DirectX future releases for REDengine 3 and the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[ballowers100]

DirectX future releases for REDengine 3 and the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

So this came to my mind. Microsoft released DirectX 11.2 in October or something like that exclusivly for Windows 8.1.

I know that the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt supports DirectX 11 but I hope CD Projekt RED also adds DirectX 11.1 and DirectX 11.2 if they can before The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt releases in 2014. If CD Projekt RED can't do this before release than it would be nice to see it added in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Enhanced Edition. Also CD Projekt RED should push Microsoft to add DirectX 11.1 and DirectX 11.2 to Windows Vista and DirectX 11.2 to Windows 7. I mean Frostbite 3 technical director Johan Andersson pushed Microsoft for some stuff for Windows and DirectX for the PC version of Battlefield 4 I don't remember what it was but if he can do it so can CD Projekt RED. I am sick and tired of this exclusivity from Microsoft. Even add DirectX 11.3 or DirectX 12 or whatever new DirectX version Microsoft will release next

Since the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be more modable than the PC version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings imagine what modders will be able to do with tiled resources from DirectX 11.2.

Anyone else have any thoughts about this. I mean CD Projekt RED managed to add a new intro cinematic scene for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition.

 

[Sycophant.568]

Microsoft will not stop pushing for exclusivity. To them, 8 and the Metro UI (one OS) is the future. Unfortunately for them, 7 is the new XP.

Also CDPR has expressedly said they as of now don't care for any version of DirectX beyond 11, they are quite happy with the toolset they have. Besides, tiled resources are not as big a deal as MS makes it out to be... it's more of a convenience during development.

 

[CostinRaz]

Actually using DX 11.2 would require a great deal effort and it's just not worth it for an OS that has such a low percentage of users so far.

As for Vista support, that OS is shit and barely used by anyone. The biggest idiocy any developer can make is to try and cater to everyone, it makes for shit games.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

DirectX 11.2 has some useful features that could definitely help making Witcher 3 a better game, but it's too late at this stage perhaps to implement it as they'd have to make significant changes to the renderer..

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

My guess is that Witcher 3 toolset is pretty much fixed already and won't change much until the release. Later CDPR can start working on adding other backends (OpenGL etc.) and updating their DirectX one (enhanced edition may be?) That's because they already have tight schedule. In longer term projects like Cyberpunk 2077 they have more room for evolving what they use.

What you should ask yourself is, what do you care if it uses latest DX or not? If CDPR make the game to look like they want, the goal is achieved using tools they already chose.

 

[Sirnaq]

Why on earth would they make themselves even more dependent on company that hate pcgaming? DX11 is fine hope they at least try to port for some other api.

 

[SystemShock7]

Modders are going to do absolutely nothing with the so called "tiled resources".
W2 is as "moddable" as W3 will be. W3 may have new game features not seen in W2, and the REDkit used in W3 may have new features as well, but the extent to which the games can be modded with their respective versions of the REDkit would be parallel.
W1 doesn't support DX11, yet it is a better video game than many a DX11 game (if not most).

 

[Ploutonas]

I will never install windows 8 in my pc...

I tried it and it's a horrible horrible experience.

 

[ballowers100]

I will never install windows 8 in my pc...

I tried it and it's a horrible horrible experience.

Well this is a reason for CD Projekt RED to push Microsoft to release DirectX 11.1 and DirectX 11.2 for Windows Vista and DirectX 11.2 for Windows 7 if DICE Frostbite 3 technical director can push Microsoft to do some stuff then CD Projekt RED should be able to as well. In fact most video game developers should push Microsoft to stop this exclusivity crap it pisses me and a lot of other people off. I hate Windows 8 as well because of the Microsoft Windows app store and the metro tile interface but Windows 8 is so much faster than Windows 7.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Ballowers100: CDPR are nobody for Microsoft for "pushing" for anything. They can push all they want, MS is a huge monster which doesn't care about what anyone wants. If anything, CDPR should remake their newest PC titles in latest OpenGL 4, which is not tied to any particular Windows version and rather is dependent on hardware. That would give them the most flexibility to deploy on any version and portability to other OSes at the same time. And if you personally care about faster systems, you don't need to use Windows altogether, since it always will be slower than competition.

 

[GuyNwah]

It won't happen, anyway, because the features added in 11.1 and 11.2 are dependent on updates to WDDM that are only in Windows 8.

OP, you're asking Microsoft to do significant effort to backport new code to an operating system that not only doesn't fit their product strategy but interferes with it. It will take organized demand from a number of commercial software houses, not just a small game developer, to make such a thing happen.

The best alternative to acquiescing in letting Microsoft replace Windows 7 with 8 is as Gilrond mentioned, OpenGL. But this itself opens a vendor disparity, because nVidia is far ahead of AMD in OpenGL support.

 

[ballowers100]

It won't happen, anyway, because the features added in 11.1 and 11.2 are dependent on updates to WDDM that are only in Windows 8.

OP, you're asking Microsoft to do significant effort to backport new code to an operating system that not only doesn't fit their product strategy but interferes with it. It will take organized demand from a number of commercial software houses, not just a small game developer, to make such a thing happen.

The best alternative to acquiescing in letting Microsoft replace Windows 7 with 8 is as Gilrond mentioned, OpenGL. But this itself opens a vendor disparity, because nVidia is far ahead of AMD in OpenGL support.

I am confused to what you said. I know DirectX 11 is dependent on WDDM but DirectX 11.1 got added to Windows 7 after a bunch of people cried so DirectX 11.2 should not be hard to port to Windows 7 at all.

 

[GuyNwah]

I am confused to what you said. I know DirectX 11 is dependent on WDDM but DirectX 11.1 got added to Windows 7 after a bunch of people cried so DirectX 11.2 should not be hard to port to Windows 7 at all.

Microsoft has released several updates to WDDM.

Windows 7 is stuck at WDDM 1.1. Windows 8 has WDDM 1.2, and Windows 8.1 has WDDM 1.3.

A number of desirable DX11.2 features such as tiled resources depend on WDDM support that doesn't exist below Windows 8.1.

Many DX11.1 features are still not implemented in the Windows 7 backport.

It's pretty clear that Microsoft's strategy is to leave Windows 7 at WDDM 1.1 and the subset of DirectX 11.1 that it now supports.

 

[tirim4]

While indeed it may suck, what company wouldn't do what Microsoft is doing (except for CDP ofcource )? By that I mean only releasing updates (not even huge updates) to their latest product to gain users. Also I agree with others saying CDP has no to little influence over Microsoft. Remember that DICE is backed by EA Games and are creating the engine that's going to power most of EA's titles in the future.

On another note I think it's sad to once again see this unjustified hate for Windows 8. Yes, Metro is a peace of junk on non touchscreen devices but I have been using WIndows 8 since release with a Start menu replacer nad it is basicly Windows 7.5. It's faster and more functional (new task manager, copy/paste dialogues etc.). I understand some of the dislike for it but it annoys me when something becomes an object of hatred just beacuse it has become mainstream and cool to hate on it.

Now that was offtopic, let's not get into an OS debate but my bottom line is that The Witcher 2 achieved looking amazing using onyl DX9, better then most dx11 games IMO and I have no doubt dx11 is going to be enough for CDP to work their magic.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

Windows 8.1 is head and shoulders above Windows 7 in just about every respect.

Performance, features, security.. Windows 8.1 is just better..

It irritates me that some people are just so technically backward that they can't even learn a new UI, or so ignorant that they don't even know they never have to use it if they don't want to..

 

[Username.]

Good to know that you enjoy being ass fucked by MS, but as far as I'm concerned you can get a copy of W8.1 and shove it up your arse you condescending prick.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

I think Windows 8 is disliked for a variety of reasons. But the most common one is their usage of the faulty "one size fits all" approach to the user interfaces. The trendy idea now is that "everything shifts to mobile" so MS started playing that game as well with pushing touch friendly / tablet oriented interfaces. The problem is that desktop use case didn't go anywhere, and "one size fits all" doesn't help here when that size is really meant for a tablet interface. This problem isn't limited to MS only. Similar issues afflicted some Linux desktop environments, such as Gnome and Canonical's Unity. Out of common Linux DEs, KDE approached this problem correctly, they develop desktop (KDE Plasma Workspaces) and mobile (KDE Plasma Active) interfaces with separate design approaches tailoring the user experience for each appropriately. "One size fits all" never pays off and many users hate it (especially "power" users who don't like overly excessive minimalism pushed for accommodating mobile aspects of the interface).

 

[prince_of_nothing]

Haha, I was just about to reply to that dude, but his post got deleted.

 

[SystemShock7]

I wouldn't call it "hate" for the OS.. it is more of a dislike of MS's business practices.
And then, of course, there are people who know other OSs in and out(and no, not talking about "Linux", which is not an OS... I digress) and can see how much more efficient and functional they are as OSs, only missing the major-title gaming part.

 

[GuyNwah]

Windows 8.1 is head and shoulders above Windows 7 in just about every respect.

Performance, features, security.. Windows 8.1 is just better..

It irritates me that some people are just so technically backward that they can't even learn a new UI, or so ignorant that they don't even know they never have to use it if they don't want to..

Well, I am not technically backward, and a UI that forces me to shift gears continually makes me angry. No, I do not want to slew my pointer into some unlabeled corner of the screen to still be two clicks away from the control panel. No, I do not want a start menu that was written by an idiot who thinks he is entitled to take over my entire desktop. No, I do not want to remember the vendor's trade name for an application so I can shift to the keyboard to type it and then get the damn start menu splashed all over my work. All those things are not a "new UI" that normal users should be required to learn. They are an egregious blunder and an abuse of my time, energy, and productivity.

Objections aside, Windows 8.1 really does make a big difference in raw performance. It just screams on some low-cost setups like AMD APUs and "dual graphics".