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Ori and the Blind Forest |OT| A Soft Heart for the Hard Core

Exentryk

Member
Okay, so played this for a few hours. Here are my thoughts:

The title menu screen is beautiful. The effects when you go in to menus, and the accompanying sound effects are all quite amazing. Now, I don't know if it was something in my eyes, but they kept watering for the first 10 mins of the game. :'(

The game is absolutely gorgeous, and the effects like the leaves and bushes moving in the wind, the water, the spiders, color fumes, etc, these things moving around in the map all help immersion. I also like how you can plan with your skill tree (going for that triple jump first :D). Also, learning new abilities from time to time keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting. I also like how the map is free for you to go wherever, and you can plan your exploration. Reminds me of Child of Light, which was great. Another neat system is the save wherever feature. It gives the player the flexibility, while not making it broken since it consumes energy.

Now, I just arrived at the
Ginso Tree area
, and am wondering if there is fast travel in the game? Be handy to move to older areas later on since you need newer abilities to fully explore them. Also, I was surprised that the game was running so smoothly at 1080p on my bootcamped Macbook Pro connected to my TV. There were some frame drops when entering a couple of new areas, but it only lasted a few secs. I am building a new gaming PC right now, so I'm going to start over on that tomorrow (hopefully in 4K downsampled to 1080p, at 60 FPS :D). Regardless, I am really enjoying myself, and can't wait to play more.

Great work Moon Studios. I hope you guys make more games like this :)
 

MaLDo

Member
These were my main concerns before launch

Hi Thomas. About the game, it looks amazing. Regarding the price, it looks amazing. Concerning Unity, I have some doubts that I would love to be dispelled with your game. At least 90% of Unity games I've tried, have framepacing issues. Being no available exclusive fullscreen, no real vsync control, stuttering, loading hitches, ineffective treatment of framerates below refreshrate, etc.


Are you really satisfied with the game framerate stability? Some specific changes in how Unity works internally (apart from the mentioned seamless assets loading)?

I really hate when a wonderful art or accurate pixelperfect gameplay is clouded by framepacing problems :(

And thomas answered


Yeah, we get that a lot. A lot of people don't even believe that we used Unity for Ori and I'm guessing it's because a hell of a lot of young developers use the engine and make some games that don't quite hold up... And then the general consensus is that those are 'typical examples of Unity games' - Well, let's say I hope that we'll kick that notion right into the trashcan ;)



Our tech guys should answer that question, but yeah, we've been working together with the Unity3d team for a while and they've been helping on the engine side quite a bit. We also created some pretty amazing tech for texture compression, etc., cause storing all these huge 2d textures of multiple levels and environments in RAM is pretty crazy.

Again, I'm not as tech-savvy, but I'm also a Framerate-Nazi and I think everything that goes below 60fps is sub-optimal.

For people that had concerns about performance, etc.: We've been playtesting Ori heavily on X1s now and the game is buttery smooth @1080, 60fps. Playing on the PC and Xbox One is the exact same experience :)

My concerns are just mine. A Unity game with locked 60 fps in a big game without loadings is something that could raise concerns. I really hope being wrong. Thomas seems an honest guy btw.

I hear your concerns, cause at some gameshows our debug builds have been shown on rather weak PCs (some even without GPUS, goddamit :D), but don't worry, we've been optimizing the hell out of it. With 60fps and that slight bit of moBlur that we have, it's really buttery now :)


And after game launch...


In 3 hours I never experienced any of the bugs, just a few framerate dips, and most people I've talked to had the same experience.

So far a great experience. Wasn't a fan of the motion blur, but luckily that can be toggled off. Other than an occasional framerate drop, the game if spectacular.

Is it 60 fps on Xbox one?
It is, but there are the occasional drops and pauses. Hasn't seemed to impact the platforming for me, but they are there.

What's with the stutter? My gtx 680 is running at 50% (not breaking a sweat), and it hitches from 60fps quite a lot

One major issue I ran into is in the final segment of the game the framerate takes a major hit to the point where I was dying because of it. Way too much going on for the poor Xbox to handle

Also noticed some slow down here and there. Not a big issue, but it's noticeable.


i saw my friend play the game and here are a re few things i owuld love to see in the steam version

[...]

3. fix the occasional frame drops.

In steam forums

http://steamcommunity.com/app/261570/discussions/0/617330227193974821/

Alrighty guys I have a decent solution. heres what someone else posted on another forum: ( the only thing that seems to work is changing the resolution of my monitor in display in the control panel. If i put it at something lower - say like 1280x720 - then change it in game to another 16:9 aspect ratio resolution - like 1600x900 - it seems to clear up some of the difficulties, but it's still not perfect.

Cinematics now work nicely, but the game still experiences a bit of slow down and stuttering from time to time - though not as bad as before.)

Problem is, the frame rate as a whole is fluctuating wildly,

If you read the forum you can see a lot of people with GTX 970/980 and top i7 Core CPUs have framerate issues, slowdowns and stuttering.

There is nothing you can do on your end, unfortunately, Developers decided to release the game early than it should be so you have to wait for the patch.

Strange to say this, but I'm glad everyone else is having problems, too. Makes it more likely that a patch with come eventually and I'll actually be able to play it.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/261570/discussions/0/617330227196019919/
Stuttering!
So, the game runs at 60fps most of the time for me, but occasionally, especially when I am moving from one area or scene to another (or during cutscenes even), there is a slight but very much noticeable stutter. Kinda immersion breaking really.

Is anyone else getting it?
Yes its the same for me

However! I find the game runs with a bit of slow down at times when I run it at high resolution on full screen (1920x1080 on my tv, I think). I find it happens most often when transitioning to new areas


thomasmahler, I know this moment you and your team are exhausted after that epic effort creating this awesome game and perhaps it disturb you to hear some isolated criticism surrounded by so many deserved praise. I really wish you the best of luck and great future as a developer, but the sooner you realize that your artist team deserves a good enough engine (not one with framepacing issues affecting your art), the better.


EDIT: Just added while posting

There were some frame drops when entering a couple of new areas, but it only lasted a few secs.
 
Really enjoying it so far, though I have suddenly reached my first Super Meat Boy multi-death rage inducing section. I think I know how to beat it, I just can't somehow. Unlike other games that take pleasure in killing you (Dark Souls etc), the death doesn't make me rage quit. It's got to be the quickness of re-spawn that helps.
 
Really enjoying it so far, though I have suddenly reached my first Super Meat Boy multi-death rage inducing section. I think I know how to beat it, I just can't somehow. Unlike other games that take pleasure in killing you (Dark Souls etc), the death doesn't make me rage quit. It's got to be the quickness of re-spawn that helps.

getting stuck on the puzzles and death traps is annoying, especially when you know how to beat it. but it's also very satisfying when you do. i don't know if that lends itself to the tone of the game or the fact that the solution often involves creativity moreso than twitch platforming.

i love figuring out these kinds of things: http://gameclipscontent-d3001.xboxl..._=1426160887_8b9f145e89fd6dbcf9f4961e1b61fc30
 

Elixist

Member
game is all sorts of amazing. i can feel some rayman and darksouls influences,(and of course metroid) could be imagining the souls, but ray fo sho. graphics are another level maybe even topping origins. the sound design is so great and sweeping, tons of subtle things, even the rumble is subtle which is something i appreciate a ton. camera work is stellar, almost always see what you need to, subtle pans, but maybe a bit too much zoom in zoom out for my taste i would love some options.

@thomas how many complaints have you got that its too hard from the casuals man haha
 

Detective

Member
Such an incredible game. Am at my 10 hours playtime now and got almost each map covered 100%. All powers almost also maxed out. still at 67% though. I like taking time and finding secrets :p

Very enjoyable experience.

Someone should make an OT in about two weeks or so. Ori and the blind forest..How many times did you die :p
 
Just finished the Ginso Tree, that ending sequence was fantastic.

I want to hug you thomas.

I've just done that section and it was indeed amazing, given that platformers aren't my genre at all i'm surprised how much i'm loving it in Ori. I'm in that weird place where i almost don't want to play it because i don't want it to end...but i want to play. Ori what are you doing to me.
 

phalestine

aka iby.h
The intro was so well done. Currently at work just thinking about the game, the only series that has ever done that for me has been Zelda.
 

Exentryk

Member
there's some minor issues (mostly technical) and i'll be pretty bummed if there's no reason or ability to run back through the game after it's complete. but there's nothing deal breaking imo.

it's just sublime.

Is there fast travel between areas?
 
is there a way to get back into the
forlorn ruins
after the
rock
drops? not that i'd want to go back to that place (worst level IMO) but it's the only thing i have to 100% before i go to the last area.

i wonder if it's intentional that some areas are locked off like that.

edit: this is what i'm talking about. i spent the last 20 minutes trying to get this guy down there and no dice.

http://gameclipscontent-d3009.xboxl..._=1426169270_6bb94a94fb4acce410b00656af006c89

Is there fast travel between areas?

there doesn't appear to be any warp or teleport system (i don't think i can click a level and go there from the world map), but don't take my word for it. travelling between the areas is considerably "faster" when you have more abilities and health at your disposal though. only takes a couple minutes, but it does turn the exploratory nature of it into somewhat of a chore while cycling between the map.
 
thomasmahler, I know this moment you and your team are exhausted after that epic effort creating this awesome game and perhaps it disturb you to hear some isolated criticism surrounded by so many deserved praise. I really wish you the best of luck and great future as a developer, but the sooner you realize that your artist team deserves a good enough engine (not one with framepacing issues affecting your art), the better.


EDIT: Just added while posting


Very disappointed to see that there isn't even a single developer post on the steam community forums asking people to tell them about their issues and no indication that they are listening at all outside of Thomas' posts here.

Hopefully once they've recovered a bit somebody will get on it and start addressing these problems and concerns.

There is no reason this game should ever drop below 60 fps, but it does.. SLI 980s and an overclocked i7 (4.4Ghz) aren't enough to keep it locked. As others have said, parts of it just *feel* slow and I don't mean the controls.
 

Exentryk

Member
there doesn't appear to be any warp or teleport system (i don't think i can click a level and go there from the world map), but don't take my word for it. travelling between the areas is considerably "faster" when you have more abilities and health at your disposal though. only takes a couple minutes, but it does turn the exploratory nature of it into somewhat of a chore while cycling between the map.

That's a shame. Some sort of quick teleport points would have made the experience better. Child of Light did it quite well. But it's a small quibble.
 

DALBEN

Banned
Finally played Ori yesterday, and its awesome ( gameplay/sound/visuals ). Congrats to all ppl that created this masterpiece.

I cant stop listening the OST.
 

Spiderduff

Member
Downloaded it this morning. PLayed a little over an hour before I left to work. This game is all types of amazing. Loving every minute so far. Cannot wait to get home and continue.
 

MaLDo

Member
Very disappointed to see that there isn't even a single developer post on the steam community forums asking people to tell them about their issues and no indication that they are listening at all outside of Thomas' posts here.

Hopefully once they've recovered a bit somebody will get on it and start addressing these problems and concerns.

There is no reason this game should ever drop below 60 fps, but it does.. SLI 980s and an overclocked i7 (4.4Ghz) aren't enough to keep it locked. As others have said, parts of it just *feel* slow and I don't mean the controls.

I you look here carefully you will see Thomas has avoided every message about performance after game launch.
 

Servbot24

Banned
I can't get my right trigger to work in this game on Steam. Tried both 360 and PS4 controllers. Frustrating. :(

Then once I unplug my controller the keyboard shuts off and I have to force shut down my computer. arrrrrgh
 

m23

Member
he hasn't commented on the posts about bugs, either.

Hopefully he's just waiting until he has something meaningful to say... but we'll see.

Ummm.....

Just a headsup: We're currently going through the bug reports and they'll be fixed through a content update that'll be out soon :)

Sorry again for the people here that are affected by issues - we play tested with literally hundreds of people and thought we're totally ready, but once thousands of people start playing...
 

Dr Dogg

Member
Linking that whole Ginso Tree end sequence together perfectly was a rush. I'm sure I had a stupid grin on my face at the end.

Also combining Bash and Stomp together is stupidly effective.
 
So is this game actually good good as in Metroid SOTN good or is it only as good as the usual neogaf hyping when a new game is hyped good? Basically is it Bioshock Infinite good or Bioshock good?

Too many times I read impressions on here and people are falling unconscious as to how good a game is when it first comes out. In reality it is usually a pretty good game but not as good as the classics or anywhere near the hype.

Yes it looks nice but I really don't think it's as good as people are saying. I played the first hour and it's more of a 8/10 game.

The game locks you out of areas, making you perm miss secrets. Metroid/SOTN didn't do that. You can't continue after you beat it. The graphics are beautiful and so is the soundtrack but I wonder how much praise the game would get if it didn't have those two things going for it.

There are also slowdowns and framerate hitches on the Xbone version. Kinda surprising for a next gen console.

Story is pretty weak and uninteresting so far too.

People now look back at Bioshock Infinite saying it wasn't that good after everyone has calmed down about it. Just saying.
 

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
im sure im in the minority, but these
"escape"
sequences after each "dungeon" are absolutely abysmal and are actually marring the game for me. I hated the first one after
the ginso tree
, and now im absolutely hating the second one after the
forlon ruins
. Its a good thing Im not a reviewer because I would actually knock some points out of the game because of these. Awful sequences that are completely killing the flow of the game for me.

Im sure someone will have a smart ass "get gud" reply, and you might be absolutely right, but it doesnt change the fact that its making me hate the game (dont worry ill go back to loving it when its over, just like the first sequence lol)
 
im sure im in the minority, but these
"escape"
sequences after each "dungeon" are absolutely abysmal and are actually marring the game for me. I hated the first one after
the ginso tree
, and now im absolutely hating the second one after the
forlon ruins
. Its a good thing Im not a reviewer because I would actually knock some points out of the game because of these. Awful sequences that are completely killing the flow of the game for me.

Im sure someone will have a smart ass "get gud" reply, and you might be absolutely right, but it doesnt change the fact that its making me hate the game (dont worry ill go back to loving it when its over, just like the first sequence lol)

i don't really like them either. i've never been a fan of
escape sequences
and they feel a bit out of place in the game. it's not that they're not well designed (though i wouldn't be able to judge that), but they're considerably more trial and error than the rest of the game and the ramp up to them is a bit sudden. the mechanics are introduced well enough, but it's the skillset you've used prior to them that is replaced with more twitchy movements.

it didn't ruin the game for me, but they were certainly the most frustrating parts (and i'm sure my death count took a spike during that first one). the
forlorn ruins
felt like a more natural difficulty spike.
 

e90Mark

Member
Was playing this a lot last night. Very pretty game. Dem feels in the prologue. Looking forward to playing more today. Stopped at a save before getting to the Ginso tree.
 

Navy Bean

Member
Linking that whole Ginso Tree end sequence together perfectly was a rush. I'm sure I had a stupid grin on my face at the end.

Also combining Bash and Stomp together is stupidly effective.

Never thought to combine Bash and Stomp...awesome. Ginso tree sequence is terrific even if it took me 20 tries...
 

AngryMoth

Member
Sigh still haven't made it to the start menu due to instant crashing. It's werid I can't find anyone else having this issue which suggests it's a problem on my end but I've tried everything; checked drivers, redownloaded, verified integrity (which always gives 1 file invalid but apparently this is normal?), even reinstalled steam.

I'm desperate to play this game it looks amazing but I'm out of ideas so unless anyone has suggestions I'm going to have to ask steam support for a refund.
 

Arthur has Ori and the Blind Forest 2 minutes ago
Hey Everyone, Graphics / frameworks dev here. Im working on a bunch of optimizations as we speak, I really wish we would have had more of them on launch but well, deadlines are deadlines :) Hope you're enjoying the game nonetheless!

For those curious: Most performance problems right now are with the streaming. When the world is loading in a whole lot of work has to be done, especially when you have some upgrades and are just flying through the place. We've spent a lot of time to make it smooth, but... more work to be done!

So it seems like they are actively working on the studdering. Makes sense.
 

tapedeck

Do I win a prize for talking about my penis on the Internet???
So console version is not safe neither. Awesome.
XB1 version runs very smooth for me, no crashes or glitches yet. There are occasional frame rate dips but nothing that hurts the experience from what I've played, I'm about 4 hours in.

Basically if you have an XB1 buy this game yesterday.
 

Aeana

Member
The configuration that got rid of any framerate issues on PC for me was windowed mode with vsync on. Turning vsync off caused some stuttering issues. The triple buffering that windowed mode adds really helps, especially with the input lag.
 

watership

Member
The biggest glitch I had was a freeze, and I fell through the world in one particular spot a few times.

The biggest disappointment in this game is that it had to end. I think it maybe the first masterpiece of this generation.
 

Coconut

Banned
Been getting a lot of hitching on the Xbox One version of the game, it's not totally terrible and it's not going to make me stop playing the game, but it is happening enough for me to mention it and be kinda annoyed by it.
 

watership

Member
This part took me forever. Pretty much as soon as you take the updraft. to the right a little bit is an area you can hide in. He'll fly past and you can continue past. That's pretty much the end of that section. It's a real pain.

I caught a walkthrough (shame!) and I had the right idea, just forgot I can hit Y to dash objects for height. :)
 
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