Witcher 3 Gameplay from GDC and PAX

[JackalJ]

Bloody rude.

Perhaps you should do a better job of being a community manager, engaging with the community more and helping to alleviate their concerns, instead of being a jackass and criticizing how people react to your poorly thought-out PR. "Let's show footage on X console with Y settings, then show a different console and settings the next time around, then become obvlious to why people question the graphical fidelity".

Considering we are your customers, you'd get far more positive feedback if you just outright set in stone exactly what was going on in regards to the graphics. I see a downgrade, others see a downgrade...if there is no downgrade, prove it then! Otherwise you're pulling another WatchDogs on us...and I will laugh in your face when the game is released and the negative backlash ensues.

Nothing wrong with defending his game. I admire him for that. What's wrong is that it's put forward very rudely and arrogantly. We as customers have been voicing our concerns for months and have just been shut out constantly, and when people provide feedback (albeit constructive) we get this garbage post.

Is it rude? Perhaps, but if you have worked you're butt off on a game and your own fanbase is criticizing the game before it's even out, can be very frustrating. I know criticism should be given, and can be helpful. But useless criticism like the downgrade talk doesn't help anybody and I can imagine how it annoys the devs.
And we are not constantly shut out, the devs have posted plenty of times on the forums addressing people's concerns and telling us to wait and see the final product.

And no I'm not saying people shouldn't voice their concerns or post what they feel is still wrong with the game, they should. I just don't see any sense in talking about some kind of downgrade before the game is out. We have now seen how far the game has come since the press demo, is it that hard to imagine that the game will look and play even better when released? So I can excuse any dev to make a post like TEC has done.

Your concern about the game being displayed on different consoles is a difficult issue.
- Do we only show PC so the graphics are consistent? (But piss of console owners after release because the game doesn't look anything like the promo material, and get the 'Watch Dogs'/downgrade scenario.)
- Do we show every system? (Which is what we have now, the only difference? Is that the downgrade talk happens before release, and not after.)
And honestly after your mention of CDPR pulling a Watch Dogs, I really don't care anymore if you find TEC's post rude or not.


***(I'm sorry if I 'necro-ed' this conversation. I just wanted to respond to my post being quoted.)***

 

[Canthuss]

Oh, and more downgrade talk makes baby Jeebus cry and you look like a tool. Wait till the game is out then brag you were right (which you won't cuz you aren't) or start making excuses about why you were wrong (better get on that).

Ok, back to the show floor. TTYL.

You know Chris\CDPR team, if you guys want to quell the worries of those thinking there is a downgrade why not have a video of the current build on the highest possible settings and do a comparison video between that and the old trailers?

Just an idea. Not sure how much work that would be but I think it would be worth it in the end.

 

[Sharpy47]

Kill'Em Chris!

 

[frynse]

So this video raised some questions and points for me

Has yrden become the heliotrope thing move now from tw2, replacing the traditional stun? Or maybe it's just an alternate mode?
As I believe others have pointed out, enemies becoming visible outright on the map seems to make things a bit easy or at least take the surprise away.
Witcher's sense also really does seem to make things a bit too easy. I don't mind it that much but there's not exactly a huge challenge to the investigations if all it takes to find clues is just to hold down that button.
A blade oil animation would've been nice, but not a deal breaker.
Also finally I'm wondering what version of the game this was. The frame rate seemed a bit unstable and a lot of scenes has the trademark fog masking of the draw distance which makes things seem a little claustrophobic.

Otherwise, I think it looks really great and I'm stoked to get my hands on this.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

Also finally I'm wondering what version of the game this was. The frame rate seemed a bit unstable and a lot of scenes has the trademark fog masking of the draw distance which makes things seem a little claustrophobic..

The frame rate issues seem to be from YouTube nonsense. If you watch the uncompressed version, the video playback is completely smooth.

 

[wonderboyxd]

The difference you notice I think is the video compression. I just noticed the leaves on the trees seem more detailed.

Also there is volumeteric clouds on the older one, but i guess that is a nvidia effect.

 

[freakie1one]

You know Chris\CDPR team, if you guys want to quell the worries of those thinking there is a downgrade why not have a video of the current build on the highest possible settings and do a comparison video between that and the old trailers?

Just an idea. Not sure how much work that would be but I think it would be worth it in the end.

I like their current approach of ignoring the whining and general nonsense. They've stated there is no downgrade and they need to prove nothing since people will see for themselves in a few months time. They should not waste time jumping through hoops to appease the self-entitled.

 

[EliHarel]

Then this is a new development, because any monster in previous games would take a silver sword.

I'm curious about this. It can be cool. In the books only post-conjunction creatures require the silver sword. Now I don't know about the issue with His Royalty in the latest footage because the player ends up using a silver sword, but if Geralt doesn't unsheathe his swords automatically based on the opponent, and you have to decide whether to draw the steel or silver one, it can be an area that requires player attention - read in the bestiary if what you're up against is magical or not. If you don't read, you'll only know what sword to use when you accidentally see that the damage output is low.

This might be a bit of wishful thinking on my part, because I think in TW2 it was automatic too. And while I don't mean to sound hysterical, TW3 seems to simplify a few too many things (witcher senses, exclamation marks, highlighted ledges to grab on to, etc), so I doubt that scenario I described about swords and the bestiary and identifying magical and non-magical monsters exists.

I'm rather suprised that so many of you drool just because someone released another 7 minutes video of "ok" gameplay footage and that 2 months before release, a date at which the gold master for the physical release should already be almost ready and done...

Maybe because some people are just, I don't know, here to play a game and have fun with it?

"Drool". Wow. Get off your high horse, Scholdarr, seriously. I find myself agreeing with some points you raise in the past months, but you tend to express them in the most exaggerated, and more importantly, condescending manner in the boards. My first reaction to reading a comment that's suggesting I'm drooling (as well as many others) was one that would get me banned, and I'm having to force myself to stay civil here.

I come to these boards to share excitement with some other random people around the world about a recreational activity of mine, and almost everytime I read one of your posts I feel bad that I'm looking forward to something because, I don't know, this and that derogatory way of saying that I'm not using my brains.

Not everyone is a critic. You fancy yourself one, apparently, and that's fine and good, but you keep insulting people. Not directly. I'm not even sure whether you're aware that you're doing it.

About inventory: you're a console gamer, right?

I'm not even sure how to answer that, because it's an assumption based on my deeming the inventory acceptable. No matter what led you to believe I'm a console gamer, the answer is no. I play games on a PC with a mouse and keyboard. Which is why I said the inventory is acceptable. There is a grid, which is suitable for PC. There is clarity and simplicity, which is good for seeing where something is quickly. These led to the judgement of the inventory being "acceptable". Some might consider it good. The fact that the inventory is not balls-out mindblowing-ly amazing doesn't change the fact that it is, in my opinion, acceptable. If you choose to believe it is balls-out mindblowing-ly downright disgusting, that is your prerogative. But please try to avoid labeling someone who doesn't agree a console gamer without further information. Thank you.

thedeathrun's response is appropriate here. I don't think that there's anything wrong with being a console gamer (I actually feel a bit absurd that I need to clarify this, that it's become an issue), but the way you ask it, after he writes that he likes the inventory, it just reeks of this disdainful attitude towards anything that's not up to your standard that it makes me really uncomfortable following such posts.

You say Pillars of Eternity is shaping up to be better than TW3 in every way. O...kay? What's the merit of this post? What's its contribution? Is it out of spite? To provoke people? I'm happy for you that you're about to find a game that's so up your alley. Really. I hope you have tons of fun with it.

Bugger, I'm becoming more and more emotional and letting people harm my fun about a video game. Might seriously be a time to step away for a while.

 

[ricko98]

Sometimes I have doubt if these scenes can be recreated in the final game after all these downgrade talks :-[

 

[frynse]

Even if this has been pointed out before, I feel like it certainly deserves a mention again.
While I think the inventory actually is a bit easier on the eye now, the change of tabs concerns me. When comparing it to the old one, it seems like they removed the armor tab for some reason as well as the potion tab which has been combined with "usable items". I don't understand why you would do this as it gimps an otherwise clear overview and you will for example now have to look through both your food and potion items in the same big ol' tab instead of having them split up conveniently.

Whyyy?

 

[Asmodean778]

Sometimes I have doubt if these scenes can be recreated in the final game after all these downgrade talks :-[

I agree.

I agree, because the only thing that looks better in the first shot, is the grass, and the second shot is zooming past, such that you cannot make out any detail. So people's minds substitute it with the vibe it sets, and associate it with higher fidelity.

Saying that, subjectivity, is subjective ;p

The renderer is clearly higher quality now, than it was before. But, I do agree that the foliage/grass, etc doesn't look as good as it has in previous shots. Plus the lod distance in the old demo footage is ludicrously far.

Also, if you scaled those gifs up, to fill your whole screen, their quality wouldn't be long being diminished.

Edited to be a bit clearer, as it seems people were misunderstanding me.

 

[ricko98]

I agree.

I agree, because the only thing that looks better in the first shot, is the grass, and the second shot is zooming past, such that you cannot make out any detail. So people's minds substitute it with the vibe it sets, and associate it with higher fidelity.

Saying that, subjectivity, is subjective ;p

The rendering process is clearly higher quality than it was before. But, I do agree that the foliage/grass, etc doesn't look as good as it has in previous shots.

Subjective opinion is subjective : IMO it seems like the PAX version lacks SSAO/HBAO or whatever ambient occlusion people want to name it on foliages. Also, the fact that the devs stated that all the demos are not ultra preset still gives me hope. Gameplay wise this game still rocks as usual :victory:

 

[prince_of_nothing]

The rendering process is clearly higher quality than it was before. But, I do agree that the foliage/grass, etc doesn't look as good as it has in previous shots.

I disagree. Looking at the upper gif, I see no differences between it and the recent gameplay. The time of day, location and weather makes it very difficult to extrapolate between the two. But the general bulk of the effects are still there.

In the latest gameplay, cloth simulation, environmental physics (including wind simulation) and particle effects are all very apparent, just like the upper most gif. The last gif has no gameplay we can easily juxtapose with since we haven't seen any stormy weather yet..

 

[ALPES]

I've been following the downgrade thread and now this conversation and thought that I should at least pronounce my opinion. Maybe nobody cares...
But you know what? I don't give a damn shit about downgrade. I don't even see one. Once I have the game on my PC I simply want to enjoy the graphics no matter how they looked in previous traliers. Yes, even if it would look worse. If in my subjective opinion the graphics are good enough for me to enjoy the game then it's prefect. I would also buy this game if it would look exactly as TW2. The most important things for me are the story, gameplay, art design, etc. That's where I get critical if I think there's something to improve. But I'm sure that those things will be superior to any game I've played in the last years (or ever).

Just my two cents... :cheers:

 

[Asmodean778]

I disagree. Looking at the upper gif, I see no differences between it and the recent gameplay. The time of day, location and weather makes it very difficult to extrapolate between the two. But the general bulk of the effects are still there.

Trust me, there is. I do gfx/shader coding, myself. Even just speaking of their effect framework. I can recognize that it has had a pretty substantial revamp since that footage.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

Trust me, there is. I do gfx/shader coding, myself. Even just speaking of their effect framework. I can recognize that it has had a pretty substantial revamp since that footage.

If there is any real difference, those differences could be attributed to the VGX trailer running at higher settings. But it doesn't mean there necessarily has been any fundamental downgrade..

 

[DBag]

I disagree. Looking at the upper gif, I see no differences between it and the recent gameplay. The time of day, location and weather makes it very difficult to extrapolate between the two. But the general bulk of the effects are still there.

Can you honestly say that you see no visible difference between the foliage in that gif and the foliage in the recent gameplay video?

The whole black&blue/white&gold dress internet fiasco that has been going on recently made me realize that there are A LOT of people who are, unfortunately, subjects to sensory deception.

 

[wichat]

I agree.

I agree, because the only thing that looks better in the first shot, is the grass, and the second shot is zooming past, such that you cannot make out any detail. So people's minds substitute it with the vibe it sets, and associate it with higher fidelity.

Saying that, subjectivity, is subjective ;p

The renderer is clearly higher quality than it was before. But, I do agree that the foliage/grass, etc doesn't look as good as it has in previous shots. Plus the lod distance in the old demo footage is ludicrously far.

Edit: also, if you scaled those gifs up, to fill your whole screen, their quality wouldn't be long being diminished.

Put here that is an effect lent of the camera when focusing. I invite yhou to play the video, make a pause and make a very quickly double-click on play button. All the scene seems "downgrade" except the center focus of the camera as a human eye do. The vision you have is not a simple plain 2D image but a view with deepth perception, the camera focus what is main in this scene in this moment. Someone call it downgrade, others a closer to real perception human eye

 

[Asmodean778]

If there is any real difference, those differences could be attributed to the VGX trailer running at higher settings. But it doesn't mean there necessarily has been any fundamental downgrade..

I'm saying their renderer is of higher quality now, than it was then. Not vice versa. I love the new renderer. I'm not complining lol.

Here are some hq shots of the latest footage, you can sum up towards th older shots/gifs if ye like.

Edit: well, they were high quality - before I uploaded them here. Now they're a blurry mess lool.
View attachment 11048
View attachment 11049
View attachment 11050
View attachment 11051
View attachment 11052

Enjoy =)

 

[Garrison72]

I'm curious about the second meter below health on all the enemies now. Could it be vigor, shield, stamina?