Dawntrail Benchmark

[Bun_Vivant]

If I try googling for games that offer a benchmark tool prior to the game's official release ... FFXIV seems to be fairly unique in this regard (you can thank YoshiP the fellow gamer for that)

An underappreciated fact.

There will be a Dawntrail benchmark as we've gotten benchmarks for the other expansions. It's just not ready yet. They're probably still working on job animation graphics and the benchmark would be somewhat pointless if those weren't included.

More importantly, the benchmark will be worse than pointless if it doesn't create proper fem-Hroths and render them attractively. The character creation options and upgraded graphics seem to me to be far bigger unknowns than the frame rate. Imagine spending hours creating your new fem-Hroth only to have it look nothing like it did in the benchmark when in the game -- not good!

It makes sense to expect it [the benchmark] close to the preorder date.

It makes sense financially to start taking pre-orders when you're confident about when the game will probably be ready.
It makes sense reputationally to release the benchmark when the benchmark is ready.
There's no definite relationship between those two times: one is a projection based on estimates of the amount of work left to do, and the other is "when it's done." Also, because the benchmark has code the game doesn't need, it's technically possible for the benchmark not to be ready until after the game is, and to therefore be released after the game.

[Ath192]

Yet you prove his point. It's a marketing tool that you want access to before you make the decision to purchase.

Most games don't release a benchmark tool at all. Do you obsess over whether the other games you play offer a benchmark tool before you purchase and refuse to purchase if they don't?

Do you think before you type? Or even process the logic and implications of what you are replying to? Or do you just go ”oh, I know!! I know!! I want participate so I’m going to say things for the hell of it” even if it provides no value or logical argument for people to at least think over?

I do want to analyze the performance and score of the benchmark to make some decisions on my hardware and budget. Anyways despite you defining an analytics tool yet again and calling it a marketing tool as others there’s another point I’d like to make about how you think.

Mediocrity happens when people look around what others are doing and say that’s good enough. Just because others are not doing something that benefits the customer and half assing things doesn’t mean you should too, in fact, you should always strive to organize and develop things to the best of your ability.

But at this point, I think we all clearly know it makes perfectly logical sense to offer a benchmark at the same time as the opportunity to pay for the game. And so far, I haven’t heard arguments as to why this is not a good idea. We’ve only heard arguments from SE shills of “be grateful for what you have peasants! Some games don’t even do these things. Our lord and savior Yoshi P will release it when he feels like it and we will sing praises because he knows best!”

In the end, if you’re happy because you get to wait longer to see how it will run and can pay for it now there’s not much else to be said.

[DrForester]

He mentioned a live letter in April at the PAX presentation, so I'm guessing that's when we'll get the benchmark.