This. This thread is fueled on nothing but tons of ambiguity and assumptions.
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Avalanche Studios porting Rise of the Tomb Raider to PS4?
- Thread starter Pancake Mix
- Start date
I would probably think it would be the Mad Max section doing it as finished with Mad Max (though while their building up there next game for full production).
Shame Nixxes aren't doing this one as well as there PC port was good.
OmegaDL50
Member
Why does the game need to be ported outside of UI and interface changes as well as some integration to the touch pad on the PS4 to begin with?
Wasn't Rise of the Tomb Raider developed on a PC? Why would they need to port from the Xbox One to the PS4?
Don't both the Xbox One and PS4 more or less have the same Jaguar CPU and only differences being that the Xbox One uses DDR3 memory with a ES-RAM subpool and the PS4 has slightly higher clocked graphics chip with a main memory pool of GDDR5?
Both platforms use x86 architecture and outside of the changes I listed, both hardware are almost the same.
So why would Crystal Dynamics be unavailable to port the game and have Avalanche do it in their stead. This doesn't make any sense.
Its FAR easier to downscale from a stronger platform and port to a weaker hardware, than it is to port from weaker hardware to a stronger platform. So a direct port from the XB1 to the PS4 does not make any sense in this case. This doesn't need to happen because there is no sensible reason to port from the Xbox One and instead port directly from the PC. That is mind you this only implies if they actually used PC for actual development in the first place.
Wasn't Rise of the Tomb Raider developed on a PC? Why would they need to port from the Xbox One to the PS4?
Don't both the Xbox One and PS4 more or less have the same Jaguar CPU and only differences being that the Xbox One uses DDR3 memory with a ES-RAM subpool and the PS4 has slightly higher clocked graphics chip with a main memory pool of GDDR5?
Both platforms use x86 architecture and outside of the changes I listed, both hardware are almost the same.
So why would Crystal Dynamics be unavailable to port the game and have Avalanche do it in their stead. This doesn't make any sense.
Its FAR easier to downscale from a stronger platform and port to a weaker hardware, than it is to port from weaker hardware to a stronger platform. So a direct port from the XB1 to the PS4 does not make any sense in this case. This doesn't need to happen because there is no sensible reason to port from the Xbox One and instead port directly from the PC. That is mind you this only implies if they actually used PC for actual development in the first place.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Maybe SE trusts them more, or sees them doing nothing and delegating the port to them. They're all friends of SE after all.
I'm not crazy about their Stockholm team to begin with but at least their work that I have played has been relatively good. I don't trust the New York team to do good work at all, especially considering the reports we are getting in the JC3 patch thread. Either way, no Avalanche projects can be a day one buy for me. I'll keep paying attention to how the game turns out though.
AmaterasuOni
Banned
I wonder if this is going to even be a thing in christmas?
I'm interested in the game, but I think I'll just boycott them for doing the evil deal. That Witcher 3 GOTY should be out around then anyway.
I'm interested in the game, but I think I'll just boycott them for doing the evil deal. That Witcher 3 GOTY should be out around then anyway.
To be fair Mad Max has some missed graphic details on ps4 compared the xbone version and it runs pratically with the same graphic features at the same res. Whatever Avalanche is it, their record tracks on ps4 isn't it exactly something to be enthusiastic until now.
SlaughterX
Banned
StrongBlackVine
Banned
Hard to really to give a damn at this point.
CosmicGroinPull
Member
Pretty much. I kinda want this to be true just for the lol factor of CD having screwed over PS4 owners for the second time with this sequel.
AncientDiety
Banned
Maybe i'm missing something here, but this seems sad? No other developer has an issue coding for PS4, especially with how easy it is for PS4....not going to support a developer who does not support a platform properly. I will speak with my wallet.
SunBroDave
Member
You're right Crystal Dynamics is too lazy, they just need to Save As -> .ps4 file.
The work was split between Crystal, Nixxes and United Front games (the peeps who did Sleeping Dogs). I think Nixxes did most of the port work on the PS4 version and United Front on the Xbone version (I may be misremembering this, though) and Crystal mostly did new art assets (like Lara's new character model) and supervised the whole thing.
EDIT: In regards to this thread, I really think we should wait for something less vague than Avalanche's logo being somewhere among the files of the TR website before jumping to the conclusion that Avalanche will be doing the PS4 port.
AncientDiety
Banned
No one else has an issue making a game on PS4 which is supposed to be easy to code for.....you would think they would want to learn how considering the install base.
I die a little inside each time I see this video.
I don't think they even have a PS4 dev kit. It's not that they are bad at making PS4 ports or anything it's that they haven't made a non xbox game since the ps2.
AncientDiety
Banned
Still don't see the issue...get a dev kit like every other developer.. Why don't they want to? It just seems odd. Every developer had to code for the ps4 for the first time at some point, its not like ps3 where it was alien architecture.
It would make far more sense to have Nixxes work concurrently on the PC and PS4 ports instead of giving the job to Avalanche. Then again SE has regularly displayed a lack of sense. So who knows.
I think they'll probably keep the Xbone as their lead platform for this gen. I could imagine that they might've gone with the PS4 if the exclusivity deal hadn't come along but now that they're so familiar with the platform, I don't think it'd make a lot of sense to switch. As for them not doing ports, I don't know what's up with that. I guess they simply prefer to put their people to work on new projects and let the experts do the porting (which, come to think of it, isn't a bad strategy).
Ninja Sharingan
Banned
This is neogaf 90 percent of the time. It's what we do
neurosyphilis
Definitely not an STD, as I'm a pure.
I doubt after playing Uncharted 4, I'll have any interest in this game. It's probably going to bomb hard too.
Enter the Dragon Punch
Banned
Didn't Mad Max perform great on consoles?
On PS3 it sure did. PS4 was much better.
Really surprised they aren't giving it to Nixxes if this is true, those guys do incredible work, but maybe they're too busy with Human Revolution atm.
After a ton of patches. Was really shaky at launch, when I played it.
Primethius
Banned
That does not bode well for the PS4 port.
Then again, it seems by now most have forgotten about the game.
Then again, it seems by now most have forgotten about the game.
OmegaDL50
Member
Putting words into my mouth I never said? I expect this nonsense from someone from GameFAQs.
The lazy devs argument is pathetically weak one, something I didn't imply, but hey that was your assumption, but you probably don't care anyways since you decided upon yourself to take my words out of their intended context. Since it's apparent proper discourse is wasted on you, so I'm not going to even try and ignore you from now on.
AncientDiety
Banned
After playing uc4 beta can see why.
Short answer: the two platforms are still worlds apart and porting/mutliplatform development is still a ton of work.
Longer answer: the platform use different rendering APIs (basically the whole low-level rendering core might need to be rewritten), different network and OS APIs, have their own TRC (technical requirement checks, which are hundreds of pages of per platform things that need to be done), you have to match the QA, you still have very different hardware configuration (especially when it comes, you have to create platform specifics shaders (and compilers). Basically, it's still thousands upon thousands of hours and depending on what the studio(s) are doing and what their expertise are, outsourcing the technical work can make a ton of sense for all involved.
EDIT: Look at like this: technically the generation has been a very tough for developers (for a multitude of reasons, which I won't go through here nor can I disclose fully the details). CD has not shipped a single title using the PS4 development environment and especially the GNM/GNMX rendering API. They have not gone through the usual cycle of failure and iteration Avalanche has whilst shipping two titles between its studios. That means Avalanche are actually much more likely to ship faster and better given the same resources. Of course, S-E would likely help with sharing their learnings, but I highly doubt they are nearly as good in knowledge sharing between studios as Ubisoft for example (mainly because they don't own all the studios).
thelastword
Banned
Well this port had a chance of being a really good one with updated textures and effects and a solid framerate, now, it's hardly going to be much better than the XB1 version. It's a shame too since it will be coming a whole year later and even that won't save the quality of this port. I have no confidence in Avalanche at this point.
OmegaDL50
Member
I've expected software differences in the porting work. I mean with the PS4 being based on FreeBSD and the Xbox One is some custom derivative of Windows 10?
API layers to communicate to the hardware is understandable, but the code base for the game should at the basic level should be roughly the same, albeit some custom code that is specifically unique for the PS4, just as the Xbox One will have it's unique specific API calls.
From what I understand that Rise of the Tomb Raider was simultaneously developed for the PC and Xbox One. So with that said, there is some porting code that had to be written when the game was fitted to the Xbox One spec.
The way this all sounds like as if porting work was all intended just for Xbox One work and the PS4 being a complete afterthought.
I'd assume IF Avalanche was handling porting duties it would fall on Avalanche Stockholm and not New York, as the secondary studio has their hands full fixing their mess that is Just Cause 3.
I suppose it's better off waiting until more solidly confirm information is readily available in regards to the PS4 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider.
LostDonkey
Member
I'm not saying Avalanche can't do a good job as I've seen nothing of the PS4 port yet. But, could the switch in studios be part of the exclusivity deal?
Like MS has said it can be on PS4 but only by another studio separate from the ones that did our (XB1/WIN) version?
Just a thought.
Like MS has said it can be on PS4 but only by another studio separate from the ones that did our (XB1/WIN) version?
Just a thought.
I agree Avalanche should be given a chance if this rumor is true, it's just that Nixxes practically guarantees quality. It's a graphically beautiful game, we'll see how another port team manages.
AncientDiety
Banned
No different then what any other developer has to do, even smaller ones the CD....Porting to PS4 is not that hard where CD could not do it.
I never said that it's different nor It's about who could do it, but which developer is at the right position and can do it the best financially (meaning effectively, has proven to ship on the platform, is financially sound and has the needed amount of staff available for technical production work without hindering other projects). "is not that hard" is also very much an understatement, multiplatform development is still generally very, very hard and most developers have struggled with their first attempts on the platforms. Avalanche simply might be in a better position to do it at the moment compared to CD or Nixxes, and our point of view doesn't matter for S-E when they have been proven ship for the platform.
OmegaDL50
Member
There is two branches of Avalanche Studios.
The New York branch which opened in 2014 that developed Just Cause 3, and the main studio in Stockholm Sweden that handled Just Cause 1 and 2, as well as Mad Max.
If Avalanche was handling porting duties it's more likely it be the Sweden Studio, and less so New York.
Avalanche New York is still busy getting JC3 fixed as well as working on it's season pass content, so it's debatable if they want to take resources away from JC3 to handle something else when we don't even know what Avalanche Sweden is up to.
This makes Avalanche Sweden more likely to do the port since there hasn't been any known announcement of projects they are working on after Mad Max.
I think Avalanche, Sweden is up to the task. Mad Max was beautifully optimized on PC. I played, and Platinumed, Mad Max on PS4 and, absent that map bug, I thought it ran well.
Or, at least, they better be. If Square pisses off Tomb Raider's main fanbase with a shoddy port they might kill the franchise. I have family members who only have a PS4 waiting to play it. To say they would be upset is an understatement.
Or, at least, they better be. If Square pisses off Tomb Raider's main fanbase with a shoddy port they might kill the franchise. I have family members who only have a PS4 waiting to play it. To say they would be upset is an understatement.
ethomaz
Banned
It is not like that.
You need to find the best settings to run the game on PS4, looks for bad framerate points, platform specifics optimizations, chance menus and buttons layouts, etc.
There are a lot of hard work to do.
Good ports makes the game experience even better than original and it is not a easy task.
BTW PS4 and Xbone are a hell of different system in hardware and software... it is like to port games from Windows to Linux... everything is different.
PS. It fully expect to PS4 port have fixed the input lag found on Xbone... something CD will never fix in the broken Xbone version.
Damn, was really hoping for Nixxes on this one.
It starts out really well then there's one region that runs pretty poorly on occasion for seemingly no reason. It's not even the biggest or most graphically complex region.
It starts out really well then there's one region that runs pretty poorly on occasion for seemingly no reason. It's not even the biggest or most graphically complex region.
7DollarHagane
Banned
There must have been a lot of custom work done to the xb1 version.. Ps4 and xb1 ports are usually a pretty simple process.
Don't know why they wouldn't have nixes work from PC version to ps4.
Don't know why they wouldn't have nixes work from PC version to ps4.
Ninja Sharingan
Banned
If this is true then I guess the PS4 verison will deffo not be the definitive version 
play it now while you can on PC, if you have that option and this news turns out to be true
I 100 percented that "broken" xbox one version and the aiming just felt off on occasion, in no way was it "broken" but each to their own.
play it now while you can on PC, if you have that option and this news turns out to be trueI 100 percented that "broken" xbox one version and the aiming just felt off on occasion, in no way was it "broken" but each to their own.
CosmicGroinPull
Member
Maybe Nixxes are expensive and CD are cutting their losses with the PS4 port, because they know that we're going to ignore the game?
Pancake Mix
Copied someone else's pancake recipe
Someone on Twitter brought up a very good point.
This would make more sense, wouldn't it?
Nixxes!
https://twitter.com/xtralecherus/status/706805478018453505
This would make more sense, wouldn't it?
Nixxes!