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#DarkSoulsDowngrade and #YOULIED \\ a.k.a You got some splainin' to do, Namco

Seems to trigger if the Mirror Knight walks on a destroyed pillar. This glitch / bug happened to me yesterday too:

lugstf.gif
njqtgi.gif


That horizontal lightning swipe of his also seemed nowhere near as long as it did in the preview build (the one with higher graphical fidelity). Think it didn't even show for me at one point, so I was left wondering what the big deal was about that attack. I'll post another comparison about that later.

Holy shit wow.

Its pretty obvious that the "shiny" version is the correct version the art team created, the contrast between the armor and the under pants is great and makes sense.

It almost looks like they introduced a bug where the proper "texturing/light shader/whatever" only shows via this glitch.

This game must have been so rushed. They must have had higher priorities than fixing stuff like that.

No one in their right mind can say the all black version of the knight is the correct one, makes no sense.
 
More crazy theories going on in here now. It's not an old model glitching in and out in place of a new one. It's the same model. You can even see the non-shiney (as seen in the retail release) texture on the preview demo gif at the end. It's an artificial effect to enhance the lightning in the area. It's just really shitty looking because FROM are technically inept.

I don't think the textures change - it's a shader. Hell, it might not even be from a long lost better looking version of the game - it could just be the shaders used for cutscenes. All of the boss intros have extra shaders/lighting applied that aren't in actual gameplay,
Last Giant and Velstadt
especially noticeable.

Either way, pretty weird. I've mentioned it before but it would be pretty cool if there was a way to make those shaders appear all the time and not just in cutscenes.
 

Durante

Member
I think the shader isn't changing either. It's using different environment maps for some reason. I can't tell if it's using no environment map at all in the dark version or just a really dull one. Probably the former, and probably a bug.
 
I think the shader isn't changing either. It's using different environment maps for some reason. I can't tell if it's using no environment map at all in the dark version or just a really dull one. Probably the former, and probably a bug.

So in your opinion the "glitch" its showing the correct enviro-map?

While under normal circumstances the engine isnt loading it correctly.

How can something like that go unnoticed, answer is they probably know about it but were too busy dealing with bigger stuff that probably broke the game completely.
 
The mirror going from black to shiny is the biggest thing that is noticable right away. Pretty nuts. I wonder if they will ever update the game to allow you to turn on/off the lighting, since it's obviously still in the code somehow. I know they might have turned it off for performance reasons on console but why not give us that choice. :D
 

Garcia

Member
They must have had higher priorities than fixing stuff like that.

Maybe:

  • Take advantage of the cross-gen window of opportunity to whale fans.
  • Scamco didn't give From an extra year of funding to properly polish their game.

Probably both? Who knows.
 
Maybe:

  • Take advantage of the cross-gen window of opportunity to whale fans.
  • Scamco didn't give From an extra year of funding to properly polish their game.

Probably both? Who knows.

Im gonna go with option number 2 plus From must have started pretty late to optimize for last-gen consoles and instead of carefully removing stuff to make it playable, just went gung-ho gutting stuff until it worked and never had the chance to go back to fix it.

TIMELINE

FROM: We had to remove the lightning and it looks really odd now.
Namco: Does it run?
FROM: yes
Namco: Dont worry we will do it later or never.

** LAUNCH **

Metacritic: 92

Community: What happened to the graphics and performance of this game.

Namco: hahahaha, what??? cant hear you guys over the sound of swimming through money.

FROM: FUUUUUUUCK guys we are super behind on the PC build.

Namco: Dont worry, grab the Xbox 360 build and make it run on the PC, BTW remember to use Steamworks, or dont, we dont care.

** APRIL 25 **

GAF: meltdowns.
 

pa22word

Member
I think the shader isn't changing either. It's using different environment maps for some reason. I can't tell if it's using no environment map at all in the dark version or just a really dull one. Probably the former, and probably a bug.

I'd say it's probably happening because he's standing in the shadow of the column, so the dark map pops up like it does because of the box they put on the column's shadow that calls the map to be drawn once his body is deep enough in the box. The reason the difference is so striking is because I'd guess that, contrary to what you're saying, the nondark version of the model is actually the one with no enviro map and the dark version is the original standard model, as you can see that's how he looks in the original build of the game where this fight was meant to take place in the darkness. Due to the removal of the real time lighting and the switch to the baked stuff, the dark map didn't make sense in the new context of the fight, so they just removed it. My guess is the reason it still pops up in the fight when he engulfs his body deep enough in the column's shadow is because the change in the maps is probably a universal engine thing because you can force similar phenomenon elsewhere in the game when you coax an enemy into an area where the lighting is different.
 

Cassius

Member
I posted this in the other thread. So I think I made a weird discovery and not sure if someone else posted it. The pre-downgrade Looking Glass Knight model is within the games files and glitches through when you're playing the actual game. Was watching "This is how you don't play Dark Souls 2" video and saw it. Went to DSP's channel and made some pics.

Well that's interesting. I wonder what other goodies From covered up in this fashion.
 

Brakke

Banned
Im gonna go with option number 2 plus From must have started pretty late to optimize for last-gen consoles and instead of carefully removing stuff to make it playable, just went gung-ho gutting stuff until it worked and never had the chance to go back to fix it.

What if what they did is "carefully removing stuff"? Games ship with extra junk all the time. Remember hot coffee? I don't know what their tools look like, do you?

Still baffled why they're getting so much flak for this game.
 

soontroll

Banned
What if what they did is "carefully removing stuff"? Games ship with extra junk all the time. Remember hot coffee? I don't know what their tools look like, do you?

Still baffled why they're getting so much flak for this game.

Then there are 66 pages for you to read through. I guess if you weren't fussed about the Watch Dogs downgrade, you probably won't care about this either (even though it's worse). The only thing that saves this from being an Aliens: Colonial Marines situation is the downgraded screenshots that they posted right before release.

Atleast it's not false advertisement any more, except for E3 trailer.

Yeah, at least they aren't completely lying now.
 
thats it then. I guess this is From saying PC version will not look any different than the consoles one.

at least they removed the screen before Valve punch them for false advertising.

Higher res textures make a big difference. It's not what people wanted but to say it won't look any better isn't true.
vanilla_vs_dsfix_by_aloo81-d6zo0tx.gif
 

Garcia

Member
From @ release day of PC version with E3 build:

tumblr_mtwspkf2GP1rydouao1_500.gif




BELIEVE

Don't break my heart. :(

Fortunately, we're less than a month away from launch which means some gameplay videos might start leaking in 2 or 3 weeks. The rekindling of this thread will be inevitable by then.
 

Ghazi

Member
Don't break my heart. :(

Fortunately, we're less than a month away from launch which means some gameplay videos might start leaking in 2 or 3 weeks. The rekindling of this thread will be inevitable by then.

Oh don't worry, I won't be the one breaking your heart. From will :/


Also, I feel like PC footage will be less likely to leak out as it has to go through Steam whether boxed or digital.
 

Curious_George

Neo Member
They've updated the Steam page. Removed screenshots. Only the post-downgrade ones remain.

The E3 2013 trailer is still there, though.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/236430/

Does anyone have a copy of the shots that were removed? I definitely remember a lot more shots on that steam page but I don't remember specifically of what they were (or if they really looked any better than the ones still up there).
 
Anyone hoping for the game look like it was "pre downgrade" is probably in for a rude awakening, especially if most of the game was made with the visuals that are in line with retail.

I've never seen a pc version of a game look THAT much better without fan mods.
 

Eusis

Member
Anyone hoping for the game look like it was "pre downgrade" is probably in for a rude awakening, especially if most of the game was made with the visuals that are in line with retail.

I've never seen a pc version of a game look THAT much better without fan mods.
Well a lot of it IS in the lightning, which is a semi plausible thing to hope for if they at least got it implemented game wide before downgrading. But that's probably going to be a subtle difference to most people. Won't really change how useful torches ultimately are (though I honestly think it's "just enough" now especially with limited usage in effect) and you're going to need texture mods to deal with the bigger problem of painfully repeating textures. Almost makes it seem as if you just gave PS1 developers PS3 hardware and told them to make a game with it, and they still followed some of those old practices.
 
I posted this in the other thread. So I think I made a weird discovery and not sure if someone else posted it. The pre-downgrade Looking Glass Knight model is within the games files and glitches through when you're playing the actual game. Was watching "This is how you don't play Dark Souls 2" video and saw it. Went to DSP's channel and made some pics.

Weeeiiird
 
Does anyone have a copy of the shots that were removed? I definitely remember a lot more shots on that steam page but I don't remember specifically of what they were (or if they really looked any better than the ones still up there).
Namco PR said those first shots were feom the PC build and he was foing to get someone to uodate the steam page last week. It's been know since then.
 
Well a lot of it IS in the lightning, which is a semi plausible thing to hope for if they at least got it implemented game wide before downgrading. But that's probably going to be a subtle difference to most people. Won't really change how useful torches ultimately are (though I honestly think it's "just enough" now especially with limited usage in effect) and you're going to need texture mods to deal with the bigger problem of painfully repeating textures. Almost makes it seem as if you just gave PS1 developers PS3 hardware and told them to make a game with it, and they still followed some of those old practices.

The tgs demo looks absolutely nothing like what the retail ended up being.

The differences would be a bit more jarring than just prettier shadows and high res textures. It borderline looks like a different game.

But hey I'll be happy if they allow for fan texture mods n stuff.
 

Eusis

Member
Oh yeah, there were a lot of geometry changes and stuff, but anyone hoping for that to be changed IS naive and/or delusional. Improved lighting's the best you can hope for, most ports do have that much at least... and usually isn't a big deal to most people either.
 

Mkilbride

Banned
Wow, I almost want to cancel my pre-order. I want to play the game, yes.

But From Software not only shows that they lied, without a doubt, but that they don't care.
 
Higher res textures make a big difference. It's not what people wanted but to say it won't look any better isn't true.
vanilla_vs_dsfix_by_aloo81-d6zo0tx.gif

Cherry picked shot.

A zoomed cropped picture of the original screenshot with the character further away.

Having the camera zoom in super close & the details emerge on both shots
Zoom out & the DSfix keeps the detail, but is not as noticeable as the camera is further away.
 
Cherry picked shot.

A zoomed cropped picture of the original screenshot with the character further away.

Having the camera zoom in super close & the details emerge on both shots
Zoom out & the DSfix keeps the detail, but is not as noticeable as the camera is further away.

What? Those are clearly two screenshots on the exact same location at about the same camera angle. DSFix upps the internal rendering resolution, that is why everything in those screenshots looks sharper, how can you claim that "the details emerge on both shots". It's not "extra detail", it's the "rendering resolution".
 

ElFly

Member
What? Those are clearly two screenshots on the exact same location at about the same camera angle. DSFix upps the internal rendering resolution, that is why everything in those screenshots looks sharper, how can you claim that "the details emerge on both shots". It's not "extra detail", it's the "rendering resolution".

The chain mail textures are visible on the PS3 version, but that shot shows it at a worse angle for the PS3 version; from a regular angle the chain mail is visible, but obvs at a minor resolution.

It's not THAT bad except for some worst cases like the one the GIF shows.
 

wickfut

Banned
The chain mail textures are visible on the PS3 version, but that shot shows it at a worse angle for the PS3 version; from a regular angle the chain mail is visible, but obvs at a minor resolution.

It's not THAT bad except for some worst cases like the one the GIF shows.

The gif isn't showing the difference between console & PC, it's showing the differences higher texture resolution makes.
 

Vitor711

Member
Cherry picked shot.

A zoomed cropped picture of the original screenshot with the character further away.

Having the camera zoom in super close & the details emerge on both shots
Zoom out & the DSfix keeps the detail, but is not as noticeable as the camera is further away.

Yeah, that's exactly not what it is.

The camera is in a slightly different location but nothing is zoomed in. That's just the extent of difference that upping the internal rendering res will create.
 

Stet

Banned
Cherry picked shot.

A zoomed cropped picture of the original screenshot with the character further away.

Having the camera zoom in super close & the details emerge on both shots
Zoom out & the DSfix keeps the detail, but is not as noticeable as the camera is further away.

The funniest part about this is that nobody has ever disputed how important DSfix was for the PC version of Dark Souls 1.


Until this post, in a thread talking about Dark Souls 2.
 

Deadbeat

Banned
The funniest part about this is that nobody has ever disputed how important DSfix was for the PC version of Dark Souls 1.


Until this post, in a thread talking about Dark Souls 2.
Maybe he prefers a more balanced resolution that adds a cinematic feel.
 
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