Shader Model 3.0 in FarCry: No New Effects so Far

The FarCry game was originally developed with the DirectX 9.0 in mind. However, nowadays there are so lot of different graphics cards on the market that engines for game titles have to be scalable enough in order to satisfy gamers with DirectX 8.1 graphics cards and run faster or produce higher quality image on graphics cards that sport specifications beyond DirectX 9.0.

FarCry with Shader Model 3.0 and HDR, screenshot from nVNews.net

Crytek, the developer of FarCry, recently showcased a special demo of FarCry with loads of Shader Model 3.0 capabilities, such as displacement mapping, exposed. While the screenshots impressed everyone much, it looks like we still have to wait a while until the game will be able to show us all of its glory with pixel and vertex shaders 3.0.

FarCry with Shader Model 3.0 and HDR, screenshot from nVNews.net

What the Crytek does now is implementing Shader Model 3.0 where possible in order to improve performance on hardware that sports the Shader Model 3.0. It is not clear whether the whole game already utilises the SM 3.0 capabilities for speed maximization purposes or just a number of selected levels boast the features, but the fact that developer of such complex game jumped on the SM 3.0 bandwagon means that, at least, pixel and vertex shaders 3.0 are unlikely to fall into oblivion.