#DarkSoulsDowngrade and #YOULIED \\ a.k.a You got some splainin' to do, Namco

I played on a plasma TV instead of the LCD one I was playing on and everything looks better all of a sudden. And it's not lagging like it was before. I don't know what to say. I'm really enjoying the game now.
 
Lmao at the people poo-pooing a great fix. Check out the video posted in this very thread. Sure it won't replace altered geometry or magically improve the resolution or change the effects of global lighting, but it makes the game look just like the Souls games have always looked instead of this washed out mess. It's an order of magnitude better.



Played Demon's Souls? Dark Souls 1?

The framerate in this game is hardly "catastrophic".

Yeah, I think that it went form just "We're upset about being lied to." to where suddenly they're noticing things about the game that were in the previous games. I'm not saying the game is without it's flaws (the character creation and menu lag is new to me and very frustrating) but the frame rate seems no different to me than the previous games on PS3.

I would love for this game to look like the April 2013 trailer/demo or whatever, but I'm enjoying the game for what it is right now. I don't think they can fix everything in the PS3/360 version, but I hope they give a thorough explanation and we see a better version for PC (and hopefully PS4/X1).
 
I played on a plasma TV instead of the LCD one I was playing on and everything looks better all of a sudden. And it's not lagging like it was before. I don't know what to say. I'm really enjoying the game now.

Maybe my plasma is why I was ok with the ps3 version. I never really had high expectations, just wanted something to hold me over until PC
 
EDIT: Switched to vilmer_'s BMP above.

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There are three possibilities, here:

1. That 'PC' shot is from an old build which doesn't exist anymore.

2. Someone at Namco/From had fun with Photoshop and it looks completely different in game.

3. That actually is the PC version to be released. The lighting looks SIGNIFICANTLY different from the console version (semi-confirming the lighting is in the PC version?), and also there is MUCH more foliage on the walls, as well as AO and better textures.

Take your pick. Can't wait for From's/Namco's response next week.

One of these things is not like the other.

Actual image for the convenience. Man I really hope this turns out to be true, and he is just not mistaken. If PC version is what we were sold on in 2013, partial faith restored in FROM. That PS3 nonsense is still unacceptable though.
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So he is lying right now.
 
EDIT: Switched to vilmer_'s BMP above.

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There are three possibilities, here:

1. That 'PC' shot is from an old build which doesn't exist anymore.

2. Someone at Namco/From had fun with Photoshop and it looks completely different in game.

3. That actually is the PC version to be released. The lighting looks SIGNIFICANTLY different from the console version (semi-confirming the lighting is in the PC version?), and also there is MUCH more foliage on the walls, as well as AO and better textures.

Take your pick. Can't wait for From's/Namco's response next week.

I thinks there's more important images comparaison that shows more differences than this one.

If Bandai CM say that PC will look like the beta ones, i'm sold!

 
Lmao at the people poo-pooing a great fix. Check out the video posted in this very thread. Sure it won't replace altered geometry or magically improve the resolution or change the effects of global lighting, but it makes the game look just like the Souls games have always looked instead of this washed out mess. It's an order of magnitude better.



Played Demon's Souls? Dark Souls 1?

The framerate in this game is hardly "catastrophic".

It's not a fix.

I think on average it is better than Demons/Dark Souls, it frequently goes well above 30 FPS when not much is going on.

it rarely hit 30fps and even less times go some frames above that yet dips below more often.
 
So I jumped in the Metal Gear Ground Zeroes thread and someone posted screenshots of his playthrough from the PS3 version. Nothing spoilery really.

After seeing that, I feel like what they were aiming for with Dark Souls 2 could've been possible. Granted, that's one area in Ground Zeroes, but I'm sure they could've found a way to do that. The team for Metal Gear is probably bigger and probably even has a higher budget so that could factor into it, but it kinda sucks to show something so pretty with the previous lighting system and then be like "ah nevermind we can't figure out how to make that run in a game like this without running into problems."

I know I might seem all over the place, but basically I just like the game but at the same time I feel the same as those upset.
 
So PC brethren if the PC version does not have improved lighting or textures and is simply higher resolution running at 60 fps how would you feel?

Me personally I would be pretty let down it doesn't look as good as those earlier build but I'll be fine because watching youtube and twitch playthroughs the game looks good enough as is that my enjoyment won't be hampered by what could have been. I just want to play it.

It would be a depressing reality, but I would still play and enjoy the game.
 
So I jumped in the Metal Gear Ground Zeroes thread and someone posted screenshots of his playthrough from the PS3 version. Nothing spoilery really.

After seeing that, I feel like what they were aiming for with Dark Souls 2 could've been possible. Granted, that's one area in Ground Zeroes, but I'm sure they could've found a way to do that. The team for Metal Gear is probably bigger and probably even has a higher budget so that could factor into it, but it kinda sucks to show something so pretty with the previous lighting system and then be like "ah nevermind we can't figure out how to make that run in a game like this without running into problems."

I know I might seem all over the place, but basically I just like the game but at the same time I feel the same as those upset.

FOX engine is extremely well done.
 
So I've now cleared the game, pretty much.

There is a huge quality gap between areas of this game. Later areas (post N64 Forest) look fantastic, complete with moody lighting and dynamic shadows and great texture work. Other than the disappointingly gutted mansion, all of the late-game areas look noticeably better and more cohesive than a lot of the early, ugly areas.

I have no idea what to think, honestly. It's so inconsistent. Changes clearly had to be made at the last minute, or a lot of areas were rushed/slapped together.
 
So PC brethren if the PC version does not have improved lighting or textures and is simply higher resolution running at 60 fps how would you feel?

Me personally I would be pretty let down it doesn't look as good as those earlier build but I'll be fine because watching youtube and twitch playthroughs the game looks good enough as is that my enjoyment won't be hampered by what could have been. I just want to play it.

I'm still going to buy the game because it will run better than the console versions and it's a new Souls game. Plus in time modders will make it better.
 
So I've now cleared the game, pretty much.

There is a huge quality gap between areas of this game. Later areas (post N64 Forest) look fantastic, complete with moody lighting and dynamic shadows and great texture work. Other than the disappointingly gutted mansion, all of the late-game areas look noticeably better and more cohesive than a lot of the early, ugly areas.

I have no idea what to think, honestly. It's so inconsistent. Changes clearly had to be made at the last minute, or a lot of areas were rushed/slapped together.

By N64 Forest do you mean Shaded Woods or whatever? Because yeah that place is kinda disappointing so far. So far that's the only place I haven't really liked the look of. Though I don't understand how places like The Gutter were built if we were being realistic...it's just super long sticks that seem to be endless that support other sticks. Glad I can look forward to the later areas, though.

FOX engine is extremely well done.

It really seems like it. Getting those visuals out of the PS3 is crazy, even after seeing what Naughty Dog pulled off.
 
So I've now cleared the game, pretty much.

There is a huge quality gap between areas of this game. Later areas (post N64 Forest) look fantastic, complete with moody lighting and dynamic shadows and great texture work. Other than the disappointingly gutted mansion, all of the late-game areas look noticeably better and more cohesive than a lot of the early, ugly areas.

I have no idea what to think, honestly. It's so inconsistent. Changes clearly had to be made at the last minute, or a lot of areas were rushed/slapped together.

Which is the opposite of what happened i Dark Souls where the latter areas were rushed.
 
So I jumped in the Metal Gear Ground Zeroes thread and someone posted screenshots of his playthrough from the PS3 version. Nothing spoilery really.

After seeing that, I feel like what they were aiming for with Dark Souls 2 could've been possible. Granted, that's one area in Ground Zeroes, but I'm sure they could've found a way to do that. The team for Metal Gear is probably bigger and probably even has a higher budget so that could factor into it, but it kinda sucks to show something so pretty with the previous lighting system and then be like "ah nevermind we can't figure out how to make that run in a game like this without running into problems."

I know I might seem all over the place, but basically I just like the game but at the same time I feel the same as those upset.

well it's possible... see GTA5, Sleeping Dogs (yes the console version) The Witcher 2 (not sandbox but open levels) and maybe Just Cause 2.

I'd say it's possible to make it on PS3/360 but From is not a tech savvy studio. Ninja Blade ,Another Century and Armored Core are horrible games tech-wise and with even more awful framerate, they used Sony engine PhyreEngine for Demons and Dark Souls 1. and with DS2 and their new engine From just completely failed to deliver their promises tech-wise.
 
Because it's From. for some people From is a heavenly saint that do no mistakes and they just refuse to believe the fact. if this was Ubi, EA or Activision you will not see the same amount of defenders and most people will not go to the max trying to spin saying it's not a downgrade but a wrong gamma/color setting.

Hence the 2500 post thread...
 
So PC brethren if the PC version does not have improved lighting or textures and is simply higher resolution running at 60 fps how would you feel?

Me personally I would be pretty let down it doesn't look as good as those earlier build but I'll be fine because watching youtube and twitch playthroughs the game looks good enough as is that my enjoyment won't be hampered by what could have been. I just want to play it.

The only thing that really kills this game for me on PS3 is the 25-30 second loading times for everything you do. The horrible lag in streamed assets since Sony still doesn't allow us to fully install games 5 years after Microsoft allowed it on their console.

Even if the PC version looked exactly the same, the 2-5 second load times would make it such a better experience that it's all I really need.

Multiplayer on PS3 physical copy is nearly unplayable because of how often I'm staring at a loading screen.
 
So PC brethren if the PC version does not have improved lighting or textures and is simply higher resolution running at 60 fps how would you feel?

Me personally I would be pretty let down it doesn't look as good as those earlier build but I'll be fine because watching youtube and twitch playthroughs the game looks good enough as is that my enjoyment won't be hampered by what could have been. I just want to play it.

I'm sure I'd be bummed at first. But no way in hell that is going to stop me of enjoying the game. I'd just look a bit more forward to the bright future of mods, which is one of the great benefits of the platform.

Hell, if I had access to it right now I sure as hell wouldn't be in a thread arguing about image quality. I'd be playing some Dark Souls 2.
 
Just tweak you TV color setting and it'll be completely different boss...

well it's thread to show the differences in the game and early versions you should've expect spoilers before clicking I guess :/
I meant the random gargoyles post. I just thought it was funny. :P
 
So PC brethren if the PC version does not have improved lighting or textures and is simply higher resolution running at 60 fps how would you feel?

Me personally I would be pretty let down it doesn't look as good as those earlier build but I'll be fine because watching youtube and twitch playthroughs the game looks good enough as is that my enjoyment won't be hampered by what could have been. I just want to play it.

If we don't end up having this
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on PC then I'm going to commit sudoku.
 
Even if they respond, what does that response achieve?

I'm in this camp. Not sure what this is supposed to achieve? Is it going to help you sleep at night? Are you going to make them promise to patch better graphics in later? Would you like for them to give you discount on a game? Yea i'm just not sure....the game is out, either you enjoy it or you pass it up. If you are dissapointed about the game maybe you should speak with your wallet. If they had revealed this information before the release would/could you have avoided the purchase? Can you not do the same thing now knowing the games has been changed?

I know I do when it comes to EA and Ubisoft games, I don't go on their forums requesting the devs tell me reasons for their decisions, why they keep making generic fps, or why always online never works etc...I just avoid the games untill something I do see appeals to me (hopefully The Division).

So yea not trying to defend Namco or From Software for downgrading before release but this just seems like an exercise in futility and it kinda annoys me that fans expect/demand so much from someone else's creative vision sometimes.
 
There are a few things that bug me:

About playing in the dark (as seen in the trailers): a lot of people complained about the Souls series being too dark generally. It was also reccurrent feedback from the beta (btw do you remember that, when the beta ended, From said they wouldn't make the area any brighter ?).
So it's a bit hard to understand why people are now complaining about the same game not being dark enough.

Is it because it has consequences on the gameplay (ie the torch) ?
ok but I'm actually glad they got rid of it because I like to walk slowly with my shield raised, thats how I play and have always played the Souls games. I don't want to be forced to change my playstyle.


Also I don't think this mechanic actually worked. For example, if you're an archer, how do you shoot arrows with a bow AND hold a torch at the same time ?
In the videos I saw that the game looked great when walking with a torch but it got very confusing during combat: sometimes it took me a few seconds to find where the main character was because there were shadows moving in all directions around him. Sometimes I just couldnt see a thing because of the lighting/shadows. I would be really pissed off if I died just because I didn't know where my character was among those flickering shadows. It looked great but it also looked really annoying during a fight.


I'm no apologist though, of course the trailers were deceptive and I'd be surprised if From / namco admit it in their statement even though they got caught red handed.

I still haven't bought the game (I only have a ps3 so I'm not waiting for the PC version), in spite of being a massive fan of those games.

My issue is that while I can understand them altering the game so that the torches aren't as necessary I don't understand why the game had to be brightened up to the point of being able to see all of the enemies down an unlit hallway. The character emits a small area of light (as they have in both of the previous games) but now I can see clear into areas that I can tell were intended to be much darker originally. I'm fine with them removing the "doom 3" light/dark aspect by why to these lengths? Just having the surrounding area lit up from your character should have been more than enough. You can bust out the torch to see a little further if you like but if not you won't be severely punished by the lack of immediate light.

As it stands now (from my time with the game) the torch mechanic feels completely worthless. Granted I know that from what others have said there are some areas where it comes in handy and may even be greatly helpful (like with tomb of giants) but it's obvious the game was designed to utilize the dark far more than it currently does over a much larger range of levels.
 
I'm in this camp. Not sure what this is supposed to achieve? Is it going to help you sleep at night? Are you going to make them promise to patch better graphics in later? Would you like for them to give you discount on a game? Yea i'm just not sure....the game is out, either you enjoy it or you pass it up. If you are dissapointed about the game maybe you should speak with your wallet. If they had revealed this information before the release would/could you have avoided the purchase? Can you not do the same thing now knowing the games has been changed?

I know I do when it comes to EA and Ubisoft games, I don't go on their forums requesting the devs tell me reasons for their decisions, why they keep making generic fps, or why always online never works etc...I just avoid the games untill something I do see appeals to me (hopefully The Division).

So yea not trying to defend Namco or From Software for downgrading before release but this just seems like an exercise in futility and it kinda annoys me that fans expect/demand so much from someone else's creative vision sometimes.

Well if they do respond then that would mean they heard/listened/were notified of something that people didn't like or had a problem with so hopefully will be aware of such things in the future. It'll also provide clarity (hopefully) on whether the PC version was also downgraded along with the console versions and hopefully contain a reason why it was (performance issues/never intended to look like trailers/was too hard for the babbys so needed to make everything gray).
 
I'm in this camp. Not sure what this is supposed to achieve? Is it going to help you sleep at night? Are you going to make them promise to patch better graphics in later? Would you like for them to give you discount on a game? Yea i'm just not sure....the game is out, either you enjoy it or you pass it up. If you are dissapointed about the game maybe you should speak with your wallet. If they had revealed this information before the release would/could you have avoided the purchase? Can you not do the same thing now knowing the games has been changed?

I know I do when it comes to EA and Ubisoft games, I don't go on their forums requesting the devs tell me reasons for their decisions, why they keep making generic fps, or why always online never works etc...I just avoid the games untill something I do see appeals to me (hopefully The Division).

So yea not trying to defend Namco or From Software for downgrading before release but this just seems like an exercise in futility and it kinda annoys me that fans expect/demand so much from someone else's creative vision sometimes.

I thought that stuff like this didn't really matter, but people can be very loud when they want to.
 
My issue is that while I can understand them altering the game so that the torches aren't as necessary I don't understand why the game had to be brightened up to the point of being able to see all of the enemies down an unlit hallway. The character emits a small area of light (as they have in both of the previous games) but now I can see clear into areas that I can tell were intended to be much darker originally. I'm fine with them removing the "doom 3" light/dark aspect by why to these lengths? Just having the surrounding area lit up from your character should have been more than enough. You can bust out the torch to see a little further if you like but if not you won't be severely punished by the lack of immediate light.

As it stands now (from my time with the game) the torch mechanic feels completely worthless. Granted I know that from what others have said there are some areas where it comes in handy and may even be greatly helpful (like with tomb of giants) but it's obvious the game was designed to utilize the dark far more than it currently does over a much larger range of levels.

Get to the Gutter. Then tell me that the torch mechanic is worthless with a straight face.
 
It is remarkable how well publishers, developers and console manufacturers have whipped some gamers into line, so much so that they run defense on the indefensible. I just can't even relate to the psychology of this.

I mean, let's just take a minute to awe at just what this statement of your says. It suggests that we all should have just expected that a game which had been advertised a certain way right up until the eve of its launch would be downgraded, and that it's ridiculous to get angry over it. Again, let's pause to highlight the absurdity. You expected gamers to predict that the game would be downgraded, despite all the media suggesting it was an entirely different way, because... why? We all should have expectations for what these systems can produce? On systems where games like Uncharted 2 and God of War 3 exist? Where titles like Alan Wake and Halo 4 are a thing?

Let's even assume for a moment you actually believe this nonsense. You're actually willing to put the onus for this 'problem' on the gamers who are surprised by it, rather than the company who willfully deceived potential customers up until the eve of its release?

I mean, christ, you're so far off point it's like a comic tragedy. Nobody is expecting a 'photo realistic' game, they are expecting what has been advertised for ages now as a product containing these features. What was advertised before was never photorealistic or close. It was a game with an impressive lighting engine, one that apparently was going to tie directly into the gameplay. Now, no matter how they got around it, the point is it's not the same experience. It simply is not. And to try to ask your fellow gamers to put down the pitchforks because we all should have been psychics not only pushes responsibility away from who deserves it, but it's self-defeatist tripe.

I'm a massive Dark Souls fan, but I'm sorry, this shit is unacceptable. I don't care if it may still be a decent product, it doesn't matter. If I am going to buy a product, I expect to be informed as to what it is all about well before its release. I don't expect to be told I am getting a certain type of product only to be completely surprised when it is an entirely different sort of thing. Dark Souls II was one of my most anticipated games of all time, but see I don't play companies or walk any lines. They fucked up, and now they need to make it right. And yes, a press release would be a nice start.

1. Yes, I am suggesting you should have expected the game to look materially different from its marketing footage. If you follow the video game industry at all you ought to know that when a multi-plat game launches with a PC counter-part, publishers are going to show you the game running on something like the this - an unbelievably overpowered computer than less than 1% of their audience has access to. Unless FROM/Namco/whatever press was covering the event explicitly stated that the game was running on a PS3 or Xbox 360, you should have assumed it was not.

Why? Because that is how it's always been. Publishers always show their games off running on the best possible hardware, in the best possible scenarios. Do I wish FROM or Namco would sit down and give us a Digital Foundry-esque comparison of the game on each platform? Hell yes I do! I'm a consumer, just like you. Is that ever going to happen? Hell no! I'm not apologizing for FROM or Namco, or the video game industry in general. I'm just saying you should have seen this coming, because it's happened so many times in the past.

2. I'm not putting the "onus" on anyone. I'm saying there isn't even an onus. I'm saying it's a non-issue that you're inflating on an internet message board. I'm not claiming you should be savvy enough to learn from patterns and history, and come to a conclusion on your own that DS2 was never going to look as good as it did during previews. What I'm saying is that if you were naive enough not to do any of that, you shouldn't come on to a message board and throw a temper tantrum.

3. Let's not assume anything. I do believe what I'm saying. Does your belief in conspiracy go so far as to think I'm some part of an undercover hearts-and-minds campaign by FROM/Namco?

4. I have two responses to your last paragraph. First, if you're going to get upset with anyone over this, it should be the so-called journos covering previews of these games. They are the ones with access to these publishers and developers, and they should be asking questions like, "Hmm, is this game running on a super-computer, or a crusty old Xbox 360?" Second, in an age where big publishers like EA force press to review games (Titanfall, Sim City) in sterile, controlled environments, and in an age where Twitch has grown to epic proportions, why would you purchase a video game based solely on the preview footage you saw online, or had described to you? Next time, do the smart thing and wait and see for yourself. Or, go ask for a refund if you think you got short changed.
 
Trying to figure out what you guys are talking about with being able to see enemies in the dark without needing light. Walking through No-Man's Wharf and I couldn't see jack. Maybe you guys have the brightness on your TVs/in-game bright brightness too high? Or maybe mine is low, but it sure helped to have a torch to see. It wasn't Tomb of Giants dark, but still didn't allow me to see very well.
 
Well if they do respond then that would mean they heard/listened/were notified of something that people didn't like or had a problem with so hopefully will be aware of such things in the future. It'll also provide clarity (hopefully) on whether the PC version was also downgraded along with the console versions and hopefully contain a reason why it was (performance issues/never intended to look like trailers/was too hard for the babbys so needed to make everything gray).

That is a good point. I agree that I would've preferred the game much darker, because the first 4-5 hours of gameplay I was constantly fiddling with my tv's video settings so that the picture did not looked washed out or too dark. It took me ages (4-5 hours lol) to find the right settings for the picture and I still think it looks a bit grey in some areas.

Neither of these things would've affected my purchase but atleast now I know why the textures/colours look a little odd at times. I do find the cloth and lighting in this game amazing though when it is on display. Love walking towards the bonfire in a small room i.e. Blue Cathedral and watching my shadow grow to fill the room lol.
 
Get to the Gutter. Then tell me that the torch mechanic is worthless with a straight face.

So one short area where they're necessary? Totally seems like something they'd dedicate the first tutorial in the game to. Wrap it up, mystery solved!

Tomb of the Giants in DaS needed a torch too, and that was without FROM talking up any lighting features. The Gutter doesn't explain these changes at all.
 
Trying to figure out what you guys are talking about with being able to see enemies in the dark without needing light. Walking through No-Man's Wharf and I couldn't see jack. Maybe you guys have the brightness on your TVs/in-game bright brightness too high?

Unfortunately the #YOULIED crowd has already decided that TV settings should have nothing to do with it and this game is only worth $10 in a Steam sale.

Did you light up NMW yet? One of the two ways to light it up, I mean. It looks so cool by the end...
 
Because it's From. for some people From is a heavenly saint that do no mistakes and they just refuse to believe the fact. if this was Ubi, EA or Activision you will not see the same amount of defenders and most people will not go to the max trying to spin saying it's not a downgrade but a wrong gamma/color setting.

I haven't seen so much damage control in any other thread before. I really can't believe people give FROM a pass and ignore all the problems that are abundant in this game.

By giving a compromised product (bug ridden, glitched, inconsistent) high scores and overwhelming praise you are actually sending the wrong message to the developer. You're telling them: -Hey, it's ok, you can ship as much crap as you want and we won't complain because we seriously don't want the series to keep improving.-

You are, in fact, doing more damage to the saga when you decide to ignore all of the problems that many people keep finding during their playthroughs. I'm shocked to read some people actually think that the developers are going to get depressed by such a huge amount of backslash. . . My god, guys. You either have to emotionally detach yourselves from your games or get a more critic eye.

We expected a much better product than what we got. The PS3 disc version of the game is a fucking mess and the problems are everywhere to be found. The game as a whole wasn't supposed to be shipped in its current state; it lacks cohesion, visual consistency, optimization and several other things that were either trimmed down or completely overlooked during development.

Thanks to all the people who have been complaining we are now probably going to get an official announcement from BAMCO/FROM. We are close to this because of the whiners and not because of the apologists.

I will only speak for myself here: I wanted this game to have excellent quality instead of being just an average looking game with excellent gameplay.
 
My *ever so slight* problem with this thread is that the deceit/bait-and-switch/whatever have you has taken the limelight so much so, that a lot of people are - either willfully or ignorantly - missing the simple fact that DSII is a great looking game and an improvement over its predecessor (in my opinion, of course).

In no way will I excuse From/Bamco's actions here, but as someone who now cares little of the politics herein and is currently enjoying the crap out of the game, I can tell you that the images being bandied about in here are hardly indicative. The game is a gorgeous amalgamation of tech and artistry.
 
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