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Borderlands 2 Vita |OT| 870 gajillion guns in your pockets

The frame rate issues in Sanctuary are p much my singular gripe with the game. That shit is flat out unacceptable. Other then that and the weird bullet travel time it's easily worth the money.

The framerate in Sanctuary when you get to your safe house or whatever its called (where your item safe is) is god awful.

How did they play through that and think... "Yeah, it will be fine when people play this".

No way they didn't know, shoved it at us half-baked.
 

JBourne

maybe tomorrow it rains
Audio logs are hilarious. It took 30+ seconds to load up a clip of someone saying "Understood."

Impressive that they managed to port the whole game, but the dodgy framerate and ridiculous loading times are killing it for me. Can't say I'm too pleased.
 
Tired of so many people saying this was a lazy port. I think they did an amazing job, considering the task.

It's impressive in some respects that they got the UE3 running on the Vita and that this is pretty much a direct port. But it's a port with issues and it looks like it was unoptomised for the platform. The framerate is dodgy in certain parts. It seems to hover somewhere in the 20's for the most part but dives down horribly in Sanctuary. They probably need to cutdown on the ambient population in Sanctuary to make it run more smoothly. Borderlands 2 is playable but the framerate issues are noticable and really annoying in certain parts. The UI needed to be tweaked for the platform, it's the same as it was on consoles and PC and certain parts of it are too damned small. The map is too small, the text in the UI is too tiny, the menus probably needed to be reworked entirely to exclude the character model so people could better see the menus. The audio quality is all over the place too, that part is really jarring to me. Jack's voice doesn't sound the same, the audio quality makes it sound off. The audio fights with itself a fair bit too.

I like Borderlands 2, I dumped 300 hours into it on PC and while it's cool I can play it on the go, the port is far from perfect. I understand people's complaints. The port isn't lazy, it probably had a super tight budget with time and money and Iron Galaxy did what they could to get it running on the platform. Awkwardly. The Vita isn't the most successful of platforms, 2K probably didn't budget much for this port to happen because they don't expect it to sell well, at all. I'm not excusing the state of the port, I'm just guessing at what happened.

Still, I got to take a ride on the psycho express while waiting for tires to be changed for an hour and a bit. I'm mostly happy with the purchase.
 
Audio logs are hilarious. It took 30+ seconds to load up a clip of someone saying "Understood."

I've found that pressing the PS button and then entering back into the game causes the audio logs to play right away without the loading. I'm pretty sure this is an optimization thing that will get fixed in the patch.
 

SirNinja

Member
They probably need to cutdown on the ambient population in Sanctuary to make it run more smoothly.

That's a really good point, and I'm quite surprised they didn't do that to begin with, given all the concessions they made to things like enemy density. There are a ton of "flavor" NPCs in Sanctuary that don't do anything other than say the occasional line of dialogue; I would not take issue at all if a future patch got rid of most of them for the sake of having a decent framerate.

Speaking of which...to anyone who's gotten to this point in the game: does the framerate in Sanctuary improve once
it goes airborne
?
 
I'm a lvl 10 Mechromancer that's doing quests that I grabbed from Sanctuary, and the fps has held up incredibly well. The fps is obviously at its worst when you're in Sanctuary and outdoors (it's still completely playable), but, keep in mind, most of the quests and tough battles take you into indoor areas and/or smaller, more linear sections of the world; and it's in these places that the fps is at its best, easily on par with the PS3 version. Oh, and for what it's worth: I'm playing off the actual game card (physical media for life! (or as long as its possible)).

I don't have rose-colored glasses on that cause me to ignore the graphical concessions made from the game's transition to a portable device; but, at the end of the day, it really is the entire Borderlands 2 experience, and it's just as fun--maybe more, b/c it's portable--as all of the other versions of the game (well, unless you prefer 4-player co-op).

Such a great purchase. Really makes me pine for more action-RPG's on the Vita...

I'm about to hit lvl 13 in commando. This post pretty much sums up my thoughts with this game, too. However, I'm beginning to wonder if the game provides a totally different experience on the OG Vita. I'm playing on the original and I've not had a crash, connection issue, or any other bug. There are framerate dips, but they're expected. I've even gotten used to the controls. Could it be that there is some unpublished difference between the new Vita and the old model?
 

Tigress

Member
I'm about to hit lvl 13 in commando. This post pretty much sums up my thoughts with this game, too. However, I'm beginning to wonder if the game provides a totally different experience on the OG Vita. I'm playing on the original and I've not had a crash, connection issue, or any other bug. There are framerate dips, but they're expected. I've even gotten used to the controls. Could it be that there is some unpublished difference between the new Vita and the old model?

I am on the OG Vita myself and I've only had it crash once. Though the fight with captain Flint I had to get outside the arena and force him to attack me from above because when I got surrounded by his henchman for whatever reason the game wouldn't recognize my shoot inputs (but annoyingly enough they were shooting me fine). Hell, when I first got to Sanctuary I didn't notice it running badly as everyone said. First time I noticed that was when I ported in today (now everytime I port it gets laggy and then it seems to shape up after it gets through loading or whatever is causing it to lag when I port in).

And I've noticed every now and then bad frame rate (which to be honest means it was not good when I notice it) but besides the fight with captain Flint it's been absolutely fun and addicting to play so that's all I care (I will say I have a shield that does damage if they melee me and it always lags on recognizing it but it honestly doesn't bug me, it's kinda satisfying to get a chance to see them get hit by it or explode. I actually kind of wonder if I'm going to be upset by it not doing that on the PS3 version cause honestly, the Vita version now is the one I've played the most and have gotten used to the gameplay on. I know I'll miss the villains exploding in a bloody pop cause I actually find that really satisfying).

Anyways, it still feels like the game runs better than Fallout (at least on PS3) and I loved Fallout too (I wish the Fallouts would run as well as this game :(. No random lags to the point I notice and actually get annoyed by <- I mean like sometimes it would start playing in skips and slow motions, no crashing a lot. I mean I would totally not complain about Fallout being buggy if it ran as well as this game does on the Vita).

In the end, the game is hella fun and addicting and that is what is ultimately important (same thing with Fallout, despite all the bugs it is addicting and fun so that is why it gets forgiven. And I really would have not complained about Fallout running so buggy if it was as good as this game on Vita).
 

AwRy108

Member
I'm about to hit lvl 13 in commando. This post pretty much sums up my thoughts with this game, too. However, I'm beginning to wonder if the game provides a totally different experience on the OG Vita. I'm playing on the original and I've not had a crash, connection issue, or any other bug. There are framerate dips, but they're expected. I've even gotten used to the controls. Could it be that there is some unpublished difference between the new Vita and the old model?

Mine just crashed (OG Vita, physical copy) really bad: froze the system, then gave me the blinking Blue light of death. Had to hold down the power button for ~30 sec. to boot up in Safe Mode.

Still love the game, but hope this isn't a sign of things to come...
 
Doing the main mission, saving
Roland
and had one crash when i was trying to access the menu after leveling up and a freeze when I was trying to use a turret. Annoying but thank god for auto save.
 

wilflare

Member
yes the crashes are annoying... especially when you are on a very good run. this is one of the few games where I feel motivated enough to do all the side missions.
 

Darksol

Member
Having a blast with this so far. Took me 20 minutes or so to adjust the vita sticks to how I wanted them, but I'm enjoying myself now. Sniping and everything. Borderlands on the go. I love it.
 

Redhood

Member
I would like to smoke whatever the IGN reviewer was smoking.

I would love to play co-op. I am GMT+4 zone.

Add me: barry_matharoo
Just type vitagaf in msg

Also checked the trophy list and it shows only one online trophy. Guess I should get it out of the way soon. We can help each other for that.

Friendship Rules
Revived someone from "Fight for Your Life!" that is on your friends list

Also what are these gold keys and how do I get them? I found one chest near sanctuaries fast travel location.
 

ZServ

Member
Also what are these gold keys and how do I get them? I found one chest near sanctuaries fast travel location.

Golden keys are obtained via shift codes. The golden chest is randomly generated purple gear that scales to your level. So if you open the chest at level 8, gear is level 8. Open it at 72, gear is level 72.
 

Redhood

Member
Golden keys are obtained via shift codes. The golden chest is randomly generated purple gear that scales to your level. So if you open the chest at level 8, gear is level 8. Open it at 72, gear is level 72.

How many chests are there? Where do I get the shift codes?
 

BigDug13

Member
How many chests are there? Where do I get the shift codes?

The sanctuary chest continually closes after you collect the loot and can be reopened with more keys. No need for more chests as the gear is continually randomly generated in the one box.

Lots of shift keys available still here:

http://orcz.com/Borderlands_2:_Golden_Key

Start with the ones that give you 5 keys each so that you get more bang for your code-entering buck.

edit - keep checking that site too. It seems that Gearbox is continuing to pump out key codes even now. I didn't realize that as I was entering them from the top. Good on Gearbox. Now I'll spend keys more often I guess.
 

DrFurbs

Member
Guys what is going on. I killed the first boss and his twin then saved and turned off the ps3...today I have to fight him again?

What.. Am I missing something?
 

Redhood

Member
Guys what is going on. I killed the first boss and his twin then saved and turned off the ps3...today I have to fight him again?

What.. Am I missing something?

The game does not save your position. It will only save your level and your inventory. The enemies; chests etc will respawn but they will not given the same xp as first time. If you reach a fast travel or load a new area and then save the game will load from that area only.
 

ZeroAKA

Member
So I redeem the codes and I get the keys which then can be used to open the golden chest which will spawn rare items leveled according to my level. This chest can be opened any number of times and the loot is random.

Is this right? What level is good to open the chest? I am 11 now.
You can open the chest as long as you still have keys available. I usually input a code or two only when I'm having some trouble in the game so that I can get better equipment.
 

BigDug13

Member
You can open the chest as long as you still have keys available. I usually input a code or two only when I'm having some trouble in the game so that I can get better equipment.

I'd also check that list every couple days and input any new codes that show an expected expiration date. There are 2 codes on there for 3 keys each that show expected expiration date of 12 May but still work for some reason. I went ahead and put those 2 codes in just in case Gearbox ever pulls the plug on those particular codes.
 
The sanctuary chest continually closes after you collect the loot and can be reopened with more keys. No need for more chests as the gear is continually randomly generated in the one box.

Lots of shift keys available still here:

http://orcz.com/Borderlands_2:_Golden_Key

Start with the ones that give you 5 keys each so that you get more bang for your code-entering buck.

edit - keep checking that site too. It seems that Gearbox is continuing to pump out key codes even now. I didn't realize that as I was entering them from the top. Good on Gearbox. Now I'll spend keys more often I guess.

Sweet, thanks. I guess I never did register a shift account before, and I didn't know you could still use ancient codes like that. Gone through 34 codes, almost halfway done.
 

ZeroAKA

Member
I'd also check that list every couple days and input any new codes that show an expected expiration date. There are 2 codes on there for 3 keys each that show expected expiration date of 12 May but still work for some reason. I went ahead and put those 2 codes in just in case Gearbox ever pulls the plug on those particular codes.
You should have more than enough keys even if you only used the codes that never expire. There's actually a potentially better option for people with an iOS/Android phone.

Download the LootTheWorld app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app lets you scan QR codes in order to get stamps and random loot. Fortunately, there's a huge database of QR codes online that makes the process a lot less random. You can check that out here: http://bl2loot.com/

I haven't tested if LootTheWorld works on BL2 Vita yet, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. As a bonus, some of those high-leveled items can be sold for a ton of cash if you don't see yourself ever using them.
 

Tigress

Member
Most of my B2 playing now has been on my Vita (I played some when it came out on PS+ for free) but I have to say, after playing it on the PS3 last night (when the cat was on me and I couldn't get my Vita), I think I actually prefer it on my Vita (to be fair I now have a lot more hours on the Vita and I'll fully admit I'm biased). But one reason is just it's much more amazing to me to play it on my Vita than on my PS3. On my Vita it feels like this really amazing that they got this game in a handheld and that alone is just still having me totally impressed, on the PS3 it feels less amazing and more "cheap" (I'm probably just taking it for granted but it doesn't feel like a big accomplishment, amazing feat of tech on the PS3). Also, games feel more like reading a good book on the Vita (in that they feel more "intimate", kinda like how people who prefer physical books say why they like them over ebooks).

And while I didn't play the PS3 version much, it already had a hiccup or two and I was more at the intro (I tried out the gunzerker character I had started apparently when I first tried B2. I had not gotten far with him). It didn't seem like it ran much better and I do think I prefer the enemies popping in a little bloody splat (For one thing it is more definitive that yes, I did get him. But also, it's just satisfying imho and seems to fit the game feel).

And, for whatever reason, I actually prefer the Vita sticks for shooters (I like the tighter feel. Maybe I'd feel differently if it were the PS4's controllers that definitely improved on the tightness of the sticks. But I like a little resistance in my thumbsticks).
 

Hollycat

Member
I'm now on my second TVHM playthrough, this time with Maya. I've already almost surpassed my PS3 badass score. Can't believe I'm still not bored, although I do wish for Tiny Tina.
 
That's a really good point, and I'm quite surprised they didn't do that to begin with, given all the concessions they made to things like enemy density. There are a ton of "flavor" NPCs in Sanctuary that don't do anything other than say the occasional line of dialogue; I would not take issue at all if a future patch got rid of most of them for the sake of having a decent framerate.

Speaking of which...to anyone who's gotten to this point in the game: does the framerate in Sanctuary improve once
it goes airborne
?

If we could lose the banging on shit dude, that would be ace.
 

Tigress

Member
Why is this game so damn laggy? I can only melee it seems by accident on the touchpad.is the melee currently broken?

I have had no issue with it. In fact it works well enough for me I prefer it to the R3/L3 used on the ps3 controller. But I really hate those buttons on the ps3 controller cause I find them awkward to use if I'm in the middle of moving and I accidentally hit them all the time when in tense situations though I accidentally hit melee on the vita all the time too. On my vita the touch pad is too sensitive on the melee side. Many times it feels like I didn't even touch it. It's a little less sensitive on the run side but not horribly bad
 

wilflare

Member
been playing this for quite a bit.
being able to play this on a portable/Vita is just awesome!

but I can't help but hope for better graphics, etc.
I've been relying on some YouTube vids to help me find the Vault signs for the different challenges - seeing Borderlands 2 with all its fancy textures, effects and physics make me kinda want to play it on the PC instead :/

on that note though, one of the Vault signs are glitched in the Bloodshots place.
 

johngie

Neo Member
Ugh, game crashed 4 times in around 4 hours of play the other night, all in Lynchwood.

As well, has anyone run into Buzzards getting stuck behind the arena wall in round 5 of Fink's Slaughterhouse? It's damn annoying, and I'm forced to waste all 9 of my homing grenades to hit them, the just spam pistol rounds for a good 5-10 minutes with my Mechromancer's bullet ricochet skill until they're dead. It's less than ideal. Was this issue present in the console versions? I might look into shooting an email or tweet off to IGS for the upcoming patch, it's annoying.
 
So, this is just a warning for future BL2 vita owners, if you're doing the Blood shot area in the chapter where you saving the leader of the Sanctuary. I recommend NOT dying in the area after this check point below:

i9psjhL.jpg


I've had this weird crash where after respawning and everything seemingly loaded up, going back a few minutes or seconds into the area after this checkpoint, the game would suddenly go mute and then freeze.

My solution to fixing this was to wait for a while before going back in, a minute or so. After that, the 'sounds go mute' crash should not happen. Or you can just snipe everybody from the checkpoint area if you're having problems not dying there.
 

Slayven

Member
So, this is just a warning for future BL2 vita owners, if you're doing the Blood shot area in the chapter where you saving the leader of the Sanctuary. I recommend NOT dying in the area after this check point below:

i9psjhL.jpg


I've had this weird crash where after respawning and everything seemingly loaded up, going back a few minutes or seconds into the area after this checkpoint, the game would suddenly go mute and then freeze.

My solution to fixing this was to wait for a while before going back in, a minute or so. After that, the 'sounds go mute' crash should not happen. Or you can just snipe everybody from the checkpoint area if you're having problems not dying there.
I always had badluck with indoor areas in BL2. Doors not opening, and bosses not spawning as they should. And they never fixed that bugged TMNT themed mission where you can't enter a tunnel unless your character is oriented in a certain way.
 

Hollycat

Member
Yeah, lynchwood and the place with the trains are definitely by far the most crashy maps. The only other one I've even crashed on once was Threehorns divide.
 

antibolo

Banned
So I played half an hour, and my verdict is, fuck, why did I buy into the NeoGAF hype for this garbage.

This is barely playable, the framerate goes to shit as soon as ONLY ONE enemy shows up on screen.

The bad reviews were entirely justified, this is really awful. I'm not even sure I will ever play it again.
 
After several hours of play, I can say the framerate is playable, but certainly not stable in the least. I don't think performance is the biggest requirement from a borderlands title, it's not exactly srs business, but I wouldn't believe anyone that says it runs great.

It runs good enough to have a fun time, but that's it. Still quite the feat that it's been ported to vita, and if it gets improved through patches in the future that'll be great news. I'm having a lot of fun so far, but that's because I understand the very significant tradeoffs that were required to get this thing running on vita.

So I played half an hour, and my verdict is, fuck, why did I buy into the NeoGAF hype for this garbage.

This is barely playable, the framerate goes to shit as soon as ONLY ONE enemy shows up on screen.

The bad reviews were entirely justified, this is really awful. I'm not even sure I will ever play it again.

Personally, I think the framerate runs surprisingly well in combat for the most part. I'll have 4 enemies on the screen and still be performing well. While there are no doubt shitloads of frame drops, saying "the framerate goes to shit as soon as ONLY ONE enemy shows up on screen" isn't accurate in my experience.
 

BigDug13

Member
So I played half an hour, and my verdict is, fuck, why did I buy into the NeoGAF hype for this garbage.

This is barely playable, the framerate goes to shit as soon as ONLY ONE enemy shows up on screen.

The bad reviews were entirely justified, this is really awful. I'm not even sure I will ever play it again.

That's quite a bit of hyperbole and overreaction. I'm coming from buttery smooth unlocked >60fps 1080p PC gameplay for over a year on this game. This version is not "unplayable" in the least.

Turning down the default controller sensitivity is the first step. The default does make you turn a bit too fast and causes a slideshow when aiming. Use 5 or maybe even 4 if you're sensitive to framerates.

I take it you never played the game on consoles? Specifically PS3? It's not like the game held up on too well that console either.

It's not the best version of the game, but it's one of the largest games on Vita with lots of replayability. Glad they made it.
 
So, this is just a warning for future BL2 vita owners, if you're doing the Blood shot area in the chapter where you saving the leader of the Sanctuary. I recommend NOT dying in the area after this check point below:

i9psjhL.jpg


I've had this weird crash where after respawning and everything seemingly loaded up, going back a few minutes or seconds into the area after this checkpoint, the game would suddenly go mute and then freeze.

My solution to fixing this was to wait for a while before going back in, a minute or so. After that, the 'sounds go mute' crash should not happen. Or you can just snipe everybody from the checkpoint area if you're having problems not dying there.

Had this exact same glitch happen to me today.
 

johngie

Neo Member
*Sigh*

After a solid 30 some hours, I'm shelving this game until the patch. Just froze twice during a story mission in Thousand Cuts, in around 30 minutes. Getting booted way back to the beginning means battling through boatloads of enemies again, and I can't be bothered to continually slog through it.

Gonna level up my Gunzerker on the PS3 in the meantime, and hopefully the patches for both systems hit soon.
 
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