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HDR update of the Witcher 3 is out on PS4 [patch introduced serious pop-in issues on Pro]

Hey Please

Hey Please

Avenger
Oct 31, 2017
22,824
Not America
impingu1984 said:
Is Witcher 3 really terrible on consoles..

Serious question as I'm a PC player and thought it was regarded as generally good on all platforms.
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It had significant issues at launch which were by and large fixed after a few patches over the years. The issue is that some patches fixes a few things and breaks others. Prior to the latest patch the game was as good as it got (which was very good) aside from a game crashing inventory bug. Now with this patch which was only supposed to add HDR it introduced a new and highly visible problem which actively works to shatter any sense of immersion.
 
Lifendz

Lifendz

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,391
The pop ups are noticeable, but the hdr looks great and finally being able to utilize the inventory/merchants without fear of the game crashing is enough for me to keep playing. Probably too much to hope for another patch at this point.
 

Jacob4815

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,405
OMG, the video in the first post is terrible.

Is this a general issue or only a glitch affecting some peole? Thanks God I have not downloaded the patch yet.
 
Tyaren

Tyaren

Character Artist
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
24,695
Lifendz said:
The pop ups are noticeable, but the hdr looks great and finally being able to utilize the inventory/merchants without fear of the game crashing is enough for me to keep playing. Probably too much to hope for another patch at this point.
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What?! They can't possibly leave the game in this poor state.
 
Tyaren

Tyaren

Character Artist
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
24,695
Lifendz said:
I hope not, but look at how long it took them to roll out this update. It's a three year old game after all and they're probably ready to be done with it and devote all assets to CyberPunk.
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This is so far my favorite game this generation, I'm already in my third full playthrough, including the DLC expansions, I'm not putting up with stuff like this though:



This is so immersion-breaking and annoying. The game would be basically dead to me, since I wouldn't go back playing it in that condition anymore.
 
Kage Maru

Kage Maru

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,804
HstrangeDreaMs said:
Seems CDPR hate PS4 (and playstation) as they have been really horrible handing PS4 version with delays, bad enhancements/patches, inefficient use of pro etc., even though it is the platform which has major sales.
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I highly doubt CDPR hates the PS4. They have had difficulties with the tools or the engine on the platform. Before recently, their use of the Pro was well done too. They took advantage of CBR when most developers stick to a non-reconstruction method.

I really don't understand how some of you guys are jumping to the conclusions that you're expressing.

i-Lo said:
As to you first question- Perhaps it's based on time and resource. MS and CDPR had a marketing deal and as such it makes sense for them to assign more resources to that platform.
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I keep seeing this but have never seen actual evidence that it ever happens. It makes no sense that a marketing deal would effect development. Sony had deals for Battlefront 2 and Destiny but the 1X still turned out to be the superior versions. MS had a marketing deal with BF1 but the Pro version is the only enhanced version.

I don't see any group of people willing to work 12+ hour work days do anything but the best they can on every platform.
 
NewDust

NewDust

Visited by Knack
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,576
How was version 1.30 in regards to bugs? I might just revert back to the bare goty version if they can't adress this in a reasonable timeframe.
 
HstrangeDreaMs

HstrangeDreaMs

Member
Nov 2, 2017
307
Kage Maru said:
I highly doubt CDPR hates the PS4. They have had difficulties with the tools or the engine on the platform. Before recently, their use of the Pro was well done too. They took advantage of CBR when most developers stick to a non-reconstruction method.

I really don't understand how some of you guys are jumping to the conclusions that you're expressing .
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Even after 3 years ? There should be some improvements to the engine and tools by now, but still it is broken in some way with every update and has delays in getting that fixed. HDR update which has broken game now is not something you would like to release with such pop in even after taking time since they announced HDR update. They could have tested well and made game playable by cutting corners that users do not notice or impact game, but they released it which is not excusable.
 
Gamer17

Gamer17

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
9,399
Guys I just received an email from CDPR saying they are aware of the pop in issue for the pro and soon they will patch it up .

So relax .
 
Ahasverus

Ahasverus

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,599
Colombia
The game was fine with last patch.

HDR is a more niche feature than 4K
And they ruined the game for everyone just to add that to a 4 years old game.

Gamers, man.
 
60fps

60fps

Banned
Dec 18, 2017
3,492
I contacted the CDPR support via their official page and they just replied:

Hello,

I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused by this situation. We are aware of this issue and our development team is investigating how to address it.

For now only changing the 4k resolution to something less can help.

If you need any further assistance please don't hesitate and contact us by simply responding to this e-mail.

Wishing you a lovely day ahead,
Karolina of Cintra
 
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Hey Please

Hey Please

Avenger
Oct 31, 2017
22,824
Not America
Kage Maru said:
I highly doubt CDPR hates the PS4. They have had difficulties with the tools or the engine on the platform. Before recently, their use of the Pro was well done too. They took advantage of CBR when most developers stick to a non-reconstruction method.

I really don't understand how some of you guys are jumping to the conclusions that you're expressing.



I keep seeing this but have never seen actual evidence that it ever happens. It makes no sense that a marketing deal would effect development. Sony had deals for Battlefront 2 and Destiny but the 1X still turned out to be the superior versions. MS had a marketing deal with BF1 but the Pro version is the only enhanced version.

I don't see any group of people willing to work 12+ hour work days do anything but the best they can on every platform.
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HDR implementation was a timed exclusive to XBox (not even PC users were privy to it). Plus they're on full steam ahead with C2077's development. As such, it stands to reason that CDPR would put as little time as possible for versions of games that aren't actively bringing in any capital in return for the effort, time and money being put in. This patch was meant to ensure parity between PS and XBX in terms of feature set (aside from resolution and other graphical features that are GPU processing power driven) subsequent to the expiry of said exclusivity but instead broke the visuals of the game. It's a major QA oversight. The implications of this and prior missteps in world of complex coding is on display here in this thread.

For me personally, I've felt it was Sony's loss not to have entered into some form of partnership with CDPR and given the aforementioned trend of outcomes for patches, I am going to simply wait a year or more to see how C2077 pans out on this or next gen consoles. As I have mentioned before, I supported them with the purchase of TW3 (at launch) and all their story DLC on PS4 because I admire their ethics and their WRPG vision. But they've grown a few folds since then and some of us who are wary can afford to wait before purchasing their next release given their patching trend.
 
Kage Maru

Kage Maru

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,804
i-Lo said:
HDR implementation was a timed exclusive to XBox (not even PC users were privy to it). Plus they're on full steam ahead with C2077's development. As such, it stands to reason that CDPR would put as little time as possible for versions of games that aren't actively bringing in any capital in return for the effort, time and money being put in. This patch was meant to ensure parity between PS and XBX in terms of feature set (aside from resolution and other graphical features that are GPU processing power driven) subsequent to the expiry of said exclusivity but instead broke the visuals of the game. It's a major QA oversight. The implications of this and prior missteps in world of complex coding is on display here in this thread.

For me personally, I've felt it was Sony's loss not to have entered into some form of partnership with CDPR and given the aforementioned trend of outcomes for patches, I am going to simply wait a year or more to see how C2077 pans out on this or next gen consoles. As I have mentioned before, I supported them with the purchase of TW3 (at launch) and all their story DLC on PS4 because I admire their ethics and their WRPG vision. But they've grown a few folds since then and some of us who are wary can afford to wait before purchasing their next release given their patching trend.
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There was no timed exclusive arrangement for HDR. I can't believe people still think this is the case.

Also a marketing deal would not stop Sony from providing any development support for this or any other game.

I'm not even sure your post addresses the point I was making.
 
Hey Please

Hey Please

Avenger
Oct 31, 2017
22,824
Not America
Kage Maru said:
There was no timed exclusive arrangement for HDR. I can't believe people still think this is the case.

Also a marketing deal would not stop Sony from providing any development support for this or any other game.

I'm not even sure your post addresses the point I was making.
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Yes. I stand corrected. I found a lack of direct evidence of the HDR being a timed exclusive from CDPR. However, this DF video (time marked) explains why I remember it that way.

As for your second point- Perhaps. Can you provide any evidence in the case of TW3?

Finally to your third point- I wrote in hopes of not being bunched with people who think CDPR "hates" PS4. Rather that shifting priorities means certain compromises have to be made and CDPR are great game devs that sorely lack a decent QA department. And because of it, people should be more wary prior to purchasing their products day 1 without knowing as much as possible about the state it's being released in.
 

Mudo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,114
Tennessee
This is a bummer I stopped playing to wait for this patch. According to the CDPR email above you can lower the resolution to fix this? Can you do that on a Pro hooked up to a 4KTV? I've never tried messing with resolution before.
 
Kyle Cross

Kyle Cross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,401
What are people smoking calling the HDR good? I knew the moment I saw it it wasn't good, and sure enough Boris examined it and found it was basically SDR.

Also are some seriously blaming HDR for the poor draw distance? They're not related, CDPR just messed something up.
 

Deleted member 4247

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
8,896
Necron said:
CDPR... still the best developer out there. Hope they can fix it. It's a shame these patches are introducing such issues.
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They make amazing games, but on a technical level are definitely not one of the better studios. So many bugs, and new ones being created with every patch. Yes, it's a big complex game, but how can you even release a patch with an issue this glaring? It's like they don't even test their patches before releasing them.
 
Igorth

Igorth

Member
Nov 13, 2017
1,309
Kyle Cross said:
What are people smoking calling the HDR good? I knew the moment I saw it it wasn't good, and sure enough Boris examined it and found it was basically SDR.

Also are some seriously blaming HDR for the poor draw distance? They're not related, CDPR just messed something up.
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It looks good on my oled, definitely seeing it on torches, magic and the sun. Subtle but on point.
 

Kris1977

Member
Nov 25, 2017
975
It's alright CDPR saying they are going to fix it but during the apparent months it's taken them to put HDR in and iron out a few other bugs did they not see fit to you know...boot the game up on an actual PS4 where they would have spotted this issue in mere minutes of playing.

My guess is they knew this was in there and thought it'd go unnoticed. Now it hasn't they will see what else they can cut in order to meet performance targets etc.

I got an idea CDPR, just give us an option to go back to 1080 if it solves all the problems. Or just give the user the option of choosing.

It's so frustrating because before the original pro patch struck the game ran flawlessly. They just keep making it worse.
 
Kage Maru

Kage Maru

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,804
HstrangeDreaMs said:
Even after 3 years ? There should be some improvements to the engine and tools by now, but still it is broken in some way with every update and has delays in getting that fixed. HDR update which has broken game now is not something you would like to release with such pop in even after taking time since they announced HDR update. They could have tested well and made game playable by cutting corners that users do not notice or impact game, but they released it which is not excusable.
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I meant Sony's tools. There could be complications when moving to updated APIs or tools.

Gamer17 said:
Guys I just received an email from CDPR saying they are aware of the pop in issue for the pro and soon they will patch it up .

So relax .
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i-Lo said:
Yes. I stand corrected. I found a lack of direct evidence of the HDR being a timed exclusive from CDPR. However, this DF video (time marked) explains why I remember it that way.

As for your second point- Perhaps. Can you provide any evidence in the case of TW3?

Finally to your third point- I wrote in hopes of not being bunched with people who think CDPR "hates" PS4. Rather that shifting priorities means certain compromises have to be made and CDPR are great game devs that sorely lack a decent QA department. And because of it, people should be more wary prior to purchasing their products day 1 without knowing as much as possible about the state it's being released in.
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Fair enough. It just doesn't make sense to pay money for exclusivity of a niche feature. Anyone who truly believes this is happening needs to take the tinfoil hat off.

Regarding my other point, I don't need evidence because it doesn't make sense. Both Sony and MD can and have provided development assistance to third party studios. It makes zero sense that a marketing deal would prevent MS engineers from assisting, say, DICE with any issues they may have had with the 1X tools when working on Battlefront 2. Same in this respect. If CDPR needed Sony's assistance with the Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk, a marketing deal with MS should not prevent this.

It just seems like some here are too eager to jump to conclusions of malicious intent.
 
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RivalGT

RivalGT

Member
Dec 13, 2017
6,382
So according to VG Tech the game has a 4K mode and a 1080p mode, and the draw distance issue isn't present on the 1080p mode. Still I hope CDPR gets a fix for the 4K mode, its likely a glitch as it doesn't seem to run any better with this new draw distance issue.
 
Kage Maru

Kage Maru

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,804
RivalGT said:
So according to VG Tech the game has a 4K mode and a 1080p mode, and the draw distance issue isn't present on the 1080p mode. Still I hope CDPR gets a fix for the 4K mode, its likely a glitch as it doesn't seem to run any better with this new draw distance issue.
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Happy it looks to be a glitch and nothing more. Looks like I'm waiting a bit longer to finish the expansions.
 
SweetJohnnyCage

SweetJohnnyCage

Member
Nov 13, 2017
1,580
Experienced the pop-in in Skellige last night, but god damn this game looks even prettier than before. I've also noticed that my Pro no longer sounds like a jet engine 100% of the time. The fans kick in way less frequently after this patch.
 
Kyle Cross

Kyle Cross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,401
CDPR will most likely fix this pop-in issue, but I'm more concerned about the HDR. As explained by EvilBoris, the HDR in the game is bad. It's basically SDR. But considering this is also the case on Xbox this seems to be all they're planning to do with HDR support.
 
Wowfunhappy

Wowfunhappy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,102
Y'know, this is exactly why consumers should really, really, really have the ability to downgrade single player games.

I need to get around to making a topic about this at some point. It is so blatantly anti-consumer and I never see anyone talk about it.
 

Deleted member 1062

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
3,160
just to provide more details here

- the patch removes the games native supersampling
- the bad LOD happens when the game is displaying at 4K or when you're at 1080p with the system level super sampling on (because the game thinks its 4K basically, thats how the feature works)
- if you have your PS4 set to 1080p and super sampling off the LOD issues are gone (but you're stuck at 1080p obviously and you get no supersampling)

hope this clears up any confusion
 
endlessflood

endlessflood

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
8,693
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icespide said:
just to provide more details here

- the patch removes the games native supersampling
- the bad LOD happens when the game is displaying at 4K or when you're at 1080p with the system level super sampling on (because the game thinks its 4K basically, thats how the feature works)
- if you have your PS4 set to 1080p and super sampling off the LOD issues are gone (but you're stuck at 1080p obviously and you get no supersampling)

hope this clears up any confusion
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Which begs the question, why were such massive LOD changes required to support HDR?
 
Tyaren

Tyaren

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Oct 25, 2017
24,695
icespide said:
just to provide more details here

- the patch removes the games native supersampling
- the bad LOD happens when the game is displaying at 4K or when you're at 1080p with the system level super sampling on (because the game thinks its 4K basically, thats how the feature works)
- if you have your PS4 set to 1080p and super sampling off the LOD issues are gone (but you're stuck at 1080p obviously and you get no supersampling)
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Please don't get rid of the native supersampling! D: The system-wide supersampling doesn't always seem as effective as the native supersampling is. In several cases games look actually blurrier with the forced supersampling than they look in 1080p, as Digital Foundry's footage, when they looked at the forced supersampling feature, clearly showed.

Vashetti
 
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