Don't know fellas. Bump maps make a huge difference to my eyes. I can always see the light reflecting in every little crevace and just because some game has nice textures doesn't really do it for me ... nice textures still look flat and lifeless, like a page out of a magazine ... whereas even an ugly bumpmapped texture has depth and looks more 'real' to me.
Textures just don't really do it no matter how detailed they are, they're always just kinda dead compared to bumps. They are a better artistic acheivement sure ... but when I'm playing Halo I notice the bumps a lot because laser fire increases the detail in the texture when it goes by. A regular texture doesn't change it just kinda lights up ... you don't see more detail.
In real life when something lights up in all the cracks you see more detail ... you get a broader picture of what's really there which is intriguing. With bumpmaps you get a similar effect, like a mystery being uncovered as the light passes over it.
Textures just don't really do it no matter how detailed they are, they're always just kinda dead compared to bumps. They are a better artistic acheivement sure ... but when I'm playing Halo I notice the bumps a lot because laser fire increases the detail in the texture when it goes by. A regular texture doesn't change it just kinda lights up ... you don't see more detail.
In real life when something lights up in all the cracks you see more detail ... you get a broader picture of what's really there which is intriguing. With bumpmaps you get a similar effect, like a mystery being uncovered as the light passes over it.