Alright so, We've been discussing this dilemma internally and we've all agree that everyone should be able to play this game. We've decided to scale the game down to 3GS. If any low-end device is detected, heavy graphical eye candy featured will be disabled. That's the best we can do (and will possibly change the way you experience the game) but at least you will be able to play the game. Please, let me know what else we can do to please you. Warm regards from Psychoz Team.
Okay, firstly I have to say I'm not surprised ye got some backlash for making the game for a5 or higher only. A bit unfair to get the backlash but not surprising because iOS gamers in general seem to be completely unaware of the limitations of some devices and want a console in their pocket and pigs that fly. Secondly, I admire the fact that quality, not quantity is the target. I wish more developers would take this attitude. The fact that ye have adapted to the new devices and simply spent so much time on the project is to be applauded, not criticised. Thirdly, the graphics samples we've seen so far, to me, indicate a game that requires the elements that older devices cannot run so prepare for a similar backlash to the NOVA 3 graphics issue. Finally, I will instabuy either way because not only does it look fantastic but also a developer with ye're commitment to quality should be rewarded. I change devices every year myself (skipped iPad 3 though because I think retina screen needs a better bus and bandwidth) because i know that if I want the best graphics, I need the best device. I dont want a scaled back version of something great. Maybe that's taking a privileged position on it but I don't work to buy obsolete devices. I want the highest quality and not a compromised unoptimised solution. I wish ye the best of luck with the game and I look forward to playing it and I have no doubt that ye're commitment to quality rather than quantity, something I admire greatly, will be rewarded.
This is how PC games usually work, and considering the growing diversity of devices, it's a good approach for high-end iOS games as well.
Not only shaders and post-process needs to be disabled (or adjusted) but also some layers of geometry (bushes, trees and ground grass needs to be wiped out and replaced). But at least everyone will be happy. Though, I still suggest to get a new devices if you can, the experience will not be the same. Try to play Crysis on a old crappy laptop, instead of a gamer computer, you'll see what I'm talking about. ^^ Cheers,
As long as it doesnt break the game completely I think that is a wise decision. 3GS owners dont expect miracles from their device. Crysis came to my mind too, some say the game is already broken if you dont play it on the latest hardware, still people play it on their notebooks or ancient rigs.
@kukulcan, Don't think so, the game of course remains the same in some parts, but like i said earlier, it's like playing Crysis in an old laptop vs a gamer computer. Quite different experience mind you. ^^
Hopefully you'll be happy now and buy the game. But yeah, we are not scaling down the game, we are adding less heavy assets: shaders, effects, geometry and textures so when the game loads it will check for the hardware type and loads the specific assets needed for that hardware. Cheers,
I'm perfectly aware that the 4th gen device is insignificant in comparison to the A5 models. What really drives me up the wall is that the devs expect me to think, "oh, well he can't run it on his iPod, let's have him play this iOS game on his big 'ol gaming PC!" My rig is more than capable of running this game thirty times over, but I don't want to. It was made for the iOS, not a PC. The iOS will make it seem impressive, but the PC now has Alan Wake. I think I'd be incredibly underwhelmed to play this game after coming out of Alan Wake, seeing as how mind-blowingly incredible that title is when it comes to gameplay, tension, lighting, and story. You're not using commas correctly. I read that statement with a lot of bumps mid-sentence. Asking us to upgrade our perfectly functional devices to play one game is asking a lot. I'm fine with my iPod as is, and I don't think I want to drop $300 for an 4S, or $500 for an iPad. But still, thank you for making this change. I may reconsider my stingy attitude after playing the game. 3GS owners are asking for a digital grave if they think they'll run most games on it. Except the A4 devices are still capable of running most games. Crysis will make your PC chug and stutter like mad if you play it on anything under GeForce 7800 GT. Believe me, this is really a bad comparison.
@Triscuitable, Looking your registration date, you seems to be quite new in this forums (or either you got banned for some unknown reason and got a new account). No need to be so dramatic by pointing out (and aggravating) everything I've said (including my comma error). Forgotten Memories is totally different game from Alan Wake. I don't know where you got that idea? I'm not asking you to upgrade your hardware to play the game. If you can afford a new device, then go ahead, if you cannot then keep your current one. No one in his right mind would upgrade his device only for one game. If so, then you'll be the first one. We are making huge efforts to make the game compatible with older devices, so everyone can play the game. Now, if you are not happy, then there's nothing else i can do for you. PS: A4 devices cannot run full scene dynamic soft-shadows, multiple dynamic pixel lights and a bunch of post-effects (not even to mention complex characters and their shaders). Cheers,
I know the dev already replied, but try to keep these kinds of comments out of the forum. Especially when they are directed at a dev.
Yes, It won't look as pretty as on high end devices but at least you'll be able to play the game. Cheers,
I was surprised how much the performance jump from 3G to 3GS was, while the jump from 3GS to 4 was rather a non jump when you take resolution into consideration - like iPad 2 to iPad 3.
Basically, we have two rigs one for low end devices and one for high-end. Each configuration scales to the given device more or less. But that's the idea, let the user set their options as they wish. However, don't expect to run dynamic soft-shadows on a 3GS device. XD
For the iPad3 we are not running the game at retina resolution. We are running the game at 1024*768 (upscaled to fill the entire screen) with hardware MSAA and FXAA (as a post-filter) to avoid aliasing. Still miles faster than running at full resolution without AA. For the iPad2, we are running at native resolution (1024*768) with FXAA.
