Witcher 3 and 16:10 support

[Juuuhan]

Witcher 3 and 16:10 support

Disclaimer, This is a plea for all ratios and resolutions (I.e 5.4, 4.3, 1440p etc.), not just only 16:10 & 1200p.

Normally I don't do topics like these... But with more months passing by and I've yet seen any mention about this at all, I'm growing more and more concerned that I and other consumer will get screwed again by CD RED.

Left in the dust

In a way it make sense though. With a multi platform release where consoles (combined though, not generally per system) outweigh the sales of PC why would much attention be targeted to us? You'll see multiple remarks about “Will Xbox/PS 4 be running with this resolution and with this frame rate”, this is more obvious with CD RED having marketing deals with Microsoft. It essentially took this long (couple of interviews at Gamescom was more technical orientated) to get any source of technical info.

The joke that was Witcher 2

By now I just giggle a bit when thinking back about it, but back then it was completely mindbogglingly how a PC only release could only have 16:9 resolutions... Granted Witcher 2 was released with a butt load of issues and required several patches to sort itself (both bug fixing and balancing) out but still.

Not only did it take 2 bloody months to get this sorted out but it was also not properly handled. People who played with a 16:10 monitor got after the “patch” just zoomed in Fov to counter the black borders. Honestly this made my experience even worse on my 19 inch monitor (I just wanted to highlight that because some might assume I already played on a 24 inch) because now I actually saw less then previously with the black bars.

6 months to go

Now I know it's a long way to go, both with tweaking and optimization... But I just have this feeling that if no one even mentions this early on (because so far no one ever has), it will be forgotten and we'll get the same experience like Witcher 2 again.

Yes, we aren't that many and yes, we are being laughed by 16:9 users as antiquities, but allowing 1920x1200p (and other resolutions, higher and lower) shouldn't be a massive investment of your time and would push Witcher 3 as the best experience for all users, not just for those with a movie-orientated setting.

Tl;dr This is actually my shortest topic/reply ever. Ain't that a hoot.

 

[BlackWolf500.298]

I'd also like to have a 16:10 since my screen has that ratio, would be nice. Non the less, I can also play them in 16:9. It's better anyway when recording gameplay for my channel.

 

[Sharpy47]

Yes, bring 16:10 because it's a must. I personally have a 1680x1050 screen which is 16:10 aspect ratio.

 

[volsung]

I hope it does support multiple aspect ratios. It's supposed to be a damn PC game after all.

 

[Dante003]

I think it'll support more aspect ratios, as the Sword of Destiny trailer uses 21:9 aspect.

I hope for official support, but if they dont, then the community will probably fix that as they did with TW2 (using flawless widescreen).

 

[eskiMoe]

It's supposed to be a damn PC game after all.

Well. It is.

 

[GHOSTMD]

Yeah.... would be nice to know if TW3 ll support a wide area of resolutions from
4:3 to 5:4 over 16:9 and 16:10 up to 21:9 and so on

Thats one of the things they bother me at this time... next to that sterile console UI we ve seen
and CDPR seems to have given up on a "special" PC UI :/

 

[Garrison72]

As a PC title it really should, it was frustrating aspect of TW2.

 

[adridu59]

4:3 to 5:4

Oh wow... so you have a DX11 64-bit capable PC but no widescreen monitor?

Thats one of the things they bother me at this time... next to that sterile console UI we ve seen
and CDPR seems to have given up on a "special" PC UI :/

Grid inventory's not PC UI?

 

[HellKnightX88]

Oh wow... so you have a DX11 64-bit capable PC but no widescreen monitor?

What's so weird about it? I didn't replace my old monitor till it broke down.

 

[Juuuhan]

Thank you for the response, you're making an old cynical git very happy =)

I'd also like to have a 16:10 since my screen has that ratio, would be nice. Non the less, I can also play them in 16:9. It's better anyway when recording gameplay for my channel.

I agree, black borders have never been a problem for me, the vertical space which is a benefit for everything else than watching movies easily outweighs that small annoyance (And that's all it is, not a disadvantage or lesser experience, just an annoyance). In terms of gaming however, any modern PC game should feature ratio support as well as proper resolution options just as they require configurable keys, graphical/audio settings and FOV slider if the game can cause motion sickness (All other benefits as colour blind mode, adjustment for left handed and people with motion or visual problems should also in some extent be covered).

As PC offer diversity to hardware and software so should the programs/games we use... That's the charm with PC gaming. The possibility to get something that caters to your need.

I hope for official support, but if they dont, then the community will probably fix that as they did with TW2 (using flawless widescreen).

Yes, but if we are honest with each other, CD RED is probably the most consumer friendly game developer out there. Wouldn't it feel rather cheap that this small thing would have to be dealt with by moderators rather than CD RED themselves? It's not so much whether the gamer will "deal with it" or whether it will be sorted eventually. It's more that it feels wrong that CD RED who's so focus minded on our best interest, would forget or ignore this issue that (potentially) lessens the experience for a rather large minority of consumers. I addressed this because CD RED cares, if Witcher 3 was made by EA I wouldn't have made this topic, because I know that it would be completely pointless.

To something completely different (Sorry in advance if this is viewed as a bit of rant).
I chuckle a little when people talk about "peasants", "PC master race" and "dumbing down" and then get/have a 16:9 monitor. Good job representing, when you instead of quality got a cheap monitor that was introduced to cater to television and consoles.

N.B. I in no way are against 16:9 monitors or users who get them as a cheaper alternative (because they are price beneficial), but don't refer yourself as "superior" being over console gamers and then "cheapens out" and get a monitor that in no way are designed for anything PC orientated. It just make you sound like hypocrites (Black borders on games are a fault by developers and black borders on movies doesn't make 16:10 monitors worse for viewing. You still see exactly the same amount of content at the exact size and quality assuming both monitors feature equal picture quality).

 

[GHOSTMD]

@adridu59

Oh wow... so you have a DX11 64-bit capable PC but no widescreen monitor?

Yes indeed i still use my "old" 5:4 19 inch Monitor with a native resolution of 1280x1024 pixel.
Besides my PC would be able to provide 1920x1080 pixel resolution even more after i upgraded it.
I see no reason why i shouldn t use the monitor until it get defect.

Besides that i don t have the 250 € for a fancy widescreen monitor... also all my "older" games will get
the black stripes left and right then but even if W3 won t have the 5:4 support it wont be bother
that much like the actual UI does from the demo

Grid inventory's not PC UI?

NO i talk about a compare between the actual STERILE UI and the more artistic TW1 UI
Counts for the whole thing, colours, shapes, no 3D wolf medallion and meditation timers
and i strongly assume the skill tree shares that sterile look...
and it ends with the radial menü...

I don t say the UI is that bad at this time, its just broke down to pure controller functionality
and this makes the UI we have seen in the demo give out a "sterile" and "moodbreaking"
feeling (a bit for me)

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

I didn't really notice any problems with TW2 using 16:10 monitors. Replaying it now in 1920x1200 without any issues. Why do you think TW3 won't support it from the start?

 

[GHOSTMD]

I think there was a problem with the cut scene resolution support... causing black screen
on machines they use older 4:3 / 5:4 resolutions or even the 16:10

Black screen appeared during the narrating scenes of dandelion

 

[sidspyker]

Yeah, I hope 16:10 is supported. Since most games have issues with it and I absolutely hate black bars, I never went for a 16:10 monitor for that reason alone.

 

[adridu59]

16:10 is supposed to have vanished in favor of 16:9 for long, in terms of manufacturing I mean. I do like the UI as-is, personally.

 

[freakie1one]

16:10 is supposed to have vanished in favor of 16:9 for long, in terms of manufacturing I mean.

Correct. 16:10 is now a legacy format just as 5:4 and 4:3 aspect ratios are. However, TW3 should support legacy formats since many people still use older hardware.

1920x1080 replaced 1680x1050 because it was an improvement in resolution and also because it's the new standard that most media formats come in. It's a bit silly for people to claim that the PC "elite" use 1680x1050 monitors since it's a lower resolution than 1920x1080, which equals a lower quality picture, not improved. Here's a chart for reference:

 

[Juuuhan]

Well, 6 months have passed and still nothing regarding aspect ratio support. Figured it would be appropriate to address some thoughts as the February release date is now obsolete and now also the 21:9 monitor aspect have been unanswered.

Correct. 16:10 is now a legacy format just as 5:4 and 4:3 aspect ratios are. However, TW3 should support legacy formats since many people still use older hardware.

1920x1080 replaced 1680x1050 because it was an improvement in resolution and also because it's the new standard that most media formats come in. It's a bit silly for people to claim that the PC "elite" use 1680x1050 monitors since it's a lower resolution than 1920x1080, which equals a lower quality picture, not improved. Here's a chart for reference:

First and foremost I doubt that 16:10 will become completely obsolete, simply put it's still a better choice (due to vertical space) for office tasks than a wide screen is and also the price for these monitors have again gone down (picked mine up for 250 € which was a new release from ASUS so I can't really state that they are that overpriced anymore).

Also I've never seen the "black bar" as a negative side, you have them because your monitor is factually larger and they still benefit for all non gaming content.
That said this issue shouldn't lie within the customers but rather with developers themselves... After all customers shouldn't be punished for not having the "common" monitor.

Only reason 16:10 isn't the "norm" is because people bought into manufacturer "cheapening" out and figured that "wide screen is the best choice " when if anything, looking at PC elitist we know that these individuals want nothing to do with TV yet are willing for this compromise. So much for bragging about superior experience and better hardware.

At the moment the one reason where I might cancel my pre-orders are solely based upon PC optimization because this is the ONE thing I don't trust CD RED with. I know they will deliver a awesome game in term of story, world, game-ply and character design, however I do not trust them when it comes to proper PC optimization since Witcher 2 was such a disaster. With all that said it seems they are addressing a lot of it though (based on the polish tech interview with Konrad ifI recall correctly), with in-game graphic settings, customizable UI and working on optimizing mouse and keyboard usage (though I'd still appreciate some proper PC game play with mouse and keyboard to see how it functions and it won't be a "mouse smoothing nightmare").

I know it feels like unnecessary bantering but based upon how 2014 was (curtsey to Super Bunnyhop) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtBJCPI1b8w Can you really blame anyone for being concerned when it comes to the release of the most hyped game of 2014 & 2015 (funnily enough), whether it will be properly fixed or just another Assassin Creed Unity.

 

[frynse]

Yeah, it would be nice if they could address this at some point.
If they do skip out on it, I'd rather have a stretched pic over black bars though but I really hope they've considered it as it reminds of Ubisoft and their lazy asses.

 

[freakie1one]

Well, 6 months have passed and still nothing regarding aspect ratio support. Figured it would be appropriate to address some thoughts as the February release date is now obsolete and now also the 21:9 monitor aspect have been unanswered.



First and foremost I doubt that 16:10 will become completely obsolete, simply put it's still a better choice (due to vertical space) for office tasks than a wide screen is and also the price for these monitors have again gone down (picked mine up for 250 € which was a new release from ASUS so I can't really state that they are that overpriced anymore).

Also I've never seen the "black bar" as a negative side, you have them because your monitor is factually larger and they still benefit for all non gaming content.
That said this issue shouldn't lie within the customers but rather with developers themselves... After all customers shouldn't be punished for not having the "common" monitor.

Only reason 16:10 isn't the "norm" is because people bought into manufacturer "cheapening" out and figured that "wide screen is the best choice " when if anything, looking at PC elitist we know that these individuals want nothing to do with TV yet are willing for this compromise. So much for bragging about superior experience and better hardware.

At the moment the one reason where I might cancel my pre-orders are solely based upon PC optimization because this is the ONE thing I don't trust CD RED with. I know they will deliver a awesome game in term of story, world, game-ply and character design, however I do not trust them when it comes to proper PC optimization since Witcher 2 was such a disaster. With all that said it seems they are addressing a lot of it though (based on the polish tech interview with Konrad ifI recall correctly), with in-game graphic settings, customizable UI and working on optimizing mouse and keyboard usage (though I'd still appreciate some proper PC game play with mouse and keyboard to see how it functions and it won't be a "mouse smoothing nightmare").

I know it feels like unnecessary bantering but based upon how 2014 was (curtsey to Super Bunnyhop) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtBJCPI1b8w Can you really blame anyone for being concerned when it comes to the release of the most hyped game of 2014 & 2015 (funnily enough), whether it will be properly fixed or just another Assassin Creed Unity.

Well, to simplify things I've never once thought or said "damn, I sure do wish my screen was half an inch taller for working with spreadsheets". On the other hand I have thought and said "wow, it sure is nice not having black bars and a more clear image due to a higher resolution" and "it's nice being able to see more on each side while playing video games". Those were the only things I noticed when switching to a 1920x1080 resolution.

Humans have peripheral vision (side to side) but our vertical vision is limited. Widescreen just makes sense since you can see everything without having to shift your focus. When I compare two documents or folders I put them side-by-side, not one on top of the other. So even when doing PC tasks I find widescreen to be more efficient.

You can justify why some people like using a lower resolution and that's fine but I prefer as high of a resolution as my PC hardware can support. If 4k resolution monitors become a more affordable solution then I'll probably upgrade again but as of now it's just not practical trying to game on one (requires too much GPU power).

Also, I was already saying in my previous post that I hope CDPR does support legacy resolutions since not everyone is using identical hardware.