The Witcher 3 - Visuals

[Salulu]

@OliverDK Yeah I think that chimney smoke is gone, as it's purely volumetric. I'm thinking it would be a crazy performance hog in Novigrad.

@Salulu The screenshot Sneky has posted in page 38 is pressive impressive in regards to the draw distance though. It might be just the actualy fog here. I can't know for sure of course.

Yea it could be that, but then you wonder why would you even have such heavy fog that it adversely affects one of the main game design choices. It's really doubtful you would see fog like that much of anywhere, and fog of that level that obscures everything in the distance into one flat colour could probably be cut out of the game entirely and be better for it. I'm certain that sort of fog is used purely for performance target reasons, which is probably dependent on each area.
Could be that some areas aren't as intensive, and hence fog is toned back to show more of the landscape, and visa versa for performance intensive areas.

And it's funny you bring up the picture on page 38 and chimney smoke being gone in the same post, since you can see a house with chimney smoke in that exact picture!

 

[amfibiya89]

What does changing color scheme have to do with quality? Taste yes but quality... I can't say for the quality of game compared to what it used to be because I haven't actually played either and screenshots/video are all over the place in quality (not to mention not looking at them all trying not to spoil it too much) Just thought that comment was weird... Wasn't there a 500+ page thread on this debate already?

If you read my whole post you will see that i said this sentence. "Grass, trees and draw distance is not same too. There is no particles and some kind of dust under the horse when gallop too." I forget to wright that in beginning of my post. Now you understand? And remember my nickname please. Because my English is not very well so maybe i will not chose right word. So sorry for that.

 

[SpeedRunner101]

1. Better volumetric clouds.
2. Better foliage
3. Better Tessellated environment/geometry
4. Better particle effects
5. Higher draw distance
6. Quality Depth of Field
7. Higher quality particle effects.
8. Better Lighting
9. Higher resolution/quality shadows

Well, no debating it now.

Thanks CDPR.

Guess the modders'll have to do it.

 

[leron87]

I think the biggest implication of this draw distance reduction is that it really messes with that whole "Point of Interest" stuff the devs like Peter were talking about before.
About how there is always something in the distance that catches your eye and makes you want to go there. It seems with the reduction of the draw distance using that fog, it really messes up that whole idea.
For example look at that far off building/castle in the background between the two screenshots. In the VGX one you can see it clearly, it makes you go "oh hey that looks cool, let's go there", yet in the new footage, it's just a silhouette and mixes with the rest of the fog, to the point you could easily miss it entirely if you're not paying enough attention to it.

This could mean a lot of bad things. If we're looking at all previous info, this "points of interest" game design philosophy has been built like that from the very beginning, but the reduction of draw distance to meet performance targets seems to be a more recent addition.
That could mean that the entire game was built around points of interests in the distance, yet the new draw distance completely fumbles it up essentially.
Since it's not something that can be redone to go hand in hand with the new reduced draw distance since it would involve literally re-shifting every single point of interest in the game.
I think that's the main issue I have with it, not that the graphics supposedly look worse than before, but the actual implications that something like the reduced draw distance can have on gameplay and player exploration.

I agree on this. I think everything in the game looks fantastic. The only thing that worries me are every distance point of interest drowning in atmospheric scattering/fog. But then we have that skellige islands screenshots seen in this thread. It might just be this specific region. Or perhaps the weather has an impact. Who knows.

 

[Ljesnjanin]

1. Better volumetric clouds.
2. Better foliage
3. Better Tessellated environment/geometry
4. Better particle effects
5. Higher draw distance
6. Quality Depth of Field
7. Higher quality particle effects.
8. Better Lighting
9. Higher resolution/quality shadows

10. Curls

 

[arkhenon]

@SpeedRunner101 I'm sorry but I just can't agree with that post. Apart from the slightly decreased draw distance, and the tesellation, I think nearly everything else is improved. Especially lighting. It's proper now. In the previous version it looks cooked.

@Salulu Whoa, what kind of eyes do you have? It took me several seconds even after you pointed that out. Well yeah, it's not as heavy as before is it? But it's okay. Like I said, previously it was purely volumetric I guess. And that would kill most machines in cities like Novigrad.

 

[SpeedRunner101]

10. Curls

huh?

 

[Ljesnjanin]

huh?

Yenn's hair

Just wanted to add to your list - 10 is fine number...

 

[SpeedRunner101]

Fair enough.




This is so depressing.

Wonder how the devs will respond to it. Lol.

 

[OliverDK]

Well yes the volumetic smoke from the older build was most likely too demanding but it was to me a very atmospheric feature I hope will return either by a optional dlc or by modders

 

[Mezziaz]

Please keep in mind that the game is now 3-4 larger than the original vision so they were probably forced to cut some corners. Also some things actually look better now than it used to like some already have pointed out.

 

[rcjonessnp175]

Here's the important question are these youtubers playing in ultra quality with max draw distance settings? Assuming it's the pc version, if it's a console then obviously graphics are lower aswell as draw,distances.

 

[B_l_a_d_y]

Here's the important question are these youtubers playing in ultra quality with max draw distance settings? Assuming it's the pc version, if it's a console then obviously graphics are lower aswell as draw,distances.

there is no draw distance slider

i hope reds won't delete old graphic functions and let smart madders to just find them in .ini files

[Graphics]
vgx = True;

 

[amfibiya89]

Here's the important question are these youtubers playing in ultra quality with max draw distance settings? Assuming it's the pc version, if it's a console then obviously graphics are lower aswell as draw,distances.

This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_eRUq1PQPE this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJpWBMH9EtQ are 100% ultra setting

---------- Updated at 07:02 PM ----------

[Graphics]
vgx = True;

LOL. I wish life was easy like this.

 

[leron87]

Oh, I see my comparison of screenshots resulted in another angry downgrade thread (locked now) I was more interested in the actual art direction changes. It's impossible to judge how good the graphics is when the location has changed so much i think. Oh well...

 

[rcjonessnp175]

Well if that's the case then ya wow big downgrade. I imagine theirs got to be a way to restore the draw distance and other graphics that are clearly not their. I sure hope this wasn't another compromise to help sell console versions like other companies have done..

 

[paulthu]

Yes, the downgrade is still there. Maybe to some people it is news. And to others it still doesn't exist.

 

[Rawls]

Depressing? Let's put things in perspective. This is an (at least) 136km2 open world game in a fantasy setting filled with content. With a great story and characters. With a huge choice and consequence system where different quests effect each other. With solid game mechanics that allow players to customize their experience. With really good graphics (even if the graphics appear marginally worse than they did in a trailer released long ago). With an amazing soundtrack and ambient sound system. And the game looks playable on release (few bugs) from the videos I have seen.

I can't remember the last time a game even approached looking capable of delivering on all of this.

Sign me up. It looks much better than any other open world game I've ever played.

 

[SpeedRunner101]

Still doesn't changed the fact that they said the game would be "nearly indiscernible to CGI" at first if my memory is correct, and now it...really isn't lol.


They never ever said "hey, this is what changed". I expected more honesty...it should not have been the fans who had to dig deep and fend off an INSANELY intense amount of hate to uncover the truth.

Hell, even EA is being honest about what features are and aren't there, what has changed, what will change, in Battlefront.

 

[Rawls]

I expected more honesty...

How can they be more honest than releasing hours of actual footage recorded by youtubers weeks in advance? You know what the game will look like. You have time to cancel a preorder if you don't like it. Few companies I know of are this honest about their game. It is there for you to see.

EDIT: Also... the quote you were referring to is actually "we are aiming for CG quality of in-game graphics.” Which is not the same as claiming the game has cgi quality graphics. It's an aspirational statement. So it's not dishonest IMO.

Source: http://gamingbolt.com/the-witcher-3-we-are-aiming-for-cg-quality-in-game-graphics#c4LfmoFOvfRquGVr.99