Witcher 3 - Q&A and Gameplay @ Twitch

[JDR13]

Um... how is anyone supposed to know what settings were being used during any given screenshot?

 

[DArtagnan]

Um… how is anyone supposed to know what settings were being used during any given screenshot?

vurt knows, because he's psychic

 

[vurt]

Um… how is anyone supposed to know what settings were being used during any given screenshot?

Right.. Like CDP would choose to show off screenshots with anything but highest settings..

Wouldn't that also go against the whole idea (that for example DArtagnan have), that those screenshots are in fact just "PR screens" and have little to do with how it will look in reality..? A kind of an anti-PR screenshot showcase here you might say, with the new screens (with downgraded graphics).. lol.

Anyways, the polish preview/review guy said it's clearly downgraded (though it still looks good, similar to the latest Dragon Age.). So i think i'm kind of finished here.

 

[DArtagnan]

It starts off with you saying the graphics in the images can't be compared because they're not from the exact same angle etc. Then you resort to that we shouldn't expect the game to look like in in the screenshots because they are "PR screens". Haha, it's extremely predictable where it would go from there, it would end with "the graphics are good enough for me".. No need for any psychic powers here at all

It started out that way, actually.

If you paid more attention to what people say - and less attention to your own delusions - you could save all of us a lot of time.

first renederer is far superior, really crappy alpha threshold in the new screens (both for trees and grass).. obviously more advanced lightning in the first screens that came out too, it's especially noticeable on characters i think, they look almost like separate pieces from the world in the new screens, while in the old they blend in naturally (due to better lightning).

You still don't seem to understand that you can't conclude what "renderer" is superior without knowing what settings were used - and without similar conditions.

You might as well take a screenshot from Skyrim at lowest settings in a cave and one at highest settings on a field and claim the latter is using the superior renderer with superior lighting.

Let's just say your claims about "knowing" this stuff seem even less convincing than they originally did.

I mean, you've made some fine textures for a variety of games - but you don't seem to know shit about how they're being used by the engine.

and yes, i'm very much looking forward to the game, if anyone for some reason thought something else

Why would that be relevant? I doubt anyone cares.

 

[DArtagnan]

Right.. Like CDP would choose to show off screenshots with anything but highest settings..

Wouldn't that also go against the whole idea (that for example DArtagnan have), that those screenshots are in fact just "PR screens" and have little to do with how it will look in reality..? A kind of an anti-PR screenshot in this case though, with the new screens (with downgraded graphics).. lol.

Anyways, the polish preview/review guy said it's clearly downgraded (though it still looks good, similar to the latest Dragon Age.). So i think i'm kind of finished here.

I haven't called any specific screenshot a PR screenshot.

I'm saying early marketing screenshots will be polished up and presented in the best possible light. They always are.

But you're not posting any kind of source for your screenshots - and I bet you don't even know where half of them come from.

 

[vurt]

Again, these are offical screens from CDP so clearly highest settings on all images. CDP has been very strict with this, and has only let people play the game on their machines in their offices.

This is often the case with alpha/beta games so that the developer has proper quality control over what goes out on the internet. I would hate to develop a game and then someone decides to show it with the lowest possible settings, that could really hurt sales. These are rather obvious things.

Edit: The source of the new screens is their official twitter account… right click image, google image - easy! There, you learned something new

 

[DArtagnan]

Again, these are offical screens from CDP so clearly highest settings on all images. CDP has been very strict with this, and has only let people play the game on their machines in their offices.

This is often the case with alpha/beta games so that the developer has proper quality control over what goes out on the internet. I would hate to develop a game and then someone decides to show it with the lowest possible settings, that could really hurt sales. These are rather obvious things.

Provide a source for this information, please. For the original two screenshots.

As for the others:

How do you know the grass textures doesn't differ from location to location? The lighting conditions look very different in all the screenshots - meaning time of day and weather conditions could be completely different from one to the next. The second grass picture looks blurry, possibly due to image compression - and it also looks zoomed in. They could be using highest settings and still suffer from those issues.

When you know for a fact that they're all taken from the same platform - using highest possible settings - AND the screenshots depict the same location and the same time of day and weather - AND the images themselves are using the same compression technology, taken at the same resolution with no zoom on any of them - you will start having a point.

 

[vurt]

CDP has said on numerous occations that platform will not matter (except for FPS), the graphics is the same on all platforms, they've been very clear with this..

Not sure why you continue when it's now official that it's downgraded (Polish CD action magazine)..

and again, the new images are proudly shown on official Witcher 3 twitter account, use google.

 

[DArtagnan]

CDP has said on numerous occations that platform will not matter (except for FPS), the graphics is the same on all platforms, they've been very clear with this..

What? You're kidding right? The PC and console versions will look identical at highest settings?

You call yourself knowledgable?

Not sure why you continue when it's now official that it's downgraded (Polish CD action magazine)..

Oh, you mean some Polish reviewer thinks it looks downgraded - so it's officially downgraded?

You really are amusing

and again, the new images are proudly shown on official Witcher 3 twitter account, use google.

That's not how this works.

You're the one claiming the game is clearly downgraded.

All I'm saying is that you can't conclude that from a bunch of screenshots with potentially wildly different sources.

The burden of proof is on you - and you clearly don't have anything approaching proof.

What you have is ignorance about the topic at hand.

 

[JDR13]

the graphics is the same on all platforms, they've been very clear with this..

That makes little sense, and I have a difficult time believing that's true. There would be no reason for them to not take advantage of more powerful hardware.

 

[vurt]

CDP has said the graphics will be the same on all platforms. Obviously PC will have things like higher resolution and probably anti-aliasing settings. These are not the changes we are looking at in the screens, there's much higher quality lightning in the first screens, for example.

The images are clearly very good proof, the polish review/preview guy (who praises the game - i don't see him as someone who would lie) is clearly proof as well.. Whatever. I'm done.. it's not like you're gonna change your mind all of a sudden you're just getting more and more pissed the more you realise you're wrong.. i'll leave it at that, it's not good to be angry

 

[DArtagnan]

CDP has said the graphics will be the same on all platforms. Obviously PC will have things like higher resolution and probably anti-aliasing settings. These are not the changes we are looking at in the screens, there's much higher quality lightning in the first screens, for example.

So, you admit there will be differences. That's good

The images are clearly very good proof, the polish review/preview guy (who praises the game - i don't see him as someone who would lie) is clearly proof as well.. Whatever. I'm done.. it's not like you're gonna change your mind all of a sudden you're just getting more and more pissed the more you realise you're wrong.. i'll leave it at that, it's not good to be angry

Yes, I'm very angry because you failed utterly to prove your claim.

Run along

 

[Moriendor]

There would be no reason for them to not take advantage of more powerful hardware.

I know I have a dirty mind but there would definitely be an incentive for them to dumb down the PC graphics if Microsoft sent them a nice six figure check as an incentive to do so (maybe a timed deal so in six to twelve months they will release an update to unleash the PC's potential). This thought might not even be that dirty since CDP has apparently accepted at least one bribe from MS for the Xbone CE map exclusivity. Who knows…

As for the screens, yes, it is obvious that things have changed for the worse. The old screens look like they were using an ENB filter or something like that and the new screens look a lot more pure and real.
It might also have to do with the news a few months back when they were accused of overhyping the game. Maybe they decided to release more realistic screens now to avoid a shitstorm at release coupled with an actual need to tune down the graphics for performance reasons.

Finally, that Polish review definitely has quite a lot of cons and it is unfortunately exactly the areas where I was expecting the game to have weaknesses but was hopeful (until I read the above) that they'd get a grip on it. Oh well… not buying before the Enhanced Edition so I'm hopeful that they will take the criticism to heart and fix the combat and controls until then (same procedure as usual with every Witcher release it seems ).

 

[JDR13]

It might also have to do with the news a few months back when they were accused of overhyping the game. Maybe they decided to release more realistic screens now to avoid a shitstorm at release coupled with an actual need to tune down the graphics for performance reasons.

The latter reason makes a lot more sense and is probably why any graphical effects would have been removed or toned down. With all the hype, they need TW3 to be playable on as many systems as possible.

It's obvious that an extremely high-end system was used in some of those earlier videos, and the majority of people wouldn't be able to run the game with those settings. Still, I would assume there's an "ultra" setting for those of us who can run it, and I'll be disappointed if there isn't.

I didn't read the Polish review and don't plan to. I've decided to completely avoid any further preview/review articles prior to release.

 

[lostforever]

The older screen shots from CDPR looked much better compared to the newer ones. The most obvious explanation is graphics downgrade. I mean, do we know any marketing department who takes screenshot at anything other than "uber" settings? :lol:

Having said that, the new screenshot also look pretty amazing to me so I won't be complaining.

 

[lostforever]

See this link, apparently both old and new screenshots were taking using PC high settings...

http://wccftech.com/witcher-3-downgrade-comparison-screenshots-showcase-gorgeous-game/

 

[danutz_plusplus]

You guys should stop arguing and start enjoying the Twitch gameplay stream.
http://www.twitch.tv/gogcom/v/4721705

 

[vurt]

screen from final build has been leaked:

don't panic, the gamma was really off in this image says CDP.

I wanted to compare it to one of the first screens, but unfortunately i couldnt find one in the exact same angle Would have been interesting otherwise.

 

[DArtagnan]

See this link, apparently both old and new screenshots were taking using PC high settings…

http://wccftech.com/witcher-3-downgrade-comparison-screenshots-showcase-gorgeous-game/

You still don't seem to get it

There are no details regarding those later comparison shots - they haven't been established as "high setting" PC images - at least not in the article you linked to. Heck, one of the top images among them is from The Witcher 2!!

I'm surprised I have to teach people how they can't rely on static images like that.

The first two images are apparently "official" ultra settings shots - and I don't think the downgrade is clear at all from looking at them, as they show completely different scenes. Both look great and full of detail.

That said, the original PR screenshots have all been put through an obvious sharpening filter - which gives everything a "fake" amount of detail.

You can accomplish the exact same thing by using SweetFX with LUMASHARPEN enabled. I do that myself in many games. They also seem to be using some kind of tonemapping or vibrance filter - which is what makes them look so bleak and distinct in terms of the color palette.

But the newer comparison screenshots look like images using compression and lower resolution - which makes no sense as "official" comparison shots. They look like they're taken from random sources without a discerning eye applied for comparison.

So, we really can't know for sure until we see the game for ourselves.

Also, a lot of the detail will be in the animations and new technologies - like the Nvidia hair and physics stuff. In the end, the released game running on our own setups will be the true test of how this game really looks.

But I feel sorry for anyone believing PR screenshots will match the released game 1:1. That's just not how the modern corporate world works, I'm sorry to say.

 

[GothicGothicness]

Well, it is obvious the graphics was downgraded I even started a thread about it here.

Anyone who knows anything about graphics rendering can see that. However it doesn't come as any huge surprise a lot of games has been doing that lately.

I still think that there is a very high chance they'll enable an uber option on PC like they did in TW2 which will make it look closer to the earlier builds they showed off. However Titan X in SLI will probably be required for that or some such