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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Soldato
Joined
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16,061
Why would they have to drop gameplay features? Sound just as armchair developer to me.

Well you'll just have to take my word for it that my opinion isn't coming from an armchair developer.

Coming up to release dates, compromises are made. Many reasons why graphical settings could be dialled back to meet hardware requirements. "Sorry but the extra X MB we gave to bob to enhance the conversation engine means I simply can't handle an active zone this big, we need to pull it back a little....flip side is this also means we can give dave a few extra resources for those extra animations he wanted". Or....sorry guys I've been doing my best to get the feature X AMD performance on a par with the nVidia but it just isn't happening, we'll have to dial the default back a bit to get a stable experience.

Of course if you want to believe that developers are all sitting in meetings deciding how best to pull a bait and switch on gamers by making shipped product look worse deliberately....you believe what you want!
 
Soldato
Joined
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4,036
Jesse Cox preview, probably the best one yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBWcRGWOTUQ

If anyone finds this poor looking, then I pity you.
Not to mention White Orchard (starting area) is supposedly the least impressive looking.



There are plenty of locations. Some will be beautiful and colorful, some will not.
Witcher 2 had plenty of color and was stunningly beautiful. Flotsam forest, those fields at military camp, the ravines and little forests around Vergen.
Boo hoo.

Well, you can pity me then, since I don't really find the video all that impressive. It lookes exactly the same as the others I've seen. The downgrade is blatantly obvious and it's brought a brilliant looking game to Inquisition level with artificial looking vegetation that strangely disappears when it gets in your way (I know, a gameplay preference, but it looks utterly daft). Honestly, the colour palette make me feel like I'm travelling the world after a hefty dose of LSD.

The differences between the previous footage and this are glaring, it's like the game's been stripped down of all the bells and whistles which made the atmosphere so great. They could've at least left the amazing skies and some of the filtering in. The animations also look clunkier than W2's.

I know I should be singing praises for the game's visuals but I just can't. It looks rather plain and cartoony and, try as I might, I just can't bring myself to like its presentation. I don't think it's anything to be pitied about. It's called personal preference. The point still stands: in comparison to all the imagery we've been spoonfed, the latest build looks like a load of pony.

Well, unless the PC version's ultra brings the graphics to the level of this screenshot, which I doubt it will:

http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles/1/7/3/3/0/5/3/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-142228605029.jpg
 
Associate
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3 Apr 2010
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590
He's only got 3 posts, and they've given our preview builds to the public ; Angry Joe etc.

As far as I know Jesse Cox's and Angry Joe's videos (and a few others) were from footage they recorded at the event CD Projekt held in Poland. They were using Xbox controllers on the PC version, and weren't even allowed to customise settings.

On another forum someone said "german site PCGames will release theit Witcher 3 Review on 16 o'clock" so maybe there will be PC reviews. I guess we will find out in a few hours.
 
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Caporegime
Joined
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Posts
30,157
Location
Dormanstown.
Well you'll just have to take my word for it that my opinion isn't coming from an armchair developer.

Coming up to release dates, compromises are made. Many reasons why graphical settings could be dialled back to meet hardware requirements. "Sorry but the extra X MB we gave to bob to enhance the conversation engine means I simply can't handle an active zone this big, we need to pull it back a little....flip side is this also means we can give dave a few extra resources for those extra animations he wanted". Or....sorry guys I've been doing my best to get the feature X AMD performance on a par with the nVidia but it just isn't happening, we'll have to dial the default back a bit to get a stable experience.

Of course if you want to believe that developers are all sitting in meetings deciding how best to pull a bait and switch on gamers by making shipped product look worse deliberately....you believe what you want!

That'd be all well and good had the product launched on time, but it hasn't, API's have improved, so has hardware. It's been delayed over a year. We're months away from DX12 hitting too.
And, why couldn't they have had the options still in? For those very few on the best of the best.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Oct 2004
Posts
18,536
Location
Birmingham
Well you'll just have to take my word for it that my opinion isn't coming from an armchair developer.

It certainly sounds like it is...

Coming up to release dates, compromises are made. Many reasons why graphical settings could be dialled back to meet hardware requirements. "Sorry but the extra X MB we gave to bob to enhance the conversation engine means I simply can't handle an active zone this big, we need to pull it back a little....flip side is this also means we can give dave a few extra resources for those extra animations he wanted". Or....sorry guys I've been doing my best to get the feature X AMD performance on a par with the nVidia but it just isn't happening, we'll have to dial the default back a bit to get a stable experience.

Those are console problems you are raising.

All of those issue can be avoided on PC by allowing users to use a slider/tickbox to enable/disable/set the level of certain features, or even disabling the ability to select those options if a certain hardware spec isn't detected.

Don't have 8GB of video RAM? Then you won't be using features X,Y & Z, simples. No need to completely remove them from the game.
 
Soldato
OP
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Well, you can pity me then, since I don't really find the video all that impressive. It lookes exactly the same as the others I've seen. The downgrade is blatantly obvious and it's brought a brilliant looking game to Inquisition level with artificial looking vegetation that strangely disappears when it gets in your way (I know, a gameplay preference, but it looks utterly daft). Honestly, the colour palette make me feel like I'm travelling the world after a hefty dose of LSD.

The differences between the previous footage and this are glaring, it's like the game's been stripped down of all the bells and whistles which made the atmosphere so great. They could've at least left the amazing skies and some of the filtering in. The animations also look clunkier than W2's.

I know I should be singing praises for the game's visuals but I just can't. It looks rather plain and cartoony and, try as I might, I just can't bring myself to like its presentation. I don't think it's anything to be pitied about. It's called personal preference. The point still stands: in comparison to all the imagery we've been spoonfed, the latest build looks like a load of pony.

Well, unless the PC version's ultra brings the graphics to the level of this screenshot, which I doubt it will:

http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles/1/7/3/3/0/5/3/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-142228605029.jpg

Here, enjoy nice nondowngraded trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQqrOf70pc4
 
Soldato
Joined
26 May 2006
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6,075
Location
Edinburgh
Jesse Cox preview, probably the best one yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBWcRGWOTUQ

If anyone finds this poor looking, then I pity you.
Not to mention White Orchard (starting area) is supposedly the least impressive looking.

.

Well, I feel better after seeing that youtube link. It's hard to comment without seeing all the playable areas in the game but even that section looked quite lush. Also there is a heavy dose of blur/DOF, both of which are the first options I disable in all games that allow me too.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Dec 2004
Posts
16,061
It certainly sounds like it is...

Those are console problems you are raising.

All of those issue can be avoided on PC by allowing users to use a slider/tickbox to enable/disable/set the level of certain features, or even disabling the ability to select those options if a certain hardware spec isn't detected.

Don't have 8GB of video RAM? Then you won't be using features X,Y & Z, simples. No need to completely remove them from the game.

This is all very simple when you aren't the one crunching yourself to death with budget running out and producers breathing down your neck. Enabling features for people with 8GB+ video ram are not top of the priority list when deciding which compromises to make to ship the game.
 
Soldato
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23 Mar 2011
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11,006
First launch game im getting with my 970, whats nvidia like at getting drivers out to tie in with the launch? I think they are partnered up so surely should be fine

P.s. that killing monsters cg trailer still gives me the chills. Wish the colour palette was more like that but not to worry
 
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Soldato
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31 Dec 2005
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Glasgow
looks great. Though i dont think the trees/vegetation texture anims etc is the best ive seen.

Personally found Assassins creed 4 black flag to be the best looking ground/trees/bush game :D

But then i havent played other AAA graphics games like FC4 or Tomb Raider (what else?)
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Dec 2004
Posts
16,061
Like GTA 5 now, at 2560x1080, I can go over the 4GB VRAM (Well, according to their VRAM thing). And I bet the minority have people have more.

Every developer would absolutely *love* to be able to do their PC version the way that Rockstar are able to. Those kind of time, money and talent resources simply aren't a reality for the vast majority of developers though.
 
Soldato
OP
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3,142
GTA V only cost $265 million to make, easy peasy.

Well, I feel better after seeing that youtube link. It's hard to comment without seeing all the playable areas in the game but even that section looked quite lush. Also there is a heavy dose of blur/DOF, both of which are the first options I disable in all games that allow me too.

It looks beautiful. And what I have seen of Kaer Morhen....hhhhggnngg looks stunning.

No need to post console footage in the PC section m8, you will just start a flame war.

I apologize, didn't want to upset anyone.

:)
 
Caporegime
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Location
Dormanstown.
GTA 5 also spanned 2 console generations and 5 consoles, as well as being a massive massive game, I was giving an example of recent history. Again, to have the preview stuff, the assets existed, so they've already spent a time and part of the monetary budget.
 
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