Constructive opinions based on the gameplay videos that are released in 2015 (NO DOWNGRADE TALK)

[frivolousam]

The color change is subjective.... let me explain What I mean by that.
As a graphic designer I can tell you that how you perceive colors depends on many factors:

- material and its properties
- source of the light/lights and its properties (warm, cold, temp etc)
- lighting conditions

It's even worse because every screen display colors slightly different. Is your monitor calibrated, what's your brightness/contrast settings... do you play at night or during the day, even your background behind monitor all this affects how you see/perceive colors...

If someone wants 'dark' mood across whole game you would need to use filter or completely reduce saturation.
I'm just saying all this here to make a point that it's extremely difficult to talk about colors if you judge screenshots from different locations/day conditions and looking at not-fully calibrated screen. Give me a pastel painting and I'll transform it into fluorescent beast...

It's really not very subjective, just look at this(or watch the debut gameplay video) then watch the last gameplay video.

I liked the old pallette better but it's not much of a concern for me.

 

[Vigilance.492]

It's really not very subjective, just look at this(or watch the debut gameplay video) then watch the last gameplay video.

I'll tell you what isn't subjective, that statement.

Of course it's subjective. Case and point, I prefer the new colour palette.

 

[frivolousam]

I prefer the new colour palette.

Hah. You confirmed the thing that was claimed to be subjective. So there is an old and a new color palette. At least both of us think so

The map in the video is just the Ard Skellig island ? so theire is other island ?

I don't know if other areas will come as islands(as they are mostly surrounded by land in the lore map) but I think there are other probably smaller islands around Skellig, some of which you'll have to discover via boat.

 

[Vigilance.492]

Hah. You confirmed the thing that was claimed to be subjective. So there is an old and a new color palette. At least both of us think so

Oh, I wasn't really following the quotes properly. My bad.

To clarify what I meant, I don't think there's been significant artistic color changes, but there's definitely been a lighting change, and the "new color palette" that is a result of that lighting change is what I prefer.

If you compare the Debut Gameplay shot of the market to the 35 minute demo, the colours of certain elements remain mostly the same, it's just the lighting change that has a big affect on the scene. The only real noticeable "colour change" is the that the peasants have a much greater variety of colours in their clothes, and there could be a number of reasons for that (Different NPC's milling around the area, specifically ones with brighter clothes or simply that in 2013 they hadn't yet gotten around to adding all the different colours but they were going to be in eventually). Other than that it's pretty much all in the lighting.

 

[wonderboyxd]

There hasn't been any change in the lightning engine overall right? With maybe some .ini changes or something you could replicate the old colours?

Edit: I also hope there will be a option for sharpening filter in-game.

 

[frivolousam]

Well to clarify for myself then: I think there is a change, palette or lightning - I'm not an expert - and I liked the old one better. My issue was people not admitting that there was a change. But that's not much of a concern for me before everything this game offers. Actually I can't see anything that really needs changing. Just some animation clunkiness which will probably addressed. This looks like what I was expecting and exceeded some of my expectations.

 

[Alastre]

Well to clarify for myself then: I think there is a change, palette or lightning - I'm not an expert - and I liked the old one better.

I agee, the game looks amazing anyway, but if I had to choose, the old palette\colours\lightning\call it whatever you prefer, well then I think it gives me a more realistic feeling...and of course this is just my subjective opinion!

 

[ChrisStayler]

I would have to say the 2 things that i noticed when watching the gameplay for the first time was the pop in and the side of the walls problem. And once you guys mentioned the horse galloping noise thing i can't stop noticing it when i whenever i watch the gameplay. I really hope they fix that.

---------- Updated at 08:39 AM ----------

- Geralt's face, I don't know why but, while I think he looks bad ass, he face seemed weird, like too big eyes or something, again, little details.

View attachment 9909

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[wazaa]

There a clear change on the lighting, it is not as gray as before. The color palete of the textures has not changed, for sure, what has changed is the tone of the air. In the old one it was more grey, now it is more vivid... It is a lighting effect, a post efffect fillter.

Do you remember the yellow tone of Deus Ex? it is the same, a post effect, with mods it can be removed.

 

[LAZER555]

Do you remember the yellow tone of Deus Ex? it is the same, a post effect, with mods it can be removed.

But yellow tone in Deus Ex was there from the start, and it gave the atmosphere. If everything was this colorful from the beginning noone would notice. But now we see the change and want the first thing that gave us the best impression back.
I remember in Unreal Tournament 3 you could change the tone in settings. Maybe we can have that in the Witcher 3?

 

[Agent_Bleu]

That can happen IRL. I'm looking out my window as I write this and the ground is covered in snow everywhere, but the trees are not. In general, trees will only get covered in snow if they are warmer than freezing temperature and therefore the snow sticks to them, or if it's really very cold and the snow is very powdery. It won't happen if the temperature is between -10 and -1, and there hasn't been any precipitation in a day. That is because it either falls off or sublimates.

Yes, that can happen in real life under very specific weather conditions, which, unless the game has the highly unlikely ability to simulate the whole spectrum, should be ditched in favour of a broader, more typical scenario where trees do get snowed on. I am extremely sceptical of any suggestion that the absence of snow on trees is there to simulate specific meteorology, rather than to simply save Devs the chore of retexturing those assets.

And while I realize they're on a tight schedule as it is, I'd argue this matter should perhaps rank higher in their list of priorities, seeing as it is that snowy mountainous areas look the most uncared for of them all: no foot/hoofprints, no difference in speed, ease and sound of movement, no change in visibility, nothing. There's seems to be a striking imbalance between the attention to detail put on this geography when compared to others', an imbalance that snowed on woods would definitely alleviate.

 

[Vigilance.492]

But yellow tone in Deus Ex was there from the start, and it gave the atmosphere. If everything was this colorful from the beginning noone would notice. But now we see the change and want the first thing that gave us the best impression back.
I remember in Unreal Tournament 3 you could change the tone in settings. Maybe we can have that in the Witcher 3?

They explicitly stated at E3 2013 that the current version of the game was still on the old render, which meant sharpening and most likely unintended lighting. It was obvious that graphically the game was bound to change at that point.
Already 6 months later with the VGX Trailer you could see where the lighting direction changed and they moved closer to what they wanted in regards to lighting.

You might be able get it back through mods or post-processing stuff like ENB/SweetFX but for now there's nothing more than just, "Oh well". It's harsh but ultimately if you're really annoyed by the "new look" then it's just kind of too bad.

 

[MUPPETA]

Well- they have their vision how will they put colors in Witcher3.
While some of us like gritty(read -sharpen and greyish)
maybe a subtle ini change will fix that. or I would prefer saturation slider in custom setting- but that's just me

CDPR really have much important things to do than thinking of snow prints or colors

 

[frivolousam]

CDPR really have much important things to do than thinking of snow prints or colors

They are simple things(or seem simple) but as important as anything, at least colors.

 

[savioeven]

They are simple things(or seem simple) but as important as anything, at least colors.

I agree as well as disagree with your statement but they haven't shown the true snowy areas and they have time to fix it

 

[TheDeathRun]

The lack of sound variation in Roach's footsteps is quite odd, because in the 35 minute build done almost a year ago now there definitely was variation. I remember noticing it and absolutely loving it when Roach crossed the Novigrad cobblestones to the Novigrad drawbridge and his footsteps' sounds actually changed. It was one of the small details that I fell in love with, and that leads to my current puzzlement. Unless it's been completely deleted from all the builds or something, I'm sure the variation is still in the game. If that's the case, then the CDPR sound guys probably just hadn't reached it yet on their task lists. Like the cool guy who went to work early to touch up the brick walls:

They did look very out of place though so it is very likely that they were on someone's task list and had just been bumped up in priority, because it was shown that it was seemingly more apparent than assumed.

 

[frivolousam]

they haven't shown the true snowy areas

I thought about that maybe in videos snow on the hilltops was too shallow and frozen then I remembered some snowy screenshots and looked at them and there was no footprints maybe snow in them were just as shallow. Maybe we yet to see true snowy areas, if there are any(there were a glimpse in one or two vids tho).

screens I looked at

glimpse

 

[Agent_Bleu]

CDPR really have much important things to do than thinking of snow prints or colors

I'm sensitive to that point.

If you recall @MilezZ post here on this very thread, they went out of their way to fix brick walls no later than 24 hours after criticism surfaced. Can you list the art department's priorities that completely outrank fleshing out mountain tops from now up untill May 19th? Because while it's an entirely reasonable assumption that such priorities do exist, without insider knowledge, you and I are equally in the dark. Based off on the footage, I can't think of any area more deserving of extra attention to detail from level designers and environment artists than those snowy mountainous areas, which, apart from the howling wind, offer little to differentiate themselves from a muddy valley.

 

[ReptilePZ]

The lack of sound variation in Roach's footsteps is quite odd, because in the 35 minute build done almost a year ago now there definitely was variation. I remember noticing it and absolutely loving it when Roach crossed the Novigrad cobblestones to the Novigrad drawbridge and his footsteps' sounds actually changed.

That's still there. In the scene where Geralt is riding with Vesemir, they cross 2 short stone bridges, and the sound of the hooves changes. It's just the same sound for dirt/frost surfaces, which seems fine to me. This is one criticism I don't share with the rest.

 

[TheDeathRun]

That's still there. In the scene where Geralt is riding with Vesemir, they cross 2 short stone bridges, and the sound of the hooves changes. It's just the same sound for dirt/frost surfaces, which seems fine to me. This is one criticism I don't share with the rest.

I just rewatched and realized you're right! It even changes momentarily when Roach steps over some rocks in the snow. And the snow doesn't look too deep, the mountainous surface can clearly be seen nearby sometimes so non-snow footsteps are actually logical in this case. Thanks for pointing it out