Star Wars Outlaws [XBSX|S, PC, PS5]

Apart from Ray Reconstruction and probably also RTXDI most features will run on AMD GPUs too.

RTXDI doesn't use any proprietary tech AFAIK. It's just rays and shader code so should work just fine on AMD GPUs.

I don't know if it applies here but RT shadows often only apply to shadows of a global light source like a star or a moon while RTXDI also applies to shadows of local light sources like lamps.

Would be weird to support both in a game with so many indoor settings where a robust shadowing solution is needed (RT or otherwise).
 
Ray Reconstruction alone makes a big difference. If NVidia features improve the quality, I'm definitely in favour. Apart from Ray Reconstruction and probably also RTXDI most features will run on AMD GPUs too.

That's why I didn't mention that part, at least that is actually cool unlike most of the "PC feature" "Nvidia showcase" blahblahblah recently. :yes:
 
I can´t get over how weird her face is. Seems like it was designed by a commitee, with some poor 3D-artist trying to combine everyones contradictory suggestions and demands. After a while he just said "f**k it" to himself and stopped caring. Thats why she has those weird cheekbones and insect like eyes.
 
The first design that had a bunch of people up in arms, I liked. She looked like a bunch of scrappy, world-hardened women I've worked with in my time, which I think is great character design made by a genuine artist: you glimpse them and you know them.

But I've seen that the character design has since been tweaked further to look like she's been to Starlight's surgeon. I don't get it.
 
I wouldn’t give the character model any awards but I don’t see what is so off putting to people. It’s about as generic as it gets, just as it is in nearly every Ubisoft game.
 
The character looks generally odd...
Even the animation, something that Ubi is known for doing well on their main characters, look weird...
The run animation looks like a weird (emphasis on weird) mix between a run and a jog, almost like the animator (or most likely the animation/art director) was unsure of what it was supposed to be, or what the character of the hero was (you can convey a lot of character by animating a walk or run).
To me it feels this is a character that has undergone a lot of changes, with no fixed, or scrapped, concept.

Nothing about Kassandra in Odyssey for example felt generic in terms of character design.
Here, it is something borderline unique, mixed with a lot of generic, and the end result feels odd.
 
The character looks generally odd...
Even the animation, something that Ubi is known for doing well on their main characters, look weird...
The run animation looks like a weird (emphasis on weird) mix between a run and a jog, almost like the animator (or most likely the animation/art director) was unsure of what it was supposed to be, or what the character of the hero was (you can convey a lot of character by animating a walk or run).
To me it feels this is a character that has undergone a lot of changes, with no fixed, or scrapped, concept.

Nothing about Kassandra in Odyssey for example felt generic in terms of character design.
Here, it is something borderline unique, mixed with a lot of generic, and the end result feels odd.
I wouldn't say Ubisoft has ever been known for quality animation in recent times. Outside of AC Unity, I can't think of a single game where animation was good.

I found Kassandra generic. I would say the closest they have gotten to a non-generic character was in Valhalla.
 
I found Kassandra generic. I would say the closest they have gotten to a non-generic character was in Valhalla.
I have played very little of Valhalla, but I agree, Eivor is not a generic character.
Kassandra (as well as Alexios), has a lot of Greek features, she also has the upper body of a climber and the lower body of a runner.
To me it is clear there was a lot of thought put into the character design.

As for the animations, in my eyes, they are always above average, and some times exceptional.
Could you give examples of games with very good animation in your opinion, so as to understand were you are coming from?
 
I have played very little of Valhalla, but I agree, Eivor is not a generic character.
Kassandra (as well as Alexios), has a lot of Greek features, she also has the upper body of a climber and the lower body of a runner.
To me it is clear there was a lot of thought put into the character design.

As for the animations, in my eyes, they are always above average, and some times exceptional.
Could you give examples of games with very good animation in your opinion, so as to understand were you are coming from?
I judge animation strictly off gameplay. Cutscenes are not relevant in my eyes.

FF 15
AC Unity
TLOU 2
Uncharted 4
HZD and HFW
Spiderman
God of War
Killzone 2
RDR 2

I find Ubisoft titles to have animation better than creation engine games, but below nearly everything else.
 
I judge animation strictly off gameplay. Cutscenes are not relevant in my eyes.

FF 15
AC Unity
TLOU 2
Uncharted 4
HZD and HFW
Spiderman
God of War
Killzone 2
RDR 2

I find Ubisoft titles to have animation better than creation engine games, but below nearly everything else.

I also judge them in terms of gameplay, as in, how appropriate they are based on the rhythm of the game and of course on the artistic side as well as the technical side.
I agree with most of the games on your list. (I haven't played FF 15, and it's been a long time since I played Killzone 2!)

From the above, I'd say that Spiderman has the best. Very well suited to the gameplay (and perhaps subjectively, my taste in gameplay), technically and artistically excellent.
Naughty Dog is, well, Naughty Dog, but I have to say, that although the animations are industry defining, they do not always work without a glitch.
Of course, the interpolation they are doing between animations cannot be perfect every time, and is a step above everyone else's.
I'm playing HFW right now, and although the animations are amazing, they too have a problem with animation transitions and contextual animations, to the point where it sometimes affects gameplay.
GoW and RDR 2 have great animations artistically, the rhythm of those games is a lot slower than average and this lends to more deliberate animations, with the added latency that those animations bring.
(Aiming your gun in RDR takes a lot longer than in most 3rd person shooters)
This is not bad in any way shape or form, it's just a mater of preference in gameplay.
I think that animations should serve the gameplay first and foremost, and the games on your list certainly fall into that category, irrespective of whether I like the gameplay they have to offer.

Old AC games had amazing animations, but quite rigid gameplay.
The new ones have a more active, less restricting gameplay, and as a result, less refined animations, that otherwise serve the gameplay, without looking robotic or crude (as opposed to Beth games, that do look crude comparatively).
To me, they are quite a few steps above, when compared to games that have similar gameplay.
Just as the Division 2 or Guild Wars 2 for example, have very good animations, compared to similar games.
 
Last edited:
The games by Massive do fare better than the in-house titles such as AC. I find the animation in AC titles to be extremely off putting. Even basic things like the walk/run cycle or riding a mount just look very wrong.
 
Last edited:
I wouldn’t give the character model any awards but I don’t see what is so off putting to people. It’s about as generic as it gets, just as it is in nearly every Ubisoft game.

I dont like the style they went with, but aside from personal taste she looks weird. She looks like something done by someone learning face modelling.
Eyes look insect like, other features look like she´s been to the plastic surgeon too many times. I´m sure they´ve got a bunch of very skilled modellers at Massive, so my guess is its overdesigned by too many people who have a say, but lack the skills needed.
 
Back
Top