Check out the water comparisons in the screenshots at the bottom of this page:

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQxMyw0LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

Actually, that entire article is pretty decent.  It not only discusses the image quality improvements in DirectX 10 (in LOTR: Online anyway) but the massively negative impact DX10 has on system performance. 

DX10 has the same effect on computers that I have on Spanky's mom, it brings them to their knees!  ZING!

DX9 can create some pretty impressive water, but DX10 can really help integrate water with land, leading to a much more satisfying result.  I've attached a screenshot showing DX10 on the left and DX9 on the right.

If you could take the crazy transparencies in the DX10 screenshot and combine it with some decent Havok physics for liquids, you'd have a pretty darned cool toy!

-b0b
(...BAM!)

DX10 is a lot more than pretty water.  It includes better hooks for physics, more realistic smoke effects, much improved shadowing (also covered at the link I posted earlier), and vastly superior particle effects and interaction.  I've attached a screenshot of the DX10 particle effects when compared to DX9.  The difference is pretty amazing.

DirectX 10 will also bring some pretty interesting improvements to the sound arena once the major sound vendors get used to the OpenAL API.  Perhaps one of my biggest grips with Vista is the elimination of most aspects of DirectSound, leaving lots of old (and new) games sounding like crap with stereo sound.  Creative Labs seems to be making some strides in repairing that damage with ALchemy, but the verdict is still out on whether or not ALchemy is going to do the trick.

For what its worth, I'm not just a DX10 fanboy.  The last couple revisions of DirectX haven't really been all that breathtaking, but DX10 really has the potential to take gaming to the next level.  Not only will games look better than ever, but the improvements in sound and physics will make games far more immersive.  Imagine Half-Life 2's physics kicked up a notch!  I had more fun with the gravity gun than I did with the rest of the game combined, and I can't wait to see more innovation on that front.

I don't get to play games nearly as often as I would like to, but I really appreciate beautiful games.  If I'm playing a game that is truly engrossing and worthwhile, I want to play it with all of the settings cranked so I can view it the same way the creators did.  A person stricken with cataracts can't appreciate a Degas painting the same way a person with 20/20 vision can because they can't see it the same way the artist does.

Briney, what's your take on this?

On an off-topic note, just last night I started playing Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, and I can honestly say that it's one of the most beautiful and engaging games I've played since Riven.  Although its beauty is tied more to the artistic direction taken by the producers than the API its running on, I can only imagine what this game would look like if it was redone in DX10.  If you guys are looking for something completely off the path, this game is truly amazing.

-b0b
(...was all over the place in this post.)

That last screenshot was from BioShock, by the way.  Here's another example of DX10 pwnage from Call of Heroes.  For what its worth, Call of Heroes was originally a DX9.0c title.  Even though the game is over a year old, it just received a DX10 update via patch a couple months ago.

As you can see from the screenshot, the DX10 version has much more believable shadowing.  The grass is also incredible by comparison!

-b0b
(...attaches it.)

Just because I'm bored, here's one more shot from Call of Heroes showing the difference in shadowing between DX9 and DX10.  If you look closely at the characters, you'll see they have two shadows in the DX10 version, one cast by the lamp and one cast by the moon.

Although the effect is very subtle in this particular screenshot, it gives an idea of just what DX10 can do.  Imagine the lighting on a tree.  Instead of the artists forcing a shadow to be created from one light source, the engine can dynamically create shadows for every single leaf from a near-infinite number of sources.  Moreover, it can layer those shadows dynamically over the top of bump-mapped textures, lending an incredible amount of realism on different types of surfaces.

In short, I want it.

-b0b
(...still thinks DX10 being Vista-only is a scam, though.)

ill have our programmer shader guy tell you why directx 10 isnt all its cracked up to be. However I think he will agree with you on the blending on planes so you dont see particles clipping through or harsher edges on water/land. Ill make a real post tomm, im tired. And yes, M$ sucks for trying to make people buy their piece o junk drm-infested bloated OS.

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So THAT'S why bob got married, to become the bulletproof monk.

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What?  Get married?

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Maybe he tried to punch the bullet...or he thought he was Wonder Woman and deflected the bullet with his wrist bands!

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