Watch Dogs PC Modders Find Hidden "E3" Settings, Improve Performance - Update

[Rozalia1]

To the people asking WHY this happened: It's because Sony and/or Microsoft pressured Ubisoft to keep the PC version in line with the console one AND/OR because Ubisoft themselves want their games to be bought on consoles more than on the PC. Which is all mildly understandable - consoles offer more control over a product to the publisher instead of the consumer. It's more of a closed and controlled platform. A better looking/performing PC version would draw people to that platform, which doesn't help publishers and console manufacturers.

Really getting tired of this...where is your (and everyone elses)evidence that there is any forcing going on by the big three (I notice you're at least smart enough to not put Nintendo there).

You want proof, well getting our hands on Ubisofts financing would be damn hard but what about this?

Spoiler: PS4 will the Definitive version of Watch Dogs

http://www.examiner.com/article/rum...initive-version-of-watch-dogs?cid=db_articles

So yeah thats pretty much a smoking gun right there, you have Ubisofts PR guys running around claiming that the PS4 version will the "definitive version" while they are working with Sony in cross promotions with Sony, Ubisoft, the PS4 and Watch Dogs. Thats just one link, click here [https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=ps4+watch+dogs+is+the+definitive+version&safe=off] if you want to see how much time Ubisoft went around trumpeting that the PS4 release of Watch Dogs will the the "definitive version".

Then it turns out the deliberately disabled features in the PC version that would make it look better, how much more "proof" do you need? Thats pretty much case closed unless someone is determined to follow a pre conceived bias that flies in the face of facts.

Spoiler

Really now you're passing rumors, and the fact Sony promotes something as evidence that your conspiracy theory is fact?

 

[josemlopes]

Its well known you never buy from Ubisoft.

They sure as fuck like to fuck it up with dumb shit, and the dumb shit that ruins the game certainly doesnt need to be bought (like Watch Dogs), but fuck me if I ever regretted buying Driver San Francisco, Assassins Creed Blackflag, Splinter Cell Blacklist, both Far Cry 3 and Blood Dragon, and Shoot Many Robots.

If the fuck up is what makes you not want the game or the game itself doesnt interest you then fine, dont buy it, makes complete sense, but to not buy something simply because its tied to things that didnt affect the product you are interested doesnt seem fair to me.

A lot of people didnt bought Titanfall but were interested in it simply because it was EA even after the fact that the game didnt suffer from any of the issues that EA games are known for (being the only issue present the fact that you needed Origin, but that is an excuse that doesnt hold up much if the user doesnt object Steam either)

 

[DTWolfwood]

At least when it goes for cheap, i can pick it up and have a mod make it look awesome.

Really hope TB does a video update on this.

 

[Rozalia1]

Because now the ps2 is too old. Just like the PS3 and Xbox 360 is too old. Right now they are pushing Next gen, and leaving old gen behind. Its now a unified effort to get people to switch. Devs support those consoles because people will be switching to them and they will become the norm.

That, and the ps2 is obsolete since it doesn't support modern TVs and games on the new consoles outshine old ones. A ps2 game wn't compete with a PS4 game. People will always go for the PS4. Devs on consoles don't actually make any decisions, its the executives in the publishing department. Who are informed by charts and figures and the CEO.

Devs do what they are told on console. On PC, that doesn't happen. Two consoles are supported because the higher ups find the cost to profit potential to be negligible. The Wii U isn't because its a disaster on all sides, especially on the technical level. Its all about power, age, and where the market is going.

And the market is leaning to more powerful hardware on more mainstream names. Nintendo is known for childhood nostalgia, and without that they are nothing.

Knowing about a franchise is not the same as buying it. No one is buying Nintendo. Nintendo is on a downward slope, and the wii was a fluke that only delayed it.

Did they invest in the future with the money? No, they kept on expecting everything to be fine until it wasn't.

And now the wii U is DOA, and the money is draining fast. They didn't listen to dev demands and now they are paying for it.

Fifa games still have PS2 versions year after year, and the second/third world where the PS2 has a good base still exists.
People have been hyping Nintendo's death forever so don't be too confident.

 

[josemlopes]

Its well known you never buy from Ubisoft.

They sure as fuck like to fuck it up with dumb shit, and the dumb shit that ruins the game certainly doesnt need to be bought (like Watch Dogs), but fuck me if I ever regretted buying Driver San Francisco, Assassins Creed Blackflag, Splinter Cell Blacklist, both Far Cry 3 and Blood Dragon, and Shoot Many Robots.

If the fuck up is what makes you not want the game or the game itself doesnt interest you then fine, dont buy it, makes complete sense, but to not buy something simply because its tied to things that didnt affect to product you are interested doesnt seem fair to me.

A lot of people didnt bought Titanfall but were interested in it simply because it was EA even after the fact that the game didnt suffer from any of the issues that EA games are known for (being the only issue present the fact that you needed Origin, but that is an excuse that doesnt hold up much if the user doesnt object Steam either)

People were pissed when Uplay went down and shut down all their games on Watch Dog's launch day. That's why you never buy from Ubisoft, and if you do you schedule your playtime around their launch schedule.

It was on reddit for a week. It became news. Every PC gaming forum whined about Uplay fucking up shit. On top of this, Ubisoft over hypes their games so you will always go in with way too high expectations. If you do buy Ubisoft, it should always be on sale.

Spoiler: But...

I always buy on sale

Shit, you might as well have said "You never buy anything at launch day" and I would have agreed with you on the spot. Saying to never buy from Ubisoft usually means never buying from Ubisoft no matter what.

 

[LordMonty]

Meh Ubisoft are run by morons. I have little hope for anything they release anymore.

 

[webkilla]

Good god. And that code comment.

This is almost as infuriating at the ME3 ending. Almost.

 

[RJ 17]

Seems Ubisoft really wants EA's Crown of Most Hated Game Company. I wonder what excuse they'll trot out for us this time.

 

[Xzavion]

Seems Ubisoft really wants EA's Crown of Most Hated Game Company. I wonder what excuse they'll trot out for us this time.

Well for me they already took over that title with what they did with Prince of Persia(2008).
(releasing DLC consoles only, and raging every single PC user who actually bought the game, when they released it without DRM stuff)

Needless to say, I haven't bought a single game from Ubisoft since.

 

[J Tyran]

To the people asking WHY this happened: It's because Sony and/or Microsoft pressured Ubisoft to keep the PC version in line with the console one AND/OR because Ubisoft themselves want their games to be bought on consoles more than on the PC. Which is all mildly understandable - consoles offer more control over a product to the publisher instead of the consumer. It's more of a closed and controlled platform. A better looking/performing PC version would draw people to that platform, which doesn't help publishers and console manufacturers.

Really getting tired of this...where is your (and everyone elses)evidence that there is any forcing going on by the big three (I notice you're at least smart enough to not put Nintendo there).

You want proof, well getting our hands on Ubisofts financing would be damn hard but what about this?

Spoiler: PS4 will the Definitive version of Watch Dogs

http://www.examiner.com/article/rum...initive-version-of-watch-dogs?cid=db_articles

So yeah thats pretty much a smoking gun right there, you have Ubisofts PR guys running around claiming that the PS4 version will the "definitive version" while they are working with Sony in cross promotions with Sony, Ubisoft, the PS4 and Watch Dogs. Thats just one link, click here [https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=ps4+watch+dogs+is+the+definitive+version&safe=off] if you want to see how much time Ubisoft went around trumpeting that the PS4 release of Watch Dogs will the the "definitive version".

One

Then it turns out the deliberately disabled features in the PC version that would make it look better, how much more "proof" do you need? Thats pretty much case closed unless someone is determined to follow a pre conceived bias that flies in the face of facts.

Spoiler

Really now you're passing rumors, and the fact Sony promotes something as evidence that your conspiracy theory is fact?

No they are not rumours, they are actual quotes coming out of the marketing departments of Sony and Ubisoft. Straight from the horses mouth, one of those quotes came from Jonathan Morin, the Creative Director for Watch Dogs. Straight from him, that is not "rumour".

At the same time Sony are advertising The True Watch Dogs Experience, Only on PS4 [http://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/watch-dogs-ps4?CMP=soc_us__gm_psblog_topbanner_3_4_14]

So we have,

-The creative director of Watch Dogs telling us that the "definitive" version of Watch Dogs will be on the PS4
-Sony claiming that the "The True Watch Dogs Experience" is only on the PS$
-PC release has deliberately disabled/hidden/obfuscated settings that would put the graphical fidelity of the PC version beyond the console versions

Boom, smoking gun, case closed. Sony and Ubisoft where collaborating on the marketing for Watch Dogs and the PS4, all supported by the facts and the modding scene has revealed the truth about the disabled and hidden settings. Now here is where the speculation begins,

Ubisoft either didn't want to jeopardise that relationship or Sony gave Ubisoft some incentive for nerfing the PC release, I wont claim to 100% know why they did it but its undeniable that they did do this.

 

[Jandau]

Really getting tired of this...where is your (and everyone elses)evidence that there is any forcing going on by the big three (I notice you're at least smart enough to not put Nintendo there).

Also these graphics would draw people to the PC platform... are we in the 1990s? You really believe that the big three has undergo a campaign to hide the fact better graphics are possible on PC?
Graphics being better on the PC is well known, and yet the sales of most titles show that it really doesn't matter.

I stated quite clearly that I find it just as likely that it was Ubisoft's idea, meaning that no pressure was needed. And Ubisoft has a long history of favoring consoles over the PC. As for evidence of THAT fact, just do a quick search for "Ubisoft" on pretty much any gaming journalism site and skim the results for the past 3-4 years.

As for your second paragraph, you are missing the point. Of course everyone knows that you can have better graphics on the PC. But just because you can have a superior product on one of the platforms doesn't mean you want to make it that way, especially if you have a vested interest in other platforms...

 

[Strazdas]

It's like they are actively trying to shit on the PC audience.

This is Ubisoft. They have been actively shitting on PC audience for years.
PC gaming was always huge. companies, of course, hate it. because unlike consoles, they cant control the market. So they do their best to spread lies, and when that no longer helps, sabotage it.

Of course, the only way things will change will be when they start losing money. I doubt it'd actually get anywhere or have any long term impact though. Really depends on what their response is.

Oh, i dont think it works either. merely tried to explain the redditors actions more. Personally since i didnt buy the game i got nothing to claim refund on. Havent bought Ubisoft game since AC2. AC2 DRM made me boycutt them and i was going to stop it for Watch Dogs because they seem to have been getting rid of their DRM policies and stuff, but i wasnt rushing into it.... and looks like i wont be stopping that boycott after all.

Of course, law are different in other parts of the world so I might be missing something. But even IF they did intentionally sabotage the PC version, it would be almost impossible to prove. You could claim false advertising but the fact that it's a two year old demo couple with the fact that the pre-launch advertising was accurate hurts that claim significantly.

what i meant was legal grounds for refund because product is not as advertised.

Xbox has always been that way and they aren't really struggling to shift machines, they may not have PS4 level sales but they have plenty of time to avoid a disaster (look at the PS3).

Stretching to find any excuse with Sony aren't you now? Can't find anything in gaming so you'll just fish elsewhere...

Nintendo has been in the business a long time, they'll recoup as they always do, and besides what would Nintendo even have to do with this sort of thing? The PC platform likely don't even register to Nintendo, as in they really couldn't care less for it. They haven't promoted "top graphics" in a long long time.

So Ubisoft are being big meanieheads and have shown they don't care about you, and your platform...and you're blaming the big three still? Either you're a really big Ubisoft mark which is why you want to shift the blame elsewhere, or you're a PC mark who hates on the competition to nonsense levels because you have to justify being a mark.

Its true Xbox division was like that from the start. And Microsoft was sabotaging PC gaming ever since too. Games for Windows live, 0 support for windows gaming, retiring drivers that were necessary for backward compatibility of games, messing with shaders (the reason Vista could not play a lot of games) and generally making windows hard to develop games for (the reason there is such a scramble to try and get Linux gaming in effect).

Either way, i never said that these companies are somehow buying ubisoft off or anything, merely corrected your statement about them "Doing well", which neither of them are. whether they tried to bribe ubisoft because of it or not i do not know.

Gaming does not exist in a bubble, Sony floats on gaming and movies now while other divisions are hemorraging. they cannot afford PS4 to fail, it could be end of Sony. Nintendo does have a lot of reserves and they can just sit tight and live through it, sure. does not mean they arent having losses or trying hard to revive WiiUs corpse.

It was Ultrawinkie that blamed BigThree for Ubisofts blunders, not me, i think you got things mixed up here. I perosnally believe that Ubisoft is stupid enough on thier own to do this. Its not like they ever done well in porting games to PC. Heck, as you would notice from my other posts i dont even like Ubisoft and am doing a persona boycott of their games. hardly a mark.

 

[byte4554_v1legacy]

I just want to find the PR director for Ubi and give them a fucking hug. Like, just to say, relax for a minute, because your job just got 100 times harder. I mean Jesus Christ, what the hell happened. I'm not holding the AC:U thing against them, I feel they were in the right, they just dealt with it badly...but I see no justification for this.

 

[andago]

For a seemingly less biased and more informed evaluation of the mod, please check out this article: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/06/16/watch_dogs-graphics-mod-video/#more-213533. For those that don't, the long and the short is that it makes the game amazing for on screen moments, but is somewhat troublesome from a gameplay perspective which may be why the setting sweren't implemented in the final product.

 

[Rabid_meese]

The settings in question that were in the code weren't there for launch probably because of stability issues. The mod that fellow released does, if what I've read, contain files that he also created.

And as for that line of code that's going around - bullshit. A screenshot is literally useless. That could be from anything from anywhere. A little more proof is required before demonizing a company.

 

[Atmos Duality]

They probably won't say it, but I'm guessing they lowered the PC graphics because Sony or Microsoft (or both) wanted this game to sell consoles and so they incentivized to make all versions "equal" graphically.

^Bingo.
That's the only explanation that makes sense from a business standpoint.

To promote the console version ahead of the PC version is one thing, but to actively downgrade the PC settings (including optimization) from what was shown at E3 SOLELY to make the others look better by comparison is inexcusable.

People, please.
STOP BUYING UBISOFT'S GAMES ON LAUNCH. STOP PRE-ORDERING.
That's the only way to send a lasting message to these assholes, because once they have your money, they don't give a fuck what you think.