All (action)games I know of don't have real and proper surface collision detection, except some physics games. Just an example: If my Char hits something or someone the weapon goes straight through without any physical reaction, it just counts the damage I've done.
Are there any games out there, in which physics are calculated correctly and taken into visual account?!
Well, you already say it: physics games. They NEEDS to be accurate with their collision detection since they relay on it to the game to be fun. The majority of action games don't need such accuracy cuz THAT IS NOT FUN. You know how frustrating is to swing your sword in a narrow passage in Dark Souls to it to bounce on the walls?
Also, is a extremely demanding process to calculate such precise collisions.
If some geniuses do invent a robust framework for physics based combat which results in realistic sword swings unlike Dark Souls' bounce/no-bounce mechanic, it will be very fun
The damage could be calculated depending on how powerful the swing was and where it hit the enemy. I fantasize about this often
Its a little bit half baked right now but it's been under construction for the better part of a decade. I think the plan now is to use Exanima as a proof of concept and then pivot that technology into a "real" game. But I find it very fun in its current state and does exactly what you're asking for.
It's fun because of all the extra role playing stuff, the actual combat is slightly frustrating because of how slow it is. Most humans cannot wield a long sword in a very efficient manner. If you swing and miss it takes time to correct, time to compensate for momentum, by which point somebody's probably stabbed you in the eye with a little knife.
Or you just get by an arrow because the sword is so heavy you can't move quickly.
Check out Exanima.
There's a nice video of theirs showcasing some complex object collisions - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9-ihvHJdJE
And some neat cloth physics at about 14:25
The niche isnt there because its not really practical. No consumer device can run modern high poly 3D structures with full physics simulation in real time. There is a reason why the only physics sim games are very low poly. And even those are performance hungry despite custom engines.
Realistic physics for realistic looking scenes is something that you give to a renderfarm that will throw 100+ times more compute at it than the most expensive consumer GPU on the market.
Maybe games with destructible structures? It depends on which is the main mechanic of the game, if it's relays on physics, there would be accurate collision detection (or at least as accurate as it needs them to be).
To add another point to the discussion: a lot (the majority?) of "fake" collision detection isn't there because of hardware limitations. It's there by design.
Take a look at 2d platformers. They're about as computationally simple as you can get. Yet they're still full of "unrealistic" physics. Coyote time, double jumping, air control, collision boxes that don't match the sprite, gravity isn't consistent, you don't stagger if you slam into the wall or floor, etc, etc. This is on purpose, because realistic does not mean fun. "Realism" is not a magical word that makes games better.
There have been games where, to use your example, your character's sword bounces off anything it hits, rather than clipping through. The reason most games choose not to do this is because it's usually pretty annoying. The game's intended experience is most often to let you play as a badass experienced warrior. The kind of person who doesn't fumble their blows.
Realism is just another tool in the designer's toolbox. An example of more "realistic" physics being used deliberately is Shadow of the Colossus. If you swing your sword at a wall, it bounces off, and your character staggers back clumsily. This is because the game is specifically about playing a character who is not a badass, but an inexperienced nobody.
Exanima, it's mostly a testing ground for a game the devs want to make around this concept.
It's a good time, and also exactly what I think you're looking for.
Not to bury the lede, it is a fairly full featured action game, but there's not really a story element at this stage. https://store.steampowered.com/app/362490/Exanima/
I also had Exanima in mind.
The story is actually already there, it's just easy to miss :)
Although I'm guessing once they finish up work on the AI, roles and dialogue system soon, there'll be more of it.
True, somewhat of a "look for the story and you'll find it" dark souls vibe.
I got the impression from dev logs that the end goal is a more traditional RPG story
Kerbal Space Program. But that's not "action", more like simulation, and, the entire game revolves around accurate, realistic physics, since it models actual space travel. So accurate to the point where you can build and test crazy real world concepts like the machine from that company that wants to put stuff into orbit by spinning it and then flinging it up through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.
Plenty. It's just that it's not often used because it's more computationally expensive.
Usually it's just collision hulls for hitboxes instead of per-face collision. But even if your sword passes right through the enemy, it's still doing collision detection to identify that it's passing through the enemy. It's just that animations are rarely complex enough to account for all the possible ways you could hit an enemy.
I think BeamNG.drive fits your request. I'm not sure how accurate the model is, but it tries to model car crashes and damage based on a bunch of factors.
This is not standard for a ton of reasons, just look at TABG. Boneworks/BONELAB are two more games that behave somewhat similar, but they're both VR titles.
There are high-polish VR shooters, like Half-Life Alyx, Boneworks, and Vertigo 2, which obviously care about where your hands and other body parts are. Boneworks attempts melee combat, but it's pretty janky. In Half-Life Alyx, you use your hands to rummage around junk to find resources. In Vertigo 2, if you get hit by arrows or thrown spears, you have to pull them out of your body, and there's a section where you steer a boat.
Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord's combat physics are awesome compared to the scale of the battles. Example: on foot, striking with a big hammer, you won't pass the shield but if you swing from a horse at full speed you will. + modsupport
RDR 2 is about the most-detailed and physical-feeling combat system I know of (limb targeting, visible body damage and working guns, ragdoll-type physics, environmental interactions like falling off ledges/into deep mud or snow, etc...)
BeamNG is the most-impressive physics showcase that comes to mind off-hand. It's really incredible.