From the second that Ubisoft released a subpar trailer of Watchdogs, the forums all over the internet have lit up with negative reactions, saying visuals have been severely downgraded over E3 2012s high end PC demo. No matter how much Ubisoft has tried to squash the rumors and remind gamers that the E3 2012 demo was never representative of next gen console visuals(only a target for high end PCs), angry gamers determined to make their opinions truth, have entered every positive thread and tried to downplay positive gamers excitement.
There was no graphics downgrade. If anything, there was an upgrade. Look at the welcome to Chicago video. You can see the visuals look almost on par with E3 2012 and better than E3 2013, which was actually running on a PS4 dev kit and a true representation of what visuals would look like on the system.
Ubisoft always said that the E3 2012 video was running on a high-end PC and would not be representative of next gen graphics. They had no clue what next gen systems hardware was going to be like at the time. So they were just targeting the highest end PC they could. People keep running with the notion that the game was supposed look exactly like the E3 2012 build on consoles, when, in fact, if they had bothered to actually read about the game and listen to what Ubisoft had to say, the E3 2013 build was exactly what the game would look like on consoles and would improve with the extra development time afforded to them by the delay.
I'm tired of these posts talking about graphics downgrades. Almost as if those who believe this, purposely want the game to be downgraded. No matter how hard the developer tries to persuade them the other way, nothing can change their minds. Purposely entering positive threads and turning them negative, by spreading their propaganda and innuendo.
I, and many other gamers, can clearly see how incredible it looks. To think that we will be able to go anywhere and do almost anything in that game world, something not afforded by any open world game before it... Is just incredible. No other open world game has done world simulation(AI, wind, weather, water, physics, etc...) No other open world game allows you to interact with every NPC. No other open world game has the graphic fidelity of this one.
I agree that opinions are opinions, and everybody seems to have one. But when you blindly bash a game that is clearly heads above anything that came before for it… You jeopardize the future of game development, by making developers second-guess putting so much work into any project, thinking gamers are just going to pulverize their efforts into the ground anyways. What's the point?
If you really think the game has been downgraded so much and you have no interest in it, then stop coming into threads that clearly target people who are interested in the game and making negative posts. Trying to ruin others excitement, because you want to try to force your opinion on everybody else. The exact reason why the world is the way it is today, because people think their opinion is truth and everybody should follow along with it no matter how right or wrong they are. I don't ever remember egos being as big as they are now in the past 30 years. Then again, we didn't have the Internet sheltering people from exposure to others and the harsh reality that their words might bare some consequences to their physical well-being and the publics opinion of them.
I think if you have any interest in a game and are looking forward to it, then you have every right to post and share your excitement with those like minded gamers around you... When you have no interest in a game and your intentions are purely focused on ruining others experiences, you should be banned. Because that's the point where a discussion isn't a debate, it's a one sided attempt at forcing an opinion to those who dont share it.
Game forums used to be a place where like-minded gamers gathered to share their experiences and enjoyment of the games they were playing. Now, they are a breeding ground for fanboy system wars and anonymous personal attacks on positivity. I still visit because I still think that there are some decent people out there, who truly enjoy games and gaming and want to talk to others about their positive experiences. That is what the ignore switches are for on most forums, to rid yourselves of the negativity that surrounds anonymity of people just trying to get a rise out of others around them. People who feed off of negativity, because something in their lives is negative and they want others to feel the pain that they do. Ruining happiness and converting other weak minded individuals into disciples that also try to spread their negative message.
We as gamers, gather on these forums… To talk about our love for a hobby that is part of our lives. Something we love to share with other people, around the world. Something that looks beyond race, color and creed. Something that unites us as one, no matter where our governments beliefs lie. It's up to us, as one, to keep the peace and not allow these naysayers to bring the community down. It is only through us that gaming is going to grow and continue to prosper. Not through the negative actions of a few, but the positive reactions of many.
I hope that this post, in a small way, can help people realize that we are all in this together. You may feel one way about a game, that isn't on par with others. But that doesn't give you the right to ruin that experience for those who want to enjoy it. The debate is a debate as long as both sides are listening and communicating with each other. A debate turns into an argument when one side refuses to accept the others beliefs and tries to force his own on them. Basically, if you feel negatively about a game, don't enter a post where positive people reside. Nothing you say is going to change their minds. If you want to bash that game, create your own thread and invite other like minded individuals in and still keep it civil.
These forums are all about community. When that breaks down, it is all about war. Something that the world has seen many times over, because of that breakdown. Let's not have that happen with those of us who love gaming. After all, isnt gaming here to allow us to have fun, even when life brings us down? So lets put our petty differences aside and treat each other with respect and enjoy all that gaming has to give... together.
Well done and spot on. I wonder why people are so desperate to claim something that has not been proven and by all rights has been disproven.
Cognitive dissonance, certainly, but some have taken to it like it's a mission. Today I saw an article about this claiming a graphical downgrade. The article had been reported as a duplicate story, but was still approved.
It is a very, very strange incidence about this game. Ubisoft has been upfront about it and many, many articles posted right here on N4G have debunked the graphical downgrade for the PS4.
Yet, it is like some people are so "needing" for it to be inferior. Why? Why do you want someone's gaming experience to be less than advertised? And don't act all sanctimonious and claim that you are doing it to educate the public about false advertising. If you were, then that is how the articles would read. No, it is mostly flamebait and wishful (again, don't know why) thinking on the part of people who want the game to fail.
While I agree somewhat with the sentiment, I can't help thinking that overall it amounts to censorship.
Yes, there are bad apples in the community and a more robust moderation process is required, but let's not dismiss what a genuine negative perspective can provide.
The game is going to underwhelm about 90% of those who play it. 5% will get what they expected and 5% will tell themselves that they love the game because they don't want to face the fact that the game they have been waiting on for so long won't actually be as good as they hoped.
Look i don't really care that much about graphics, many other aspects are far more important to me in a game than the detail in its textures or the resolution it's displayed in. However this doesn't mean i'm oblivious to visuals in fact i have an extremely keen eye for graphical changes being that i'm a major tech head and an amature game developer myself with a bachelors in game design. However this is just the same scenario i've seen far too many times where the initial presentation was under ideal conditions to make the game shine as much as possible and later videos are technologically no different but under less ideal conditions. Pretty damn sure if we got a video that wasn't compressed to shit on youtube, at night, in the rain, with a decent contrast(the latest videos seem like they have the contrast set very low)it would be identical.
Unless someone can show me a very clear comparison under the same conditions clearly showing a graphical downgrade, i just say this is yet another case of people grasping at something to bitch about