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[Obliterator]

I just can't understand this way of thinking?

What can you possibly get out of a game on graphics alone? Screenshots?

I could understand that line of reasoning for a shorter, more linear experience like The Order for example. I actually enjoyed that game and a big part of it was the presentation and attention to detail. It was great to look at and immersive. I also beat it in 7 hours.

For a 100+ hour game like The Witcher I sure hope people are going in excited for a lot more than graphics. I doubt those alone will sustain you to the end of the game. Graphics for The Witcher are great and ONE of the reasons I'm excited. But its also for the story and the way the game plays.

 

[ironcreed]

Imagine busting your ass for years to craft a world like this and doing your finest work to make it the best it can be for everyone. Then you turn around and see every blade of grass, rock and wall being dissected and ripped to shreds for not being exactly like early work in progress that had to be optimized and tweaked as the game continued to take shape. It must really make you feel like shit.

Hell, I am amazed they got it to look and run as good as it does considering the massive size, weather effects and everything else it has got going on. Quite a feat and I think it looks absolutely jaw dropping. Certainly a massive step over anything else they have done.

 

[Super Stardust]

Anax said to not pre order the game. To wait for reviews. Especially the console versions. That would leave me to believe he thinks the console versions would be a buggy mess and review badly? I dont think this downgrade will affect the reviews so much. Now if it runs like crap on consoles to the point that it affects the review scores, he would have been right. We will see I guess.

I wouldn't worry about what anax said, if I remember correctly he said that stuff before cdpr delayed the game. They obviously needed more time to optimise hence why the game is coming out in May instead of February.

 

[Obliterator]

Imagine busting your ass for years to craft a world like this and doing your finest work to make it the best it can be for everyone. Then you turn around and see every blade of grass, rock and wall being dissected and ripped to shreds for not being exactly like early work in progress that had to be optimized and tweaked as the game continued to take shape. It must really make you feel like shit.

Hell, I am amazed they got it to look and run as good as it does considering the massive size, weather effects and everything else it has got going on. Quite a feat and I think it looks absolutely jaw dropping. Certainly a massive step over anything else they have done.

Yeah if I was a dev at CDProjekt Red I would stay the fuck off of forums. Not that I'm blaming people for being skeptical of graphics, we've been lied to so many times. I just mean for my own sanity I would do everything possible to ignore it, this stuff has to kind of destroy you emotionally. They've been building this thing for years now

 

[ironcreed]

Yeah if I was a dev at CDProjekt Red I would stay the fuck off of forums. Not that I'm blaming people for being skeptical of graphics, we've been lied to so many times. I just mean for my own sanity I would do everything possible to ignore it, this stuff has to kind of destroy you emotionally. They've been building this thing for years now

They probably do for the most part. I was just trying to look at it from their perspective.

 

[DOWN]

Imagine busting your ass for years to craft a world like this and doing your finest work to make it the best it can be for everyone. Then you turn around and see every blade of grass, rock and wall being dissected and ripped to shreds for not being exactly like early work in progress that had to be optimized and tweaked as the game continued to take shape. It must really make you feel like shit.

Hell, I am amazed they got it to look and run as good as it does considering the massive size, weather effects and everything else it has got going on. Quite a feat and I think it looks absolutely jaw dropping. Certainly a massive step over anything else they have done.

Hundreds of individuals have noticed the difference and been disappointed. It's beyond grass being analyzed. People aren't denying it looks great, but it is still quite a step down from the stunning original images.

 

[Obliterator]

They probably do for the most part. I was just trying to look at it from their perspective.

Oh I know man, I was just trying to imagine things from their perspective, its got to be brutal right now.

They may have the last laugh though when reviews role in. We'll see.

 

[dex3108]

Imagine busting your ass for years to craft a world like this and doing your finest work to make it the best it can be for everyone. Then you turn around and see every blade of grass, rock and wall being dissected and ripped to shreds for not being exactly like early work in progress that had to be optimized and tweaked as the game continued to take shape. It must really make you feel like shit.

Hell, I am amazed they got it to look and run as good as it does considering the massive size, weather effects and everything else it has got going on. Quite a feat and I think it looks absolutely jaw dropping. Certainly a massive step over anything else they have done.

I don't have any issues with devs who are pouring their hart and soul in these massive game. They should be proud every time they ship game. Often those same devs know that marketing department is showing something that isn't "true" but they can't do anything about that.

Witcher 3 is still good looking game and it will probably be good game overall and that is fine. But if other games got picked about these kind of things W3 should be too.

 

[ironcreed]

Hundreds of individuals have noticed the difference and been disappointed. It's beyond grass being analyzed. People aren't denying it looks great, but it is still quite a step down from the stunning original images.

It's also a massive and hugely ambitious game that was still being worked on. Things always have to be tweaked and optimized as a game is being built. I imagine that they set the bar as high as they could with that footage and then dialed it in as close as possible. Again, I am amazed that they have accomplished what they did. It still looks astounding.

 

[IchigoSharingan]

smart business: always under promise and over deliver.

Overpromise and underdeliver= good fucking luck

 

[ironcreed]

smart business: always under promise and over deliver.

Overpromise and underdeliver= good fucking luck

I am willing to bet the game is going to do just fine despite this little outcry.

 

[VeeP]

Imagine busting your ass for years to craft a world like this and doing your finest work to make it the best it can be for everyone. Then you turn around and see every blade of grass, rock and wall being dissected and ripped to shreds for not being exactly like early work in progress that had to be optimized and tweaked as the game continued to take shape. It must really make you feel like shit.

Hell, I am amazed they got it to look and run as good as it does considering the massive size, weather effects and everything else it has got going on. Quite a feat and I think it looks absolutely jaw dropping. Certainly a massive step over anything else they have done.

What the fuck?

Thats not what this discussion is about. This discussion is if the game lives up to the PREVIOUS TRAILERS CDPR put out.

Imagine being hyped for the game, seeing these great trailers. Then new footage comes out that doesn't look as great. You think downgrade? But the developers promise no downgrade was done. So then you see gameplay footage of the game with Ultra settings, and still, the game doesn't live up to the previous trailers. Were gamers not lied to? Why do developers overpromise if they're going to under deliver.

 

[Innolis]

Lighting is the only thing I really regret about the downgrade.The lighting on the original trailers was so good, it had a water-color like quality to it, really soft and smooth (I remember that section where geralt is riding and the sky looked light purple, it was amazing).

I think people mostly complain about being shown something that is simply not true and we all believed that if anyone could pull it of, it was CDPR.

The game still looks really freaking good, but I don't think it was necessary to show us that footage before...(DS2 still stings)

There's also the fact that people have bought new hardware in preparation for this game...

 

[Dhruv_hanom]

I'd pay for an upgrade/patch that makes the game look the same as the trailers.

 

[ironcreed]

What the fuck?

Thats not what this discussion is about. This discussion is if the game lives up to the PREVIOUS TRAILERS CDPR put out.

Imagine being hyped for the game, seeing these great trailers. Then new footage comes out that doesn't look as great. You think downgrade? But the developers promise no downgrade was done. So then you see gameplay footage of the game with Ultra settings, and still, the game doesn't live up to the previous trailers. Were gamers not lied to? Why do developers overpromise if they're going to under deliver.

I have been hyped for it and saw all of that footage. Now I see the end result with the knowledge that things always get tweaked and balanced out as a game is being built. They got it as close to that bar as they could and I am amazed by what I see. Hell of a job.

 

[RyudBoy]

Funny how CD Projekt RED gets a pass but Ubisoft gets all the flak.

They get a pass from me because I know the game will be awesome.

But yeah, downgrades were obvious months ago.

 

[viveks86]

Imagine busting your ass for years to craft a world like this and doing your finest work to make it the best it can be for everyone. Then you turn around and see every blade of grass, rock and wall being dissected and ripped to shreds for not being exactly like early work in progress that had to be optimized and tweaked as the game continued to take shape. It must really make you feel like shit.

So dramatic

 

[VeeP]

I have been hyped for it and saw all of that footage. Now I see the end result with the knowledge that things always get tweaked and balanced out as a game is being built. They got it as close to that bar as they could and I am amazed by what I see. Hell of a job.

That's great for you but other people might not see it that way. Read through this thread, some people are genuinely excited by W3 but just disappointed that the game won't look as great as the early trailers.

Personally, I'm playing on PS4 and from the footage I saw the game looks great and I'm content. But that doesn't mean I'm going to come into this thread and tell people they can't/shouldn't complain about the game being downgraded, because from everything I've seen it was.

If CDPR couldn't reach the bar they set for themselves they should've been upfront about it.

 

[OmegaDL50]

Hundreds of individuals have noticed the difference and been disappointed. It's beyond grass being analyzed. People aren't denying it looks great, but it is still quite a step down from the stunning original images.

It's still currently the best looking open world medieval style RPG, regardless of this supposed downgrade. That should be an something of worthwhile merit in of itself.

The only other references I can immediately come up with would be Two Worlds 2, DA: Inquisition, and Skyrim.

Even if we factor heavily modded Skyrim with 2K/4K texture packs and heavy ENB like RealVision for example.

The Witcher 3 still looks better.

This is coming from someone who has Skyrim showcased on their steam profile with almost 600 hours put into the game with a mod heavy setup. - http://steamcommunity.com/id/OmegaDL50

 

[Tcab96]

I'd pay for an upgrade/patch that makes the game look the same as the trailers.

You probably shouldn't, bro. It would set a horrible precedent for other developers. I can already smell the shitstorm that would ensue if such a sellable patch existed.

 

[Obliterator]

I think its possible to both empathize with the dev team for what they are going through, as well as be dissapointed at the apparent downgrade and hold them accountable.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

 

[ironcreed]

That's great for you but other people might not see it that way. Read through this thread, some people are genuinely excited by W3 but just disappointed that the game won't look as great as the early trailers.

Personally, I'm playing on PS4 and from the footage I saw the game looks great and I'm content. But that doesn't mean I'm going to come into this thread and tell people they can't/shouldn't complain about the game being downgraded, because from everything I've seen it was.

If CDPR couldn't reach the bar they set for themselves they should've been upfront about it.

I am not telling anyone to do anything. I was just making a point and stating my own point of view. In other words, I disagree. But don't mind me. Carry on.

 

[Krappadizzle]

I don't get it.. yeah, CD Projekt RED maybe lied with the VGX trailer, but they are showing off the game with graphics which we have today, in gameplay videos for the last year.. people had a whole year to decide if that's problem or not.. for me not.. could atleast the PC version looked better ? Definitely.. but what you gonna do.. the graphics are still great, the game looks to be in great quality, so I still don't see the problem.. people were bitching about graphics in this game a one year before.. and so why is it still going?.. you have tons of video material directly from the game.. there are many threads on their home official forums, they know that people are complaining about it..

But why must it go over and over again.. if you don't like those graphics, and you want to protest, don't buy the game.. atleast people should have wait till the release date now, why bitching now 1-2 weeks before release.. what's the purpose? Is it going to change something? NO!.. wait till the game releases, compare then the scenes you want and you can bitching then and write some hateful messages to CD Projekt RED.. but in my opinion in this days, it's just pointless

And your are bitching around now, but just look at this video (various vidoes from Youtubers) and tell me it doesn't look great : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiLMkf1COP0

I came back to watch this video because it's been the absolute best showcase of W3 so far. Too bad it's been taken down. You don't happen to have a copy do you?

 

[IchigoSharingan]

I am willing to bet the game is going to do just fine despite this little outcry.

short run? mayhaps. long run? LOL no.

 

[SaberEdge]

Both of these images are from the same place in the game and with the same compression (more or less).

http://i.imgur.com/gLQRd7N.jpg

Do you honestly think the bottom doesn't look worse? Even though there is much less lighting and all the particles are gone?

I think the older version of that scene aesthetically looks marginally better, but it's definitely not this massive difference some allude to. And that's pretty much the area with the biggest changes we've seen, most other comparable areas show little to no difference. My comparison shows that quite clearly.

In the comparison you posted, going by the typical non-technical gamer mentality, we could easily say the new version has "better lighting" because not only is the fire a light source, but it also has strong direct lighting from the moon, which is absent in the old scene. We could also talk about the "missing shadows" in the older version. It's all a matter of perspective. Technically, though, there is unlikely any qualitative difference in the lighting.

 

[Blizzard]

I think its possible to both empathize with the dev team for what they are going through, as well as be dissapointed at the apparent downgrade and hold them accountable.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

How should one hold the developers accountable? Not buying the game? Dock points on critical reviews? Anti-publicity campaign?

I can understand being disappointed, but I'm not exactly sure what accountability means in this regard.

short run? mayhaps. long run? LOL no.

What do you mean? What do you think will happen in the long run, saleswise?

 

[Obliterator]

short run? mayhaps. long run? LOL no.

If you think a game being downgraded crashes out sales I have some pretty bad news for you.

How should one hold the developers accountable? Not buying the game? Dock points on critical reviews? Anti-publicity campaign?

I can understand being disappointed, but I'm not exactly sure what accountability means in this regard.

You know its a tough question to answer and I think it will be different for everyone. I empathize because I doubt CDProjekt Red set out to troll the shit out of everyone. When they were working on that first build I highly doubt they were thinking, "hey screw those guys on GAF. When we downgrade this shit we'll just laugh at the thread". They probably did their best to get as close as they could, but for tech and engine reasons couldn't quite hit their lofty goals.

At the same time they shouldn't have doubled down and said the game has had zero downgrade when there is evidence there is some.

Overall its just a tough spot.

 

[ironcreed]

short run? mayhaps. long run? LOL no.

It remains to be seen, of course. The game looks pretty darn strong and is getting some great buzz.

 

[Dhruv_hanom]

You probably shouldn't, bro. It would set a horrible precedent for other developers. I can already smell the shitstorm that would ensue if such a sellable patch existed.

True, the shitstorm would be astronomical but the Witches 3 looks gorgeous in those trailers, like a painting and I really want it to look like that when I play it.

 

[DOWN]

I think the older version of that scene aesthetically looks marginally better, but it's definitely not this massive difference some allude to. And that's pretty much the area with the biggest changes we've seen, most other comparable areas show little to no difference. My comparison shows that quite clearly.

In the comparison you posted, going by the typical non-technical gamer mentality, we could easily say the new version has "better lighting" because not only is the fire a light source, but it also has strong direct lighting from the moon, which is absent in the old scene. We could also talk about the "missing shadows" in the older version. It's all a matter of perspective. Technically, though, there is unlikely any qualitative difference in the lighting.

I think people also take issue with the fact that the fire texturing is more obvious in the last pic compared to how voluminous it is in the upper images to avoid the flat fire textures being visible, the finer smoke detail is gone, and the ember particle effects blowing off the roof are gone. I agree that less smoke in general and the source of light can be aesthetic, but the rest is outright missing technical effects relevant to the scene.

It's also a massive and hugely ambitious game that was still being worked on. Things always have to be tweaked and optimized as a game is being built. I imagine that they set the bar as high as they could with that footage and then dialed it in as close as possible. Again, I am amazed that they have accomplished what they did. It still looks astounding.

This is like you being asked if the game looks worse and answering, "it looks great." Doesn't acknowledge the issue the thread is addressing. I'm sure many people here would say it looks great, but that isn't the topic.

It's still currently the best looking open world medieval style RPG, regardless of this supposed downgrade. That should be an something of worthwhile merit in of itself.

The only other references I can immediately come up with would be Two Worlds 2, DA: Inquisition, and Skyrim.

Even if we factor heavily modded Skyrim with 2K/4K texture packs and heavy ENB like RealVision for example.

The Witcher 3 still looks better.

This is coming from someone who has Skyrim showcased on their steam profile with almost 600 hours put into the game with a mod heavy setup. - http://steamcommunity.com/id/OmegaDL50

The thread is comparing current W3 to previous W3. Talking about how it looks compared to other games isn't the point anyone here is concerned with and few would say the game looks anything less than great. But the disappointment in having it look less great than it once was shown to is widely apparent and specifically relevant for this thread.

 

[JAYSIMPLE]

It's those wonderful consoles that the game has to run on. It's a shame, but that's the reality.

I feel like this is the truth. I could be wrong, am willing to be pointed out on iT. I really think they went with the console crowd in mind this time around instead of pc being the main target. The visuals have deffo suffered for it when uou could argue their previous game looks better in certain ways. Bit gutting still excited For the game ththo.

 

[SaberEdge]

Hundreds of individuals have noticed the difference and been disappointed. It's beyond grass being analyzed. People aren't denying it looks great, but it is still quite a step down from the stunning original images.

Hundreds of individuals also "noticed" the difference and were disappointed with these "downgrades" too:

http://www.dsogaming.com/news/rumor...ins-creed-unitys-visuals-after-latest-update/

http://www.cinemablend.com/m/games/...n-Downgraded-PS4-Says-Sucker-Punch-62804.html

But those turned out to be imagined downgrades, not real ones.

The number of people believing an untruth doesn't make it any less untrue.

 

[tattooed_dwarf]

I am willing to bet the game is going to do just fine despite this little outcry.

Exactly, look how Watchdogs sold like crazy, even though outcry about downgrade was much much bigger. Most people don't care, and they don't follow development closely and compare footage.

 

[OmegaDL50]

The thread is comparing current W3 to previous W3. Talking about how it looks compared to other games isn't the point anyone here is concerned with and few would say the game looks anything less than great. But the disappointment in having it look less great than it once was shown to is widely apparent and specifically relevant for this thread.

Your backseat moderating isn't necessary, thank you very much.

It's not like this is the first game that gets criticized for a supposed downgrade of a recent build of the visuals in comparison from an earlier build. Yes it's a bad precedent and developers shouldn't do this. Criticizing for not being honest is fine and all, I'd expect as such. No one likes to be mislead when you expect something grander then it appears to be.

The thing visually while this may be disappointing to some. At the end of the day when many in this topic sit down and play this game, I really don't think the majority are going to be so anal-retentive to overly scrutinize every single out of place texture or some other visual imperfection. At least I would hope not. As that sounds like a terribly dull way to play the game.

 

[Sakura]

Yea the downgrade is pretty disappointing. Especially that shot of the wall geometry. I'm sure the game will still be fun and I will pick it up eventually, but my hype has definitely deflated after recent trailers and such.

 

[RoboPlato]

Even though I do think that some elements were downgraded over the course of development, mainly the vegetation, looking at some of the gifs and footage in the other threads shows that the console version looks better than I ever expected it to at 1080p on PS4.

 

[M.W.]

Even though I do think that some elements were downgraded over the course of development, mainly the vegetation, looking at some of the gifs and footage in the other threads shows that the console version looks better than I ever expected it to at 1080p on PS4.

Console footage has looked insanely good.

 

[Forkball]

Yeah the downgrade is definitely noticeable. I found that I was much more impressed by The Witcher 2's graphics than I am with this title's. Despite this, I'm excited to be playing this next week and I am sure it will be a standout game this year.

 

[Flying Toaster]

Seriously this was to be expected. Putting a PC game on consoles and then wanting them all to look the same creates this result.

If you have never played the Witcher series before you owe it to yourself to pick this game up regardless of how slighted you might feel about the downgrade.

 

[Denton]

I dunno, the game looks great to me.

 

[Javin98]

And this is just the PS4 version. But seriously, some parts of the game may be downgraded, like the lighting and vegetation, but this is still a fantastic looking game overall.

 

[SaberEdge]

I'm still astonished that people are making such a big deal about that badly added little corner cap of bricks in that previous build of the game. I think it looks like it doesn't belong. The area above it has the same sort of clean edge seen in the later version.

I would bet anything that that change was merely an artistic decision. The impact on performance would be negligible to practically nonexistent.

 

[plasmawave]

I'm still astonished that people are making such a big deal about that badly added little corner cap of bricks in that build of the game. I think it looks like it doesn't belong. The area above it has the same sort of clean edge seen in the later version.

I would bet anything that that change was merely an artistic decision. The impact on performance would be negligible to practically nonexistent.

So now the argument is "I can't believe people care about the extra details"?

 

[Javin98]

I'm still astonished that people are making such a big deal about that badly added little corner cap of bricks in that build of the game. I think it looks like it doesn't belong. The area above it has the same sort of clean edge seen in the later version.

I would bet anything that that change was merely an artistic decision. The impact on performance would be negligible to practically nonexistent.

Some people just like to watch the world burn. It's probably why "downgrade" is by far my most hated word on the Internet.

 

[orochi91]

There seems to be a disconnect here.

The detractors aren't saying the game doesn't look good, it really does.

However, they are pointing out blatant downgrades, which runs contrary to CDPR claim of no downgrades.

CDPR lied and mislead.

It's literally that simple.

So now the argument is "I can't believe people care about the extra details"?

SaberEdge doing that pointless damage control.

The game still looks good, but CDPR straight up lied.

 

[Denton]

Some people just like to watch the world burn. It's probably why "downgrade" is by far my most hated word on the Internet.

Mine is "entitlement", with downgrade being close second

 

[McBryBry]

Is there a downgrade? Yes.
Was it expected? Yes.
Does the game still look good? Yes.
Am I gonna still play it? You bet your ass.

It's what the game looks like, just like how Watchdogs was what it was. Deal with it. They lied, sure. Frankly, we live in a world where companies do that all the time so don't be surprised.

 

[Renekton]

Quick question... this downgrade topic is mainly for PC Ultra right? People are questioning if the 5930K+TitanX can achieve the fidelity shown in the famous GIFs?

We're not expecting X1/PS4 to get close to that, which is reasonable.

 

[Javin98]

Mine is "entitlement", with downgrade being close second

Mind explaining why you hate the word "entitlement"? Honest question here.

 

[axb2013]

Sounds like somebody's got a case of 1358's.

Maybe I'm becoming easy to please at my age but I can get immersed without scrutinizing extensively. Little details, things like that flute that starts playing 49 secs into the 35min gameplay video more than compensate for any downgrades that may have taken place. Maybe I'm just lucky, maybe there are legit reasons for people to be outraged, I just don't see them myself.