Support NeoGAF

[LectureMaster]

Bloodborne Level Design Was Impacted by the PlayStation 4 Hardware Limitations, New Video Details

FromSoftware had to tweak Bloodborne's level design due to the PlayStation 4 hardware limitations, a new video detailed

wccftech.com

Interestingly enough, the changes to progression made in this area in Bloodborne's final version were essentially dictated by the PlayStation 4 hardware limitations, as the fast traversal through the hallway into Oedon Chapel didn't allow the console to load assets properly, resulting in performance issues, visual glitches, and very slow loading. As such, progression towards Oedon Chapel was slowed down with the introduction of the Underground Library just two months before the final build was submitted. In one of its iterations, the location also featured additional messages that revealed new information on the game's lore.

Very interested analysis. Lance McDonald 's work goes really deep.

Imagine that Miyazaki harnesses the ssd speed in current hardware, and pull off a boss battle where the set pieces flash from lava to glacier to cloudy to cosmos, how dope would that be.

 

[sendit]

Bloodborne Level Design Was Impacted by the PlayStation 4 Hardware Limitations, New Video Details

FromSoftware had to tweak Bloodborne's level design due to the PlayStation 4 hardware limitations, a new video detailed

wccftech.com

Very interested analysis. Lance McDonald 's work goes really deep.

Imagine that Miyazaki harnesses the ssd speed in current hardware, and pull off a boss battle where the set pieces flash from lava to glacier to cloudy to cosmos, how dope would that be.

 

[Damigos]

PS6 day1 remake, like Demons Souls

 

[Neff]

So it's official, we need weaker hardware to get good level design.

 

[GrayChild]

With the recent surge in the PC gaming market, FROMSoftware should just do a PC exclusive title, targeting the latest and most expensive hardware there is, just like Crysis did in 2007.

 

[tusharngf]

With the recent surge in the PC gaming market, FROMSoftware should just do a PC exclusive title, targeting the latest and most expensive hardware there is, just like Crysis did in 2007.

but they will lose out on other 40% sales from consoles

 

[angelgs90]

Constraints feed imagination.

 

[Fafalada]

So it's official, we need weaker hardware to get good level design.

I mean - the old saying 'constraints/limitations breed creativity' exists for a reason.

Fake edit: Beaten above.

 

[Killer8]

Design limitations are good, embrace them.

 

[Porticus]

Mere speculation, nothing more than that.

 

[Mr Moose]

Good that they interviewed the devs and... Wait?

 

[Flabagast]

You guys do realize Elden Ring was made on PS4 as well no ?

Please try to think 2 secs from time to time and stop posting bullshit videos

 

[TintoConCasera]

PS6 day1 remake, like Demons Souls

Game needs a port with 60fps support, not a remake that butchers the original art design like Bluepoint did with Demon's Souls.

 

[FunkMiller]

More accurate title:

'YouTuber comes up with theory that Bloodborne level design may have been influenced by hardware limitations.'

Everything is written and warped by the need to farm clicks.

 

[Skifi28]

but they will lose out on other 40% sales from consoles

And like 70% of sales from PC too.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Imagine that Miyazaki harnesses the ssd speed in current hardware, and pull off a boss battle where the set pieces flash from lava to glacier to cloudy to cosmos, how dope would that be.

Unless they change their engine we wont see that.

 

[Kiya's Guard]

I don't want to sound like a douche, but most ambitious games have to deal with hardware limitations

 

[LazyParrot]

Well, duh. People have been designing games around console hardware limitations for as long as there have been consoles.

 

[GermanZepp]

 

[Rickyiez]

You're telling me the Greatest game of All Time can get better with better hardware?

But but but... How about the diminishing return? Or Moore Law is dead that this forum had been telling me?

 

[a multicultural team of v]

Well, duh. People have been designing games around console hardware limitations for as long as there have been consoles.

I mean, technology in general has always been a battle of design against limitations. id Software largely exists because they had to overcome the limitations of PC screen scrolling.

As already stated, limitations foster creativity.

 

[Regginator]

Fascinating stuff. It's extraordinary how something as a literal load chamber can be added in such a (seemingly effortlessly) natural way that you can't see it as anything else than just having always existed in the world.

I wonder if not being able to travel between lamps was a deliberate design choice or somehow also related to hardware limitations. Although I can't see how, because a year later they did implement such a thing in DS3 (in fact, DS1 post-Lordvessel and DS2 had it too).

 

[Damigos]

Game needs a port with 60fps support, not a remake that butchers the original art design like Bluepoint did with Demon's Souls.

I kindly disagree. The remake had excellent art design, better than the original

 

[bender]

I kindly disagree. The remake had excellent art design, better than the original

 

[Senua]

I kindly disagree. The remake had excellent art design, better than the original

 

[Neofire]

With the recent surge in the PC gaming market, FROMSoftware should just do a PC exclusive title, targeting the latest and most expensive hardware there is, just like Crysis did in 2007.

I knew a bs post like this was coming. Smh

 

[Flabagast]

I kindly disagree. The remake had excellent art design, better than the original

You must be american I guess

 

[Fake]

Constraints feed imagination.

Best post.

I kindly disagree. The remake had excellent art design, better than the original

Worst post.

 

[M1chl]

No bottlenecks and all that

 

[TintoConCasera]

I kindly disagree. The remake had excellent art design, better than the original

Agree to disagree.

Cool thing is that there are options for everyone. Would be nice to get both a port and a remake for Bloodborne lol.

 

[The artful mincer]

Embrace your limitations...but if your graphics are dated expect to be dog piled by the internet!

 

[hyperbertha]

This is an example of why not all things are scalable. People say series s doesn't affect game design just scale back the graphics. It's not all about the graphics.

 

[iHaunter]

Who could've predicted that? Every generation is going to have that.

 

[Damigos]

You must be american I guess

Last time i checked i am not

 

[SlimySnake]

Yeah, it is known. Cerny said he toured studios in 2016-2017 and the biggest complaint was HDD which is directly tied to streaming.

A LOT of games suffered from this. All those slow climbing and narrow corridors sections were directly a result of the HDD bottleneck.

Try playing GOW in 2024. The retarded realm between realm is a direct response to the slow streaming speeds of the PS4. you could go a minute or two before it loaded another area. The PS5 version of GOW Ragnorak actually loads faster but because the base PS4 needed dialogue added in to keep players engaged, the PS5 owners had to wait for the dialogue to finish before having the portal appear. I only noticed it after around 80 hours when i had gone through all the dialogue and it started loading really fast like in 10 seconds. Sometimes less. So in that sense, the PS4 was holding back even the PS5 version of the game.

Horizon's poor flying speeds and pop-in during flying is tied directly to the streaming speeds.

The constant canyons between patrol zones in destiny were also added as a loading screen.

All those big open worlds with empty areas are also added as a buffer for you to go through areas with minimal CPU usage so the next area can load. Its the main reason why the worlds are simply not dense anymore and feel bloated as fuck.

 

[jwaxeman]

I always love a good game design behind the scenes post but isn't this true of every single game, at least to some degree?

 

[mckmas8808]

but they will lose out on other 40% sales from consoles

40%? More like 60%.

 

[Svejk]

So it's official, we need weaker hardware to get good level design.

That's been Nintendo's moto for decades now.

 

[fatmarco]

Well, if people actually like hardware constraints now, then have I got the console for you...

 

[rofif]

Pretty impressive.
They pulled out a ton more geometry compared to dark souls on previous gen.