350°

Digital Foundry- Should you install The Witcher 3 patch 1.07?

Thomas Morgan, Eurogamer writes: "Essentially, gameplay on Xbox One now appears to rely on a similar double-buffer v-sync set-up to the PS4 game, locking its frame-rate to 20fps during these lulls in performance. This means that the reading on our graph is consistently lower on patch 1.07 as compared to 1.05, where it was free to waver between 20-30fps freely. On a matching route through the bog, frame-rate can be up to 8fps slower on the latest version of the game."

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eurogamer.net
GarrusVakarian3296d ago (Edited 3296d ago )

So this patch, that was supposed to fix the PS4 version's framerate issues has in fact made both versions worse. Great. The X1 version now uses the same double buffer V-sync than the PS4 version uses, despite the fact that the framerate was fine beforehand, resulting in the same 20fps lock when the engine is under strain.

A really, really strange decision. Seems that all it would take for both versions to run great is the removal of the double buffer. The hell are they smoking over at CDPR?

yewles13296d ago

But then you would have more screen tear. Give/Take.

GarrusVakarian3296d ago (Edited 3296d ago )

But screen-tearing was never an issue for either version of the game, was it? Literally all they have to do is go back to whatever was implemented before this patch. And the degradation of the X1 version's framerate due to the double buffer suggests that the PS4 could also benefit greatly from the removal of it.

yewles13296d ago (Edited 3296d ago )

Of course it was considered a problem, why else was it implemented in the PS4 in the first place?

EDIT: Bottom line, the next patch needs to make it an option to make everyone happy.

GarrusVakarian3296d ago (Edited 3296d ago )

"Of course it was considered a problem, why else was it implemented in the PS4 in the first place?"

How can we say for sure if they've just implemented it in a version that clearly didn't need tinkering with at all? It makes sense to me that all they need to do is use whatever method they were using for the X1 version before this patch for both versions.

"EDIT: Bottom line, the next patch needs to make it an option to make everyone happy."

Or they could just do what I said above and use the previous X1 V-sync method for both versions. I don't know if it would be quite that simple for the PS4 version as it was hot garbage from the start and we don't have a previous, better performing version to compare it to...and the hardware is different, but in the X1's case it's literally a matter of pressing 'undo'.

XBLSkull3295d ago Show
CernaML3295d ago

^ Talk about clutching at straws.

Letthewookiewin3295d ago

XBL- not really sure how PS4 is holding back the weaker hardware? Doesn't make much sense.

dantesparda3295d ago

@Xboxskull

What a trollish thing to say. Yet its Sony fans that troll Xbox news, right?

mikeslemonade3295d ago

The updates fixes my gamebreaking glitch in Baron's quest.

But what in the holy **** my frame rate is 41 frames on max settings. 970sli. Such weak gpus I need to upgrade.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3295d ago
Ashlen3296d ago

People won't accept the actual FPS fixes like lowing the res, or reducing texture quality or draw distance or post processing.

joab7773295d ago

Exactly. And to be honest, I've had no issue that have caused me noticeable problems. Seriously.

The inventory, which still forces you to slowly scroll over, is very noticeable and time consuming. The patch helps tremendously. I don't gallop through the bog much so...

Also, many quests were fixed. One issue though, is that I tried on a new piece of armor and lost my mastercrafted feline until I hit 24. Oh well. And do NOT get a haircut...lol!

Overall...love the patch. And I also know that they will continue to support it, and do what they can. It's just who they are. But, imho, I want degradation to respond or textures. Framerate has been fine for me.

dantesparda3295d ago

@Ashlen

Or they can get rid of whatever is causing the PS4 to lock down to 20fps (which everybody thinks, including myself, is double buffering). I mean seriously they just did it to X1 (applied double buffering) and now its in the same situation the PS4 is in. Great job! But no, you would rather them drop the res and degrade the image quality when a better solution would be to just use triple buffering.

Ashlen3295d ago (Edited 3295d ago )

@dantesparda

Actually I don't care I get all multiplats on PC.

If you would prefer a system with a more varied fps thats fine.

But I can tell you the easiest way to get a solid 30 FPS would be to take some cuts to image quality. They can only tweak it so much. They have been doing all they can and thus far have not been able to maintain a solid 30 fps.

JackStraw3295d ago

I love when people say "oh, well it's as simply as... as if you would know. If it was that simple of a fix, don't you think they would implement it? It's obviously more difficult than you, or anyone outside of the development team, can understand.

TheSaint3295d ago (Edited 3295d ago )

Which is why I rarely buy games on release now, no point until they have gotten all the patches out, IMO.

Cid333295d ago

i want to disagree but i cannot :( 60$ to be a beta tester no more

FPS_D3TH3295d ago

Lol you have Destiny to thank for this. That games a $120 beta test and they still want $40 from those beta testers.

BallsEye3295d ago (Edited 3295d ago )

Yes, works worse on both version. XO was running at average of 35 going up to 40. Then they've put a 30 fps cap. It was butter smooth 30 fps. Now dips to 22 at times? WTH! In addition, they almost completely turned off foliage physics on ps4 in cut-scenes see 1:14 onwards.

Gwiz3295d ago (Edited 3295d ago )

The fact that this game already pushes the systems limits.

Some people already had foreseen this happening sooner or later.

3295d ago
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jobboy3296d ago

CDPR...what garbage of a dev you are on console!!

joab7773295d ago

Seriously? What an entitled commenter and gamer you are. CDPR is one of the best. Made a masterpiece and has continuously supported it to the best of their ability. And will keep doing it.

Gimme a break.

PygmelionHunter3295d ago (Edited 3295d ago )

I don't agree with these guys being terrible at console development, because I take it that the X360 version of TW2 was pretty much flawless, considering the hardware, but... My God, has this game been a mess since day one.

I've been waiting mostly for patch that fixes the PS4 version's ridiculous frame rate drops. And then comes this damn patch and pretty much middle fingers all console users in general. I'm actually starting to lose hope at this point. If this keeps up, I might as well wait until the game drops beneath $20, since I don't feel like giving the developers full retail price for an unfinished game.

pumpactionpimp3295d ago

@joab77

Yes. How dare a money paying consumer complain, and get frustrated. They shouldnt be allowed to complain about a product that is constantly made worse by patches over time.

In the real world, if I do poorly at my job, and continue to make things worse as time goes on I get fired. My boss doesnt care if I support my customers, or try really hard.

Maybe you should acknowledge how consumerism, and the real world works, rather than support studios that try real hard.

Paulino303295d ago

They are not garbage. The problem is the consoles are not strong enough to handle this large open world game.

Palitera3295d ago

It's a dev choice to spend resources on shiny graphics instead of decent performance, so...

Lamboomington3295d ago

I absolutely think that consoles are underpowered this generation for the expectations of developers.

However, your criticism is completely invalid. If a dev wants to make a game on console, it MUST ensure 30fps stable MINIMUM. It's a basic requirement for a playable game !

Paulino303295d ago

@ lamboomington

That's my point. I believe it can't be tweeked better than that because the consoles aren't as strong as people thought. When the game is running at 30 fps you see tearing. I don't think their is much they can besides what they did know.

jznrpg3295d ago

Consoles are strong enough, the game was running well for me on ps4 before the patch.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3295d ago
gedapeleda3295d ago

Sorry but laptop hardware can't handle high demanding games.

FPS_D3TH3295d ago

Jobboy... you sound like an entitled 12 year old.

jobboy3294d ago

me?? this game is out for 2 months and it's still bugged like a mess on consoles, pointing it out it's just a mere port from the PC version (where it really shines); nonetheless the last patch got it even worse (DF said that, non me...as i am non entitled to do tech analysis)....So i feel really entitled to blame CDPR for being lazy on consoles (and not the hardware), even if i was really 12!!

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3294d ago
KiwiViper853295d ago

loving the new patch. inventory is much smoother, even if still a bit laggy.

Clown_Syndr0me3295d ago

I feel so lucky I've never ever had a problem (except a minor camera bug) with this game. It's literally been 99% flawless for me.

Kingdomcome2473295d ago

Thankfully I've had the good luck to not encounter the issues that many people are experiencing either. In fact, my playthrough actually had me thinking many times about how impressed I was with the lack of game impacting bugs that I've encountered. Bugs are a part of all games, open world games in particular, but considering the massive scope of this game I have had an experience that has been far beyond acceptable. It's actually been exceptional in fact. Unfortunately this is not the case for a large number of people, and it's a shame that they're unable to experience this masterpiece as it was meant to be experienced. I've always wondered, and now seems as good a time as any to ask this question. Obviously on PC with the immense number of possible setups you'd expect there to be quite a bit of variance from person to person regarding their experience with a certain game, but on consoles where the hardware is exactly the same across the board for both the PlayStation and Xbox versions, with it being a strictly single player game with no internet requirements that could lead to variations due to different internet speeds and quality for different people, what causes the differences that we're seeing people encounter while playing on the exact same hardware? I've always wondered about this. With the experiences and issues that some people have spoken about having in their playthroughs, I feel as though at times that we're not even playing the same game. This obviously isn't just an issue with The Witcher either. I see it quite frequently across various games, and I always wonder what could cause such a large discrepancy in different people's experiences while playing the same game on the exact same hardware.

Clown_Syndr0me3295d ago

I'm no expert, but perhaps some bugs are triggered from tiny differences, like a butterfly effect. For example speaking to NPC in a certain order could trigger a crash at a cut scene somewhere just because of some minor scripting errors.

kainslayer3295d ago

IM so glad that the pc patch brought only improvements....sorry console owners maybe a quick fix will be adressed next week for ya patience
p.s. At last i can run again on witcher 3 ;-p

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80°

The Witcher Trilogy bundle just hit its lowest-ever price thanks to Steam Summer Sale

The Witcher Trilogy bundle is currently listed with an 89% discount on Steam, and you can save over $60 thanks to this Summer Sale discount.

anast24d ago

It's been cheaper on GoG and you can own the game DRM free.

110°

The 7 Best Western RPGs: Immersive Adventures

RPGs are often huge, sprawling endeavours. With limited playtime, we have to choose wisely, so here's the best western RPGs available today.

SimpleSlave112d ago

"I started playing games yesterday" the List... Meh!

How about a few RPGs that deserve some love instead?
1 - Alpha Protocol - Now on GOG
2 - else Heart.Break()
3 - Shadowrun Trilogy
4 - Wasteland 2
5 - UnderRail
6 - Tyranny
7 - Torment: Tides of Numenera

And for a bonus game that flew under the radar:
8 - Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

DustMan112d ago

Loved Alpha Protocol in all it's glorious jank. Great game.

SimpleSlave112d ago (Edited 112d ago )

Not only glorious jank, but the idea that the story can completely change depending on what you do, or say, or side with, makes it one of the most forward thinking games ever. The amount of story permutation is the equivalent of a Hitman level but in Story Form. And it wasn't just that the story changed, no, it was that you met completely new characters, or missed them, depending on your choices. Made Mass Effect feel static in comparison.

Alpha Protocol was absolutely glorious, indeed. And it was, and still is, more Next Gen than most anything out there these days. In this regard at least.

Pity.

230°

All the Essential Video Games Everyone Needs To Play At Least Once

Given the medium's wild diversity, this primer of the essential video games everyone should try is a good place to start.

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wealthofgeeks.com
thorstein136d ago

.... from the 2000s (mostly).

shinoff2183136d ago

I can't fk with this list. They missed on alot of games probably before the writers times. Also I know people loved some portal but I was never a fan.

Cacabunga136d ago

Tomb Raider 1
Driver 1
Abe’s Odyssey
FF6
King of Fighters 94
Mortal Kombat OG
LINK 2 the past
Street Fighter 2
Resident Evil 1

Inverno136d ago

Infinite but not the first two games? Witcher 3 but not the first two games?? GTA V but not literally any of the games before it??? Portal 2 but not the first? Also if you're going to play Shadow of The Colossus play the remaster and not the remake. Can't say I disagree with the list but my man it's all over the place.

Name Last Name136d ago

I mean some sequels are objectively better and you don’t need to play the whole series.

Inverno136d ago

But most of these games have a story to follow, sure you can catch up with a YouTube vid but where's the fun in that?

LucasRuinedChildhood136d ago (Edited 135d ago )

A list like this isn't telling you not to play the previous games if you want to. It's just giving you legendary games to play.

But tbh, you don't always have to force yourself to play every entry in a franchise to get to the better ones.

- The vast majority of Witcher 3 players never played the first 2 and had a great time. The first 2 games aren't in the same league.
- The GTA games are self-contained with the odd fun reference. You can easily jump into any of them.
- The Shadow Of The Colossus remake looks and controls better than the original (plus it has a 60fps option while the remaster is just 30fps). New players will enjoy it more.
- Portal 2 is a lot better than Portal 1 and takes the concept much further gameplay-wise. Storywise, Portal 1 is fairly light too. Not that you shouldn't play it but realistically ... you'd love Portal 2 whether you play it or not (at lot of Portal 2 players have never played 1).

Bioshock 1 is the only one I agree with you on simply because it's one the best games of all time and arguably better than Infinite. No other setting like Rapture.

Looking at the list, I'd recommend playing Uncharted 1 before 2 but no doubt, 2 is the legendary one you have to play.

Inverno135d ago

I get it, but that's just my opinion on his opinion. I just think that before you play a sequel you should still play what came before it. Maybe it's just me but i find it fascinating playing through the first game in a series and seeing how it has evolved through its sequels. Like I said I don't disagree with the list, other than SoTC which I strongly believe the remaster of the original should be played above the remake.

AuraAbjure135d ago

Awesome list! Hot take on Fear (and it's hard af expansion Persaus Mandate!) Bioshock Infinite is stellar, so is the Witcher 3 and you nailed it by having Ocarina of Time. So many fantastic games! Gotta play 'em all! Next one on my list is Prey after I beat Dead Space 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction.

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