Ubisoft Comments on 'E3 2012' Files Present in PC Version of Watch Dogs - Polidicks

[img]http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/ubisoft2014/watchdogs/pc/WDTheWorse-610.jpg[/img] [quote]Last week, evidence emerged that the PC version of Watch Dogs contains files related to the title’s original E3 2012 reveal. Through some modification of the configuration files, users were able to tap into them and improve the visual experience, but not without impact on gameplay. The mod, called TheWorsemod and named after the Guru3D forum user who pulled it together, supposedly re-enables the original files used in the E3 2012 demo for enhanced bloom, along with a number of other visual tweaks. Ubisoft has offered a comment to explain why the game files still include remnants of the E3 2012 experience and why those aren’t enabled as an option in the final release. [quote][i]"The dev team is completely dedicated to getting the most out of each platform, so the notion that we would actively downgrade quality is contrary to everything we’ve set out to achieve. We test and optimize our games for each platform on which they’re released, striving for the best possible quality. The PC version does indeed contain some old, unused render settings that were deactivated for a variety of reasons, including possible impacts on visual fidelity, stability, performance and overall gameplay quality. "Modders are usually creative and passionate players, and while we appreciate their enthusiasm, the mod in question (which uses those old settings) subjectively enhances the game’s visual fidelity in certain situations but also can also have various negative impacts. Those could range from performance issues, to difficulty in reading the environment in order to appreciate the gameplay, to potentially making the game less enjoyable or even unstable. "Thanks for playing Watch Dogs and believing in our vision. Stay safe on the mean streets of Chicago."[/i][/quote] While this makes it clear that Ubisoft won't be taking steps to re-enable these old settings, modders are digging in already. Just like with the Grand Theft Auto IV iCEnhancer mod, it's possible that those with extremely powerful computers could be playing Watch Dogs with visuals like this (and reduced or eliminated performance issues) in the future.[/quote] [url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/06/19/ubisoft-comments-on-e3-2012-files-present-in-pc-watch-dogs.aspx?utm_content=buffer21e8c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer]Source[/url]

All ive been hearing is how much performance boost the mod gives. Oh Ubisoft.

[QUOTE]...but also can also have various negative impacts. Those could range from performance issues...[/QUOTE] Didn't EA use the same "Your PC can't handle it" excuse for SimCity?

They disabled the features due to stability and performance? But people such as TotalBiscuit said that the framerates barely changed if at all. This is bullshit and they know it. I am calling all PC gamers to join me in boycotting Ubisoft permanently (at least Ubisoft Montreal). Ubisoft needs to answer for their bullshit. And everyone giving me boxes: You're really going to keep buying their games after they lied to you like this? You're really going to let them get away with it?

I'm pretty sure those settings [I]improved[/I] the performance for many players, didn't they?

Watched my buddy play this with the TheWorseMod on and off and it really only improved the game. The performance was a few frames smoother and faster at almost all times. Ubisoft, please stop being full of shit. You're facing hard time with your tax credits being revoked this year forward, you're going to have to stop lying to your fucking customers.

[QUOTE=seano12;45161281]They disabled the features due to stability and performance? But people such as TotalBiscuit says that the framerates barely changed if at all. This is bullshit and they know it. I am calling all PC gamers to join me in boycotting Ubisoft permanently. Ubisoft needs to answer for their bullshit.[/QUOTE] Ubisoft treats people like idiots. And I don't even mean their PR, I mean in their games. I've actually become stupider since playing Black Flag after looking at their excuse for puzzles.

And honestly I could care less about this game now that GTA 5 is coming to PC which looks the same if not better than the E3 2012 trailer of Watch Dogs. The ENB mods for GTA 5 are going to be godly.

[QUOTE=seano12;45161281]They disabled the features due to stability and performance? But people such as TotalBiscuit says that the framerates barely changed if at all. This is bullshit and they know it. I am calling all PC gamers to join me in boycotting Ubisoft permanently (at least Ubisoft Montreal). Ubisoft needs to answer for their bullshit.[/QUOTE] boycotts never work because not one fucker adhered to them people were boycotting ubisoft before, but as soon as they saw the watch_dogs e3 demo they collectively shat themselves and hopped on board the hype train

[QUOTE=Noss;45161338]boycotts never work because not one fucker adhered to them people were boycotting ubisoft before, but as soon as they saw the watch_dogs e3 demo they collectively shat themselves and hopped on board the hype train[/QUOTE] People need to show some self control. Someone ought to link that picture of the CoD: MW2 Boycott steampage showing everyone playing CoD: MW2. Ubisoft should be boycotted for many other reasons too including: Ruining Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Brothers in Arms, Silent Hunter, and Splinter Cell series of games. Let us not forget uPlay and their past DRM bs.

So, what, are people saying they intentionally neutered the graphics so that the PC wouldn't look as good as consoles? If these settings actually improve performance, why wouldn't they have used those settings on the console versions then and had the PC version look the same?

What a load of shit, do they really think people are that stupid?

[QUOTE=catbarf;45161355]So, what, are people saying they intentionally neutered the graphics so that the PC wouldn't look as good as consoles? If these settings actually improve performance, why wouldn't they have used those settings on the console versions then and had the PC version look the same?[/QUOTE] who knows but the fact of the matter is it does seemingly improve performance for most people

[QUOTE=superstepa;45161302]I'm pretty sure those settings [I]improved[/I] the performance for many players, didn't they?[/QUOTE] PC Watch Dogs is fucked up, the lower your graphics are the worse it will run but the higher they are the better they'll run. On low settings the game was damn near unplayable for me but on ultra it ran fine, it really doesn't surprise me the E3 graphics make it run even better.

I don't think anyone really expected them to hold their hands up and admit to being treacherous cunts.

Oh fuck off Ubisoft. If people's PCs couldnt handle it then they'd do what ANY PC user would do. They'd turn down the settings. Call me a conspiracy nut but I genuinely believe that Ubisoft are holding back their PC games in order to make the next gen consoles seem more viable and more of a step forward in order to encourage sales on them, especially after this press release. [URL]http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ubisoft-Far-Cry-4-on-PS4-Xbox-One-Equivalent-to-PC-Ultra-High-446878.shtml[/URL] The only reason the article I posted would be true is Ubisoft are either incompetent or they're holding back the PC version for the benefit of their console releases. I haven't bought a Ubisoft product since Revelations because I jokingly told myself if the game ends in another cliffhanger then I'm done. Glad to know that I have more of a serious reason now.

[QUOTE]Those could range from performance issues, to difficulty in reading the environment in order to appreciate the gameplay[/QUOTE] Well they were right there in regards to the extreme depth of field.

[QUOTE=Midas22;45161457]Call me a conspiracy nut but I genuinely believe that Ubisoft are holding back their PC games in order to make the next gen consoles seem more viable and more of a step forward, especially after this press release.[/QUOTE] But if the changed settings improve performance for all users then why wouldn't they just use those settings for the consoles? I really don't think this 'conspiracy theory' makes any sense. There are some gameplay issues with the changed settings, like the excessive DOF or how dark it is without lights at night, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are memory issues with some of the effects and they decided to cater for the greatest common denominator. Maybe it's just incompetence on their part, but I would much sooner attribute it to incompetence than some plot to make next-gen consoles seem better.

Almost as good as DICE saying they couldn't put mod support in battlefield 3 because their engine was just too complicated for modders.

[QUOTE=catbarf;45161499]But if the changed settings improve performance for all users then why wouldn't they just use those settings for the consoles? I really don't think this 'conspiracy theory' makes any sense.[/QUOTE] The consoles wouldn't be able to handle these newly discovered settings.

[QUOTE=The golden;45161374]Watch Totalbiscuit's video on it. It's all speculation of course, but he gives his thoughts on why they did it. But one thing is for certain and that is Ubisoft's explanation is a fucking outright lie.[/QUOTE] I don't think they lied. Here's what you might not understand about big studios: they do shit like this all the time, and its stupid. Completely gutting entire feature sets the moment something off is involved with them because its quicker and easier to do that vs. actually making it work. In this case, there is a downside to the mod - certain parts in certain missions in the game are kind of hard to see (sort of) with the mod active, and the traffic light shadows are a little bit buggy. Those are pretty much the only issues, and they aren't even bad ones at that. Instead of fixing/tweaking it they just decided to strip it. The other side of the coin is you get focus test groups who are bunch of fucking morons and get lost when an area and objective isn't brightly lit. So what are the options then? You could be smart and realize it benefits the game more to have it look really fucking good while also tweaking things to not make it impossible to figure out (if its really that hard) as most gamers aren't total focus-tested morons or you could amputate the arm to fix a scab: completely remove any and all lighting/graphics/etc that might get in the way of that focus tester (and upper management). Its a development enviornment that focuses on all the wrong things and cuts things out like mad. I've worked on a mod led by a guy who worked in AAA, so I know first hand what its like to have a map you've worked months on completely butchered, deleted, and re-done in a way worse way at the last second because of a fault that was in the map that could have been addressed/fixed with a small slice of time. Simply because its quicker and easier to wipe clean and "brute force" the solution instead of making it polished and making it well-done.

[QUOTE=seano12;45161348]People need to show some self control. Someone ought to link that picture of the CoD: MW2 Boycott steampage showing everyone playing CoD: MW2. Ubisoft should be boycotted for many other reasons too including: Ruining Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Brothers in Arms, Silent Hunter, and Splinter Cell series of games. Let us not forget uPlay and their past DRM bs.[/QUOTE] Thing is most folks don't have the goddamn moxie to keep up a boycott. Soon as the company puts out a game that gets them hyped, they start to get the shakes and cave in to throw their 6 Alex Hamiltons at the product. (he's the guy on the ten dollar bill) And then of course there is the usual large herds of uninformed ignorant "commoners" who don't care about the general politics of the gaming world and just want the latest military shooty bang bang for that Xbax. I hesitate to call them gamers, since real gamers are smart folks like us, keeping their finger on the pulse and scrutinizing the activities of companies like Ubisoft and Slacktivision and Volvo, taking our "hobby" more seriously than some schoolboy who plays CoD to distract himself from his single mom's drinking problem. For us gaming is not simply an escape from the unspeakable eldritch horrors that are devouring the world bit by bit from within, without and beyond. For us, it is a field of bonfires; a city of fine arts; a world of political intrigue and high fantasy; a massive and complex industry. We kindle the bonfires of the artists with our time and money, sharing stories about our experiences with other travellers. We think about what we have experienced and wonder what if anything we overlooked. We know that it is expensive to make games, and that trends can change on a dime. The trouble is, for every member of the "glorious gaming master race" (there are presumably console gamers who share our kindling spirit) who sees the true horror and vows not to finance disrespectful companies, there are a dozen or so ignorant peasants who throw their money without much forethought or regard for the politics and shenanigans of the gaming world, making our attacks on the pocketbook little more than light dents. In other words, for every log of Lincolns we refuse to throw on Ubisoft's bonfire, there will always be 10 or so wads of dosh thrown recklessly at Assassin's Creed Unity pre-orders and exclusive FarCry 4 Day 1 Elephant Breeding DLC to spite our virtuous self-sacrifices. We burn over and over again for the sake of making our disapprovals heard, and our actions against the guilty corporations barely leave a scratch on their over-all profits. It's so frustrating, wanting to make a change to the industry but being too small and weak to make changes on our own, and even as a group it's crazy-hard to make big companies listen. I know I'm rambling again, but I just wish that we could make the peasantry have more goddamn restraint, patience and overall industry savvy, so they can be as we are and make a massive dent in the profits of the corporation. It's not like we need games to survive, even if they do distract us from the unending horrors of our world and help keep us relatively sane.

[quote=Ubisoft]variety of reasons, including possible impacts on visual fidelity, stability, performance and overall gameplay quality.[/quote] But the mod seems to improve all of these. Hmmm...

[QUOTE=ironman17;45161669]Thing is most folks don't have the goddamn moxie to keep up a boycott. Soon as the company puts out a game that gets them hyped, they start to get the shakes and cave in to throw their 6 Alex Hamiltons at the product. (he's the guy on the ten dollar bill) And then of course there is the usual large herds of uninformed ignorant "commoners" who don't care about the general politics of the gaming world and just want the latest military shooty bang bang for that Xbax. I hesitate to call them gamers, since real gamers are smart folks like us, keeping their finger on the pulse and scrutinizing the activities of companies like Ubisoft and Slacktivision and Volvo, taking our "hobby" more seriously than some schoolboy who plays CoD to distract himself from his single mom's drinking problem. For us gaming is not simply an escape from the unspeakable eldritch horrors that are devouring the world bit by bit from within, without and beyond. For us, it is a field of bonfires; a city of fine arts; a world of political intrigue and high fantasy; a massive and complex industry. We kindle the bonfires of the artists with our time and money, sharing stories about our experiences with other travellers. We think about what we have experienced and wonder what if anything we overlooked. We know that it is expensive to make games, and that trends can change on a dime. The trouble is, for every member of the "glorious gaming master race" (there are presumably console gamers who share our kindling spirit) who sees the true horror and vows not to finance disrespectful companies, there are a dozen or so ignorant peasants who throw their money without much forethought or regard for the politics and shenanigans of the gaming world, making our attacks on the pocketbook little more than light dents. In other words, for every log of Lincolns we refuse to throw on Ubisoft's bonfire, there will always be 10 or so wads of dosh thrown recklessly at Assassin's Creed Unity pre-orders and exclusive FarCry 4 Day 1 Elephant Breeding DLC to spite our virtuous self-sacrifices. We burn over and over again for the sake of making our disapprovals heard, and our actions against the guilty corporations barely leave a scratch on their over-all profits. It's so frustrating, wanting to make a change to the industry but being too small and weak to make changes on our own, and even as a group it's crazy-hard to make big companies listen. I know I'm rambling again, but I just wish that we could make the peasantry have more goddamn restraint, patience and overall industry savvy, so they can be as we are and make a massive dent in the profits of the corporation. It's not like we need games to survive, even if they do distract us from the unending horrors of our world and help keep us relatively sane.[/QUOTE] Well said. I agree with everything you stated. It is very frustrating to know that they will get away with this and that people are still buying rehashed AC games.

[QUOTE=Cows Rule;45161676]But the mod seems to improve all of these. Hmmm...[/QUOTE] Honestly, as much as I hate to defend them when they're blatantly lying, some of the effects do kind of degrade the gameplay, even if they do look better in screenshots.

[QUOTE=seano12;45161843]Well said. I agree with everything you stated. It is very frustrating to know that they will get away with this and that people are still buying rehashed AC games.[/QUOTE] Amen to that, brother. Knowing our individual impotence, and that even as a group we can barely make a dent thanks to the peasants patching up the castle walls almost every goddamn time, it can drive a man to drink, which if I didn't already tonight I would be doing right now.

If it runs better with the E3 2012 graphics, then why would Ubisoft make the PS4/XBO use the worse performing graphics?

[quote]Those could range from performance issues, to difficulty in reading the environment in order to appreciate the gameplay, to potentially making the game less enjoyable or even unstable.[/quote] This is left up to the player to decide in every PC game. Graphics over Performance if they so choose. And why do you think Pro Players will play with settings as low as possible in any game they play competitively? It gives them an edge performance and even gameplay wise in some cases because it turns off concealment or shadows or lighting that helps blend other players more realistically. I can't play games super sampled 8x, but that's my choice isn't it? Some people can. So if this is infact the real reason these options weren't enabled/included, stop making decisions for us as if we're on consoles as well. None of us have the same rig, and being able to custom tailor our settings to fit our machine or our level of expectations visually if we have a power house of a rig is a requirement

[QUOTE=Excalibuurr;45161752]To be fair, the increased darkness did make it harder for me to navigate in some of the tunnels, and a story mission, then again, they could have added brighter lights, and the dark area in the story mission was a safe zone, which could have also been fixed with a light bulb. Other than that, no issues with the graphics.[/QUOTE] It's possible that a lot of the light is baked in and it might be cheaper and faster to remove the thing causing the deeper shadows than re render and rebake a lot of the lightning. Particularly if you are running out of time for a release. [QUOTE=Durrsly;45161927]If it runs better with the E3 2012 graphics, then why would Ubisoft make the PS4/XBO use the worse performing graphics?[/QUOTE] Because the reason why it runs better on the 2012 graphics is that the bottleneck is somewhere else. There's probably downsampling, LOD and aggressive viewdistance algorithms in place, which perform better on the two consoles, because they are written in a way that leverages them. Those things then might cause a bottleneck on the PC. Remember that bottlenecks in performance can come from many different places and the 2012 mod removes a lot of this.

Honestly I wish they wouldn't have said anything. Nothing they could have said would have made gamers happy, only more mad.