Was watchdogs released as a PC game first and later ported to consoles?
No
Edit: Please have a look at this thread for more actual insight
Last edited:
FAO FRONTIER: List of Graphical Changes / Issues for since Patch 1.3
- Thread starter Obsidian Ant
- Start date
- Status
Was watchdogs released as a PC game first and later ported to consoles?
No
Edit: Please have a look at this thread for more actual insight
Not strictly about downgrade but also some visual mishaps that really grind my gears.
Roids casting shadows on other roids or ships.
Metallic roids.
Planet surface detail.
Distant lod roids are too bright.
Ring plane.
Distance from station to a planet.
Scene lighting.
Some ice rings are too bright and blurry, on some occasions looking like a flat white paper cut-out without any hint of layering. If someone could provide a picture that'd be great.
IIRC in some beta stage there was that amazing shield ripple effect which occurred every time the shield received any damage.
Station cylinder ambience.
Roid density.
Gas giants in system map VS gas giants in the actual game.
DX11/Tessellation.
Anisotropic filtering.
Why in the year 2015 should I use some other software to force it in this game? It's not really taxing with most modern video cards. It's not some new experimental feature, it existed at least in the times of Half Life 1 IIRC. And yet it's still not available in Elite.
P.S. I find it disgusting how some apologists here (and even some devs) always try to sweep this under the rug with B-BUT MUH OPTIMISATION!!1.
First of all, that's what video settings in PC games are for. Elite is a modern PC game, right?
Second, considering how much Braben likes to boast about "future proofing" and "10 year plan for Elite" and how PC's grow stronger and stronger, shouldn't the game actually improve it's visual fidelity, not compromise and squander it?
Roids casting shadows on other roids or ships.
Also notice the amount of bump/normal map detail on the surface of alpha roids.
http://webms.org/w/NNdbprNA/
Ship behind the roid is perfectly lit!
http://webms.org/w/BXKbXecq/
http://webms.org/w/NNdbprNA/
Ship behind the roid is perfectly lit!
http://webms.org/w/BXKbXecq/
This one actually never got implemented. Look at the amount of detail and polys.
Instead we got this low poly turd.
Oh wait, even the ice ones kinda had more detail at the prototype stage.
VS 
Instead we got this low poly turd.
Oh wait, even the ice ones kinda had more detail at the prototype stage.
VS IMO surface detail in early betas was much more interesting than what we have now. Although craters for example looked a little cartoonish, overall planets had more memorable detail, variation and character to them. Some even simulating Voronoi-like erosion features.
Now the surface variation is quite lacking, everything looks bland and blurry even with custom ini tweaks.
[url=http://imgur.com/BJri4Uk]
[/url]
Now the surface variation is quite lacking, everything looks bland and blurry even with custom ini tweaks.
[url=http://imgur.com/BJri4Uk][/url]Pretty self-explanatory.
VS 
VS Most stations orbiting ringed planets, share the same plane with rings themselves thus making rings invisible and denying us beautiful views like this. Introduce some axial tilt please. That would really help battle the visual repetition in this vast galaxy.
Most stations/outposts orbit their hosts at a very high orbit. Why is that? Can we get more stations orbiting near planets so we could all enjoy nice views? Again, that would really help battle the visual repetition in this vast galaxy.
Notice how dim red star colours the planet and the roid belt.
Not anymore (also check how bad the ice ring looks, blurry as hell).
Not anymore (also check how bad the ice ring looks, blurry as hell).
IIRC in some beta stage there was that amazing shield ripple effect which occurred every time the shield received any damage.
Now it only occurs for a split second when shields are about to go down. Each hit on shields is accompanied by a basic blue splash like this. Video evidence of it's previous behaviour would be much appreciated.
Interiors are much brighter and washed out. Since there's no self shadowing inside the station either, much of original mood previously gained through lower brightness and darker palette is lost and nothing gained in return.
VS
VS
Already mentioned but...
Somehow gas giants in system view look much better than in an actual game. Notice the reasonably bright lightning and the amount of small details in atmosphere preserved by it.
In game they are too dark and contrasty, sometimes almost inky black. This absolutely destroys the little detail touches, subtle patterns. Overall lighting looks unappealing.
In game they are too dark and contrasty, sometimes almost inky black. This absolutely destroys the little detail touches, subtle patterns. Overall lighting looks unappealing.
Why not use some of that tessellation magic so bodies without atmosphere would actually appear rounded? Now there are visible edges like in Freelancer.
Why in the year 2015 should I use some other software to force it in this game? It's not really taxing with most modern video cards. It's not some new experimental feature, it existed at least in the times of Half Life 1 IIRC. And yet it's still not available in Elite.
P.S. I find it disgusting how some apologists here (and even some devs) always try to sweep this under the rug with B-BUT MUH OPTIMISATION!!1.
First of all, that's what video settings in PC games are for. Elite is a modern PC game, right?
Second, considering how much Braben likes to boast about "future proofing" and "10 year plan for Elite" and how PC's grow stronger and stronger, shouldn't the game actually improve it's visual fidelity, not compromise and squander it?
Thanks CMDR Commander! This is a very good compilation and the differences are enormous. It is very hard to understand these 'optimization' decisions, especially when you could adjust the settings to your own comfort.
Wow haven't seen some of those, I Really want the planet details, High Orbit Stations, Roid details/density man it's crazy that Beta graphics = better than release what an odd situation. maybe it's a Brit thing? back to forwards?
EDIT: and now that I have seen more that can't be unseen,, the game feels....less
Last edited:
@CMDR Commander: my theory is that the quality reductions since premium beta are due to previous desperate attempts to get in control of the Stutter issue.
Hopefully, after FD find the real issue behind stutter and fix it, they will find the confidence to raise the quality levels again...
The improved planet draw distance after changing the shader rendering is hopeful.
Hopefully, after FD find the real issue behind stutter and fix it, they will find the confidence to raise the quality levels again...
The improved planet draw distance after changing the shader rendering is hopeful.
Last edited:
Thanks CMDR Commander, these are some great shots! It really saddens me to see what we have lost since Alpha / Premium Beta. People keep talking about 'optimization'. But already the game looks nothing like it once did. How far will it be reduced before they are happy with performance! Also, a lot of people comment that these changes may only be temporary. Well in some cases, those early screenshots are taken from builds that are close to a year old now. I remember playing them, and I never had any issue with performance, and neither did many other people. I understand a lot of people did have issues and still do. The "still do" part is the biggest cause for concern, because if this massive reduction still hasn't fixed things for people - where are we going to end up?
I'm just glad I got to play the game when it looked like that. Truth is, this is the reason why you see so many alpha and beta players commenting on the current state of the graphics, because we remember what the game used to look like!
I will admit it still looks great in a lot of places, and in some places the visuals really have been improved. But CMDR Commander's screenshots show what has been lost.
This is my hope as well. We have seen Frontier reduce graphic quality before, only to bring it back vastly improved at a later date. However some of these changes were made way before release, and we still haven't seen a return to them yet. I also agree with you, and suspect it may be related to the stuttering issues.
I'm just glad I got to play the game when it looked like that. Truth is, this is the reason why you see so many alpha and beta players commenting on the current state of the graphics, because we remember what the game used to look like!
I will admit it still looks great in a lot of places, and in some places the visuals really have been improved. But CMDR Commander's screenshots show what has been lost.
This is my hope as well. We have seen Frontier reduce graphic quality before, only to bring it back vastly improved at a later date. However some of these changes were made way before release, and we still haven't seen a return to them yet. I also agree with you, and suspect it may be related to the stuttering issues.
Last edited:
Yea I can understand, from watching your early video's from even before I bought the game you can see some difference's now, but some of these screenshot's are just holy cow in the difference.
Maybe at some point, we will get some of it back. But either way, it sure would be nice to hear from Frontier on the matter.
Don't hold your breath. The FD communications flow is reaching new levels of abysmally bad
This is the most annoying thing about this game. I remember it looking great in the Rift, and now it's just kinda "meh" (although it runs better, but then I have a 980ti, so...)
FDev, give us sliders! Rings with 2d lod decals are NOT worth losing the awe previously inspired by the infinitely huge rings in alpha and beta!
FDev, give us sliders! Rings with 2d lod decals are NOT worth losing the awe previously inspired by the infinitely huge rings in alpha and beta!
Its not just low performing machines, good machines experience the same issues as everyone else, just try to be in a place with 10+ CMDRs and see if your fps is going to be stable.
The game needs optimization, badly... because everyone lags randomly, either approaching planets or when in very populated areas.
But isn't that more a network peer to peer problem, than a graphic matter?
We don't know for sure, some people are suspecting it is related to high latency/networking because it doesn't lag that much in solo/empty systems, also things like docking requests dropping frames for nothing.
But thats about it, suspicions.. no one has proof that it is actually caused by the networking or badly optimized something else.
Last edited:
Yes, this isn't related to graphics - strictly P2P network problems.
I really appreciate the performance plus since the 1.3 Patch,
but i really thought about that too: Where did the more FPS came from? Because i noticed the LOD changes too, especially in the RES Rings.
(And yes already missed the lighting and the density we had in Beta before.)
So obviously it is just a "tweaked the detail down" solution, instead of optimizing the engines code to run faster in many parts.
But there has to be a ultra option with ultra graphics in the graphics menu instead of just trim ultra down to high or even medium.
The Engine itself is outdated with its 32bit maximum of 2 GB of VRAM ussage.
You noticed it when turning the graphics over 3x Super Sampling, then some textures were just loaded as very low versions of them, because of that cap.
And since 1.3 i just can't get over 2x. That seems the Frontier way of fixing this kind of things.
I still like the game and also the graphics. Many things had been improved since beta but others got worse.
But i slowly feel my enthusiasm for this game slowly declining. Powerplay also is more of a MEH solution as it costs me more credits and time then its rewards me with itself.
So i wonder what Frontier will announce at the GamesCom. Because this will be determine the future of the game i think and could be the last chance to rescue it for the many already bored away players.
Because punishing players for not spending their entire free time with a game isn't necessary the best way to keep them interested over a long period of time. (Reputation and Merit decay ftw!)
but i really thought about that too: Where did the more FPS came from? Because i noticed the LOD changes too, especially in the RES Rings.
(And yes already missed the lighting and the density we had in Beta before.)
So obviously it is just a "tweaked the detail down" solution, instead of optimizing the engines code to run faster in many parts.
But there has to be a ultra option with ultra graphics in the graphics menu instead of just trim ultra down to high or even medium.
The Engine itself is outdated with its 32bit maximum of 2 GB of VRAM ussage.
You noticed it when turning the graphics over 3x Super Sampling, then some textures were just loaded as very low versions of them, because of that cap.
And since 1.3 i just can't get over 2x. That seems the Frontier way of fixing this kind of things.
I still like the game and also the graphics. Many things had been improved since beta but others got worse.
But i slowly feel my enthusiasm for this game slowly declining. Powerplay also is more of a MEH solution as it costs me more credits and time then its rewards me with itself.
So i wonder what Frontier will announce at the GamesCom. Because this will be determine the future of the game i think and could be the last chance to rescue it for the many already bored away players.
Because punishing players for not spending their entire free time with a game isn't necessary the best way to keep them interested over a long period of time. (Reputation and Merit decay ftw!)
Last edited:
I am not sure. I never had stutter before but I do now.
Did not had issues with preformance ealier(all maxed since day one), so why they nerf graphs? Why there is no "Ultra High" options? Only thing they did good with Graphs on 1.3x was fixing that wierd shadows on phytons and anacondas... rest its just... ugly.
Play demo, first training mission.... then go back into 1.3 and grab sidewinder and find ice ring, make pics on both, compare. Demo looks much more better? Why? After near a year, it supposed to be better than in demo! Yet, such downgrade. What a Shame.
Barben says(AMA2): "Yes. It is an optimisation to pre-calculate shaders - and it should help lower end cards and laptops especially. The guys have been doing a great job in improving performance."
We say, The guys did not so good brah. Looks like another desperate move to gain more mone...err, players.
Frontier2Troll4life Aka Frontroll.
Play demo, first training mission.... then go back into 1.3 and grab sidewinder and find ice ring, make pics on both, compare. Demo looks much more better? Why? After near a year, it supposed to be better than in demo! Yet, such downgrade. What a Shame.
Barben says(AMA2): "Yes. It is an optimisation to pre-calculate shaders - and it should help lower end cards and laptops especially. The guys have been doing a great job in improving performance."
We say, The guys did not so good brah. Looks like another desperate move to gain more mone...err, players.
Frontier2Troll4life Aka Frontroll.
Last edited:
Still no response from any developer as yet?
I'm starting to get a little worried, simply because no dev has even given us any explanations. To be honest even if it was company waffle I would accept it (sort of not.. but would be something), as much as I wouldn't like that kind of copy and paste response, but then again surely Frontier haven't forgot about the Kickstarter/Alpha/Beta backers which this thread's posts, comments and research mostly consists of. It was US that ultimately played a significant role in getting this game off the ground in the first place, so no, any bull reply wouldn't suffice so they know not to patronise us with anything of the like and treat us in that manner. So...
This leaves us with a rather strange scenario. Why haven't they responded? If it IS clearly something that is going to be resolved eventually, as in we are currently going through an "optimization" phase then that's fine, I'm sure we'd all accept this and feel much better about things, but why haven't they simply announced this kind of reply/explanation?
As to a different reason, we simply don't know do we, really, we can make assumptions and speculate till the thargoids come home, but this is starting to make me feel uneasy.
Why I myself am starting to become a little miffed?.... simply I bought in to Elite Dangerous primarily because I knew it was a game that was going to suit me completely. But.... in some respects I presumed being designed for PC platform first and foremost, (then undoubtedly console ported thereafter that's fine), as long as it's still the best it can be on the original platform, superb, brilliant, perfect!
So with these assumptions in mind and without boring you all too intentionally... I've been buying over the past year (since buying the Alpha), components for an "Uber" rig to play this game, realising, wow this looks amazing, dropping in to a dense asteroid belt and the game dropping to 10fps at best (and I don't play anything else, just this believe it or not, trust me believe it, I love it. As sad as it might be EVERYTHING else has taken a back seat). So I pretty much got the whole rig online a couple of months ago after much cost and patience looking forward to the occasion I would be revisiting these amazing places now I've a computer that can handle it.
Now it would seem I could have stuck with my old pc that would have ran the game just as easy. Some may say I've completely wasted my money building this new rig for the purpose of playing Elite itself, but as the game currently stands I didn't need to spend all this money on a rig to play this game!
Some may say that's a good thing, yes I agree, but surely a PC game is supposed to have the option to push even the best pc rigs out there. So give us a true Ultra option for those of us who can play it. Why they would not do this I have no answers.
Leaving my own frustrations aside, please Frontier with the greatest respect, respond in some form to the others on this thread, this silence does nothing to eleviate us original backers' worries, if anything the exact opposite. At the very least you owe us some text.
I will continue to be playing this game, even in its current form and even if it stays this way, it's still an amazing achievement, but somehow/somewhere down the line it has lost its graphical edge which is a huge shame.
I'm starting to get a little worried, simply because no dev has even given us any explanations. To be honest even if it was company waffle I would accept it (sort of not.. but would be something), as much as I wouldn't like that kind of copy and paste response, but then again surely Frontier haven't forgot about the Kickstarter/Alpha/Beta backers which this thread's posts, comments and research mostly consists of. It was US that ultimately played a significant role in getting this game off the ground in the first place, so no, any bull reply wouldn't suffice so they know not to patronise us with anything of the like and treat us in that manner. So...
This leaves us with a rather strange scenario. Why haven't they responded? If it IS clearly something that is going to be resolved eventually, as in we are currently going through an "optimization" phase then that's fine, I'm sure we'd all accept this and feel much better about things, but why haven't they simply announced this kind of reply/explanation?
As to a different reason, we simply don't know do we, really, we can make assumptions and speculate till the thargoids come home, but this is starting to make me feel uneasy.
Why I myself am starting to become a little miffed?.... simply I bought in to Elite Dangerous primarily because I knew it was a game that was going to suit me completely. But.... in some respects I presumed being designed for PC platform first and foremost, (then undoubtedly console ported thereafter that's fine), as long as it's still the best it can be on the original platform, superb, brilliant, perfect!
So with these assumptions in mind and without boring you all too intentionally... I've been buying over the past year (since buying the Alpha), components for an "Uber" rig to play this game, realising, wow this looks amazing, dropping in to a dense asteroid belt and the game dropping to 10fps at best (and I don't play anything else, just this believe it or not, trust me believe it, I love it. As sad as it might be EVERYTHING else has taken a back seat). So I pretty much got the whole rig online a couple of months ago after much cost and patience looking forward to the occasion I would be revisiting these amazing places now I've a computer that can handle it.
Now it would seem I could have stuck with my old pc that would have ran the game just as easy. Some may say I've completely wasted my money building this new rig for the purpose of playing Elite itself, but as the game currently stands I didn't need to spend all this money on a rig to play this game!
Some may say that's a good thing, yes I agree, but surely a PC game is supposed to have the option to push even the best pc rigs out there. So give us a true Ultra option for those of us who can play it. Why they would not do this I have no answers.
Leaving my own frustrations aside, please Frontier with the greatest respect, respond in some form to the others on this thread, this silence does nothing to eleviate us original backers' worries, if anything the exact opposite. At the very least you owe us some text.
I will continue to be playing this game, even in its current form and even if it stays this way, it's still an amazing achievement, but somehow/somewhere down the line it has lost its graphical edge which is a huge shame.
Some more official screenshots from the Newsletter #34, it happened 11 months ago by the way.
Some links are broken there, so here is goes. Look at the textures.
http://i.cubeupload.com/EHnpdd.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/8axkLp.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/4xUSyQ.jpg
AFAIK those never were in the game builds that get to us, but screenshots themselves look genuine and in-engine.
EDIT: NEWS JUST IN, current screenshot, http://i.imgur.com/PfaJWsI.png , maybe I'm just no accustomed to these shiny, tropical stations.
Some links are broken there, so here is goes. Look at the textures.
http://i.cubeupload.com/EHnpdd.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/8axkLp.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/4xUSyQ.jpg
AFAIK those never were in the game builds that get to us, but screenshots themselves look genuine and in-engine.
EDIT: NEWS JUST IN, current screenshot, http://i.imgur.com/PfaJWsI.png , maybe I'm just no accustomed to these shiny, tropical stations.
Last edited:
- Status