Lackluster Graphics in FFXIV

[Shelia]

It's true... particularly for instances.

FFXIV was in development since 2005, however... so we can't entirely expect the engines to be top notch.

Or can we?

[h2o]

it doesn't really excuse boat which is merely an instance anyway

boat which is merely an instance

boat which is merely

boat is instance

We will pray for you, be sure, bro!

[northernsky]

The water GFX are sub-par. But characters, monsters, and the terrain look fantastic!

Sub-par?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Loj...eature=related

Look at this one in HD. Obviously the FPS is not optimal for either the guy's machine or maybe just for the video, but the water looks beautiful when you set just decently high graphic display configuration

[gifthorse]

Sub-par?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Loj...eature=related

Look at this one in HD. Obviously the FPS is not optimal for either the guy's machine or maybe just for the video, but the water looks beautiful when you set just decently high graphic display configuration

The water in this cutscene isn't too bad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hagLejQiqEQ

But in actualy gameplay it looks pretty crap, compared to this, for example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBcPT...4EF029290AAA16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuomU...eature=related

[Otemori]

I, too, would like to see evidence that the tech demo isn't pre-rendered.
I've looked all over Youtube and haven't found anything beyond this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgtZvn5c4e4
The photograph used for comparison in the original post seems to have been taken from this cinematic.

[Abriael]

The water in this cutscene isn't too bad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hagLejQiqEQ

But in actualy gameplay it looks pretty crap

The water is exactly the same, as the FFXIV cutscenes are entirely in-engine. You're just seeing it from a different angle, which means that reflections and lighting react differently.

compared to this, for example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBcPT...4EF029290AAA16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuomU...eature=related

Funny. Since that water is actually quite a lot simpler, and not even reflective. The effect is nice, especially the waves, but it's not exceptional engine-wise.
You're associating your personal taste to absolute terms like "crap".

[Rhianu]

The water in FFXIV usually looks pretty decent, but I have found it a bit odd that it can't receive shadows or reflections. I'm not sure why this is, but I think it would be worth looking into sometime in the future.

[Vuitton]

Yeah, those graphics are pretty lame. Honestly, I blame your crappy PC. XIV looks amazing on my system with everything on max settings and a 1920 resolution. This isn't taking into account that the game is an MMO which typically has graphics below that of single player games.





Get a job and upgrade your hardware. =]

[Wenceslas]

Well... as a student in video games, I just want to say that the Crystal Tool engine used for FFXIV is just a crappy unoptimised one. Just because Crystal tool was first made for PS3 system (remember GTA4 on pc ? It was the same problem....).

So, my PS3 can run FFXIII in FHD wich have a lot more visuals effect than FFXIV on a GPU 7950gtx, but my PC can't run FFXIV more than 1600x1050px with less than medium graphics options because it freeze/ram ?
Don't make me laugh.
Moreover, my PC can run Crysis in FHD with ultra graphics options (and believe me, there's much more polygons than in FFXIV with 1000 soldiers, and the map are very huge too).

So, yeah as a student on video games, I know that we can't do a MMO with crysis-like graphics.
But you can't say that the Crystal Tool version used for FFXIV is well optimised. Seriously, if I just try to run Ambiant Occlusion or Depth of Field, It freeze/ram so much that the game is unplayable.

If SE optimise the Crystal Tool engine, they'll perfectly be able to add some more effect like terrain shadows, or volumetric light.

[Abriael]

The water in FFXIV usually looks pretty decent, but I have found it a bit odd that it can't receive shadows or reflections. I'm not sure why this is, but I think it would be worth looking into sometime in the future.

Some effects have to be deactivated in order to save hardware resources. The crystal tools engine is perfectly able to render those effects, as single player games made with it demonstrate (Final Fantasy XIII for instance), this doesn't mean that it's advisable to use them in games that require the rendering of scenes with a much higher number of characters. Put a whole linkshell of people on water with a fully reflective effect and shadows, and any pc would be ground to a halt.