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Wishlist for graphical update!


Macetheace

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What things would you like to see done in a graphical update? What would make your withlist?

 

 

My Wishlist:

1. I'd love them to update the original game planets you see from your ship - the models are so old

2. I'd love to replace loading screen pictures with the fly in animation cinematics or at least have a choice.. to me, I see them too often, i know in earlier games they use to have cinematics instead of loading pictures. Some people like that, some prefer the pictures - I say let's at least have the choice. Default is the cinematic, you can turn it off for the picture in options.

3. Character model updates - this is perhaps the most important update that's needed

4. Bestiary model updates - original game ones.. it's weird, the topography and landscape graphics are fine, it's just the flesh and blood units. Most of the drone /robot ones are fine too.

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I agree, graphical improvements are to be had, but let me introduce you to someone on the forums who'll complain if the devs add so much as one pixel to a texture because his 15-year-old computer can't handle it.

 

At some point, we need to cut loose and improve the game's graphics. I was on Tython yesterday, just staring at a rock, knowing there wasn't a damn thing I could tweak in my graphics setting or card setting to improve that texture. Eyebleed it will remain unless the devs do something about it.

 

At at one point, in the not so distant past, the devs alluded to graphical improvements on the starter worlds, but then said complainer scared them off that idea.

 

Unfortunate.

Edited by xordevoreaux
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My wishlist for a graphical update would be just 2 (*cough* 3 *cough*) items... dump the Hero Engine for something which is a little more optimized, the option of a 64-bit client for those of us who can run it, and moving the graphical rendering from the CPU onto the GPU (a radical idea, I know, but it is a wishlist...)
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My wishlist for a graphical update would be just 2 (*cough* 3 *cough*) items... dump the Hero Engine for something which is a little more optimized, the option of a 64-bit client for those of us who can run it, and moving the graphical rendering from the CPU onto the GPU (a radical idea, I know, but it is a wishlist...)

 

Nice wish list, but I think that would be a new game...lol :D

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Nice wish list, but I think that would be a new game...lol :D

 

But think of the possibilities.. if they could implement the game on a new engine, the things that could be introduced, it could lead to a major SWTOR revival, especially if they tie it in with an expansion that was as eye catching as KotFE

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My wishlist for a graphical update would be just 2 (*cough* 3 *cough*) items... dump the Hero Engine for something which is a little more optimized, the option of a 64-bit client for those of us who can run it, and moving the graphical rendering from the CPU onto the GPU (a radical idea, I know, but it is a wishlist...)

 

It's not the bittage of the client that counts, but the version of DX. Swtor is a DX9 game that relies heaviling on the CPU rather than the GPU, and the game was in development when DX10 came out. They could have developed to DX10 then, but did not, because implementing the game as DX10 would have required players to upgrade their operating system (as it's only available for Vista and later) as well as upgrade to a card that supported DX10.

 

So rather than upset the applecart for players, the decision was made to stay with older tech, thereby ensuring the broadest adoption rate for the game.

 

But it's been nine years. The adoption rate is not the issue now. The problem is that you can't take geometry and textures from DX9 and start making DX10 calls to it. There are graphical underpinnings to DX10 that don't exist in DX9, and so the textures would need to change.

 

Everquest 2 tried to go from DX9 to DX10, and the result was an absolute disaster, mainly because the one programmer they had working on it really didn't know what the hell he was doing, so we'd log in, get black spots for textures, wireframes where textures should have been, weird lighting, all the rest. They gave up and reverted to DX9.

 

Advancing the graphical capabilities would have be done right the first time to make the pain for players needing to upgrade worth it, and I'm not sure that's a gamble EA's willing to make right now.

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But think of the possibilities.. if they could implement the game on a new engine, the things that could be introduced, it could lead to a major SWTOR revival, especially if they tie it in with an expansion that was as eye catching as KotFE

 

And also ruin experience for a major amount of population because some people are all about eye candy?

 

Not everyone can afford modern hardware plus this game didn't age badly. I seriously hope they focus on improvement what's already here and stability. Swapping engine is major undertaking, it's not something you just think and make happen, it could lead to major disaster instead and game doesn't need revival

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It's not the bittage of the client that counts, but the version of DX. Swtor is a DX9 game that relies heaviling on the CPU rather than the GPU, and the game was in development when DX10 came out. They could have developed to DX10 then, but did not, because implementing the game as DX10 would have required players to upgrade their operating system (as it's only available for Vista and later) as well as upgrade to a card that supported DX10.

 

So rather than upset the applecart for players, the decision was made to stay with older tech, thereby ensuring the broadest adoption rate for the game.

 

But it's been nine years. The adoption rate is not the issue now. The problem is that you can't take geometry and textures from DX9 and start making DX10 calls to it. There are graphical underpinnings to DX10 that don't exist in DX9, and so the textures would need to change.

 

Everquest 2 tried to go from DX9 to DX10, and the result was an absolute disaster, mainly because the one programmer they had working on it really didn't know what the hell he was doing, so we'd log in, get black spots for textures, wireframes where textures should have been, weird lighting, all the rest. They gave up and reverted to DX9.

 

Advancing the graphical capabilities would have be done right the first time to make the pain for players needing to upgrade worth it, and I'm not sure that's a gamble EA's willing to make right now.

 

We've seen other MMOs close their DX9 support, to now fully operate under the 64-bit system with DX11. FF14 being the most recent in mind. The game still has its vanilla look, with the originals starter maps and everything. But the improvement really gets noticed when looking at last expansion, cutscene animation and everything.

We're at a point where it doesn't hurt sales numbers to leave the 32-bit era, as most computers now run on more recent systems.

 

But Swtor was never developped with the intent of updating its graphical engine. And it didn't need to unlike the before-mentionned mmo which had to run on a PS3, then upgrade to PS4 support, and is now preparing for the rest.

Big difference is that Swtor doesn't have the willpower to change engine, which requires an enormous effort if you don't think ahead a bit and plan since the beginning to upgrade later.

 

I said it. It needed planning beforehand. Which lacked since swtor first began developping. :rak_03:

 

 

So unless they take the time to remake the game from scratch (and remove a lot of restrictions we still have, like the credit limit cap), they can't do anything more than redoing camera angles and slightly altering animations.

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EA should just see if they can talk Boris into writing an "official" ENB for it that wouldn't be in violation of the Rules of Conduct. Look what ENB has done for Skyrim. Bethesda is still selling copies of that game due in no small part to Boris making it possible to have that game look as nice your machine can handle. That and some updated textures here and there would be plenty. Maybe few more realistic hair styles.
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And also ruin experience for a major amount of population because some people are all about eye candy?

 

Not everyone can afford modern hardware plus this game didn't age badly. I seriously hope they focus on improvement what's already here and stability. Swapping engine is major undertaking, it's not something you just think and make happen, it could lead to major disaster instead and game doesn't need revival

 

Even a wholesale update to the graphics and engine (not that I see this happening mind you) wouldn't require a modern computer. Just a not ancient one

 

There is a difference, and I doubt could be considered a "major amount of the population" by any reasonable metric.

 

It's not like people with underpowered systems are going to be forced to play on ultra settings...

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I agree, graphical improvements are to be had, but let me introduce you to someone on the forums who'll complain if the devs add so much as one pixel to a texture because his 15-year-old computer can't handle it.

 

I think its time folks still running Pentiums et al get cut loose.It's like expecting to be allowed to run your car on the motorway with someone walking in front with a lantern. Yes you would lose some folks, but you prolly would gain more b/c the game is just that much more awesome.

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Even a wholesale update to the graphics and engine (not that I see this happening mind you) wouldn't require a modern computer. Just a not ancient one

 

Keep in mind that a lot of engine optimization and simply overall game optimization (in how it handles character models loadings for example) would solve a lot of the complaints that peoples have with this game's stability, even on old computers.

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And also ruin experience for a major amount of population because some people are all about eye candy?

 

Not everyone can afford modern hardware plus this game didn't age badly. I seriously hope they focus on improvement what's already here and stability. Swapping engine is major undertaking, it's not something you just think and make happen, it could lead to major disaster instead and game doesn't need revival

 

Agreed, if a new game comes out its ok but I'd like to keep playing this one and not be locked out because I can't afford an upgrade. Which in my country is quite expensive. Devs should focus on optimizing what they currently have and fixing the issues we have with 16-man operations and world boss groups instead of doing graphical upgrades.

 

Keep in mind that a lot of engine optimization and simply overall game optimization (in how it handles character models loadings for example) would solve a lot of the complaints that peoples have with this game's stability, even on old computers.

That for me would be ideal. Complete graphical overhauls would not be something I'd be up for it precisely because I'm worried about optimization, in the past when they upgraded graphics performance was still not ideal... so IMO they should focus their efforts into fixing the current issues before doing graphical revamps, if things were properly optimized in this game I doubt most of us would worry. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

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I think its time folks still running Pentiums et al get cut loose.It's like expecting to be allowed to run your car on the motorway with someone walking in front with a lantern. Yes you would lose some folks, but you prolly would gain more b/c the game is just that much more awesome.

 

Citation needed.

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That for me would be ideal. Complete graphical overhauls would not be something I'd be up for it precisely because I'm worried about optimization, in the past when they upgraded graphics performance was still not ideal... so IMO they should focus their efforts into fixing the current issues before doing graphical revamps, if things were properly optimized in this game I doubt most of us would worry. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

 

What I also implied is that a decent level of optimization of the current engine and overall game would also permit a general graphical update without risking of compromising too many peoples.

 

Like said earlier, as long as that even on a most recent CPU and a new RTX graphic card, I still cannot get decent/stable fps on content like 16-man ops, warzone and even stuff like Umbara flashpoint/stronghold, then I believe that the game has still some major optimization to do in order to be ready for anything remotely close to a graphical update.

 

It's a wonder that other games developped under DX9 can operate with 24-players raids and even 72-players warzone without dropping under 200fps and this one cannot even achieve a stable 60 at all time.

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What I also implied is that a decent level of optimization of the current engine and overall game would also permit a general graphical update without risking of compromising too many peoples.

 

Like said earlier, as long as that even on a most recent CPU and a new RTX graphic card, I still cannot get decent/stable fps on content like 16-man ops, warzone and even stuff like Umbara flashpoint/stronghold, then I believe that the game has still some major optimization to do in order to be ready for anything remotely close to a graphical update.

 

It's a wonder that other games developped under DX9 can operate with 24-players raids and even 72-players warzone without dropping under 200fps and this one cannot even achieve a stable 60 at all time.

 

Yep, an opinion I agree with. If the game's optimization was better I honestly don't think I would be worried about graphical upgrades, which is not the case.

 

I remember people who had 4K builds having FPS issues on Mek-Sha back when Onslaught launch, and even those with good PCs in general seem to have a lot of issues with FPS drops in those places, not saying it would drop to below 30 for those with modern hardware. However it does have a significant drop compared to other areas due to the extra level of detail which the engine clearly cannot handle (I love the planets, love the work they did on the details, but the optimization is not great), 16-man content (be it operations or warzones), warzones and the first section of Umbara are always a pain to do because of this lack of optimization, even when setting things to very low and disabling everything you can (nameplates, flynumbers) the lag is just surreal.

 

Its a shame really, this game has nice graphics (for its time) and Onderon and Mek-sha are very neatly designed in that department, I really hope we get better optimization in the future even if I know chances are we won't and it will be another graphical upgrade, small not a complete overhaul, that may make something worse in the game.

 

My wishlist for a graphical update would be just 2 (*cough* 3 *cough*) items... dump the Hero Engine for something which is a little more optimized, the option of a 64-bit client for those of us who can run it, and moving the graphical rendering from the CPU onto the GPU (a radical idea, I know, but it is a wishlist...)

Actually this whole discussion got me thinking of whether or not that could possibly be the "rendering changes" Keith has hinted at. I would certainly hope so if it means better optimization.

Edited by FlameYOL
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To me, the graphics are fine the way they are - not counting render speed. Not that I'm against an upgrade - an upgrade to the base 'engine' would help everything.

I'm here more for the game, rather than the graphics. After all, how many of you would still play Super Mario Bros or Minecraft, even without AA or ray-tracing? 🙂

Edited by JediQuaker
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But think of the possibilities.. if they could implement the game on a new engine, the things that could be introduced, it could lead to a major SWTOR revival, especially if they tie it in with an expansion that was as eye catching as KotFE

 

I don't know why this needs to be brought up so often but you can't just "implement" a game on a new engine; you are essentially redesigning every single aspect of the game.

 

And that doesn't even get into maintaining databases and player characters and accounts and such.

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I don't know why this needs to be brought up so often but you can't just "implement" a game on a new engine; you are essentially redesigning every single aspect of the game.

 

And that doesn't even get into maintaining databases and player characters and accounts and such.

 

There is still a world between redesigning the entirety of a game, including its assets and lightings, and redoing the whole game, which includes indeed database optimisation. Changing for something else than the hero engine shouldn't in theory affect how the game handles server to client data transmission. Or even data storage like your inventory. Graphic engine relies more on client-side stuff rather than server-side configuration. ;)

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