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[viveks86]

There is no ambient occlusion at all. Are these screenshots from maxed out settings?

I believe all their official screens are a "mix of high and ultra". Also it seems like the game does support HBAO+ according to the Nvidia page. So may be we haven't seen it in action yet.

 

[ScepticMatt]

I know this isn't exactly the right thread to post this, but I wanted to check if I've understood the story continuity between the books and the games correctly, and since this is the most active W3 thread I figured I had the best chances of getting an answer here.

[...]

Is this all correct, or have I misunderstood something?

Seems about right. The time span between the end of the books ("

Spoiler

Death of Geralt

" in 1268) and the beginning of the first game (1273) is 5 years. The second game takes place a few months after the first one

Timeline (spoilers obviously): http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline

 

[SaberEdge]

There's a conspiracy to pick on W3. All these users commenting on the visuals can't be that it really has lost aesthetic appeals or experienced downgrades in some ways. It can't be that it has elements that are not as impressive as its other current gen peers to many players. Okay.

I get it if the compromise between the game's budget and scope keeps you from being anything less than impressed by what they've come up with. That doesn't make the responses to the visuals, especially on a more detailed level, invalid.

No, it really isn't that. It's the same paranoid behavior we've seen many times before in which some people jump to erroneous conclusions based on faulty comparisons of different areas or different times of day.

Infamous Second Son and Assassin's Creed Unity are two recent examples. People swore up and down that Infamous Second Son was downgraded simply because the time of day had been adjusted in a cutscene.

http://www.*****************/2014/0...ical-differences-compared-to-e3-2013-trailer/

Reading the debate at the bottom of that article is hilarious.

"Seriously, in the e3 build the lighting is much better because it's dynamic. The building casts it's own shadow, the pockets on the jackets cast their own shadows, even the birdhourse is casting reacting dynamically to the sun."

But some people never learn. We saw the same thing happen with AC Unity.

"These pictures show the game losing global illumination effects, causing a drastic dip in graphic quality. The difference between the two is unmistakable"
http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/...h-removed-global-illumination-on-ps4-version/
It turns out the screenshots were taken at different times of day in the game and the global illumination really hadn't been taken out of the game as previously reported. Oops.

Sadly, we're seeing the same specious downgrade claims surrounding The Witcher 3.

Despite the downgrade claims based on faulty comparisons of different areas or times of day, the fact is, every area that we can directly compare shows the game looking equally good as the earlier trailers, if not better.

 

[Ridesh]

Despite the downgrade claims based on faulty comparisons of different areas or times of day, the fact is, every area that we can directly compare shows the game looking equally good as the earlier trailers, if not better.

The game looks pretty good, but let's be real, it doesn't look even close to the VGX 2013 trailer.

 

[Faith]

The game looks pretty good, but let's be real, it doesn't look even close to the VGX 2013 trailer.

You mean this?

Isn't this still in the game?

 

[misho8723]

The game looks pretty good, but let's be real, it doesn't look even close to the VGX 2013 trailer.

And to be fair, even in that trailer there are many inconsistent scenes

 

[dragonelite]

Ooh man still no console footage :'(

 

[jim2point0]

Despite the downgrade claims based on faulty comparisons of different areas or times of day, the fact is, every area that we can directly compare shows the game looking equally good as the earlier trailers, if not better.

I understand that this is the party line adopted by most Witcher 3 graphics defenders. But I do wonder... do you think that the game will actually have a scene that looks this good when released?

Sharpening filter aside, of course.

Now I do realize that this is definitely an "ideal scenario" type scene where the composition is fantastic, and the lighting was setup just perfectly to hit the armor like that, but I do have to wonder if we'll be able to reproduce the same shot or, as you say, something better, in that same area. I have my doubts.

This is just the perspective of someone that's been excited about The Witcher 3 since the day it was announced. I'm not "out to get the game." I just find myself more impressed with older media, and I don't think it's unrealistic or unfair to attribute that to optimization efforts (this shit does happen).

You mean this?

Isn't this still in the game?

We won't know until we have our hands on it.

 

[Fiery Phoenix]

You mean this?

*snip*

Isn't this still in the game?

I was going to post that first GIF. To be perfectly transparent, there appears to be a considerable decline in vegetation in the most recent images compared to the VGX trailer.

I don't know if it's AO or whatever, but the vegetation in general isn't nearly as good as it appears in those GIFs. Just look at the grass and you'll see what I'm getting at.

 

[His Majesty]

Time to abandon thread. It's taken a while before those gifs popped up though, kudos to everyone.

 

[Faith]

I was going to post that first GIF. To be perfectly transparent, there appears to be a considerable decline in vegetation in the most recent images compared to the VGX trailer.

I don't know if it's AO or whatever, but the vegetation in general isn't nearly as good as it appears in those GIF. Just look at the grass and you'll what I'm getting at.

Maybe the didn't show any material on Ultra settings after that trailer?

Didn't the dev say that we will be blown away when the game is out?

 

[Denton]

Time to abandon thread. It's taken a while before those gifs popped up though, kudos to everyone.

How many is it now, anyone counting ?

 

[SaberEdge]

You mean this?

Isn't this still in the game?

We don't have those same areas in the newer footage, no. But there are plenty of areas in the newer trailers and gameplay footage that look just as good to me. I've never understood what some people think is so special in those shots.

 

[tuxfool]

Time to abandon thread. It's taken a while before those gifs popped up though, kudos to everyone.

While I think some (actually most) of the comparisons are utter BS. You're going to have to learn to deal with this.

 

[boskee]

This is plain crazy

I hadn't gone ahead with that order as I already double dipped it on PC and PS4 (+ it'd probably be a breach of ToS in my case), but this is criminally cheap.

 

[viveks86]

Oh no. Not those GIFs again. RIP, thread. You lasted longer than I expected.

 

[jim2point0]

It's been too long since we've seen something new.

That was CDPR's strategy all along. To distract fans with something new every day so nobody would feel the need to post the older media. But they tripped up and let a day go by with nothing

 

[viveks86]

I hadn't gone ahead with that order as I already double dipped it on PC and PS4 (+ it'd probably be a breach of ToS in my case), but this is criminally cheap.

Where is this from?

 

[boskee]

Where is this from?

GOG

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Can't say I'm surprised that threads showing new visual glimpses of this game draw new thrills, questions, comparisons, and disappointments all in one. Especially for W3.

What's important to you in a new screenshot or video labeled Ultra apparently isn't exclusively what is important to others. I care more about visuals than many people. I know that, but I don't see the problem in that either. A main character's hair, the game's lighting, or the whole tree line and foliage on the horizons are not miniscule. Just because you don't care to discuss it or you feel upset by it being unflattering in some cases, doesn't mean you should engage aggressively instead of moving along.

And I'd argue many of the defensive posts are far more in line with uproar than the comments with your apparent trigger word 'downgrade' have been.

I can't tell if you understand why he said it looked downgraded or not.

Oh no, I can understand it, its not less wrong to call that a downgrade. I also would have liked to be pointed out that was a design choice and not a downgrade if I was in the other side of the discussion.

 

[viveks86]

GOG

Is it because you own other versions (and previous games)? Still shows $53.99 of me

 

[misho8723]

You mean this?

Isn't this still in the game?

You have now many hours of gameplay material, but the most used scene is going to be those 2 seconds of Geralt walking into that village.. I don't even believe the game was in any state so looking and playable.. they have made how many? 50 variations of that trailer - they were adding various effects, changing colours, etc. just to make the perfect capture - of total 10 seconds of gameplay scenes in that ONE trailer.. graphics have improved in some areas, and some (grass) doesn't look so good.. so what? .. graphics are still great.. they wanna have atleast some good sales on PCs.. how many demanding games sold good on PCs? Crysis 1 didn't have great sales the first year for the full price, W2 sold 1 mil. in a 6 months or so which is good, but nothing special.. GTA V is a world famous brand and the port isn't as demanting.. so they still delivering a really great looking open-world RPG game, that still most people with PCs aren't going to play on High or Ultra settings, because they don't have such good PCs... they changed some of the artstyle in the game, to make it more vibrant.. their decisions.. if you don't like it, well, don't buy the game

Could they have made Ultra settings even more better looking? Maybe, but don't forget what happened with W2 with Ubersampling.. people were screaming that the game was unoptimized and that can help to lower the sales.. and for a company like CD Projekt RED, that wouldn't be good, they can not take risks.. they are now in good position, but they were close to bankruptcy in 2011..

They are still small in comparison to others AAA developers.. they are making this game in how many? 6 languages with full VA when they have thousands of NPCs in the game with dialogues, making the game on 3 platfroms at the same time, and total in 10 or so languages with text translations..
And if you have a beast of a PC, you can wait for some mods afterall..

 

[Tovarisc]

Is it because you own other versions (and previous games)? Still shows $53.99 of me

My guess is Ukraine or Poland.

 

[Yasae]

Oh no, I can understand it, its not less wrong to call that a downgrade. I also would have liked to be pointed out that was a design choice and not a downgrade if I was in the other side of the discussion.

I feel it's probably a bit of both: different version/art direction for the game, and (closer to release) more realistic limits on what can be rendered. This is magnified by trailers being explicit cherrypicking.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

I know this isn't exactly the right thread to post this, but I wanted to check if I've understood the story continuity between the books and the games correctly, and since this is the most active W3 thread I figured I had the best chances of getting an answer here.


SPOILERS FOR PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING:

Spoiler

duh

Spoiler

Basically, here's how I've understood it:

-At the end of the books Geralt and Yennefer both die, but Ciri saves them and teleports them to the Isle of Avalach/Malus Island. This is where the book canon ends and Geralt and Yennefer live happily ever after.

-Sometime between this and the beginning of the first game, the Wild Hunt finds Geralt and Yennefer and abduct Yennefer.

-Geralt goes on a hunt for the Wild Hunt. This is when he meets Letho, Serrit, and Auckes.

-Geralt finds the Wild Hunt and exchanges his life for Yennefer's. He then rides with the hunt for a while.

-Sometime after that Vesemir and friends find Geralt in the woods around Kaer Morhen, and the story of the first game begins. Both Geralt and Yennefer suffer from amnesia from spending so much time with the hunt.

Is this all correct, or have I misunderstood something?

I invite you to go to this thread in gaf's community parts:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=989969
People there wil welcome you in open arms and you can have a great talk with other people that have read the books.

About your question, yes, all of that seems to be correct.

I feel it's probably a bit of both: different version/art direction for the game, and (closer to release) more realistic limits on what can be rendered. This is magnified by trailers being explicit cherrypicking.

Other things like the grass? Maybe you are right, but im pretty sure Yennefer's hair was not really a problem before (I mean created so limitations of fps or anything similar), it just didnt look like it had to because Yennefer was never described like that on the books.
Now she looks more like other media and book covers has drawn her before the games came.

 

[jim2point0]

they have made how many? 50 variations of that trailer - they were adding various effects, changing colours, etc. just to make the perfect capture - of total 10 seconds of gameplay scenes in that ONE trailer..

they chabged some of the artstyle in the game, to make it more vibrant.. they decisions.. if you don't like it, well, don't buy the game

These are 2 points I pretty much agree with.

That trailer was definitely hand-crafted in their editor (as in not recorded during gameplay) to look as good as possible. And who knows what kind of effects and settings they can crank up for that sort of thing. This happens.

I also agree that it seems like they shifted the art direction towards something more vibrant. Which is why those older clips look a lot more desaturated.

I'm sure the game is going to look gorgeous in motion when you're playing it. I also think it's healthy not to believe the game is going to look like that trailer did. That's potentially setting yourself up for disappointment (assuming you prefer that art direction).

 

[Yasae]

These are 2 points I pretty much agree with.

That trailer was definitely hand-crafted in their editor (as in not recorded during gameplay) to look as good as possible. And who knows what kind of effects and settings they can crank up for that sort of thing. This happens.

I also agree that it seems like they shifted the art direction towards something more vibrant. Which is why those older clips look a lot more desaturated.

I'm sure the game is going to look gorgeous in motion when you're playing it. I also think it's healthy not to believe the game is going to look like that trailer did. That's potentially setting yourself up for disappointment (assuming you prefer that art direction).

Basically without pre-E3 2014 media, there wouldn't be much talk of a downgrade. The game has not changed much visually in the last year or so.

 

[SaberEdge]

Now I do realize that this is definitely an "ideal scenario" type scene where the composition is fantastic, and the lighting was setup just perfectly to hit the armor like that, but I do have to wonder if we'll be able to reproduce the same shot or, as you say, something better, in that same area. I have my doubts.

This is just the perspective of someone that's been excited about The Witcher 3 since the day it was announced. I'm not "out to get the game." I just find myself more impressed with older media, and I don't think it's unrealistic or unfair to attribute that to optimization efforts (this shit does happen).

To be clear, I think it's entirely possible that certain elements of the game have been downgraded. This is a normal part of the development process. Some things get improved, some things get downgraded and some things get changed for artistic or gameplay reasons but it's more of a lateral change.

I'm nearly certain that when we get our hands on the final game we'll find certain elements in places that can legitimately be considered to have been downgraded. But we'll almost certainly find things that have been improved as well.

My main point is that, based on the evidence we have so far, there simply isn't evidence of a downgrade. But who knows?...maybe that evidence will turn up in the next trailer or some future gameplay footage or in the game itself. Right now, though, every area we have been able to compare between the old VGX/SoD trailers and the newer footage has revealed the newer version to look just as good, if not improved.

I don't think you are out to get the game. You seem to be legitimately excited about the game and you're comments seem balanced overall. I do think, though, that there are a few people here with an agenda. Whether it's because they are big fans of some other game and don't want this game to surpass it, or because they screamed loudly about downgrades earlier and now are too prideful to admit that they were wrong, I don't know.

As far as that screenshot you posted, I don't see anything in the composition of that shot that would make it impossible to reproduce in the final game. The one thing that might throw some people off, though, is that they moved the camera further away from the character in the newer builds. The closer camera definitely looks more "cinematic" and impressive for screenshots. I think this camera position change has more than a little to do with some people's subjective preference for the earlier screenshots and videos.

 

[misho8723]

Basically without pre-E3 2014 media, there wouldn't be much talk of a downgrade. The game has not changed much visually in the last year or so.

More precisely, one trailer

 

[Denton]

Ever since the 35 minute gameplay E3 video we have known exactly how the game will look. It even had hairworks ffs. Which is why I find these continued repeated ad nauseam downgrade discussions so tiring.

 

[misho8723]

Ever since the 35 minute gameplay E3 video we have known exactly how the game will look. It even had hairworks ffs. Which is why I find these continued repeated ad nauseam downgrade discussions so tiring.

Before VGX trailer we had only screenshots and one trailer in DX9 (old render), then we had that VGX trailer, and then we had the first real gameplay segment of the game (5 minutes if I remember correctly) of the XboxOne version at MS conference..and after that we had the long 35 minutes of gameplay

 

[woen]

I'm still impressed by the capacity of gaf to talk and talk and talk and talk about "downgrade" (ie comparaisons between a promo polished trailer 2 years before release and the game finished, optimized etc)

 

[Sethh]

I do think, though, that there are a few people here with an agenda. Whether it's because they are big fans of some other game and don't want this game to surpass it, or because they screamed loudly about downgrades earlier and now are too prideful to admit that they were wrong, I don't know.

.

 

[Yasae]

More precisely, one trailer

Honestly I don't trust anything shown beyond the one year to release mark. A year is a small window in which to lie (which I don't think CDPR has done, but some devs do) or change things drastically.

The early previews 1.5+ years off... Unrealistic.

 

[SaberEdge]

And to be fair, even in that trailer there are many inconsistent scenes

I agree with that. One example would be the griffin scene at the end of the VGX trailer.

I think a similar griffin scene in the new footage looks better.

 

[Chaos17]

Is it because you own other versions (and previous games)? Still shows $53.99 of me

Same

 

[LurkerPrime]

Honestly I don't trust anything shown beyond the one year to release mark. A year is a small window in which to lie (which I don't think CDPR has done, but some devs do) or change things drastically.

The early previews 1.5+ years off... Unrealistic.

That's why they mark it as alpha footage, or at least why they should. It's "rendered gameplay" until they actually hunker down and optimise/playtest the game for actual release, at which point the graphics become more believable. It's not only about tweaking the visuals ("downgrading") to be used on actual, marketable hardware, but also refining the look and feel of everything onscreen.

See also: Star Wars Battlefront (2015).

 

[viveks86]

Have people seen this world map before?

 

[misho8723]

Have people seen this world map before?

That's the map which is in the XboxOne CE, isn't it? Looks good.. we have seen here, but not whole like this..

Anyway, the Q&A with Damien Monnier is up !

http://forums.cdprojektred.com/threads/35297-Developer-Spotlight-2-Damien-Monnier

 

[JaseC]

Have people seen this world map before?

That looks amazing. If it were in English I'd be somewhat tempted to have it printed.

Edit: Oh, it's the CE map? I assumed it was fan-made given the URL at the bottom.

 

[LurkerPrime]

Have people seen this world map before?

That's real nice. Instantly makes me think of Age of Wonders 3's overworlds, due to the sheer geographical variety present.

And I don't mean to alarm anyone, but there's a friggin' island surrounded by fire near the center. My expert translation of the name is... Cepbie Ckaalbi. As there's two entrances, I expect bad things to go down there.

Spoiler

That spot in the bottom right doesn't look pleasant, either.

 

[Jay Shadow]

Have people seen this world map before?

We saw most of the map before in English, but not this high resolution, and half of the Skellig islands and a chunk of the bottom were cut off.

 

[SaberEdge]

Have people seen this world map before?

I've seen a version of that map before and I like it. It's stylized and the relative distances of things are misleading, but it's cool to look at nonetheless.

 

[Yasae]

That's why they mark it as alpha footage, or at least why they should. It's "rendered gameplay" until they actually hunker down and optimise/playtest the game for actual release, at which point the graphics become more believable. It's not only about tweaking the visuals ("downgrading") to be used on actual, marketable hardware, but also refining the look and feel of everything onscreen.

See also: Star Wars Battlefront (2015).

Frankly I don't think they should release alpha footage for trailers either. The stuff you show to the public at large should be a reasonable representation of how your product will look. If you're showing your game off rather early specifically via a marketing material, that's in part disingenuous. The VGX trailer will be around forever and people will compare. And it was released, it's an intentional choice.

To think this should all be assumed and the devs mean well - I'm sure they do, but they definitely know whether a game is being shown early or not, and that runs the risk of it being changed and people drawing comparisons later. What do they expect their audience to do? Magically forget?

There's simply no prudence anymore. It's all marketing hype.

 

[usp84]

A bit offtopic but i just started witcher 2(on 360) after playing witcher 1 last summer.So apparently Geralts main love interest is a woman called Yennefer?I really like Tris from the first game though.Does yennefer appear on witcher 2 later in the game?


Anyway i hope i can finish it in time for witcher 3, it really looks great!

 

[Daverid]

Gameplay Developer Spotlight with Damien Monnier (Senior Gameplay Designer).

http://forums.cdprojektred.com/threads/35297-Developer-Spotlight-2-Damien-Monnier

Good read. A lot of great information. Couple of disappointing things (Mostly related to the Alchemy system), but that's mostly very personal, and minor, gripes I hold. On the whole just utterly fantastic stuff.

 

[Älg]

A bit offtopic but i just started witcher 2(on 360) after playing witcher 1 last summer.So apparently Geralts main love interest is a woman called Yennefer?I really like Tris from the first game though.Does yennefer appear on witcher 2 later in the game?


Anyway i hope i can finish it in time for witcher 3, it really looks great!

Yennefer doesn't appear in The Witcher 2. The relationship between Geralt and Yennefer is very complicated. It's some part love and affection, but it's also a lot of crazy magic destiny stuff, and it's all very troubled. I recommend you read the books if you want to understand it fully.

 

[Slangblade]

Have people seen this world map before?

Wow!! Amazing map.

 

[matrixman92]

why did I look at those spoiler tags on this page. I am so mad at myself right now

 

[Jon Armdog]

This is plain crazy


I hadn't gone ahead with that order as I already double dipped it on PC and PS4 (+ it'd probably be a breach of ToS in my case), but this is criminally cheap.

I was hoping to see more people on the thread asking about this as I scrolled down. What's the story here? Is this credit on GOG for owning other Witcher games? Is it a lower price outside the U.S.? And most importantly, how can I weasel my way into this price?