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[YianGaruga]

On PS3. Apparently the framerate is a rock-solid 30fps on 360.

Of course, that's irrelevant to me, since I'm getting the inevitably superior PC version.

360 version has a lot of tearing

sub-30 drops and tearing are both pretty much the same thing, the console can't render the game fast enough. It's a matter of preference.

Meh, I think people are blowing it out of proportion. The game still looks better than the original and its fun as shit. I'm happy...

Now if I could ever learn the new timing, stun locks are a bitch in this game.

This thread isn't discussing how good the game looks/plays, it's about the downgrade and false advertising.

 

[EddCoates]

It's fine if they had to cut down certain graphical effects to increase performance, but there's no way they could have changed everything in the last two months. We're talking different textures, enemy placement (which would obviously require balancing), the lighting engine, and the torch mechanic (which again, would need balancing since it forms a key part of the gameplay).

They MUST have known about this more than two months in advance, so why show us the old build? and why haven't any news sites picked up on the changes? Something really doesn't sit right with me here.

 

[MormaPope]

Meh, I think people are blowing it out of proportion. The game still looks better than the original and its fun as shit. I'm happy...

Now if I could ever learn the new timing, stun locks are a bitch in this game.

Based on reading the spoiler thread and official thread, exteriors usually look good. Interiors for everything look dull and bland, worse than Dark Souls 1/Demon Souls.

 

[KarmaCow]

So Steam lists the game at 14 GB, while the PS3 Download is only 5.2 GB, dont want to give anyone false hope, as lightning would never account for such a big difference in file size but weird none the less.

Steam page requirements are often off, sometimes by significant amounts. The Steam page for Dark Souls 1 says 8GB but the game takes up <4GB.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

Remember the original Edge article?

"Looks like next-gen"

Funny in retrospect.

 

[thewhitehawk]

Lighting effects aside, is it just me or are the cloth physics a lot more impressive than the latest physics we've seen on Watch Dog's cloth?

 

[hidden offline]

I have bad news for you.

Earlier in the thread he said it would be hard and that he wouldnt want to be the one to do it.

Don't blame him tbh ;(. Perhaps that lighting remains in the games code somewhere and can be found.

 

[UrbanRats]

Lol my god those comparisons.

If this isn't fully fixed on PC, you can bet it's a 75+ steam sale for me.
I mean i was already a bit iffy about the game after the Beta, but now i'm just speechless.

 

[Scrawnton]

So when does from apologize and announce xbone and ps4 versions with a cheap upgrade option to the people they lied to about this games graphics?

 

[zephervack]

Don't blame him tbh ;(. Perhaps that lighting remains in the games code somewhere and can be found.

If the PC version looks the same as the Consoles. My one and only dream would be for someone to "leak" the PC Demo build, I would love to play at least that area the way it was inteded by the artists.

 

[Shinjica]

I have bad news for you.

Earlier in the thread he said it would be hard and that he wouldnt want to be the one to do it.

And i'm with him. He's not his job to fix FROM shit.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

So when does from apologize and announce xbone and ps4 versions with a cheap upgrade option to the people they lied to about this games graphics?

They'll wait a few months to announce the PS4 and Xbone versions, so they don't affect current gen sales.

 

[zma1013]

It seems harder to compare this shot to me because it looks like the lighting source has drastically changed direction. In the old build is looks to be at his 2 o'clock, whereas in the retail it's clearly behind him, seemingly at his 5 o'clock. There's still a difference in the contrast levels of the scene and the dragons are all gone, but it would have been a better comparison if the lighting source hadn't completely changed it's position. In the demo the floating castle we see is dwarfed in shadow, but in retail it's bathed in sunlight. Not exactly a 1:1 comparison.

 

[EvilKatarn]

If the PC version looks the same as the Consoles. My one and only dream would be for someone to "leak" the PC Demo build, I would love to play at least that area the way it was inteded by the artists.

I've been waiting for the Alan Wake 2005 build to leak for eight years now. Those things never leak.

 

[Scrawnton]

So we are looking at an e3 announcement of next gen versions if this game? I find it believable. I still think the game looks great and is amazing, but I'm disappointed knowing what could've been. I will double dip.

 

[UrbanRats]

It seems harder to compare this shot to me because it looks like the lighting source has drastically changed direction. In the old build is looks to be at his 2 o'clock, whereas in the retail it's clearly behind him, seemingly at his 5 o'clock. There's still a difference in the contrast levels of the scene and the dragons are all gone, but it would have been a better comparison if the lighting source hadn't completely changed it's position. In the demo the floating castle we see is dwarfed in shadow, but in retail it's bathed in sunlight. Not exactly a 1:1 comparison.

The old version made it look more ominous, and it was less flat, more dramatic.

Even if it was an artistic choice, i can't say i am happy with the results.

 

[zephervack]

I've been waiting for the Alan Wake 2005 build to leak for eight years now. Those things never leak.

Why did you remind me of that

 

[pupcoffee]

Remember the original Edge article?

"Looks like next-gen"

Funny in retrospect.

They actually said something like, "it's next gen and so rivals Watch Dogs".

 

[Blargonaut]

That's a bogus argument. Their job is to produce the best version they can within the allocated schedule. If at some point compromises need to be made, that decision is on them. Maybe they figured that having blighttown-esque frame-rates all over the place was worse than cutting down on the lighting, maybe the feedback from test was that the dark-room mechanic was simply un-fun.

Do you expect them to ignore stuff like that? What would you have them do, cancel the project because they underestimated peak-load conditions on aging hardware?

The bottom line is that they've delivered a 90+ Metacritic game, and whatever you think of the accuracy of your average review, that's as bona-fide a recognition that they made the right creative choices as it gets.

Its also why this "rage" is so pedantic and, frankly, so ingracious and despicable. FROM have produced a game that has reviewed exceptionally and judging by the comments on the OT thread, is extremely well liked by its players.

Meanwhile in this thread we have people metaphorically spitting in FROM's face because they feel "misled"...

From Software did not formally inform us customers of this downgrade. Most only found out based on their own gathered evidence, scrutiny of officially-released media and on release date itself. If From had formally informed us pre-release of this downgrade, then personally I would have no problem with it. But they didn't.

The creator and third parties informed me of this product's superior quality, but upon arrival it turned out to be inferior. I paid money for an inferior product.

I saw and played the stable, working, playable superior version, on this console (PS3), mere weeks ago. There was no official indication or warning that I would receive an inferior cut version on release day. The creator continues to remain silent regarding the reason for, or any future course of action regarding fixing, its inferiority. And they continue to advertise the product as its old superior version on console. That's misleading.

I feel this rage is entirely justified.

 

[Gaogaogao]

my god

I want to see the dark side of the castle...

 

[pupcoffee]

It seems harder to compare this shot to me because it looks like the lighting source has drastically changed direction. In the old build is looks to be at his 2 o'clock, whereas in the retail it's clearly behind him, seemingly at his 5 o'clock. There's still a difference in the contrast levels of the scene and the dragons are all gone, but it would have been a better comparison if the lighting source hadn't completely changed it's position. In the demo the floating castle we see is dwarfed in shadow, but in retail it's bathed in sunlight. Not exactly a 1:1 comparison.

The dynamic lighting is on the other side of the castle, eh?

 

[zephervack]

Remember the original Edge article?

"Looks like next-gen"

Funny in retrospect.

They might have played a tech demo on PC with DirectX 11, in the IGN's making of videos, one of the programmers mentions that the new engine supports it.

Im sure EDGE wasnt lying when they said it looks next-gen.

 

[rvy]

Gone are the days when devs went to E3 to show off their game and the final game ended up looking better.

 

[Cassius]

So...has anyone in the games press made mention of this? Anyone?

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

So...has anyone in the games press made mention of this? Anyone?

Nope, not even Jason Schreier came here to say we were overreacting.

 

[aeolist]

The dynamic lighting is on the other side of the castle, is it?

it doesn't look like there is any dynamic lighting here. there's no self-shadowing on the player model and the bridge ropes aren't casting a shadow either, there's just the baked lighting on the static level geometry.

 

[EddCoates]

So...has anyone in the games press made mention of this? Anyone?

Nope... suspicious.

 

[zephervack]

So...has anyone in the games press made mention of this? Anyone?

I have seen a couple of mentions in some reviews, but nothing more than a couple of sentences.

They are too busy enjoying the gameplay which im sure is great. Too bad they showed the demo at all, I wasnt expecting DS2 to look awesome until they did.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

I have seen a couple of mentions in some reviews, but nothing more than a couple of sentences.

They are too busy enjoying the gameplay which im sure is great. Too bad they showed the demo at all, I wasnt expecting DS2 to look awesome until they did.

Ignorance would have been such a bliss, in this case.

 

[pupcoffee]

it doesn't look like there is any dynamic lighting here. there's no self-shadowing on the player model and the bridge ropes aren't casting a shadow either, there's just the baked lighting on the static level geometry.

That's what I think too. I was using sarcasm.

You can see the rocks in the foreground with shadows facing the bridge so I don't think the lighting has "rotated" anyway.

 

[rvy]

So...has anyone in the games press made mention of this? Anyone?

Maybe they're all playing the PC version and laughing at us peasants.

 

[soontroll]

Ok those new comparisons have left me completely horrified. I am scared for the game now.

 

[Polioliolio]

The creator continues to remain silent regarding the reason for, or any future course of action regarding fixing, its inferiority.

As far as I can tell, the outrage is happening right here, in this thread.
Someone tweeted a From Soft PR guy, but we're going to have to do a lot more than that to get an official response.

So it is just us repeating ourselves and getting worked up in here, or has anyone made any strong efforts to communicate the issue to people outside the forum?


I suppose all it would take would be the comparison shots collected in this thread, a link to the thread, and a short description of the issue, in an email shot off to every gaming journalism site around. Has anyone gone so far yet?

 

[Floex]

Nope... suspicious.

It's not suspicious, it's just bad journalism.

 

[zephervack]

Maybe they're all playing the PC version and laughing at us peasants.

 

[rvy]

Tweet @NamcoBandaiUK @namcogames so we get an explanation.

It's the Gerstmann!

 

[dk_]

If the PC version looks like the console versions, I'm waiting for the PS4 version and hope for the best.

 

[CadetMahoney]

From Software did not formally inform us customers of this downgrade.

I paid money for an inferior product.

I saw and played the stable, working, playable superior version, on this console (PS3), mere weeks ago. There was no official indication or warning that I would receive an inferior cut version on release day.

Cut and dry, no comeback to this, none./

 

[gamerforever]

If the PC version looks like the console versions, I'm waiting for the PS4 version and hope for the best.

The prospect of a current gen version has me excited for sure! Really think they could improve the actual gameplay by upping the resolution and implementing dynamic lighting etc.

 

[Future PhaZe]

As far as I can tell, the outrage is happening right here, in this thread.
Someone tweeted a From Soft PR guy, but we're going to have to do a lot more than that to get an official response.

So it is just us repeating ourselves and getting worked up in here, or has anyone made any strong efforts to communicate the issue to people outside the forum?


I suppose all it would take would be the comparison shots collected in this thread, a link to the thread, and a short description of the issue, in an email shot off to every gaming journalism site around. Has anyone gone so far yet?

well GAF will have its answers, this isn't dying anytime soon and the demand is only going to get louder if the PC version doesn't have a solution

 

[butman]

It's incredible that how many of the reviews play as the blind about this obvious downgrade.

Pretty pretty sure that they reviewed the old build.

 

[zephervack]

It's incredible that how many of the reviews play as the blind about this obvious downgrade.

Pretty pretty sure that they reviewed the old build.

Worse one in my opinion is IGN, they had the exclusive reveal gameplay footage and its just so weird how they completely forgot how awesome the reveal looked.

IGN went as far as to shut down people posting the video on YouTube, and vloggers couldnt use the footage to give their opinions on the reveal.

 

[CadetMahoney]

Has anyone in the games press made mention of this? Anyone?

gaming press:

 

[epmode]

It would be really great if one of these people would post a screenshot of that Mansion of the Dragons place so we'd know for sure.

 

[pupcoffee]

It's incredible that how many of the reviews play as the blind about this obvious downgrade.

Pretty pretty sure that they reviewed the old build.

A couple of them made note of the lighting being gimped, but they've made no mention of the texture or polygon reductions.

 

[Servbot24]

It's not suspicious, it's just bad journalism.

They're probably too busy to study every screenshot from every build to see if it changed at all. They play hundreds of games, they're unlikely to recall a color or lighting change from an old beta. And those that do probably feel it's their duty to only review what comes in the final package. Which is a good looking game overall.

 

[Dies Iræ]

The visual downgrades are really unfortunate. When I am using a torch in certain scenarios, as originally intended, the game looks very beautiful. Then I come across an area like the infamous fire pit filled with lizards and it looks awful. This game is graphically bipolar.

 

[zephervack]

It would be really great if one of these people would post a screenshot of that Mansion of the Dragons place so we'd know for sure.

I have to wonder if those people playing are just FROMs staff testing the Steamworks functionality or press.

Im gonna go with FROM, since the number is so small.

 

[rashbeep]

This thread makes me sick. The game looks terrible now.

 

[KarmaCow]

It's incredible that how many of the reviews play as the blind about this obvious downgrade.

Pretty pretty sure that they reviewed the old build.

I doubt the people who are reviewing the games are ravenous as the people in this thread, eating up every preview video before launch. They are probably not aware of the differences.

It's important to have some perspective here, the issue is the bait and switch, not the necessarily how the game looks. We're looking at the game in the worst possible light and others have said that there are still sections, mostly outdoors that look great. Maybe not in comparison to the demo, but still good. The Mirror Knight fight does look worse but it's not like it's been decimated.

That's not really to excuse it mind you, they should be talking about this especially in light of what happened with Colonial Marines and more recently Watch Dogs but it's not surprising that this hasn't been blasted immediately.