While I can agree that the current screenshots and gameplay footage come nowhere close to 2013 stuff(vgx etc) and alot of stuff seems to have been cut(foward lit particles anyone?), I think the game still looks great. At this point I think ppl will have to manage their expectations a little. Some of the stuff that was released recently actually came very close to the 35min gameplay(which was still beautiful as hell imo) and I am personally very happy about that.
The thing is though that we all knew the game was gonna be released on consoles too. They started working on the game long before the new consoles were even out. I think here lies the initial problem with peoples expectations and ~maybe~ those of CDPR too. These folks at CDPR strike me as very cool guys. They seem very honest about their feelings for the game and for pc gaming in general. I believe them when they say that they want to create the best experience for everyone because they themselves are tired of current business practices. The fact they release 16 free dlc and some big expansions(havent seen expansions of that scale for any rpg happen since skyrim and - before skyrim - gothic 2) only reinforces my faith in them. But heres the real problem that probably occured during development. Like already stated, they started working on the game before the consoles came out and had to go simply off of their known specs. So they created this absolutely stunning vgx stuff, having a vision for the game and all that only to then find out that it is no longer possible. Why not? Because consoles. Now, one could argue they couldve made the PC version prettier anyways. And while I wish they did, it is simply reasonable. Those times are largely over. Not because CDPR are evil but because times have changed.
10 years ago the development of a game(especially AAA titles) was just a teeny tiny fraction of the cost it is today. People could actually afford to develop different versions for different platforms, as the revenue you would make from selling those games would largely outweigh their development costs. Today, when looking at AAA titles, games can be more expensive to make than movies and usually take longer to develop than 10 years ago. So what does this mean? To put it simply, every company only has x amount of money for any given title before they go bankrupt. Now, yes, this amount can be expanded by taking loans etc but not by any large enough amount and I think CDPR have exhausted their limits by postponing the games launch twice. Developing 2 or 3 fundamentally different versions of the game for all possible platforms wouldve simply been too expensive and so they had to decide on whether to "downgrade" the game and try to give us the best experience with what consoles would allow, plus some nvidia eyecandy effects or to scrap the console versions entirely in favour of a vgx-esque pc version. I think it is pretty clear why they opted for option nr1. And be assured, they didnt do it to offend every pc gamer on earth and because they hate us and they want to backstab us and evil console corperations have bought them off and other nonsense like this but simply to a: deliver their piece of hard work and their dream to as many people as possible and b
because do not forget. as cool as those guys are, they remain a business and a business has to make money somehow) they just had to get their development costs back in.
But this is not to say that it will stay like this forever. Looking at the history of TW1 and TW2, both games ended up having an enhanced edition. In both cases this EE enhanced the already existing graphics quite a bit and once again pushed possible limits. And in the case of TW1 they even did a new voiceover for (some or all I do not know) languages. So I would say that yes, while I understand your anger and disappointment and yes, quite frankly I am a bit sad too that vgx will probably remain a dream - blaming CDPR for it is not fair. Those guys are giving it their all here. Try to make it up to them by trusting them a bit more. I am sure that with their history there are lots of great (and possibly free) goodies to come for us pc gamers and who knows, maybe we will get a nice surprise when the EE comes around the corner.
Until then, dont direct your hatred towards CDPR but rather at the way the industry is currently shaped(and no, consoles alone arent the big bad villain here either), making it impossible to develop many different versions for different platforms if you are working on an AAA title.
Oh, I forgot. One more thing for all those who are saying "errrrmahhgerrrd CDPR tricked us". Consider this. Yes, they said the game wasnt downgraded. But if they really wanted to hide it, would they really have lifted the embargo so early? Would they have allowed streamers and youtubers to go to warszaw and play the game and record their experience? Would they have showed us all those tiny questlines on the official youtube channel? Most probably not. I think what you are looking at here are a bunch of developers who are disappointed they didnt manage to fullfill their own goals 100% and who are a bit reluctant on admitting it. Who could blame them for it - this project has been their baby and their vision for several years. Turns out you get quite disappointed when you have high hopes for something and you are very invested in it and then it doesnt work. Probably happened to everyone here in the past at least once or twice.
Saying they tricked us or tried to scam us is nowhere close to legit. They gave us everything we needed to make our own judgements. Starting from livestreaming the game, showing us gameplay footage repeatedly over the months and years, to allowing other ppl to play, stream and record their games and giving us hundreds of screenshots. Everyone who hasnt been dead for the last year should know the state of the game by now. Everyone who feels disappointed or had their hopes and dreams crushed is still able to get a refund - if they preordered it at all and dont just complain for the hell of it. Trying to "trick someone" looks a little bit different to me, tbh.
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