New rain effect is a bit disappointing. It should look like this:

[Mogi]

256 MB of RAM, thats how.



PS3 crowd would feel left out, same reason for lots of graphical upgrades that they, for whatever reason, decided not to do.

Oh look it's one of those PC is best and everyone needs to upgrade ppl here we go. I for one don't think the PS3 is holding anything back the game all ready looks better on pc so i'm sure SE could have made the rain effect look better on PC they prob just did not care to i mean it looks fine how many mmo's have a ton of rain all over anyway? and with the lag some PS3 and yes PC players get why make so much rain effects only to slow ppl down?

[Milmoko_Gemoko]

On subject of PS3 lag/load times I'd suggest SE add a suggestion to specs (Net connection, HDD space etc...) on the PS3 cover suggesting an upgrade to an SSD for improved perfomance the next time they reprint copies, could also add to the manual the URL to Sony's website for the guide to replacing the hard disk since its a very easy job to do.
As for the people chanting for PS3 phase out: yes it's gonna happen but not for a year or two at best I'd guess - given how first expansion (full) is confirmed for the PS3 and thats only just had a draft submitted last month (by what I read some where) so thats like a year away given the usual Square dev cycle.
I'm guessing they dont wanna upset a lot of people shortly after launch by saying "thank you for the £30 for the expansion pack but now we're retiring the PS3 and forcing you to buy a PS4 or stop playing, but again thanks for the money" -it be like a very large middle finger to their fans

[Gilraen]

Also the reason why they will be dropping ps3 support once the majority of that player base makes the jump to ps4.

And this is based on what information? No, seriously, where do people get this idea from? Those that 'upgrade' to the PS4 from the PS3 potentially lose access to the PS3 version not because Square is dropping support. It's because you're converting the related service account. Square likely doesn't want to give out versions of the game for free, where would they be making money if they did? That doesn't mean they are dropping support. It's like all the claims that Square dropped PS2 support in XI. Clearly, with how they released Adoulin for the PS2 in Japan, they haven't so it's a groundless claim.

[Dreamer]

Oh look it's one of those PC is best and everyone needs to upgrade ppl here we go. I for one don't think the PS3 is holding anything back the game all ready looks better on pc so i'm sure SE could have made the rain effect look better on PC they prob just did not care to i mean it looks fine how many mmo's have a ton of rain all over anyway? and with the lag some PS3 and yes PC players get why make so much rain effects only to slow ppl down?

You're delusional if you think the PS3 isn't holding the PC version back. Everything they add has to be calibrated to function within the PS3s limited specs. This is a console that was released almost seven years ago. For comparison, this system has half as much RAM as my phone. Think about that.

[Axidrain]

Oh look it's one of those PC is best and everyone needs to upgrade ppl here we go. I for one don't think the PS3 is holding anything back the game all ready looks better on pc so i'm sure SE could have made the rain effect look better on PC they prob just did not care to i mean it looks fine how many mmo's have a ton of rain all over anyway? and with the lag some PS3 and yes PC players get why make so much rain effects only to slow ppl down?

maybe because its 2014

[Tiggy]

Oh look it's one of those PC is best and everyone needs to upgrade ppl here we go. I for one don't think the PS3 is holding anything back the game all ready looks better on pc so i'm sure SE could have made the rain effect look better on PC they prob just did not care to i mean it looks fine how many mmo's have a ton of rain all over anyway? and with the lag some PS3 and yes PC players get why make so much rain effects only to slow ppl down?

I'm not in the belief the graphical limitations hold the pc version back much, but the fact remains that any gameplay variations that require more objects on screen or more graphical effects just for the mechanics to function would be impossible on the ps3. This directly keeps all gameplay options stuck inside the ps3 box. The best the pc can do is look better despite the fact the pc could do more. It absolutely limits them in some ways. Even Yoshi said as much in an interview recently.

[Hrist_Valkyrie]

You're delusional if you think the PS3 isn't holding the PC version back. Everything they add has to be calibrated to function within the PS3s limited specs. This is a console that was released almost seven years ago. For comparison, this system has half as much RAM as my phone. Think about that.

The PS3 version is the reason why this game even has the sales numbers it has. If it wasn't for the PC version there wouldn't be any RMT bots bothering the hell out of me or bots ruining the marketplace. PC players should switch to the console version so we wouldn't have those problems.

That was sarcasm but it's true. Think about that.

[Sheer]

I'd like to clear up a few things:

First off, the PS3 isn't as much of a burden as some people are trying to make it out to be. Optimization is an incredibly tricky issue with modern hardware, and it's infinitely more efficient to optimize, debug, and secure a product when you know it's being run on very specific specs. Are there limitations? Of course. Resources are finite, and even instructions are just data. But the smaller, more numerous details and effects are often what are most taxing on a system, and by reducing these effects or removing them entirely in the PS3 version, they can significantly improve performance without even having to worry about their vision for the PC version taking a hit.

Secondly... It's an MMO. It's incredibly taxing on a system, and even then, you have to account for all the different setups and systems. As I stated before, that's why the PS3 isn't as much of a burden as some are trying to make out to be - it'd be like all the PC users having the exact same computer - same OS, same RAM, same CPU, etc - right down to the last significant detail (this is exactly the reason as to why consoles will always have a spot in the market, by the way). You will always have a modern RPG looking better than a modern MMO.

Lastly, read this. If it really comes to it, they'll abandon the PS3 version, but it'll at least be supported until 3.0. With that in mind... I say they've done a fantastic job with the graphical quality of the game, and I look forward to trying out the DX11 client.

[Chiramu]

I'm slightly confused here. What new rain effects? All I can read is new wet effects on our characters during rain.

How many of you ignored this post to rant on about PS3/PS4/PC? Are you that determined to be ignorant?

[Emtron]

Graphics whores.