Concerns about population density in Novigrad and Oxenfurt ( video linked )

[ArRam]

You guys gotta get over yourselves and use your head a little bit... If Assassin's Creed games on the PS3 and Xbox360 have no trouble sticking TONS of NPCs walking around in a city with no frame drops... it's quite obvious that the PS4 can do the same thing. This is probably just something that will be fixed/corrected in the Patch.

Brother,
NPCs in Witcher 3 in Novigrad are the residents of the city, Every NPC has a house, a schedule and a life, unlike in AC:U where they are randomly generated just to fill the space. There is a lot of difference.
In this game, every NPC has a name, an occupation, a house, a family and a schedule.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

You guys gotta get over yourselves and use your head a little bit... If Assassin's Creed games on the PS3 and Xbox360 have no trouble sticking TONS of NPCs walking around in a city with no frame drops... it's quite obvious that the PS4 can do the same thing. This is probably just something that will be fixed/corrected in the Patch.

How many times do I need to say that I already said I believe it's a bug?

Also, using the NPCs in the AC games as a cross example isn't really a good idea. The A.I for those NPCs is very basic as the crowds are used primarily as a prop to provide immersion so the cities don't look empty..

The Witcher 3's NPCs should have a lot more depth going by what the devs have stated.

 

[MUPPETA]

They just finished a lunch and
did a half an hour
(a beauty sleep)

 

[huber1989]

Brother,
NPCs in Witcher 3 in Novigrad are the residents of the city, Every NPC has a house, a schedule and a life, unlike in AC:U where they are randomly generated just to fill the space. There is a lot of difference.
In this game, every NPC has a name, an occupation, a house, a family and a schedule.

Definitely not. We know for a fact they don't have a name, that's apparent in every single video. And at least Gamestar clearly stated in their (German) review that NPCs do have a schedule, but they do not seem to all be "fixed persons" but more like "randomly spawned characters" that follow logical and reasonable schedules.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

Afaik the Gamestar review mentioned a noticeable reduction of NPC density in Novigrad. However, it was still deemed satisfactory for atmosphere, the city did not seem "empty".

A reduction in NPC density compared to what? The PC version?

 

[soldiergeralt]

Afaik the Gamestar review mentioned a noticeable reduction of NPC density in Novigrad. However, it was still deemed satisfactory for atmosphere, the city did not seem "empty".

how would they know there was a reduction, did they play the alpha version of the game beforehand? power of suggestion+confirmation bias leading to a lot of jumping to conclusion.

 

[Chri2Kng]

The best thing to do now that we are so close to the release of the game, is shatter the image we have had for the game. That means, forget what you've seen, and forget what you wanted to see (the game is finished, all that there will be in the future are patches and the expansions), reduce everything to 0. After doing that and clearing your head of the expectations you had for something that simply couldn't be, wait for the release of the game and let it carry you through it's magic, it might not be what you have wanted it to be, but I'm pretty damn sure it's gonna be much better than most of what you've tasted.

We all had enormous expectations from that game, and hell they might even come out true, but at this point, these expectations have no real reason to exist. Enjoy it for what it is, not what it could have been or what you wanted it to be.

I can't unseen what I already seen. That the problem, those awesome images, videos, and .gif have already burn an image inside my head.

 

[sidspyker]

I believe there is a temporary reduction in NPC count and it will be alleviated in the Day 1 patch. My reason to believe this is the hacks.ini file in the game which has the following lines:

[Gameplay/EntityPool]
SpawnedLimit=75

"Hacks" signifying it's a quickfix/workaround until they get to the core of the issue and going by the patch log(NPC spawn strategy improvements), I think they have already addressed it. Obviously I'm going to be partial towards myself but I believe this makes the most sense.

This is slightly off topic, but did you happen to see any reference to reflections in the .ini file? The last gameplay video I saw from CDPR appeared to have SSR removed, so I want to know if there's a way to enable it in the .ini file..

Can't say I have(will look again) but I noticed SSR in PS4 copies so it's still there as far as I can see. My guess would be it maybe it's tied to a different setting or not something you can turn off.

 

[Yourself.409]

You guys gotta get over yourselves and use your head a little bit... If Assassin's Creed games on the PS3 and Xbox360 have no trouble sticking TONS of NPCs walking around in a city with no frame drops... it's quite obvious that the PS4 can do the same thing. This is probably just something that will be fixed/corrected in the Patch.

Not necessarily, the Assassins Creed engine is no doubt optimized to fit a bunch of NPCs in the city, it's one of the main aspects of the game - blending in etc. Witcher 3 engine probably isn't optimized to the same degree, and the NPCs are more 'alive' in Witcher than Asscreed. They have schedules and so on, while they just popup and walk around in Assassins Creed.

 

[huber1989]

A reduction in NPC density compared to what? The PC version?

how would they know there was a reduction, did they play the alpha version of the game beforehand? power of suggestion+confirmation bias leading to a lot of jumping to conclusion.

Gamestar was the magazine having that exclusive preview in February/March, one of them playing the game for two days straight. So I guess they do have a basis for comparison. Although that was the PC version and we're talking PS4 version here. Maybe sidspyker is right, but it was definitely said to be a noticeable reduction in NPC count.

 

[Double_Oh_Snap]

I believe there is a temporary reduction in NPC count and it will be alleviated in the Day 1 patch. My reason to believe this is the hacks.ini file in the game which has the following lines:


"Hacks" signifying it's a quickfix/workaround until they get to the core of the issue and going by the patch log(NPC spawn strategy improvements), I think they have already addressed it. Obviously I'm going to be partial towards myself but I believe this makes the most sense.

That is some much needed context... I always thought it was time of day or some fixable issue. Anyway what you have found makes the most sense. Thanks for trying to get some insight on the matter.

 

[ArRam]

Its definitely less than what has been shown in the trailers in 2013-14. But you wont be disappointed. The density is sufficient. Also the gameplay videos you are referring to might be from different times of the day... The population in the city outside might be less during different times of the day. But rest assured, walk into any building, you will find someone inside.
People dont appear on the streets doesnt mean, the city is empty. Many of them are inside.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

Gamestar was the magazine having that exclusive preview in February/March, one of them playing the game for two days straight. So I guess they do have a basis for comparison. Although that was the PC version and we're talking PS4 version here. Maybe sidspyker is right, but it was definitely said to be a noticeable reduction in NPC count.

OK I read the article using Google translate and this looks like the paragraph you are referring to if I'm not mistaken:

However, compared to preliminary presentations CD project appears to have reduced the NPC density in Novigrad about standing around fewer citizens than in 2014 could be seen in the half-hour walkthrough video.

Original German text:

Im Vergleich zu Vorab-Präsentationen scheint CD Projekt jedoch die NPC-Dichte reduziert zu haben, in Novigrad etwa stehen weniger Bürger herum, als 2014 im halbstündigen Walkthrough-Video zu sehen waren.

So it looks like the basis of comparison is the 35 minute video. If true, this doesn't sound good at all as it would mean the PC version is also potentially affected by reduced NPC count..

---------- Updated at 08:48 AM ----------

I believe there is a temporary reduction in NPC count and it will be alleviated in the Day 1 patch. My reason to believe this is the hacks.ini file in the game which has the following lines:


"Hacks" signifying it's a quickfix/workaround until they get to the core of the issue and going by the patch log(NPC spawn strategy improvements), I think they have already addressed it. Obviously I'm going to be partial towards myself but I believe this makes the most sense.

This is slightly off topic, but did you happen to see any reference to reflections in the .ini file? The last gameplay video I saw from CDPR appeared to have SSR removed, so I want to know if there's a way to enable it in the .ini file..

I haven't started my preload yet, as I'm waiting for my days off on the weekend.

 

[azrael.1289]

They haven't reduced NPC count. They've made more buildings accessible and consequently more NPCs are inside those buildings. The last time we saw the game was quite a while ago and maybe all NPCs were on the roads then.

 

[Lightice]

They haven't reduced NPC count. They've made more buildings accessible and consequently more NPCs are inside those buildings. The last time we saw the game was quite a while ago and maybe all NPCs were on the roads then.

I don't think that alone can make the difference. Both NPCs inside and outside are a part of the atmosphere of a living city. The game doesn't have to render NPCs that are out of sight, so the ones that are indoors shouldn't affect those who are walking outside. But fortunately the signs point to a possibility that their numbers will be increased to more suitable levels either in the Day One patch or soon afterwards, if the discussion above has any merit.

 

[D@tChM@n52]

Lets just hope they make it similar like witcher 2 flotsam and i am oke with that, would be even better if its like vizima in the wither 1 i have high hopes that cd projekt red is making them come back in the witcher 3 like the 2013 trailer, consoles cant handle that, but pc can, and they can spawn more with the day 1 patch.

 

[Lyvean]

This post in Guru3D shows the big difference from the graphics in 2013 and how we ended up. If people expect these many people in big cities, then they are gravely mistaking.

http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=5069040&postcount=2003

 

[Scryar]

This is a deal breaker. Projekt Red stated 7000 thousand NPCs in Novigrad alone so I expect it. .

source?

 

[D@tChM@n52]

This post in Guru3D shows the big difference from the graphics in 2013 and how we ended up. If people expect these many people in big cities, then they are gravely mistaking.

http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=5069040&postcount=2003

I have no problems with 2014 but 2015 thats just not accepteble omg so empty :S
I really hope they fix that amount, else it wil be a big dealbreaker for allot of fans thats for sure.

 

[Scryar]

I have no problems with 2014 but 2015 thats just not accepteble omg so empty :S

I find this comparisons pointless without knowing the time of day. People have day/night schedules, so during different times of the day different places will be emptier or more crowded