on the competition. Depending on the margins of victory, and even more importantly depending on how individual users plan to use their systems, which component is "better" is a matter of perspective.

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If Futuremark Games Studio (FGS) can remain true to their roots and release games that include useful benchmarking tools, even better. It's not that difficult to include benchmarking tools with a game that will provide a very accurate overview of performance, but too few developers take the time to do so. Of course, there's a difference between benchmarking a good game and benchmarking junk. Before FGS can become relevant, they need to prove they can actually make games. We'll have to hold off on leveling a verdict in that area for a while. Regardless, getting more titles from more developers is never a bad thing, and if the games have good graphics and they use the graphics engines from the 3DMark utilities, ORB results take one large step away from being purely synthetic.

We're optimistic about what Futuremark Games Studio will be able to do in the gaming market, and with the resources of Futuremark behind them we will hopefully get to see creative new designs rather than cookie-cutter clones pushed out by corporate think-tanks. What we don't know (yet - we're trying to get more details and will update this article if/when they become available) is what sort of games they're planning to release, when they're planning to release them, and whether they'll be PC-exclusive or multi-platform. Given that the press release mentions "new IP", the door is wide open.

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This hit home with me, as I have extensively used 3dmark05. I actually thought this [Futuremark] making games thing would be cool myself, and then they do this. Sweetness.