Weren't we supposed to get hi-res texture packs?

[Riardon]

Not as long as PS3 and PS4 non pro are being used. but if FFXIV go PS4 Pro maybe.. that will be the push from sony and SE..

FFXIV has too low res even for the regular PS4. The PS3 is the only problem. PS4 can handle Witcher 3/ FFXV with miles better graphics than FFXIV without an issue.

[MrsFluffyButt]

Not as long as PS4 non pro are being used. but if FFXIV go PS4 Pro maybe.. that will be the push from sony and SE..

Lol, can I have some of what you're on?

[Berethos]

FFXIV has too low res even for the regular PS4. The PS3 is the only problem. PS4 can handle Witcher 3/ FFXV with miles better graphics than FFXIV without an issue.

Neither one of those are MMOS and can be designed and optimized around a known quantity of rendered objects on the screen. MMOs have to be much more scalable, which is why they've always either used lower graphic fidelity than single player games, or when they approach that level, they use other tricks like aggressive LoD options (BDO, for example).

Fun fact...FFXIV and FFXV use the same game engine. FFXIV had to modify it and scale it down to make it work in an MMO.

Really, the amount of people that think an MMO can easily handle the same graphic fidelity just because a single player game can is kind of silly.

[Riardon]

[QUOTE=Berethos;3886898snip[/QUOTE]

Here we don't talk about making the game like XV or TW3. We are talking only about the texture resolution. This doesn't require the game to be rebuilt from the ground or any heavy modifications to be made. FFXIV runs beyond 30 FPS on PS4 so there is extra horse power for more texture resolution. Perhaps not as high as a PC can handle but definitely better. And since these are exactly the same textures as with PS3 then the PS4 can definitely handle better. They already brought some graphic features to the PS4 that it didn't have before like better draw distance with the latest patch and ground reflections so I don't really get your point. You can argue as much as you want that FFXIV can't look any better on the PS4 even though I believe it can but as you saw already PC has some extra graphical fidelity features and the PS4 got few extras recently too. So yes it can look better without breaking anything. Except if you want to keep exactly the same look between PS3 and PC. And here lies the problem. So rethink again what you wrote. And before you call someone silly pretending you are the smart one look again the extra graphic eye candies the PC and the PS4 got and PS3 didn't. It's another thing to rebuild a game to make it look like XV and another to enhance the current engine and make it look better. By your smart logic we shouldn't have a DX11 version with HBAO+, parallax occlusion way after the original game launch.

[Nutz]

Maybe we'll get them in the upcoming expansion, I just hope they won't come up with some upscaled textures like they've been doing for older games, that would solve nothing!...

What we need is a true 4K texture pack and of course 4K models to go with them but that may be too much for SE to spend money into so they might just decide to make a whole new FF Online and kill FFXIV at once instead!...

I don't even know what you're asking for, and I don't think you do either. Higher resolution textures would be great, though I haven't seen any evidence that models need to be updated, certainly not to '4K', whatever that would mean.

People seem to forget quite quickly that this is an MMO and there is a lot of extra resource strain that's not immediately evident just by looking at a screenshot or watching someone play. There's no universe where an MMO and an offline RPG could look similar without the developer of the offline game seriously dropping the ball. Ignoring all of the overhead that's not related to graphics, for an MMO there could be an absolutely enormous assortment of models and textures loaded simultaneously. Theoretically every single player could be wearing equipment that none of the hundred or so players around them are wearing. Doubling the texture space (which I do still say should be optionally available) quadruples the load. As for models, as I implied '4K' models doesn't actually make any sort of sense, but even just assuming you meant 'noticeably higher resolution models' I'd have to be against that particular endeavor, just because it would be significantly more difficult and costly than the texture upgrade, and the 'fact' (actually my opinion) that it's mostly unnecessary. Swapping out textures can be done fairly easily, though there may be some code rewrites necessary -- but UVs have already been mapped and more than likely the high resolution versions already exist and have been scaled down to what we have now. 'Scaling up' the models can't be done systematically. An artist would have to devote time to every single one of the thousands and thousands of models that make up armor alone, and when that was done the UV space and bone weights would have fallen into chaos, new textures would be almost necessary as the old ones wouldn't work anymore without very precisely realigning the now screwed up UVs, and then they'd have to repaint all the bone weights just perfectly so that animations also worked. It would essentially require starting over with every single deformable asset (anything that animates in any way other than simply spinning, sliding in any direction, or growing/ shrinking uniformly).

Also, if you can't make parallax occlusion work, don't include it, though I think a 'medium' feature might be appreciated given that currently we have 'off/flat' and 'weird, erratic, unnatural spikiness'. It's very odd that the 'spikes' are about 8" high in a lot of areas and even larger in others. It could really stand to be toned down and evened out overall (though in some places it looks exactly as it should).

[KokonoeAiyoko]

Aren't textures already made at a higher resolution than what we've been getting anyway? If so, I don't see the issue of adding them.

[Averax]

It was never promised, but i would like higher resolution for at least character models and gear.

[Berethos]

Here we don't talk about making the game like XV or TW3. We are talking only about the texture resolution. This doesn't require the game to be rebuilt from the ground or any heavy modifications to be made.

I'd read the thread again, cause you definitely missed where someone specifically called for them to remake the game engine or use a different one already around that is DX12 capable, and comments related to the game engine is largely aimed at them.

I also never said it can't look better using the current engine. I said expecting a certain level of graphics in an MMO just because it been be obtained in a single player experience is silly.

[Berethos]

Aren't textures already made at a higher resolution than what we've been getting anyway? If so, I don't see the issue of adding them.

Optimization is the main issue.

Think about it like this - the more that has to be rendered on the screen, either via textures or polygon count mostly, the more computing power you need (simplifying the description quite a bit).

Based on the game engine used you have a practical top end for things rendered based on the hardware being used.

You could use every 4k or whatever higher version resolution they use for every thing in the game, but it's likely that will significantly increase the hardware required to run it at even just an acceptable level of performance.

Optimization is how they get around the performance hits - tricks of the trade, basically, meant to be unseen some times and obvious other times. Lowering resolution is one way, occlusion culling is another (not rendering things not in view of the camera).

Say they added an option for the higher resolution. It's not likely they would just leave it as is performance wise (especially considering the negative reaction to the mac client performance), which means picking a recommend hardware range and then making sure that every area in the game in a host of situations has an acceptable level of performance...and stuff like that takes time to do.

And that assumes there are enough using hardware capable of handling the new, higher requirements to make that time investment a solid investment.

Basically, it's not as easy as just adding in higher resolution textures and calling it a day.

[worldofneil]

If we get higher resolution textures, that's awesome, I certainly wouldn't complain, but to me I'm also not that bothered either.

Like everyone else I've noticed it when the floors don't look that great, but I'm usually moving somewhere/killing something to really pay it much attention and overall I'm very happy with the current quality (especially when you compare it to something like FFXI!)