Letter from the Producer XLII

[Katsaurs]

imho Beta starts on the 25th

- 10th Feb: Yoshi leaves;
- 16-17th Feb: Yoshi might be back (assuming from the destinations he has to reach);
- 18th Feb: Live letter, Beta announcement and benchmark release;
- 20th Feb Beta forums live;
- 25th: test starts (almost in time).

I'm with this to a degree, given the travel times and the such this seems to be the more sensible option. Though I'd say if not the 25th, then the 22nd to allow people to play over the weekend.

[AkiRouscelia]

It would be nice to get a rough idea on what is going on from one of the Reps or Yoshi-P himself. We know what's happening but little of the order it's going to happen in. There are many scenarios that can be speculated but are fruitless without some kind of official word.

[Silversnow]

It would be nice to get a rough idea on what is going on from one of the Reps or Yoshi-P himself. We know what's happening but little of the order it's going to happen in. There are many scenarios that can be speculated but are fruitless without some kind of official word.

That's not a rough idea you are asking for. Lol. He could be delayed a day or three for whatever reason on his tour and get yelled at for being wrong. Can't win giving any kind of time figures really. We can only be patient and wait for "soon" to arrive.

[Enma]

500x300 Screenshots. No real information about Beta start. No news about A Realm Reborn contents or delovepment. I don't care about having a precise date, about Beta or Release, but at least I'd like to read Letter From The Producer with some information content...

[Headhunters]

what im gonna do if beta comes out on february...i alrdy have ken's rage2 and MGR to play ;_;

[Munba]

Also i was expecting more info and stuff but.. that 'Uldah area' screen is awesome. :0

[Biggs]

Also i was expecting more info and stuff but.. that 'Uldah area' screen is awesome. :0

I am actually completely unsure why that picture isn't the main topic of like 40 different posts right now. Why does it look 1000 times better then anything we have seen so far? Is it part of a movie or is it just in-game running on a high end rig?! People speculating on dates is a waste of time, how is this not being talked about lol?!

[Hulan]

I am actually completely unsure why that picture isn't the main topic of like 40 different posts right now. Why does it look 1000 times better then anything we have seen so far? Is it part of a movie or is it just in-game running on a high end rig?! People speculating on dates is a waste of time, how is this not being talked about lol?!

It's neither. Benchmarks are designed to take the graphics engine and stretch it to the absolute extremes it's capable of reaching. Then measure the framerate at those extremes. Only by stretching the computer beyond it's capacities can you measure those capacities. So basically, those are "in game graphics" but at extremes that the graphics engine was never technically designed to utilize in actual game play.

My favorite Benchmark may be the FFXI, in which it just slowly fills your screen with Tarutaru until the graphics engine is trying to draw like 500 tarutaru. It's hilarious.

[Biggs]

It's neither. Benchmarks are designed to take the graphics engine and stretch it to the absolute extremes it's capable of reaching. Then measure the framerate at those extremes. Only by stretching the computer beyond it's capacities can you measure those capacities. So basically, those are "in game graphics" but at extremes that the graphics engine was never technically designed to utilize in actual game play.

My favorite Benchmark may be the FFXI, in which it just slowly fills your screen with Tarutaru until the graphics engine is trying to draw like 500 tarutaru. It's hilarious.

Well I am in love to say the least. If its even close to possible to run it looking anything like that, I have some serious upgrades to add to my desktop in the next few weeks. Makes me sad to think thats an extreme visual, but what your saying makes sense. I have little experience with benchmarks as I ended up playing XI on the ps2, then the xbox360 (both of which do not do that game justice)

Based on what your saying though, is it possible thats what the game will look like when its at the far end of its life cycle? What I mean is, as the game begins contending with better and better software over the course of its life, won't it (for a time) keep getting better and better looking before it maxes out?

[Hulan]

Based on what your saying though, is it possible thats what the game will look like when its at the far end of its life cycle? What I mean is, as the game begins contending with better and better software over the course of its life, won't it (for a time) keep getting better and better looking before it maxes out?

Yes, probably.