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[Yoshichan]

You're not gonna play XIII first?

Just gonna play XIII-2 because the XIII PC port gave me massive headache. FFXIII-2 is one of my favorite games of all time and even a shitty port won't stop me from playing this masterpiece.

 

[Ganon Dragmire]

Just gonna play XIII-2 because the XIII PC port gave me massive headache. FFXIII-2 is one of my favorite games of all time and even a shitty port won't stop me from playing this masterpiece.

This one is giving me a bigger headache. It shuts down my computer. My computer is old as hell, but at least XIII didn't give that problem. Luckily this game auto-saves.

 

[TheTux]

This one is giving me a bigger headache. It shuts down my computer. My computer is old as hell, but at least XIII didn't give that problem. Luckily this game auto-saves.

Would be fun if it shuts down your computer while auto-saving.

Spoiler

Not sure but maybe it has a anti-save corruption system. It once happened on my PS3 and I didn't lose any data (if I remember correctly, I'm not sure).

w... what? Why did they do that? Colosseum was always unlocked on the console version.

Because if you finish Lightning's DLC and unlock her the entire game is going to be really easy. Plus it's also a spoiler to new players.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRqzX7YVm14

Someone unlocked all the missing DLC via a mod.

 

[uncredited male]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRqzX7YVm14

Someone unlocked all the missing DLC via a mod.

I love when the community does shit like this. I remember making my Dragon Age Ultimate Edition more ultimate.

 

[komorebi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRqzX7YVm14

Someone unlocked all the missing DLC via a mod.

Wow, nice!

 

[Yoshichan]

How do I fix so that the QTEs show the Dual Shock buttons?

 

[Dragon1893]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRqzX7YVm14

Someone unlocked all the missing DLC via a mod.

Wow! Awesome!

The style and steel outfit is really awesome, I was bummed that it wasn't included, thanks to whoever did this.

 

[mugurumakensei]

this game is gorgeous on pc at 4k with aa turned up.

 

[Durante]

I've spent a bit of time actually playing the game no (rather than just evaluating it technically), and I like it surprisingly much. At first glance it looks very similar to FF13 (and the engine certainly is!), but mechanically it seems like a huge improvement.

As one example, I just got to this:

I feel like I already, in the first hour or so of the game, can make a more meaningful mechanical character growth decision than during the entirety of FF13.

 

[Ganon Dragmire]

How do I fix so that the QTEs show the Dual Shock buttons?

here:

 

[Yoshichan]

here:

Doesn't this make it so that they show Xbox-controller buttons and not PS?

 

[Ganon Dragmire]

Doesn't this make it so that they show Xbox-controller buttons and not PS?

those are the only controller button types they have.

 

[Yoshichan]

those are the only controller button types they have.

Dragmire, is that you btw? Did you change name?

 

[Beautiful Ninja]

Ended up buying the game yesterday, FF XIII had it's performance issues but it generally ran at 60 FPS for me at 4k resolution downsampled on my GTX 770 and never dipped below 30 FPS.

Now XIII-2, I can't get the game to run above 30 FPS no matter what my settings, the game just refuses to use my GPU, GPU utilization floats around 60% for me at all times and I frames all the time, sometimes even going below 20 FPS. Game is so poorly optimized that basically brute forcing it to utilize more GPU by playing at 4k with 4k shadows and extra AA seems to provide more consistent FPS then when I try at lower settings.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Ended up buying the game yesterday, FF XIII had it's performance issues but it generally ran at 60 FPS for me at 4k resolution downsampled on my GTX 770 and never dipped below 30 FPS.

Now XIII-2, I can't get the game to run above 30 FPS no matter what my settings, the game just refuses to use my GPU, GPU utilization floats around 60% for me at all times and I frames all the time, sometimes even going below 20 FPS. Game is so poorly optimized that basically brute forcing it to utilize more GPU by playing at 4k with 4k shadows and extra AA seems to provide more consistent FPS then when I try at lower settings.

You have to go into your NVIDIA control panel settings and set the power mode to prefer maximum performance.

 

[Ganon Dragmire]

They wanted you to feel like your playing it on Xbox, that's why they included Bink videos too. haha

Dragmire, is that you btw? Did you change name?

Yes it is I. REBORN

 

[Dragon1893]

I've spent a bit of time actually playing the game no (rather than just evaluating it technically), and I like it surprisingly much. At first glance it looks very similar to FF13 (and the engine certainly is!), but mechanically it seems like a huge improvement.

As one example, I just got to this:

I feel like I already, in the first hour or so of the game, can make a more meaningful mechanical character growth decision than during the entirety of FF13.

A lot has been improved. They actually had a checklist of sorts of things people complained about in XIII and they tried to fix with XIII-2.
Like any rpg worth its salt this time the word feels alive and you get to interact with it and its inhabitants, you aren't just confined to a narrow corridor with nothing but monsters in it (still can't believe this even happened in a rpg).
You also have more options regarding character development, which in XIII was as straightforward as the game itself, probably the only rpg ever where every playthrough will be a carbon copy of the previous ones, even in regards to character progression.
Then there's the whole recruiting/evolving monsters mechanic which obviously has been done to death in many games but still helps in giving the game a much needed extra layer of depth.
Basically, you're not on a tight leash anymore, take your time to explore, talk to npcs, do sidequests and recruit/mess around with monsters.

 

[Beautiful Ninja]

You have to go into your NVIDIA control panel settings and set the power mode to prefer maximum performance.

I've done this, my GPU's clock is maxed when playing but general GPU utilization as being shown by Afterburner is still only around 60%. I checked utilization in other applications to make sure my GPU and drivers were functioning properly and Heaven Benchmark showed 99% utilization and Ultra SF4's benchmark hit 98%. In a more real world scenario, Metro 2033 uncapped utilizes over 90% of my GPU.

FF XIII-2 seems to like to hit 30 FPS then just stops trying to utilize more resources, so when a more demanding scene gets drawn, like when a random battle pops up, frames drop.

 

[~Kinggi~]

I've done this, my GPU's clock is maxed when playing but general GPU utilization as being shown by Afterburner is still only around 60%. I checked utilization in other applications to make sure my GPU and drivers were functioning properly and Heaven Benchmark showed 99% utilization and Ultra SF4's benchmark hit 98%. In a more real world scenario, Metro 2033 uncapped utilizes over 90% of my GPU.

FF XIII-2 seems to like to hit 30 FPS then just stops trying to utilize more resources, so when a more demanding scene gets drawn, like when a random battle pops up, frames drop.

Damn this sucks. I have a 770 also and havent started playing but i figured that would fix the issue. Well might as well max the game out then and stay at 30 fps.

 

[Beautiful Ninja]

Damn this sucks. I have a 770 also and havent started playing but i figured that would fix the issue. Well might as well max the game out then and stay at 30 fps.

I just tried playing at 1080p instead of 4k and the same general issue arises, it frame locks itself at whatever the engine decides at the time and then just stops utilizing GPU, but with the lower resolution my GPU utilization was only around 40-50% and I dropped frames as soon as any new effect popped up on screen.

FF XIII had similar issues but XIII-2 is just way worse in this regard.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Lightning Returns better not have the same framerate issues the ps3 version had. Havent bought it yet but will get on PC for first playthrough. That would be a damn shame if it didnt take advantage of the pc settings.

 

[Falk]

Lightning Returns better not have the same framerate issues the ps3 version had. Havent bought it yet but will get on PC for first playthrough. That would be a damn shame if it didnt take advantage of the pc settings.

:lol

 

[Durante]

Looking into my crystal ball I'll predict that LR will not have the same framerate issues that the console versions had. It will just inexplicable drop to 30 FPS at times, just like FF13 and 13-2.

(Though I have to say that I seem to be the only one for whom FF13-2 performance is actually somewhat more stable than 13)

 

[BasilZero]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRqzX7YVm14

Someone unlocked all the missing DLC via a mod.

Wow, I'm glad this has been done since I didnt get a single DLC from the PS3 ver .

This is awesome :O!

 

[Dragon1893]

The rain looks really bad, reminds of the first Witcher game, there was a mod to fix it though, I wonder if someone will do the same for this game.

This can't be said enough, Serah looks great in the Style and Steel outfit. Anyone got good pics of that one? Didn't have much time to play today.

 

[ambientmystic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRqzX7YVm14

Someone unlocked all the missing DLC via a mod.

Fantastic stuff. Thanks for the link.

This is why I love PC gaming.

 

[copelandmaster]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRqzX7YVm14

Someone unlocked all the missing DLC via a mod.

I can't get this thing to work at all. Tried to enable it the same way as the video creator.

I hope this is legit.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

Dragmire, is that you btw? Did you change name?

Yoshi chan they aren't there, but I found some Dual shock buttons within PC file of FFXIII but idk how to enable or get the game to use it. Maybe GAF's modders can do it.

 

[Sectus]

Yoshi chan they aren't there, but I found some Dual shock buttons within PC file of FFXIII but idk how to enable or get the game to use it. Maybe GAF's modders can do it.

If you can find where the 360 buttons are, it might be as simple as replacing 360 button texture files with PS3 button texture files.

 

[DigitalDevilSummoner]

but mechanically it seems like a huge improvement.

I don't know what you mean by "mechanically" but gameplay-wise it was hugely dumbed down compared to XIII.

Lightning Returns better not have the same framerate issues the ps3 version had. Havent bought it yet but will get on PC for first playthrough. That would be a damn shame if it didnt take advantage of the pc settings.

I'm on the same boat. LR looked too rushed altogether anyway.

you aren't just confined to a narrow corridor....
You also have more options regarding character development

Nah, that's a long discussion but XIII-2 only offered the pretense of freedom for the sake of appearances.

 

[Dragon1893]

Nah, that's a long discussion but XIII-2 only offered the pretense of freedom for the sake of appearances.

Bullshit.

 

[Durante]

I don't know what you mean by "mechanically" but gameplay-wise it was hugely dumbed down compared to XIII.

I mean in terms of RPG mechanics, obviously.

A very clear example of this is in character growth systems. In FF13, the Crystarium offers the illusion of player agency, but for the first 20 hours you'll get exactly the skills on each character in more or less exactly the same order as anyone else. And even late-game, your characters will end up the same as everyone else's, after filling up their respective Crystarium.
In FF13-2, you make permanent choices on multiple levels, beginning from the very start of the game. The class bonuses on large level up steps serve to shape your character's overall stats, and on a crystarium level up you are in control of fundamental decisions like whether to extend your ATB, unlock a new role, strengthen an existing one or even extend your equipment capacity.

And that's just one example. I haven't seen any single facet in the entire game so far which I'd describe as "dumbed down" compared to its predecessor

 

[TheTux]

Looking into my crystal ball I'll predict that LR will not have the same framerate issues that the console versions had. It will just inexplicable drop to 30 FPS at times, just like FF13 and 13-2.

(Though I have to say that I seem to be the only one for whom FF13-2 performance is actually somewhat more stable than 13)

Got a few questions for you, if you don't mind.

Some modder said that the game emulates some part of the engine through Java and that the game recompiles code while running, he believes that the framedrops are not patchable (and also in some way related to the GPU clock). Do you think the game is patchable? Here's his post by the way:

Hacking the game proves that large parts of the game actually use scripts that translate/emulate java-looking stuff (that were meant to run natively on PS3) to something PC native which I guess causes some latency even though it's not really a heavy task that you would notice a real bump in hardware specs. I guess Crystal Tools was never made with having in mind PC/x86/x64 native stuff and at the time they considered the port it was way too late and way too time consuming task to modify Crystal Tools scripts for PC. I don't really think the jitter or the FPS flactuations are patchable to be honest, it seems like those translation/recompilation routines are polished to death, they made a good job at those atleast.

Last question: what's your GPU?

Thanks in advance

 

[Tizoc]

Just gonna play XIII-2 because the XIII PC port gave me massive headache. FFXIII-2 is one of my favorite games of all time and even a shitty port won't stop me from playing this masterpiece.

FF13 runs smooth for me. If I'm not broadcasting or if Steam+FF13 is the only thing running, I get 60 FPS 99% of the time. Shame it still doesn't run good for you.

 

[mugurumakensei]

Some modder said that the game emulates some part of the engine through Java and that the game recompiles code while running, he believes that the framedrops are not patchable (and also in some way related to the GPU clock). Do you think the game is patchable? Here's his post by the way:


Last question: what's your GPU?

Thanks in advance

eh, im not sure thats the case unless they were using the fact that all blu-ray players have an embedded java profile. typically, its only used for menus. im more inclined to say its bad framepacing.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

If you can find where the 360 buttons are, it might be as simple as replacing 360 button texture files with PS3 button texture files.

With FF13's imgc package. Using your extractor, within the gui folder there are system.xgr files. IDk if the game uses these files or not, but in the system_ck.xgr file if you view in Noesis two texture files have dual shock prompts. Along with the other controller prompts (360 ,generic PC)

 

[komorebi]

I don't know what you mean by "mechanically" but gameplay-wise it was hugely dumbed down compared to XIII.

Nah, that's a long discussion but XIII-2 only offered the pretense of freedom for the sake of appearances.

You can't be serious.

 

[Adaren]

I mean in terms of RPG mechanics, obviously.

A very clear example of this is in character growth systems. In FF13, the Crystarium offers the illusion of player agency, but for the first 20 hours you'll get exactly the skills on each character in more or less exactly the same order as anyone else. And even late-game, your characters will end up the same as everyone else's, after filling up their respective Crystarium.
In FF13-2, you make permanent choices on multiple levels, beginning from the very start of the game. The class bonuses on large level up steps serve to shape your character's overall stats, and on a crystarium level up you are in control of fundamental decisions like whether to extend your ATB, unlock a new role, strengthen an existing one or even extend your equipment capacity.

And that's just one example. I haven't seen any single facet in the entire game so far which I'd describe as "dumbed down" compared to its predecessor

Personally, I like RPGs where you can't make permanent mistakes. I hate thinking "Wait, did I level correctly? I better triple-check the stat spreadsheet before I save..." or "I think I found all the treasure in here, but I better consult a guide just to be sure before I move on."

That's one of the many reasons I like XIII. I would have preferred it if leveling choices mattered more in the short-term, but I'll accept it so long as I can get the comfort that my characters are guaranteed to end up optimal in the long-run.

That said, I agree that there's nothing dumbed down about XIII-2. Plenty of spells were removed from SYN and SAB, but they only makes your choice of monster companions all the more important. The monster system is pretty damn complex, especially when you start factoring in hard-to-measure metrics like animation speed and predictable-yet-not-always-optimal AI behavior.

There used to be a spreadsheet that had all of the different stat boosts that monsters would get when you infuseded them up with different items (each monster is on a different leveling "cycle", and the result is that the optimal way to infuse varies between different monsters). You can probably still find it with a little Googling. If XIII's leveling system was intimidating yet simple to optimize, then XIII-2's might be the exact opposite.

 

[TheTux]

eh, im not sure thats the case unless they were using the fact that all blu-ray players have an embedded java profile. typically, its only used for menus. im more inclined to say its bad framepacing.

Yeah I agree.

Do you think framepacing would be hard to fix with a patch?

Oh and by the way when I tried playing at 1366x768 earlier today I found the same bug that happened in the first version of GeDoSato (which had problems with AMD GPUs) at the battle results screen.

 

[Raytow]

So anyone having frame issues? combat is 30 fps locked outside of it fluctuates like crazy from 60 to 20 or even less.

 

[TheTux]

So anyone having frame issues? combat is 30 fps locked outside of it fluctuates like crazy from 60 to 20 or even less.

Pretty much everyone.

Basically to me the game runs fine, then it stops for a fraction of a second, then it starts going fine again. This happenes once or twice per second and I have like 20fps.

 

[komorebi]

So anyone having frame issues? combat is 30 fps locked outside of it fluctuates like crazy from 60 to 20 or even less.

Yeah man, just check the thread. The port is terrible. I was standing in one area of the Vile Peaks doing nothing, just looking at the scenery, and the frame rate was like a sine wave going from 45~ to 60 and back. Its a mess so I've just limited the frames to 30.

 

[Durante]

Personally, I like RPGs where you can't make permanent mistakes. I hate thinking "Wait, did I level correctly? I better triple-check the stat spreadsheet before I save..." or "I think I found all the treasure in here, but I better consult a guide just to be sure before I move on."

That's one of the many reasons I like XIII. I would have preferred it if leveling choices mattered more in the short-term, but I'll accept it so long as I can get the comfort that my characters are guaranteed to end up optimal in the long-run.

I'd argue that if you can't make mistakes you also can't do anything right.

Ultimately, in such a scenario you aren't doing anything meaningful.

 

[TheTux]

I'd argue that if you can't make mistakes you also can't do anything right.

Ultimately, in such a scenario you aren't doing anything meaningful.

I understand both of your points. I believe he meant that it's nice when there are no ways to screw up your save point. For example in FINAL FANTASY VIII if you level up and don't understand what you're doing you'll get to the final dungeon and then you'll have to restart the game because you can't do anything.

 

[dickroach]

I just did the thing with the five different colored mini-flans and now I have no idea where to go and what to do

for as much shit is thrown in the Datalog, it sure is never helpful

 

[Raytow]

lol 13mb patch fix fps issues? no siree just the dlc unlock, nice SE...

 

[Thoraxes]

Thank you for the pics!

No problem!

 

[Dragon1893]

lol 13mb patch fix fps issues? no siree just the dlc unlock, nice SE...

What?! Did they screw with the dlc unlock?!

 

[TheTux]

What?! Did they screw with the dlc unlock?!

As far as I understood the DLCs unlock after beating the final boss, not as soon as you get in the Historia Crux like in the console versions.

They released a patch about an hour ago but no patch notes so far.