[Witcher 3 Incoming Patches]"CD Projekt tackles The Witcher 3 downgrade issue head on" -Eurogamer.net

[Lewellyn]

I didn't see anyone posting this so here:

 

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-19-cd-projekt-red-tackles-the-witcher-3-graphics-downgrade-issue-head-on

 

From Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/36oq14/cd_projekt_tackles_the_witcher_3_downgrade_issue/

 

In response to heavy criticisms from the PC enthusiast platform CD Projekt is supposedly taking to the task of patching the game for increased quality.

 

"a big patch with 600 changes - including improvements to graphics and graphical settings - was sent to certification today (Wednesday 20th May), and will take between five and seven days to clear. There will be patch notes covering it all.

In addition, CD Projekt Red will patch the game to allow editing of .ini files on PC, to push graphical settings even higher. You will be able to tweak grass and vegetation density, post-processing effects such as sharpening, and draw distances. The .ini patch will arrive soon after the other patch. "And we think about some other tricks but we need time," Adam Badowski says."

 

Co-founder Marcin Iwinski, studio head Adam Badowski, and global communications manager Michal Platkow-Gilewski answer questions about how consoles restricted the PC version for parity and the reasoning for the graphical downgrade, as well as why nothing was said about it.

 

"And for those who are still not 100 per cent decided, I definitely encourage them to wait and see what we will be releasing in patches, updates and whatnot."

 

 

-edit- forgot some important names.

[LePawel]

Ubisoft, look and learn, or your "bloody marvelous time to be alive" may end for you soon.

[yNeolh]

Wow... Mmmm If this is true Is going to hurt a lot of companies...

 

Waiting, thanks for the info!

[Guest]

CD Projekt is going about this entire game in all the right ways.

 

But sadly, unless they were secretly hiding thousands of assets that are gone from the original demos, this won't improve it to the original quality. Luckily, it's good-enough looking already that if they shipped some really nice textures (like Shadow of Mordor's addon pack), it would be great. I don't understand how the textures look as muddy as they do.

[Adreyu]

CD projekt red.... well played

[Victorious Secret]

CD Projekt is going about this entire game in all the right ways.

 

But sadly, unless they were secretly hiding thousands of assets that are gone from the original demos, this won't improve it to the original quality. Luckily, it's good-enough looking already that if they shipped some really nice textures (like Shadow of Mordor's addon pack), it would be great. I don't understand how the textures look as muddy as they do.

 

What they are offering isn't what already exists in the .ini files, as so well highlighted by all the various guides now out there. In fact I think it was Nvidia who really went to town on all the "advanced" settings you can make outside the game menus. Let me know when they patch all that back into the game. 

 

 

[Guest]

What they are offering isn't what already exists in the .ini files, as so well highlighted by all the various guides now out there. In fact I think it was Nvidia who really went to town on all the "advanced" settings you can make outside the game menus. Let me know when they patch all that back into the game. 

Right? Nvidia showed off like 10 different technologies for Witcher 3 a year or so ago, and now all we have is a less-optimized version of TressFX. This sucks.

 

Here's a good quote as a TL:DR for the article, on why the graphics were dulled:

 

"If you're looking at the development process," Iwinski begins, "we do a certain build for a tradeshow and you pack it, it works, it looks amazing. And you are extremely far away from completing the game. Then you put it in the open-world, regardless of the platform, and it's like 'oh shit, it doesn't really work'. We've already showed it, now we have to make it work. And then we try to make it work on a huge scale. This is the nature of games development."

[Misanthrope]

Fair enough

 

[Toddwjp]

how to make your name in software,

 

develop a new way of generating realistic particle based smoke effects which isnt resource intensive 

[Misanthrope]

how to make your name in software,

 

develop a new way of generating realistic particle based smoke effects which isnt resource intensive 

 

Well yeah but that's like saying "How to make your name in alchemy: Convert lead into gold without it costing more than the value of gold" Easy to say, virtually impossible to do.

[tangra]

In all honesty .. their previous 2 games were supported well beyond ANY other single player game. They even re-release them later for free for the people who have purchased the original. Their post release game support was really good on the previous 2 Witcher Games. 

[Beskamir]

Well yeah but that's like saying "How to make your name in alchemy: Convert lead into gold without it costing more than the value of gold" Easy to say, virtually impossible to do.

So long as people are willing to buy radioactive gold that might not be that impossible and it would be a byproduct of generating electricity.

 

On a more serious note, CD Projekt Red is awesome when it comes to supporting their games. It's why I will continue to support them by buying their games. Also with Sweetfx The Witcher 3 actually looks pretty good. Sure some of the textures could be a bit better but otherwise it looks good enough for me. Although I'm sad that I can't run hair physics at 1440 with more than 20-30 fps.

[Octagoncow]

I'm glad to see they're not ignoring their consumers. This doesn't effect me at all since I only have a 670 but it would be cool to bump up some things and check out the game once I upgrade. I'm more excited that CD Projekt Red isn't ditching their PC consumers and understands that they need to give everyone attention.

[shert73]

Guess I should just go ahead and buy the Damn game.

[Victorious Secret]

This was interesting to read. Now I know everyone will just say "oh but if you got rid of consoles, they'd just go to the PC side and buy games that way". Ehh...no. Most people are idiots. They want the lowest common denominator. PCs are not that. PC fanboys are naive in thinking that people would switch. They wouldn't, not in the droves you think. 

So I guess you have to ask yourself, was the downgrade worth it to have a game of this scale at all, or would you have preferred something far less (if anything at all)? 
 

Did the console versions restrict the PC version?

"If the consoles are not involved there is no Witcher 3 as it is," answers Marcin Iwinski, definitively. "We can lay it out that simply. We just cannot afford it, because consoles allow us to go higher in terms of the possible or achievable sales; have a higher budget for the game, and invest it all into developing this huge, gigantic world.

 

[Humbug]

It's not worth much but my instinct says that they were not intentionally trying to mislead anybody.

[gilang01]

More graphical upgrades? My overclocked 970 is already struggling to push past 55 fps with all settings maxed out (avg 45-50fp). Editing the ini files means that I'll be playing sub 40fps

[geforceftw]

Definetely going to buy Witcher 3 now. Good job CD Projekt.

[blu4]

Thank god I just purchased my quad titan X's to run this game at better graphical settings! Jk. I had to turn it down from 4K to 1440p to get 60FPS. I hope this "enchantment" won't require a computer that is being designed my Elon Musk for the Mars mission. Also, it just goest to show how CD Projekt Red listens to the fans and does exactly what they want. 

 

"Have you paid for the game sir?"

"Yes I have, I love it!"

"Thank of buying- we made it DRM free, multiple languages, took long time to perfect, made it very long, made the story extremely interesting and you can do whatever you want with it!"

 

WHY DONT YOU LISTEN UBISHIT?!

 

This game is the only good thing to come out of Poland since they scientists to crack the German enigma. 

[Humbug]

Refreshingly honest interview. Now everybody can move on (hopefully).

[pbenologa]

This goes to show that we must support CDPR and buy the game. FFS do not pirate this one. Who knows what will happen if they achieve their target sales.

[Fetzie]

This goes to show that we must support CDPR and buy the game. FFS do not pirate this one. Who knows what will happen if they achieve their target sales.

I'll buy it when I see the results of this change. Not before.

[SuperPug]

But sadly, unless they were secretly hiding thousands of assets that are gone from the original demos, this won't improve it to the original quality. Luckily, it's good-enough looking already that if they shipped some really nice textures (like Shadow of Mordor's addon pack), it would be great. I don't understand how the textures look as muddy as they do.

 

 

What they are offering isn't what already exists in the .ini files, as so well highlighted by all the various guides now out there. In fact I think it was Nvidia who really went to town on all the "advanced" settings you can make outside the game menus. Let me know when they patch all that back into the game. 

 

Have you guys played the game? It looks freaking great and it actually runs good on something like a 280X. The "gamplay" they showed at E3 2013 was most likely just an in-engine tech demo without the entire game behind it - theres no "original quality" to restore it to guys... And lots of the "controversy" on graphics downgrade was based on bad screenshots - some of the comparisons even looked like they were from the console version.

[SuperPug]

I'll buy it when I see the results of this change. Not before.

 

You cant run it on ultra with your card anyways why does it even matter

[deviant88]

Who cares man i bet people are going to be OMG this is amazing but you are probably ignorant,the game runs extremely bad(gameworks/hair disabled) on high end hardware which means they didnt give a fuck about optimizations, another poor console port.And now they enable even more graphics on that shitty engine they use? good luck running 20fps ultra on gtx 780's which makes no sense.On my 670 i managed to get around 30-40 fps ultra with severe stuttering unsmooth controls,imprecise movements and terrible graphics(mostly shadows and excesive winds).

The game is terrible,bad graphics+ bad gameplay+ poor console port, not worth my money.

 

Its clear as clear as it can get no dev cares about pc gaming anymore, these sort of ports are an insult, they arent even playable for free,if 30fps with stutter and bad laggy controls are playable for you than use your brains more,and less fanboyism.

 

The game also got a delay for no reason, the game is in such a bad state id avoid altogheter, graphically is almost on the same level as witcher 2 and that one runs much better maxed out, its not open world tough.