Robobandit
Member
he hasn't tweeted anything in the last 15 hours.. maybe he's just been busy?
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Dark Souls 2 Lighting changes/Downgrade
- Thread starter Moral Panic
- Start date
he hasn't tweeted anything in the last 15 hours.. maybe he's just been busy?
Of course, I'm sure it's something like that. I just wish Namco wasn't so quiet about this. While they've kinda acknowledged it, they've been ignoring it, which isn't good at all.
During the QL, Brad comments when taking out/putting away the torch, "Oh wow the lighting really wrecking performance."
So in order to optimize they must have had to decrease its significance, if they weren't able to improve performance any other way.
It's all conjecture but without any communication, conjecture's all we got.
So in order to optimize they must have had to decrease its significance, if they weren't able to improve performance any other way.
It's all conjecture but without any communication, conjecture's all we got.
That is my theory as well, they decreased the necessity of the torch as the dynamic lighting system was causing performance issues.
Robobandit
Member
Could be that.
It would make sense if they had to brighten the areas so that torches weren't needed for performance reasons due to the new engine not running well on the last gen consoles. They had said before that the original reveal was running on PC, I believe.
We'll just have to see if they say anything about it.
Relaxed Muscle
Member
The shocking thing is that in the preview builds, framerate was stable even in those conditions.
We are really in the dark here (*badumthish*) but this is a really weird situation. And hardly comparable with past FROM examples.
CountAntonius
Member
He also stated how much better the game ran then the preview builds they played before. I think that's the issue with porting down from PC. They made an engine that old hardware could not handle till it's fullest and decided to make some cuts so the game wouldn't run like absolute crap. I don't know how big an element the torch was supposed to be throughout the game but they also got a lot of negative feedback from the beta of people not being crazy about the game being so dark and needing the torch so often so it was probably something they decided would be best.
Fried Food
Banned
All the pixelation makes the game look like crap. I mean yeah the lighting is worse, but what lighting is there doesn't look as out place as it does in these pictures.
That seems like an awful last-ditch fix for a problem mechanic that should've been caught in initial phases.
For those saying this is par for the course for From, does that include gameplay mechanics? Or solely graphical features?
This may be an outside case, as the gameplay mechanic was directly impacting the graphical performance.
Seems to lend credence to the PC lead platform announcemennt.
From was creating their engine with PC/next-gen in mind. When it came to optimize the individual console versions, From went and slashed graphical effects off left and right.
This may be an outside case, as the gameplay mechanic was directly impacting the graphical performance.
Seems to lend credence to the PC lead platform announcemennt.
From was creating their engine with PC/next-gen in mind. When it came to optimize the individual console versions, From went and slashed graphical effects off left and right.
Relaxed Muscle
Member
I think the issue here is that this is really the first time FROM has a game that has major, major notice around it. Dark Souls did, but only because it was following up on the cultish hit of Demon's Souls. Dark Souls II is really their first major "AAA"-window release, and with that comes the expectations we make to that caliber of game.
It also does them no favors when they've talked up their engines, and especially the lighting, only to see it get downgraded.
I wouldn't expect any official information on the PC version for at least two more weeks. If you follow console releases, the sales numbers generally take a massive dive after that amount of time, then they begin to be cannibalized by the used market.
With that said, I would imagine a series like Dark Souls has a longer tail than your typical AAA schlock though.
We might be able to glean some information through back channels from insiders though.
I'm guessing Bamco would rather let From say it since they're pretty hands-off about development, and From would rather say nothing for fear of making themselves look bad.
The most we'll get from anyone is a generic noncommittal response like "The visuals of trailers and demos represent a product in development and are always subject to change."
This would be GREAT if the upcoming PC release reverts the lighting to how it was originally intended. I have a bad feeling about that, though.
Unless the PC delay wasn't a ridiculous anti-piracy thing, it was From/Namco trying to collect all they could from a sub-par release before putting out the main course.
PixelHorror
Member
I still think the reason for the delay was to prevent sales canibalization of the console versions.
What you are asking is pretty much the same: "Hey dudes, PC version has all the bells and whistles that you wanted to."
However I still think that will be the case, but we won't know yet, if Bamco is still shady as fuck (heh) they will make an event two weeks before release and show to the press how does the game really looks like on PC.
indigo-cyclops
Member
I'm so tempted to double dip so I can play this. But the obvious downgrades do concern me.
It's just going to be tough sitting here with my guide and no game until release
It's just going to be tough sitting here with my guide and no game until release
I'm so tempted to double dip so I can play this. But the obvious downgrades do concern me.
It's just going to be tough sitting here with my guide and no game until release
Stay strong.
this is what's going to happen. They don't even have the decency to wait for 6+ months before they play the "haha we screwed you" card *cough gta cough*
XANDER CAGE
Member
Namco isn't a platform holder, why would they care which platform performed best? That's not cannibalization.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Yes, yes. I just need to catch myself when I start thinking about pulling the trigger. I'm so used to double-dipping with the series. I don't want to encourage Namco...
CountAntonius
Member
Also makes sense why so many people think the starter area is so ugly. It was probably meant to only be seen by torchlight as it introduced the mechanic.
PixelHorror
Member
(English is not my first language)
My point is that they want their game to sell best in the most safest platform to them (consoles), if they released a superior version of the game along the "not so pretty" consoles editions, what do you think most people will do?
That would be great, sure, but then why would it be the second platform to launch?
Could be some of the other PC differences like revamping the controls, or them taking the time to polish and optimize the lighting for PC while the console versions just had it removed in a quick and dirty fashion.
indigo-cyclops
Member
I think because of install base, and Namco trying to rope people into double dipping. But mainly the first point.
Self_Destructive
Member
CountAntonius
Member
If they didn't the resources to release all 3 at the same time then it would make sense to put the efforts towards the two with higher sales potentials. If the PC version released first and looked and play that much better console fans would have caused a shitstorm. This way the console players got it first and have nothing to compare it to.
But people are still enjoying it and it has better performance and graphics than the last two. The game needs better hardware.
I'll answer your question with a question.
Does Bandai Namco want to maximize their profit margins for this game?
Generally, releasing the console version first is an accepted practice as it allows you to generate more revenue when people buy the PC version as well. What happens when that PC version not only has increased frame rate and resolution, but also, a significantly better lighting system, and a fleshed out mechanic that was overlooked for the console release?
Ignorance is power for these publishers.
Personally I don't think there is anything in Dark Souls 1 or 2 that couldn't be done stably on 360/ps3. There have been much more demanding games on both.
And really saying this game has better performance than Dark Souls 1, really isnt saying anything.
Some parts of that game were a literal freaking slideshow.
But hey, they could always have done a PS4 /X1 version.
Past tense? No.
From is a small company developing a niche game. They are already struggling to develop on 3 systems concurrently, let alone 5. Throwing more developers at the problem would only cause issues and inflate costs significantly.
CountAntonius
Member
Maybe given a technically superior developer but From is from and they have always seemed to struggle with performance issues on current gen hardware. I doubt more time would have completely eradicated the issue.
Sammy Samusu
Member
Necromanti
Member
Praise the
Dark
Sanctuary
Member
Besides the downgraded graphics/aesthetics/lighting, it also looks like they didn't implement any of the positive Sorcery changes (where you can charge the spells). So far, it plays exactly the same as before, except now it requires stamina each cast...
Maybe it's only for select spells where this is supposed to work, but so far, nothing has changed from Dark.
Maybe it's only for select spells where this is supposed to work, but so far, nothing has changed from Dark.
Was it ever confirmed?
Sanctuary
Member
Many are saying it was implemented in the beta.
So did FROM just ship out millions of the Alpha version of the game? All of these subtractions from only a few months ago.
Welp what the fuck.
Metalingus5150
Member
So they took out features that were already in the Beta?
:/
:/
I'm ok with this
Sanctuary
Member
Yes. And this fucking sucks. They implemented a couple of new spells, but so what? It's just the same, stand there and shoot projectiles gameplay that it always was. They said that they were going to go out of their way to make it more interesting and to have parity with melee in terms of fun. The only parity it now has with melee is that your spells now also require endurance to cast. This was one of the biggest features to the combat that I was looking forward to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJm3TnmlCpE
No real spoilers, just beta gameplay. It clearly shows the spells being cast normally, slower and quicker with scaled damage to match.
Nope. It looks like his last activity on twitter was like 17 hours ago. He's either on a Dark Souls binge or he's hiding.
Keep in mind he does work and has a family as well.
wat
Garcia
Member
I'm right now playing the PS3 version of the game.
It is true: The game doesn't look good at all. One of the main problems I've encountered so far (been playing for an hour) is the notorious inconsistency of the color palette in the environments. This is a problem that I never encountered in the original Dark Souls. The first game was always coherent. You were either traversing evergreen forests with blueish patches of water, sunlight bathed cathedrals, greyish halls and corridors, dark wooden areas, etc. I never found any contradictions.
Dark Souls 2 looks hideous because it breaks the visual style that characterized the prequel. The tutorial area is a
that has patches of green moss randomly placed on light grey corridors. There's sconces scattered everywhere that serve absolutely no purpose because the ambient light saturates your surroundings.
There are too many colors going on at the same time. I've found brown, gray, green, blue, orange, black and white and I'm yet to leave the area. It's just way too much going on. Your character's skin tone contrasts your own clothes/armor big deal and it doesn't blend within the environment.
It's several steps down in quality when you put it side by side to the original.
(Will share more impressions as I keep going.)
It is true: The game doesn't look good at all. One of the main problems I've encountered so far (been playing for an hour) is the notorious inconsistency of the color palette in the environments. This is a problem that I never encountered in the original Dark Souls. The first game was always coherent. You were either traversing evergreen forests with blueish patches of water, sunlight bathed cathedrals, greyish halls and corridors, dark wooden areas, etc. I never found any contradictions.
Dark Souls 2 looks hideous because it breaks the visual style that characterized the prequel. The tutorial area is a
multi branched forest
There are too many colors going on at the same time. I've found brown, gray, green, blue, orange, black and white and I'm yet to leave the area. It's just way too much going on. Your character's skin tone contrasts your own clothes/armor big deal and it doesn't blend within the environment.
It's several steps down in quality when you put it side by side to the original.
(Will share more impressions as I keep going.)