Witcher 3 Downgraded visuals?

The Witcher 3
Archangel said:
For less money (than game + computer upgrades needed) you can get yourself to a hill like this and get to see a lag free most realistic view :)
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..and for even less you can just close your eyes and picture yourself playing Witcher 3 with 2021 gfx! naked ladies are included, if you want them! Astounding stuff!
 
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vurt said:
..and for even less you can just close your eyes and picture yourself playing Witcher 3 with 2021 gfx! naked ladies are included, if you want them! Astounding stuff!
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Thinking is the best way to travel!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqOiZjwQKaU

Fluent said:
I think it could be simply because it's too much work to develop, test and create assets for a separate version.
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There's no question this is why. Creating their original version would mean it would only run on the top 10% of gaming PCs and not run at all on consoles. It was obvious from the start that CDPR knew that they could never, EVER deliver those visuals to the mainstream audience. So did they try to deceive us? YEP. Will Witcher 3 still be great? YEP (I hope).

PS: ironically, with DX12 and other advances, delivering those visuals very well may be possible in just a year perhaps. But again, only the top machines will run it meaning no developer will aim for that small audience...because, wait for it...CONSOLES. :)
 
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Brumbek said:
PS: ironically, with DX12 and other advances, delivering those visuals very well may be possible in just a year perhaps. But again, only the top machines will run it meaning no developer will aim for that small audience…because, wait for it…CONSOLES. :)
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Actually we'll get instantly a game noone really cares for - some kind of Fable sequel.
 
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I had to look a bit for it, but I remember reading this interview a little while back:
http://www.gamepressure.com/e.asp?ID=51

CDProjekt make it pretty clear in that interview that console-level graphics will be as it good as it gets on the PC, save for better frame rate, a higher resolution and hairworks apparently.
Platform unification exists – we have a single build, which is distributed to each one of them. The game is the same; the draw distance is the same.
…
Are all the textures and models the same? - Yes, there is only one version, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to make the game in time.
…
To sum up, there are only a few differences between PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. They are not aimed at changing the configuration; instead their purpose is to solve certain problems.
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So yeah, pretty obvious what they did and why. What I dislike the most about the newer graphics is the more 'cartoony' style, for lack of a better word. Too bad this 'platform unification', but if the gameplay and content/story/quests hold up, I won't complain.
 
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hiciacit said:
I had to look a bit for it, but I remember reading this interview a little while back:
http://www.gamepressure.com/e.asp?ID=51

CDProjekt make it pretty clear in that interview that console-level graphics will be as it good as it gets on the PC, save for better frame rate, a higher resolution and hairworks apparently.


So yeah, pretty obvious what they did and why. What I dislike the most about the newer graphics is the more 'cartoony' style, for lack of a better word. Too bad this 'platform unification', but if the gameplay and content/story/quests hold up, I won't complain.
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Ah well. Initially I bought it for PS4 but then bought it again for PC as well hoping it will look better so it looks like not much between PC and PS4 then.
 
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I'm just not seeing this "huge" difference that some are claiming.

I can see what appears to be a downgrade compared to earlier screenshots yes, but it still looks fantastic to me, especially for a gameworld this large.
 
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I think people are making a big fuss about this. Specially the folks on DSOG. However, wherever there is smoke, there is also fire.
 
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I also don't see that much of a difference.

Has it been confirmed that both shown versions run on equally fast PCs and both reach the same frame rate?
 
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Did you guys look at the very first screenshot from the link in the news post? How can you say you don't see much of a difference? :)
The whole wall with the crack in the original screenshot is textured completely different, the rock formations are different, the grass is different, the lighting is different, everything is different.... it's like night&day.
Now, how much this affects one's enjoyment of the game may be up for debate (personally I agree it still looks "good enough") but to deny that there is a massive change between some scenes seems a little odd to me.
 
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Typical. MS probably used some money or strongarming tactics to insure that the graphics on the PC version were not better than consoles. Seems to happen a lot. Definitely in wait and see mode with Witcher 3, lots of warning flags that it may not be all that.
 
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I knew this would happen too. The new screenshots look like exactly what they are: high end console capable graphics. I am not that big of a graphics guy but the difference in screen shots on that site is HUGE.
 
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Well if there is one build for all 3 platforms I can be sure it will work with my PC.
 
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I'm sorry, but I don't really see that much of a difference between the screens in the comparison. The game looks fine to me in 2015.

I do need a new video card, though. :)

Yes, there are differences in a few shots, but they might simply be stuff they wanted to change. I don't see how the new shots should perform that much better or look worse. They both look good. Maybe that's just opinion.
 
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I don't believe CDPr deceived us on purpose.

The downgraded graphics are because of consoles, that's a given. But maybe too because only about 10-20% of PC users would be able to enjoy it.

Remember, CDPr said their primary development platform is the PC version. So I believe that when they've shown the demo in 2013, it was the best they had done so far. Then they started to port to consoles and found many limitations. To the point that keeping the 2013's trailers graphics just for PC would mean duplication of the workload (separate geometry for every object in the game, mapping, lighting, etc). That's not good for business or their budget. Higher resolution, better textures and some better shadows are almost "automatic". Creating new objects (houses, items, trees, etc), that would require a lot more manual work.

I still think that they could have kept a few things from that 2013 trailer, like the particle effects (fire, smoke), but I can understand (although such a pity) the geometry downgrade (like that pic where we can see each individual stone in that building edge, instead of just a straith line when two flat surfaces meet with textures glued to them.
 
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JDR13 said:
I can see what appears to be a downgrade compared to earlier screenshots yes, but it still looks fantastic to me, especially for a gameworld this large.
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I totally agree that the end product will look great. There is little doubt that Witcher 3 will be the best looking open-world RPG ever made.

That being said, what we are upset about is the deceptive marketing. I preloaded W3 today, and gives you all the HD marketing videos. The very first one is clearly called "Witcher 3 - The Debut Gameplay". However, that video is mostly pre-rendered scripted promo video, not gameplay. That is the problem. They should just be honest and clearly label when things are actual gameplay or CG-quality scripted stuff for marketing.
 
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Why is preload available so early? Do they perhaps plan early release for prepurchasers because of the middle east leak?
 
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There is a definite difference in the old screenshots vs the new ones, even I can see it and I normally don't notice tiny details in screenshots, but I think the differences are pretty obvious in this case.

That said, I don't see a big deal about it. They were using some super high end machine and then saw it wouldn't work for the vast majority of gaming computers out there during the technical making and testing the game process. I think of it in this way, in a few more years of tech computer advances those first screenshots will be available to be run on most average computers.
 
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My only problem if the graphics are downgraded they should have downgraded the requirements. Plus for those of us that were going to buy new machines for this game it could have saved some money on what we were going to buy.
 
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