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Dragon's Dogma Demo Impressions

My guess of not quite 30fps for the 360 version was pretty good.

If there aren't any optimisations in the final build I'll just wait it out for a PC version.
 
http://ps360.ldblog.jp/archives/53618921.html

360 Avg:28.014fps Min-Max:23.0-30.0fps Tear:27.391%(27.391%)
PS3 Avg:23.512fps Min-Max:18.0-30.5fps Tear:0.000%(0.000%)

That amount of tearing sucks ass but i'll take it over such a low framerate.

Such a low framerate? Really? It's avg of 4 frames less from the 360 build. I doubt most people would even notice unless they had the framerate ticker right there in the upper screen.

Compare that to tearing that's prevelant almost 30 percent of the time! That's almost War for Cybertron PS3 levels of tearing (or AssCreed), which is almost every other damn frame. It's digusting as far as picture quality goes and I honestly wish devs would just not release the sku or at least make SOME sort of concession to get vsync in there, whether that be subHD or whatever.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
Such a low framerate? Really? It's avg of 4 frames less from the 360 build. I doubt most people would even notice unless they had the framerate ticker right there in the upper screen.

Compare that to tearing that's prevelant almost 30 percent of the time! That's almost War for Cybertron PS3 levels of tearing (or AssCreed), which is almost every other damn frame. It's digusting as far as picture quality goes and I honestly wish devs would just not release the sku or at least make SOME sort of concession to get vsync in there, whether that be subHD or whatever.

I think the game already is subHD, and that's why it has the big black borders.

I'm sensitive to tearing and it is not that severe, I didn't see any the first time through and only did when I specifically stood still and constantly rotated the camera around the scenery. It's on 720p, so I'll try it with 1080p and see if it really makes that much of a difference.
 

NBtoaster

Member
Such a low framerate? Really? It's avg of 4 frames less from the 360 build. I doubt most people would even notice unless they had the framerate ticker right there in the upper screen.

Compare that to tearing that's prevelant almost 30 percent of the time! That's almost War for Cybertron PS3 levels of tearing (or AssCreed), which is almost every other damn frame. It's digusting as far as picture quality goes and I honestly wish devs would just not release the sku or at least make SOME sort of concession to get vsync in there, whether that be subHD or whatever.

Averages are misleading. You need to take into account where the frames drop and tear, and where the tears happen on screen.

While killing the griffin the PS3 is chugging at around 20fps, while the 360 is 25-28, though the tearing is noticable. Imagine if all big monsters are like that. PS3 is already triple buffered so it will have more latency than 360 without ~20fps increasing it further.
 

GenericUser

Member
Finally had the chance to play the demo. I did not like it as much as I hoped I would.

The word that imo describes the demo best is "chaotic".

Especially the second part where you fight against the gryphon while its getting darker and darker really disappointed me. At the end, I was basically just mashing the square button, watching the HP bar decreasing, throwing in a healing potion from time to time.

Also a let down: no lock on. Why?

Also, I absolutely hated the vassals (i hate NPC companions in general), they added little to the experience while taking away all the fun. They clutter the left part of the screen with stupid one liners and they kill all the enemies I was supposed to. I really hate this. They are also constantly blocking my view. What is the intended purpose of these vassals? I do not get it.

After the demo, I decided to not buy this game. I had way more fun with the Kingdoms of Amalur demo.
 
I'm playing Kingdoms of Amalur right now, but I feel like DD will be the better game. Both games sport very good combat - it's just that I prefer the mechanics and animations in DD much more.
 
To be honest most of your complaints are easily dealt with.

Equip the lantern, kill your pawns (or wait til you can just not have them)

Turn off all the extra hud crap

etc.
 
Finally had the chance to play the demo. I did not like it as much as I hoped I would.

The word that imo describes the demo best is "chaotic".

Especially the second part where you fight against the gryphon while its getting darker and darker really disappointed me. At the end, I was basically just mashing the square button, watching the HP bar decreasing, throwing in a healing potion from time to time.

Also a let down: no lock on. Why?

Also, I absolutely hated the vassals (i hate NPC companions in general), they added little to the experience while taking away all the fun. They clutter the left part of the screen with stupid one liners and they kill all the enemies I was supposed to. I really hate this. They are also constantly blocking my view. What is the intended purpose of these vassals? I do not get it.

After the demo, I decided to not buy this game. I had way more fun with the Kingdoms of Amalur demo.

This is absolutely my experience with the demo too. Really wanted to love the game, but playing the demo has pretty much killed my interest. I will still check out full game impressions, because my natural inclination is always to play as a mage, so I'd be interested to hear how that pans out. Unfortunately even if mage gameplay is awesome it probably won't stop those super-annoying NPC companions from arsing things up. Of course if it does turn out that you really can succeed in the game without them I might still be tempted.
 

ForzaFerrari

Neo Member
I'm playing Kingdoms of Amalur right now, but I feel like DD will be the better game. Both games sport very good combat - it's just that I prefer the mechanics and animations in DD much more.

Me too, and it's an awesome well made game! But I can't wait to lay my hands on this beast :D
 

Anteater

Member
I'm stuck on what the highest level assassin abilities could be. like a x5 bomb to plant ... or a flying death leap ... crazy critical strike chances...sooo curious.

Yeah, not sure how it will play either, because assassin sound more like a solo class in concept, they do more damage at night, and I think they have a cloaking move (unconfirmed, but it's on their JP website), so it doesn't make sense to have like a group of dudes killing everything in your way, lol
 

Anteater

Member
Also a let down: no lock on. Why?

I don't find the lack of lock on that much of a problem, other than the fact you have to adjust your camera all the time but I like it that way since I would have one less thing to worry about when I play as archer and I could freely aim and move however I want, it's pretty much configured like any other tps but with meleeing, one thing that's harder without lock on is blocking and parrying, since you will have to turn around whenever you want to back away, the problem is that you will need to hold the shield to face the same direction if you want to back away from an enemy which also stops your stamina gain, but as far as controls it feels like I don't need a lock on to play it well, I never used it in bayonetta either.

Also, the controller is out of buttons to spare, unless they take away sheathing.
 
I don't find the lack of lock on that much of a problem, other than the fact you have to adjust your camera all the time but I like it that way since I would have one less thing to worry about when I play as archer and I could freely aim and move however I want, it's pretty much configured like any other tps but with meleeing, one thing that's harder without lock on is blocking and parrying, since you will have to turn around whenever you want to back away, the problem is that you will need to hold the shield to face the same direction if you want to back away from an enemy which also stops your stamina gain, but as far as controls it feels like I don't need a lock on to play it well, I never used it in bayonetta either.

Also, the controller is out of buttons to spare, unless they take away sheathing.

If they were to take away sheathing, I'd rather L2 be used to turn either the dpad or face buttons into item hot keys. Lock on is entirely unnecessary, whereas item hot keys would be a huge convenience.
 

Schwabe

Member
Finally had the chance to play the demo. I did not like it as much as I hoped I would.

The word that imo describes the demo best is "chaotic".

Especially the second part where you fight against the gryphon while its getting darker and darker really disappointed me. At the end, I was basically just mashing the square button, watching the HP bar decreasing, throwing in a healing potion from time to time.

Also a let down: no lock on. Why?

Also, I absolutely hated the vassals (i hate NPC companions in general), they added little to the experience while taking away all the fun. They clutter the left part of the screen with stupid one liners and they kill all the enemies I was supposed to. I really hate this. They are also constantly blocking my view. What is the intended purpose of these vassals? I do not get it.

After the demo, I decided to not buy this game. I had way more fun with the Kingdoms of Amalur demo.

- you don't have to hire pawns, just roll with one main pawn ... or even without any ... but you are missing a central part of the game then.
- i don't see a problem with pawn subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyDQaSjAd-4&hd=1&t=40s
- lock on? not necessary, just too easy then... magick archer has skills with lock on though...
- if you are just mashing one button, so don't complain. it's like in call of duty online. camping is effective, but cheesy. if you do like it, then do it, but don't complain about beeing boring O,o
- when pawns block your view, send them away (d-pad up) and move yourself ... i played the demo several times (you should do that too) and haven't had your experience.

it's really funny, how people play the demo one time and judge the whole game after... i remember doing it so with monster hunter. there i played 1 hour and paused for a week, because i thought it's garbage. i tried it again and stuck for more than 1500h ...

There is no problem with not liking a game, but to see how many people complain about the same stuff (i.e. pawn subtitles) just makes me laugh...
 
I've just tried the 360 demo too, and I must say that it is much, much better than the ps3 version.

The frame rate drops when the action becomes chaotic, but for the most part it is 30 fps, while the ps3 version is costantly under 30 fps and drops more often, which is really bad to look at.

Then there is the tearing. It's not that annoying, but I've tried setting the video output to 720p and it was almost completely gone. Really, with the output set to 720p it's very rare to notice some tearing... I just noticed it one or two times during the prologue, and none in the open field quest.

So, judging from the demo, the 360 version is way better, but who knows if those are older builds and it has been improved since.
 
Is this game coming out for the PC? I enjoyed the PS3 demo, much to my surprise actually as I wasn't expecting much, but found the framerate particularly poor (like many console games these days, unfortunately). At least there was no tearing though, which is a personal pet hate of mine. Still, I'd only buy it for the PC.
 

Nibel

Member
Is this game coming out for the PC? I enjoyed the PS3 demo, much to my surprise actually as I wasn't expecting much, but found the framerate particularly poor (like many console games these days, unfortunately). At least there was no tearing though, which is a personal pet hate of mine. Still, I'd only buy it for the PC.

Nope.

And I don't understand why.
 
It would be pretty damned awful at this point for it to never come to PC if these demos are true to the full game and your only choice is unplayable framerates or bad screen tearing with slight framerate loss.
 
Pawn (Need glasses for improved Sp00ky):

l0v3Wl.jpg


Concerning the version discussion, we should really wait for the final game if this is the E3 build from last year.
 

Patryn

Member
I can tell the official thread for this is going to be fun.

People, there isn't a "definitive" best version. To some people, low framerate is a gamebreaker. To others, tearing is a gamebreaker. Yes, there are people out there who will not play a game solely because of tearing, just as there are people who find it morally repugnant to play a game with a sub-30 FPS.

Just pick your poison, and enjoy it. What someone else picks doesn't affect you in the slightest.

As long as people are honest when asked about the differences, it's all good. And the truthful answer is that you get a higher framerate but tearing with the 360, while a lower framerate but no tearing with the PS3.
 

Derrick01

Banned
Is a difference of 4fps that much of a difference? I'm honestly just curious as I don't seem to notice much in terms of framerate in games, or I'm just not that bothered by it.

If we're just talking about 28 versus 24 and we pretend it never drops from those two numbers on their platforms then there would be a little bit of a noticeable difference but not a ton. Not nearly enough to make you notice anything is wrong if you were just playing the ps3 version.

Drops to 18 would be very noticeable though and hopefully it doesn't happen much. Those numbers were taken from the demo and I played it 3 times and didn't notice any drops at all. So either the action did a good job hiding it or it just wasn't happening.

As for tearing it depends how much it bothers you. I never noticed screen tearing or even knew what it was until I was playing PC games past 1080p and then when I went back to some console games and the tearing was torture. I can't stand looking at it anymore.
 

Effect

Member
I wonder if Capcom went overboard with the level of darkness in the game. Fought the griffon again last night and I guess I took to long because I had to actually use my lantern in the fight in order to see. This is even with me increasing the brightness in the game and the issue wasn't the my actual TV. I can see that becoming really annoying. Then again the entire fight was annoying. Don't care for flying enemies in general when there is no lockon.
 

web01

Member
Wait until the analysis of full game is released, there will be probably me much more intensive areas in the full game were the frame rate shits itself in both versions.
 

Rygar 8 Bit

Jaguar 64-bit
I wonder if Capcom went overboard with the level of darkness in the game. Fought the griffon again last night and I guess I took to long because I had to actually use my lantern in the fight in order to see. This is even with me increasing the brightness in the game and the issue wasn't the my actual TV. I can see that becoming really annoying. Then again the entire fight was annoying. Don't care for flying enemies in general when there is no lockon.

the night time brings monsters you wont be able to fight during the day think the concept is freaking great also there are abilities that create light

7mdmu53
 

Anteater

Member
Wait until the analysis of full game is released, there will be probably me much more intensive areas in the full game were the frame rate shits itself in both versions.

Well from the preview, the most intensive areas are usually ones when a lot of spells are going off, but it doesn't seem too bad in comparison considering the framerate wasn't smooth when there were barely any spells going on usually:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTm3ujLMEgU#t=14m10s
 

Schwabe

Member
in the newest issue of the german gamepro is a review, i copied and translated that from a german forum:

Gamepro.de: 79%

graphics:
ps3 7/10 xbox 360 6/10

+ harmonic world, charactermodels
- flickering shadows, sloppy textures, few details

PS3 version is sharper, intense colors. 360 version more stable though


sound:
8/10

+ good soundtrack, good soundeffects
- no german synchronisation


pros&cons

+ good combatsystem, boss-fights, pawn-system
- A.I. problems, camera, big distances, no multiplayer

overall:
solid rpg with innovative pawn-system but poor tech (they mention it especially for 360)

i don't have the magazine, but i don't trust reviews anyways. the lack of multiplayer is a plus in my book and "big distances" as a con ... i lol'd. missing a german synchronisation is also a joke. they can be happy to have german text...
 

Effect

Member
the night time brings monsters you wont be able to fight during the day think the concept is freaking great also there are abilities that create light

7mdmu53

Not saying it isn't cool looking just a bit overdone. It's like there is no moonlight or stars in the sky at all. It shouldn't be pitch black.
 

cametall

Member
Maybe it's the countless hours I spent on Monster Hunter, but I didn't even notice the lack of lock-on until people started mentioning it.
 

Derrick01

Banned
Anytime no multiplayer is listed as a negative or con then I throw the review out no matter what the score is. I can't take it seriously at that point.
 

Anteater

Member
graphics:
ps3 7/10 xbox 360 6/10

Is this like gta4 again where the game looks "better" on the ps3? lol

I wonder if different reviewers are going to have different experience with AIs, though I could see them being a problem with some scripted areas, in the demo they'd just run ahead without me, which made it hard for me to kill them off
 

Schwabe

Member
Not saying it isn't cool looking just a bit overdone. It's like there is no moonlight or stars in the sky at all. It shouldn't be pitch black.

without a moon, there is no moonlight. maybe in the world of gransys there is no moon?

when i was in australia 10 years ago i encountered the first time full darkness. here in germany it is quite impossible to get to a spot, where no lights are around. night is dark.
 

ironcreed

Banned
in the newest issue of the german gamepro is a review, i copied and translated that from a german forum:



i don't have the magazine, but i don't trust reviews anyways. the lack of multiplayer is a plus in my book and "big distances" as a con ... i lol'd. missing a german synchronisation is also a joke. they can be happy to have german text...

I have been expecting scores between 7.5-8.5 on average from day one. Not going to make a difference to me either way, though. Most of the games I end up loving the most get scores like that. Regardless of reviews or popularity, I just don't think there will be a game I love more this year than this one. Of course I do wish it success.
 

Anteater

Member
I have been expecting scores between 7.5-8.5 on average from day one. Not going to make a difference to me either way, though. Most of the games I end up loving the most get scores like that. Regardless of reviews or popularity, I just don't think there will be a game I love more this year than this one. Of course I do wish it success.

Don't really care about score myself, I just want to know more info about the game rather than the typical "combat is good, story bad" "Animations are great, graphics are blend", or things we already know from videos
KuGsj.gif
 

Riposte

Member
I'm almost certain this game doesn't have it and it might even be too much to ask for it (at least on these platforms), but Farcry 2-style fire would be a great way to light up the night. Maybe get hit so hard that your lantern drops and suddenly the grassy field you were fighting on became a ring of fire... Maybe in Dragon's Dogma Dos.

EDIT: I suspect this game will have a wide range of scores. Some dudes, like Kotaku, seem hellbent on hating it while others, like OXM, are already in love with it.
 

Patryn

Member
I have been expecting scores between 7.5-8.5 on average from day one. Not going to make a difference to me either way, though. Most of the games I end up loving the most get scores like that. Regardless of reviews or popularity, I just don't think there will be a game I love more this year than this one. Of course I do wish it success.

I often find it's the games in that range that are the true gems as well.
 

Anteater

Member
I think in terms of scores, it's probably not going to be consistent, it'll probably be all over the place, with high and lows. It feels that it depends highly on how the player approaches the game, the AIs and Pawns are probably one of the things to worry about and might actually offer some good and bad things, and I don't know if reviewers gets to experience all the "social aspects" of it.
 

ironcreed

Banned
EDIT: I suspect this game will have a wide range of scores. Some dudes, like Kotaku, seem hellbent on hating it while others, like OXM, are already in love with it.

Yep, going to be a mixed bag for sure. It is just going to be one of those polarizing games because it dares to be a bit different. For some that will be a good thing, while others will just not jive with it. Same can be said for any game really, but some are just far more polarizing than others.
 

Patryn

Member
It'll be the ambition vs. execution debate. Do they get points for being ambitious? Or do they get hit hard for failing to skillfully execute some of those higher ambitions?
 
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