Phil Spencer Explains Why Ryse is 900p and How the Quick Time Events E3 Debacle Was Born

Microsoft Game Studios President Phil Spencer is one of the men that knows the ins and outs of the development of Ryse: Son of Rome the best, he actually considers the game almost like a first party production.

What’s more interesting, though, is his explanation on what led to the choice of a 900p native resolution for the game and to the now well known debacle that made people think that the game was full of quick time events.

[Bruce_Wayne]

The game looks nice, but I honestly don't think it's going to be jaw-dropping. It'll probably be a game that you play through once, play a few matches online, then move on. Crytek games are good, but they're not astonishing. Anyway, best of luck for those buying.

I disagree with Spencer... KZ:SF is the best-looking game in my opinion.

@Lalanana

Well you should love the disagrees. They're a part of you. They come with the territory, in your case.

@Loki

The SP gameplay doesn't have much to do with what he said. He said that he thinks that Ryse is the best looking game. He didn't say that it's the best or funnest game to play. Although, the SP still has QTEs from the looks of it...

[pwnsause_returns]

well, what do you want him to say? LMAO

edit: Not hating, im going to reiterate what i just said. you dont want to say Rise doesnt look as good as our competitor's game.. that would look bad for everyone on the microsoft side.

and yes, Ryse looks good. its running on the damn cryengine for crying out loud, it has to.

[Lalanana]

RYSE is one of the best ofthe launch titles even at 900p..only haters will argue against it without even giving the game a try...

lol @ the disagrees.. I love it.

[Bruce_Wayne]

I want him to just stay quite. Problem? He's obviously being biased so his opinion is of no substance here.

[shivvy24]

After kzsf this is the next best looking game imo

[MysticStrummer]

@Lalanana - Saying it's one of the best launch titles without playing it makes as much sense as hating on it without playing it. The game looks good. My only problem is when people say it looks "the best". To me there are better looking multi plats on both systems, but that's just my opinion just like "it looks the best" is theirs. I don't see it, but oh well. ; )

[NukaCola]

It started as a 360 Kinect only, on the rails slasher. Yeah it looks good but where is the substance? It lacks content from what I have seen. It looks like linear arenas with a bunch of hhumas to QTE over. Where are the bosses, puzzles, story? Really wanting to know why guys like Jokesonyou and Lalalanana are so hell bent and defensively supporting this game because I see a lot of triangles spinning around something with the game play of Infinity Blade but now no longer on rails.

[Eonjay]

If the Xbox One could handle all the textures, AA effects, etc while maintaining a steady framerate @ 1080p if would be in 1080P. It is 900P because that is what the hardware will allow given the current tool chains, hardware horsepower, and developer experience with said console.

[Irishguy95]

@ Nuka...puzzles? What? God of war is the only Action game with puzzles. Some action games bring in elements of other genres, like Rising and stealth. Most don't. And all action games are linear. Very linear. Bayonetta, God of war, Ninja Gaiden, Dmc(while is has 'areas' their progression is linear), Ryse too. Stop comparing it to god of war. We haven't seen any of the bosses yet, i'm hoping the bosses are more personal and skill based than big ones like Bayonetta and god of war's huge bosses, I thought the smaller bosses where much better in those games. Not for cinematic purposes but gameplay wise much better.

Have you not seen the recent story trailer either? Watch it. Thankfully they are not giving too much away with trailers. The story seems like it might stack up though. Better than most action games again, it may even contend with god of war in this area.

[n4rc]

Brucewayne...

So let's just ignore anything any developer or console maker has to say... Always.. Sony, UbiSoft etc...

But lemme guess... You didnt mean everyone did you?

[mikeslemonade]

Ryse is overhyped. It would be as if the PS fans are hyping up Knack. It's on rails with lots of QTEs... period. Move on.. and stop being so nonsensical.

[Sweep14]

@lalanana : One of the best, not THE best

[P0werVR]

Why should he stay quiet?!

He stating a simple choice that developers make games.

You find all the great visuals, effect and AI you want in the game, and then find a balanced resolution that'll allow all that at a solid frame rate.

[Abriael]

They have such a different art style that it's really hard to decide which one looks "best" Imho.

[Loki86]

I don't think you can make that assumption until you see the single player honestly.

[Bigpappy]

Of course it is you opinion. Your opinion just happens to be wrong.

When Ryse is released and that single player is there for all to see, it will settle all this talk about which launch game looks best.

All KZ:SF has going for it is great lighting. The texture are bland, and there is no wow factor in character design or environments. Even the guns look low resolution in a game that is supposed to be 1080p. KZ:SF depth of field sharpness has been reduced in the latest build to try a get a better frame rate. Ryse will look much richer and beautiful al a lower resolution because it is doing more graphically than resolution.

[MysticStrummer]

"Of course it is you opinion. Your opinion just happens to be wrong"

Textbook fanboyism.

*slow clap*

[Bruce_Wayne]

How is my opinion wrong? There's no such thing as having a wrong opinion.

Opinion: a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.

There's no right nor wrong here.

You're completely wrong if you think that Killzone has nothing else besides great lighting.

Oh boy...
Where's Eonjay when you need him?

For the record, KZ:SF has great gameplay. Ryse is an old kinect game.

[AceBlazer13]

You do know what an opinion is right?

[FamilyGuy]

The only thing that REALLY looks good in Ryse are those in-engine cut scenes and there's a good chance that those cut scenes are just videos that were created in a superior build. Whether that's true will be evident once the game releases and the load times before the cut scenes are checked (in-engine = instant, video play requires a load time).

As far as "best looking" is concerned I can only say Ryse is the best looking, launch title, X1 exclusive. There are PS4 exclusives that look better, there are multiplatform games that look better and there are games that release in 2014 that look better.

[GTgamer]

Hmmm KZSF 30-60 fps SP 1080p has better explosions,destructions,effect s,scale have you seen the environments in KZ they are amazing especially since the game can handle 24 players on screen to attack now please tellll me How the hell ryse is doing more than KZSF I'm dying to hear this.

[Sweep14]

Butthurt hey ? KZSF smokes Ryse in EVERY compartment, textures, frame rate, animations, effects, particles, smoke etc...

[Pope_Kaz_Hirai_II]

Bubble these trolls like bigpappy down plz.

[Loki86]

@Bruce I was talking to you about your comments on ShadowFall.

[Bruce_Wayne]

SP of Shadow Fall is good. What is there for me to be aware of that's bad? Multiple ways to attack? The fact that it runs above 30 FPS in SP for a 1080p game?

[Bigpappy]

One thing KZ:SF does not have is great Gameplay. You can see where every enemy is even when they are walking behind builds, and when there are not behind anything, they don't even attempt to take cover. It is pure target practice and Zipping around like Spiderman. Even the pro Sony press are not talking up the gameplay. You should consider Battlefield if you want gameplay. KZ:SF if you want 1080p.

[KUV1977]

It seems you have never played a Killzone before, right? Killzone has always had great enemy-AI. There is no reason they should suddenly abandon this. The demos are probably set to 'walk in the park'. ALso the 'see through walls' thing comes from the OWL, a device you have with you. I highly doubt that you can use its features all the time at no cost. If so, that would really be stupid, but I am absolutely sure this will not be the case.

[LordNikon]

KZ' gameplay looks fine. Ryse's gameplay is the one i'm worried about. Haven't seen such awkward gameplay in a long time.

[Hicken]

@Bigpappy: Now you're just making stuff up to suit your argument.

[kwiksilver99]

maybe you should wait for the full release before throwing stones at killzone shadowfall -a series which i think excelled at enemy a.i and gunplay.

[Bigpappy]

@Hicken: instead of just saying I am making stuff up. May be point out one, single point I made that was made up. Every thing I said is true and everyone here knows it. You are just to scared of retaliation to speak it as is. I am not. That is the real difference between us.

I am but trying to be accepted. I just talk about what I see and should be obvious to anyone with at least one good eye.

[MysticStrummer]

Ooohhh pappy...

Wow...

It's either time for your meds, or maybe you need to take fewer meds, or maybe different meds. Consult your physician.

Have you ever played a KZ game at all?

[Gohadouken]

Then you conveniently pick what you wanna see and talk about as usual .

"Even the pro Sony press are not talking up the gameplay. "

Really , then why do i remember extensive sections about gameplay features , the OWL or the mp and its classes ?

And why , bare teasers and trailers , did we get to see that many video footages for both sp and mp lasting from 15 min to a full hour every fricking month since the game was revealed ?

You are transparent

[GTgamer]

@Bigpappy Gameplay of KZ You do know what gameplay is right? Because you just labeled what the AI does and if you watch the review of BF4 by game trailers the AI isn't anything to commend nor is the Story but i guess you didn't know that but you should know that when they demo games its mostly on a low Difficulty because i know KZ and the AI is very good so idk what your talking.

[Hicken]

For one, excellent AI is one of the hallmarks of the Killzone series. Shadow Fall hasn't shown anything to be different.

For another, you can't just zip around like Spiderman. Yes, you can use a zip line, but it doesn't allow you to do anything like webslinging.

Third, Battlefield, so far that I've seen, isn't introducing anything new to alter gameplay, like the OWL is for Killzone. Not that I don't enjoy it, but Battlefield is standard fare for shooters.

Fourth, what the hell is "pro Sony press?" Media outlets that have covered Killzone have talked about its gameplay. End of story.

Like GTGamer, I question if you actually know what gameplay is.

[pyramidshead]

Damn the irony hurts reading this one.

>Talking about boring gameplay
>comparing it to Ryse.

I'm honestly surprised this is being praised so much on Xbox seeing as MS fanboys decimated PS exclusives for being "too cinematic", then Crytek gives you the most cinematic launch game ever....complete with '300' like slow downs every 2 seconds.

It's the one game I'm interested in on the XB1 but maybe that's my love for PS exclusives showing. ;p

[Sweep14]

Play it in hard difficulty. After that we'll speak...

[lifeisgamesok]

I agree Phil best facial animation, best foliage, best bokeh, best character models I've ever seen on consoles

[Trekster_Gamer]

You need glasses.. KZ looks great but if you at everything going on, Ryse beats it all day long.

[Bruce_Wayne]

I have perfect vision... and the clear winner is Killzone in both graphical fidelity and gameplay. Ryse has boring gameplay. It'll be shovelware.

[B-radical]

im getting it for the sp hopefully its good

[Thepharaoh]

Why are we talking about killzone again.If yo u want agrees from the ps4 people then go to a ps4 article i know that most of the mare usually on xbox one threads however im sure uou ca nfind just as many agrees without worrying about disagrees from the xbox people.However thiss "Hurr Durr PS4 exclusives teh best evar" mentality all over the xbox one exclusives threads has gotten rather old.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

"We actually had Ryse running at 720, and at 900, and at 1080, and we looked at all the graphics techniques that we wanted to put in place: the antialiasing we wanted to employ, the lightning technique we wanted to employ, and we made the decision that 900p was the best resolution for everything that we wanted to do bringing that game to market. I think it’s the best looking game I’ve seen on consoles.

You wanna make the right decisions. Other games… Forza is 60 frames per second 1080p. Game developers are gonna make their own decisions based on the artistic view they have and on how they want the game to look. That’s what gamers should focus on: does the art director’s…the animation director’s…does their vision come true on the screen?"

That's cool and in all but what about the ESRAM issues for 3rd party? I hope they resolve that soon.

[MiHX2]

My jaw dropped only by watching the start screen.....

[mewhy32]

Well what else is he going to say? I mean they've developed an exclusive game for xbone and it's meant to help sell systems. He's not going to say that the machine just couldn't keep up a good framerate at 1080p.

[Tzuno]

At least ms has come with a new Ip while sony chose to milk more. i don't give a damn about consoles anymore but i needed to say this.

[ziggurcat]

News flash, Phil:

The game is still filled with QTEs, they just got crud of the button prompts, as replaced them with coloured halos representing the colour of the button you're supposed to press.

[Hufandpuf]

The only thing is though, is that you don't have to press anything. (I've played the game)

[Gridloc]

Not sure how fun a game would be if you don't have to push any buttons. If that was the case it should just use Kinect...

[ILive]

How does it look?

[Gamer666]

In most fighting games, and games like god of war, etc. you have to press a specific sequence of buttons in a specific scenario to trigger a proper finishing move.

Ryse is no different except it "halos" those buttons onto the screen so you can see and do the sequence. Even God of War does this all throughout the game.

If you do not do the sequence you simply don't get the finisher. Unlike real QTE games like Asura's Wrath where you actually fail and get reset if you miss the events.

RYSE IS NOT QTE. IT IS PROMPTED FINISHERS. QTE IS A DIFFERENT BEAST.

[JCOLE13195]

I know I'm getting tired of people calling them "QTEs."

[LordNikon]

Doesn't the developers themselves call it QTE's?

[Baka-akaB]

those are QTE , and while not always wanted they are hardly something to be ashamed of anyway . Putting such a stigma on it , and them morons at MS listening to such reaction , is what made a mess initially

[ziggurcat]

... And by "crud of the button prompts", I mean, "got rid of the button prompts"... Stupid autocorrect :(

[kickerz]

Just another amazing launch title for Xbox 1. Only a few weeks away :)

[Tctczach]

Are we still talking about E3? Wow.

[Plagasx]

This is the best looking Next Generation game in my opinion...

[HeroReborn]

You know I was really excited and still excited for this game, there aren't many if any games of this type on MS consoles. I usually had to go to God of War to get my fix.
Personally I think gamers are focused to much on rumors and lines on screen way to much. I'm just thankful that we are getting new consoles at the same time on both sides of the isle so I see it as a win win.

[d_dogg2007]

Ryse has all the makings of being the next LAIR! Expect 4s, 5s for this game! Mark my words.

[lifeisgamesok]

Not gonna happen. This is the next Gears of War/Halo like franchise and everyone that is behind the scenes knows it hence Crytek already talking about the sequel and MS making a Ryse TV series

The game is going to be good expect a 8 or 9 rating

[christocolus]

this game is the best looking ive seen so far makes me wonder how amazing the sequel would be. its a day one purchase for me thouh..even geof knightly praized crytek saying the game was really good with a deep story to back it up..soon there will be more videos of the sp experience released.

[FITgamer]

Polygon will be it's only 9.

[Trekster_Gamer]

Go home troll.. Words marked...

[Last_Boss]

I'm sorry the environments look great, but this game is missing soul, especially from the gameplay footage.

Not feeling it

[Bathyj]

I agree with him about the resolution. If you cant do everything you want to do at 1080p then do it at 900p. Its not that big a deal if it lets you accomplish what you want to artistically.

I think hes lying out his arse about the button prompt though. Theres no way they were put in last minute just for the demo. They were part of the game and no one liked them so they took them out. MS have gotten good at sensing public hate and then reacting to it. Practice makes perfect.

[LEOPARD1030]

The game improved a lot and looks great, however this guy must explain why all the multiplatform games have a 720p resolution and how the company will solve this problems ( Drivers). Is insulting for all the fans that games ( like COD Ghost that was presented with the XO) look much worse than the other platforms. There is not reason that a more expensive machine, has the worse versions.

[cell989]

What I want to know is why COD is 720p?

[NewShadow101]

so with everything they wanted to do with the game they had to choose 900p. sounds like theres a bottleneck somewhere. im sure it wouldnt look much different at 1080p, the game looks great and is pushing plenty of polys, but after the whole COD 720p deal i want studios to try a little harder on the XBOXONE and give the PS4 a challenge. a kinect game here and there wont hurt but focus on what matters. im still sold on the PS4, give me a reason not to. i dont want my decision to be that easy.

[Baka-akaB]

They should have shut up and bragged less on that end . The game would probably still even look more beautiful and more fluide in 720p as a trade . But they did have to boast and posture , and paid the price in pointless extra work and suffering , when the general public when all thing is said and done , wont care about polygons and resolutions .

[NewShadow101]

@Baka-akaB

I guess im just disappointed in next gen. we have seen 720p for the last 8+ years, i didnt want to see 720 anywhere for the XBOXONE or PS4. which the the PS4 has stayed above it so far. theyre trying to cover there tracks, ive posted this elsewhere but i guess it applies here too...

I. GPU Tradeoffs, 720p vs. 1080p Resolution Gaming Explained.

Comments Mr. Baker:

We've chosen to let title developers make the trade-off of resolution vs. per-pixel quality in whatever way is most appropriate to their game content. A lower resolution generally means that there can be more quality per pixel. With a high-quality scaler and antialiasing and render resolutions such as 720p or '900p', some games look better with more GPU processing going to each pixel than to the number of pixels; others look better at 1080p with less GPU processing per pixel.

Microsoft also revealed that it's mandating at least 2x anti-aliasing in all its titles, a guideline that had not yet received significant media attention. Additionally, Mr. Baker and Mr. Goosen detail in the interview how the Xbox One operating system, firmware, and hardware are designed to allow system apps (e.g. a messaging client) to run alongside games

[Baka-akaB]

Sorry but like said in the comments , something feels fishy about that nice tale . You dont suddenly decide to put up those interface prompt , and have the game behalf like that , if it wasnt QTE heavy already .

And you dont suddenly tell about the "true origin " of the gameplay , after 6 months of freedom to completely tinker and rehaul it .

I dont see like a few what's wrong with a QTE oriented game , and yet MS was running scared and prancing around it , trying to PR the hell of it , and "fixing" the gameplay , as if it was such a bad thing .

Anyway , wrong or not , i just can't believe a word of what Spencer said in that interview ... and well it's their damn fault , and my loss then

[bleedsoe9mm]

best looking launch game for either console , whether its 720 900 or 1080
we'll see if it a great game or not

[feraldrgn]

Crytek's new engine is very impressive.

[DevilishSix]

Your consoles weak PHIL...In no circumstance should your company be charging gamers $100 more for a weaker system. It should be the same price as a PS4 because a kinect is included. Take the Kinect out and the X1 should be priced at $299 or 325 max. The GPU is cheaper, the RAM is cheaper, the system has half the ALU and ROP's as the PS4. It is a cheaper unit than the PS4.

Phil as a consumer I feel offended. As I gamer I feel taken advantage of.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Don't buy it then. I don't understand how you feel taken advantage of when you haven't bought it yet.

[GoldPunch-TR]

Because Xbox One is weak.

[1nsomniac]

Does this guy even have any credibility left anymore??

I think it's officially at the stage now where anything any of Microsoft's staff say is brushed off by even the general public as mindless/desperate PR nonsense.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

This game is so gorgeous and what I played, even on the old build was a lot of fun. Reminds me of GoW and Batman Arkham.

Best looking launch game IMO. Going to be tough deciding whether to play this or DR3 first.

[assdan]

to summarize, this is the best they could do with what they had.

[Bigc32]

Looks really good! Funny how ps fans try bash it in sayin it's just smash button configure game but wasn't god of war the same smash button game lol

[Morgue]

Maybe the p in 1080, 720 or 900 has just stood for " Phil " or " Panello " this whole time and the amount of times they've had to comment and correct statements.

Even still. The picture is still stretched, blurry and very unclear.

[gamer7804]

Why are people comparing Ryse to KZ. They are totally different games as far as setting, graphic style and gameplay.

Both look great respectively.

[Darkspade]

I still Don't understand why All these Games are 1080p 60FPS, This is supposed to be Next Gen...

[etownone]

Exactly.... That's what I was thinking.

If these next gen systems have 16x the ram, 8 core cpu, and Gpu that are way more powerful too....

How come every game can't be 1080p/60 fps?? Wtf