A graphic engineer found the cause of low FPS: rendering/culling

[Falcon91]

So I'll direct everyone to here.

Frontier Developments Reviews

38 Frontier Developments reviews. A free inside look at company reviews and salaries posted anonymously by employees.

www.glassdoor.ca

Go ahead and read the reviews of former employee's you'll see the issues with Odyssey start with the culture of work that Frontier has, that David and other upper exec's have caused within their company.

I'll quote from one.

-Pay is woeful considering Cambridge rent prices
-morale is at an all time low
- it seems as if most of the staff has left the company out of frustration/boredom. The handful I know are much happier elsewhere enjoying better work and higher salaries.
-Uncompetitive in most ways
-Tricky to work with inhouse Cobra engine
-One of the worst engines i've ever used from an art perspective
-No much of a focus on good looking art
-Some employees aren't suited to their role, especially some art directors.
-Outsource is rampant, I have friends that have gone 8+ months without doing any artwork, instead they're giving feedback to outsource artists. it never ends, they're not once thrown a bone....
-Senior/lead staff have made indecent comments to members of their team.
-Seems to be less of a focus on their own IPs as of late.
-Can go almost a year without a performance review. -Mass hiring to fill vacant seats....usually low paid inexperienced grads who's first stint in the industry is to work as clean up crew for legacy content. shame.

This is the cons of the review and this is from a current employee.

If Fdev has a culture of work where Senior and leads are making indecent comments to members of the team, they need to be removed full stop, that's not a leader. A leader doesn't sit there and make indecent comments in a work place, they stop them, they take care of their employee's concerns and everything I've read on glassdoor shows me that Frontier would be a horrible place to work at.

This all above contributes to the overall culture at Frontier, and translates over to projects (Elite, Jurassic world, and others Fdev develops/published). If I had a boss who was making indecent comments towards me, my work would falter as well, in fact I have been in a company where I had bosses who didn't care for their employee's and treated them like crap till their morale went, and they quit or were fired due to it.

Frontiers artists (Who you will see on glassdoor as well) have also stated similar things to the part I quoted above. So the fundamental problem, is Frontiers work culture itself.

E:
As of posting this Frontiers Stock price on the market has dropped by 165 GBP

Overall in the last 5 days Frontiers stock has lost close to 500 dollars off of it's stock price from 2900+ GBP to trending to dip below 2500 GBP.

 

[CMDR Nef]

Speaking of stocks, oof there goes my own, lol.

 

[Falcon91]

Speaking of stocks, oof there goes my own, lol.
View attachment 231749

Just mentioned this in my edit above there, They've lost in the past 5 days close to 500 GBP off of their stock price.

 

[CMDR Nef]

Just mentioned this in my edit above there, They've lost in the past 5 days close to 500 GBP off of their stock price.

I invested a few years ago when I thought Elite was going to be big, so it's basically nothing off my back these days, just a few hundred bucks, pocket change, but man that sure is dropping fast.

I always hear people rushing things out like "Ooo we gotta make money we gotta make money we're not making a big enough profit this year" then they do this and lose it all, lol. Take it slow, people. I get that time is money, and your dollar can devalue the longer a project takes, but better a good result that turns money than folding your company over it. Not that Frontier will ever come close to folding, but you get the idea.

 

[Falcon91]

I invested a few years ago when I thought Elite was going to be big, so it's basically nothing off my back these days, just a few hundred bucks, pocket change, but man that sure is dropping fast.

It is, that trend in the last 5 days of 100 dollars per day is bad, I'd get out if you're ahead if I was you for now, and buy again when it goes lower.

I always hear people rushing things out like "Ooo we gotta make money we gotta make money we're not making a big enough profit this year" then they do this and lose it all, lol. Take it slow, people.

100% this, I know modders that take more time to do things than Fdev has...

 

[CMDR Nef]

It is, that trend in the last 5 days of 100 dollars per day is bad, I'd get out if you're ahead if I was you for now, and buy again when it goes lower.



100% this, I know modders that take more time to do things than Fdev has...

I did consider pulling out right as Odyssey launched, then re-buying when the stock was at its lowest, as I expected things to go south. The alpha was not good, and I knew it wasn't going to be received well. I tried to tell people, lol. Since the money was so old though I just kinda sat on it. That was like 2015 when I put that in there.

 

[Falcon91]

I love reading claims like this.. We, the shareholders of Fdev were not consulted about the release date, not did we push for it to release. You've got not one iota of proof to back your claims, but are more than happy to throw the shareholders under the bus. This was a management decision, not something that we shareholders get involved in.

Actually shareholders are involved due to annual reports.

Fdev put on there that Odyssey was going to be released Q2 this year after being pushed back from last year, so if they had have pushed it back farther, while small shareholders like you might not be upset, the big ones that make up a larger % of it will be asking David, the COO, and the CFO why they didn't keep their word to releasing things or why they didn't make you money back when they said they would.

 

[CMDR Nef]

It is, that trend in the last 5 days of 100 dollars per day is bad, I'd get out if you're ahead if I was you for now, and buy again when it goes lower.



100% this, I know modders that take more time to do things than Fdev has...

That's one nice thing I love about modders. They often have all the time in the world, and we always get amazing work like Awakening of the Rebellion or Ultimate Apocalypse.

Stock game vs mod.

 

[Kelster87]

A bit defensive. Alright, I suppose I'll bite. I wasn't talking about Frontier here, I was talking about Cyberpunk. Also, I said big wig looking to impress investors, not shareholders being upset, if you think the first part was directed at you somehow. Management. We said the same thing, yet you got mad at me. Shareholders was referring to Cyberpunk. I would also like to add that CDPR's majority holders are their own management. Also I suppose I'll return in kind, any proof you're a bigshot with majority in the company? If so, what are you doing in a place like this?

Nope, I'm a very minor shareholder, something that happened after I flapped my gums on here. I guess I just picked your comment as the one to respond to, there's been a few pointing fingers at shareholders and it's misguided. I don't own enough to have any say.. And even in the company I do, all I get is to vote for Board members - unless I want to be one. Hell, FDev's shareholders don't need to be that greedy, it's a good earner for the most part. If I sold now, even with the recent dip in price, I'd end up about 8-9% ahead.

 

[CMDR Nef]

Actually shareholders are involved due to annual reports.

Fdev put on there that Odyssey was going to be released Q2 this year after being pushed back from last year, so if they had have pushed it back farther, while small shareholders like you might not be upset, the big ones that make up a larger % of it will be asking David, the COO, and the CFO why they didn't keep their word to releasing things or why they didn't make you money back when they said they would.

Reminds me of what someone said in another thread when asked about why shareholders matter in the grand scheme of things. Most of us don't, like me with my couple shares. But if you own enough of a company, you have rights to many things. Big shareholders often get positions on the board of directors and get an actual hand in the going on of the company.

"I think the financial pressure was 100% there. The company management absolutely has a duty to the shareholders without anyone having to say anything. That is the job of corporate management, to satisfy and serve the interests of shareholders. What exactly that means, of course, is up for interpretation.

And in basic financial terms, when you make a limited number of products, a year or more delay in the product is huge. Every day you delay getting a dollar devalues that dollar in the business world. This is why almost every major game dev releases a product that isn’t necessarily perfect. At a certain point delays become bad business."

 

[CMDR Nef]

Nope, I'm a very minor shareholder, something that happened after I flapped my gums on here. I guess I just picked your comment as the one to respond to, there's been a few pointing fingers at shareholders and it's misguided. I don't own enough to have any say.. And even in the company I do, all I get is to vote for Board members - unless I want to be one. Hell, FDev's shareholders don't need to be that greedy, it's a good earner for the most part. If I sold now, even with the recent dip in price, I'd end up about 8-9% ahead.

Same here, I've just got a few shares, nothing wild. Braben certainly won't listen to me. xD Oh hey I just mentioned that above, yeah, about the board. I wonder how much it'd cost to for us to get a position, lol. Likely far more than I'd make in my life. And it's all good, forums have been a bit on edge cause of Odyssey's launch. I've been an avid fan and even I tried to get a refund until later, lol.

 

[keas66]

I looked at those glassdoor reviews and see a lot of positve reviews and a few folks with some issues . I kind of find it hilarious that you only focus on the negative reviews as if you have discovered some sort of rosetta stone to explain "your" problems with Elite Dangerous Odyssey . You guys really need to take a chill pill and stop it with all these negative waves .

 

[CMDR Nef]

I looked at those glassdoor reviews and see a lot of positve reviews and a few folks with some issues . I kind of find it hilarious that you only focus on the negative reviews as if you have discovered some sort of rosetta stone to explain "your" problems with Elite Dangerous Odyssey . You guys really need to take a chill pill and stop it with all these negative waves .

I haven't really said anything, but just wanted to say all of my thoughts were self-formed via the alpha, advertising, and final product released to market. It's not just "frontier sux" as to why the game is sitting at 70% negative reviews. There are a lot of genuine problems. While Yamiks overplays things for comedic value, he makes some actual real points regarding issues with Odyssey, though I'd listen to more tame people like OA. Never heard him sound so disappointed in something before, he's usually quite restrained.

 

[Falcon91]

I looked at those glassdoor reviews and see a lot of positve reviews and a few folks with some issues . I kind of find it hilarious that you only focus on the negative reviews as if you have discovered some sort of rosetta stone to explain "your" problems with Elite Dangerous Odyssey . You guys really need to take a chill pill and stop it with all these negative waves .

Even the positive reviews point out that management doesn't listen which is part of the work culture issue.

If management won't listen, won't take feedback from employee's about projects, isn't prioritizing employee moral, and are making indecent comments then they aren't leaders, they're yes people, who make horrible leaders.

A true leader in a company will stick up for their team, a lot of the issues as well with them keeping staff if you even read the reviews which I'm assuming you didn't look over a few pages of them, is wages. The company doesn't pay enough to keep good talent around, therefore you have the issue of not retaining experienced staff members who actually KNOW how to code in the engine, how to fix the issues.

Nearly every critical review brings up that people are leaving the company for better places because there is no incentive to stay with the company, which means they are bleeding talent because upper management doesn't appreciate the employee's nor do they actually give bonuses on time (This is mentioned in about 15 reviews on there) or that reports are delayed sometimes not done etc...

There is plenty of critical on there, I've worked for a company that had similar reviews where there were positives, but once you dig through you see the same things mentioned time and time again, which is work culture issues, pay issues, and management constantly not listening to employee's.

 

[CMDR Nef]

Even the positive reviews point out that management doesn't listen which is part of the work culture issue.

If management won't listen, won't take feedback from employee's about projects, isn't prioritizing employee moral, and are making indecent comments then they aren't leaders, they're yes people, who make horrible leaders.

A true leader in a company will stick up for their team, a lot of the issues as well with them keeping staff if you even read the reviews which I'm assuming you didn't look over a few pages of them, is wages. The company doesn't pay enough to keep good talent around, therefore you have the issue of not retaining experienced staff members who actually KNOW how to code in the engine, how to fix the issues.

Nearly every critical review brings up that people are leaving the company for better places because there is no incentive to stay with the company, which means they are bleeding talent because upper management doesn't appreciate the employee's nor do they actually give bonuses on time (This is mentioned in about 15 reviews on there) or that reports are delayed sometimes not done etc...

There is plenty of critical on there, I've worked for a company that had similar reviews where there were positives, but once you dig through you see the same things mentioned time and time again, which is work culture issues, pay issues, and management constantly not listening to employee's.

Reading this makes me feel better about Star Citizen, lol. I always hear that Chris sticks up for things and the teams are cohesive and long standing.

 

[Kelster87]

I haven't really said anything, but just wanted to say all of my thoughts were self-formed via the alpha, advertising, and final product released to market. It's not just "frontier sux" as to why the game is sitting at 70% negative reviews. There are a lot of genuine problems. While Yamiks overplays things for comedic value, he makes some actual real points regarding issues with Odyssey, though I'd listen to more tame people like OA. Never heard him sound so disappointed in something before, he's usually quite restrained.

Yeah, EDO has some issues, technical and marketing. Given my Alpha experience and the comments from devs and CM's, I expected a little more from the release. I'm not going to scream "DOOM!" just yet, I'll give them some time. Although I do wonder what they are going to do to marry all the bits together in the long term. ED is a half-baked cake with dodgy decorating..

 

[CMDR Nef]

Yeah, EDO has some issues, technical and marketing. Given my Alpha experience and the comments from devs and CM's, I expected a little more from the release. I'm not going to scream "DOOM!" just yet, I'll give them some time. Although I do wonder what they are going to do to marry all the bits together in the long term. ED is a half-baked cake with dodgy decorating..

That's basically been my main concern with ED since like 2016. They make cool new things, but kinda half make them, then never really return to them. So many systems really need another pass, like powerplay and multicrew. Horizons has a plethora of things that need some additional love. It'd be like taking the current exobiology, and just leaving it exactly as is, for the next 3 years. Just this shallow shell of what it should be. I really want them to go back and build up the game where it really needs it.

 

[Falcon91]

. They make cool new things, but kinda half make them, then never really return to them.

This is literally one of the things that people cite on glassdoor... Like you think if it's out in public Braben would work to change the culture that's in the place.

 

[Lance Corrimal]

Good good - so all they have to do is more optimisation. Still want them to fix the game-breaking bugs first.

From where I stand the performance issue is the number one game-breaking bug - my rig is good enough to run horizons in ultra, or something like Black Desert Online in the highest settings with good performance - but odyssey? I've gone down as far as "low" and still unplayable o.0

Add to that the fact that for some reason the support section on the frontier store has NO option for opening a new ticket no matter what browser I use, and this starts feeling like a scam. Cyberpunk 2077, anyone?

Seriously, how do you request a refund on the frontier store, when there is no way to contact them that is easy to find?

 

[Mogen Teras]

From where I stand the performance issue is the number one game-breaking bug - my rig is good enough to run horizons in ultra, or something like Black Desert Online in the highest settings with good performance - but odyssey? I've gone down as far as "low" and still unplayable o.0

Add to that the fact that for some reason the support section on the frontier store has NO option for opening a new ticket no matter what browser I use, and this starts feeling like a scam. Cyberpunk 2077, anyone?

Seriously, how do you request a refund on the frontier store, when there is no way to contact them that is easy to find?

It's hard to contact them on purpose. If it's a pain in the butt to contact them, it means there's a higher likelihood you'll get exasperated and give up, thus saving them from a refund.

That's basically been my main concern with ED since like 2016. They make cool new things, but kinda half make them, then never really return to them. So many systems really need another pass, like powerplay and multicrew. Horizons has a plethora of things that need some additional love. It'd be like taking the current exobiology, and just leaving it exactly as is, for the next 3 years. Just this shallow shell of what it should be. I really want them to go back and build up the game where it really needs it.

Man it's just like Warframe in that regard.