Horizon Forbidden West [PS4, PS5, PC]

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I am surprised at the number of Fixes this game keeps having through the multiple patches. It makes it seem like it was bug ridden at release. Was it that bad?
Nah, bugs were there but generaly was ok, Valhalla had more on premiere, cyberpunk situation is not even comparable. World is big and game is best looking for now so also easy to be more tolerant ;)
 
I am surprised at the number of Fixes this game keeps having through the multiple patches. It makes it seem like it was bug ridden at release. Was it that bad?
Standard in software development.
eg heres a similar sized massive RPG game, the witcher 3 patch 1.1 ~6 months after release
Changes
AudioAdds music after horse race in quest titled Ciri's Story: The Race.
  • Fixes issue whereby ambient music from surroundings of Kaer Muire could override other music.
  • Fixes lack of music if autosave made before fight against pirates was loaded during quest titled Destination: Skellige.
  • Adds segments to conversations with Triss and Yen before battle at Kaer Morhen.
  • Adds segments to conversation with Ciri in quest titled Payback.
  • Adds segments to conversation with Triss in quest titled On Thin Ice.
  • Fixes issue whereby forktail could screech endlessly if ignited with the Igni Sign Igni and then slashed with a sword.
  • Fixes issue entailing unintended loop in combat music during first musical sequence in New Game + mode.
DLC
  • Fixes issues whereby New Game + would not start correctly from certain save files.
Gameplay
  • Fixes rare instances of incorrect Stamina regeneration.
  • Fixes rare issue whereby player character movement remained accelerated after player used crossbow, cast bombs or engaged in sword combat on horseback.
  • Fixes incorrect weight calculation in Inventory.
  • Fixes rare issue whereby slowmotion effect of Caranthir's spell was not lifted from player character after the stipulated time.
  • Fixes issue with occasional malfunction of Superior Thunderbolt potion.
  • Fixes issue whereby Firestream Alternate Sign Mode skill could be used despite not being equipped in Character Development panel.
  • Fixes issue whereby Roach would behave incorrectly during horse race in quest titled To Bait a Forktail...
  • Fixes rare issue whereby Toxicity regeneration was blocked if player drank Water Hag decoction.
  • Crafting diagrams in merchant inventories now include item level information in addition to basic information about craftable item.
  • Fixes color of 'Required level' as displayed in merchant inventories and Stash. Display is now same as in Inventory. If player level is insufficient for item, 'Required level' is red.
  • Introduces modification whereby potions and bombs can no longer be sold.
  • Fixes assorted issues with quest and enemy scaling in New Game + mode.
  • Introduces multiple improvements in gwent, including option to choose one of three difficulty levels. To set option, go to Options>Game.
  • Introduces multiple game balance improvements in New Game + mode.
  • Modifies diagram for Enhanced Legendary Wolven Gauntlets, now craftable without Griffin Gauntlets.
  • Fixes issue whereby Toxicity gain from decoctions was not accurately reflected in character statistics.
  • Fixes issue whereby high Toxicity level could block exploration when this involved a ladder or stepping onto a boat.
  • Introduces enhancement whereby color of rune-enchanted swords now depends on runes used.
  • Fixes rare issue with incorrect display of interaction prompts when approaching ladders.
  • Fixes issue whereby Geralt remained attached to sinking boat when aiming crossbow.
  • Fixes rare issue whereby player character in combat mode would be propelled into the air when stepping on boat tiller.
  • Fixes rare issue entailing Wild Hunt minions running in circles during quest titled The Battle of Kaer Morhen.
  • Fixes issue whereby ifrits were not invulnerable to all variants of Igni Sign.
  • Improves game balance for Katakan monster.
  • Improves balance for Death March difficulty.
  • Improves ingame information for Card Collector achievement adds indicators to show missing cards.
  • Fixes incorrect loot spawning on hens and geese.
  • Fixes issue whereby players could not view Novigrad region map while in Velen and thus could not use Novigrad fast travel points.
  • Fixes issue with undesirable checkpoint creation occurring if player acquired quests from notice board mid way through botchling story thread.
NOTE I had to delete a lot of the fixes, cause you cant post more than 10000 characters in a post.
So multiple what you see under spoiler box by ~10x

OK though both games are massive so you can understand it, yet much simpler games have tons of things fixed/changed
 
Standard in software development.

Of course, I know that.

It's just I've never seen patches for Sony games so prevalently posted on B3D Forums. The closest I've seen here seemed to be for Cyberpunk 2077, and maybe a time or two for The Ascent. So I was wondering why the large uptick.
 
I am surprised at the number of Fixes this game keeps having through the multiple patches. It makes it seem like it was bug ridden at release. Was it that bad?
I played it at launch and finished it with zero issues. Some of these will be circumstantial things. I'm not reading these in detail but some of the earlier patch notes were fixing quests, e.g. if you did X before Y but after Z it would screw up a quest. I.e, things that Q/A often don't pickup because there aren't millions of people doing things unpredictably. A lot of the patches are likely circumstantial as well, that is 99% of players will never encounter them but they all get fed back to Sony (usually along with a video of the crash) and they get fixed.

Open world games have to deal with this. Skyrim Special Edition had patches on most platforms in January. Sometimes patches beget patches, e.g you fix something but you break something else. :runaway:
 
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The game definitely had some issues and I feel like it came in a little hot from what I've seen about it... but good on them to continually chip away at issues, make changes, and tune balance.

Some things you really just can't know until a game has been out in the wild for some time and proper feedback is submitted. Given the commitment to improving the PC version of HZD by the studios involved in that release and Guerrilla Games, it's a really great thing to see. They could have stopped after a point, but they continued to improve.. so it's great to see them doing the same thing with their console games.
 
I'm about 2/3rds of the way through and I haven't run into anything serious. My biggest complaint is the machines respawn too fast. You can clear out a bunch of machines, wonder down the path and back, and the machines are all back. It should take a least a game-day or two. I guess the area gets streamed out of memory and it looses the state, but you don't have to wonder all that far. Anyway, still enjoying the game.
 
I went back straight into FW right after finishing Elden Ring and I had mixed feelings because of the more formulaic setup in FW. Having given it a week or two rest (not playing any games) and going back to it I can say I'm really enjoying it again. The game definitely feels like a super polished version of ubisoft-esque open world for lack of a better word, but it has enough unique elements to make it stand out. I especially like how they handled the tallnecks in this, some really really memorable moments for me.
 
The game definitely feels like a super polished version of ubisoft-esque open world for lack of a better word, but it has enough unique elements to make it stand out.
This is exactly why I like the Horizon franchise. I like the core Ubisoft formula but it quickly becomes an overwhelming map of icons, most of which I have no interest in, whereas Horizon is easily more manageable.

This is why I love Bethesda games, there is also loads to do but the games never bombards your map with icons. You get the occasional thing nearby pop-up but other than that, the map never feels like you are being flooded with distractions.
 
This is exactly why I like the Horizon franchise. I like the core Ubisoft formula but it quickly becomes an overwhelming map of icons, most of which I have no interest in, whereas Horizon is easily more manageable.
+ there is no level up forcing in main campaign which I hate in latest Assasyns Creeds, forbiden west main campaing is also quite condensed with good pace
 
you mention ubisoft games, so I look at latest patch for latest assassin creed game

I include in the spoiler the last Patch from Tuesday 22nd February 2022, The Game released 16 months before this!
Thus would of had many patches before this, fixing a lot of things, you can see they still are fixing a shitton
Based on this, A patch of a game 6 weeks old addresses about as much as a patch of a game 16 months old, I assume the 6 week old one was released in a better state.
Though of course maybe theres gonna be more patches for both games.

Im making a RPG myself, and getting the quest stuff correct is a minefield, compared to a more normal simpler game eg a FPS, where its Are the bullets passing through the person without hitting, or is the grass reacting to the explosion.
This is easy to debug/test. With quests/missions its much harder/time consuming to debug/test

Patch Notes
Expansion 3 – Dawn of Ragnarok
Added support for the new expansion Dawn of Ragnarök, available on March 10.

  • New players can start the expansion at any time from the main menu with player boost. You will start your journey at Power Level 340 with a predefined selection of gear and weapons.
  • New Divine Quality for gear and weapons.
  • Three new tiers of upgrade
    A new special rune slot
    Expand your progression with 4 new abilities and 6 new skills.
  • Unlock new weapons and armour sets.
Bug Fixes and Improvements
Stealth Fixes
Addressed

  • AI reaction to whistle improved.
  • Players get detected by enemies when using environmental traps.
  • Wild animals detecting Eivor regardless of distance/angle and alerting nearby NPCs.
  • NPCs disengaging from conflicts extremely quickly.
  • Enemy detection cones reducing when using a bow.
  • Monks having difficulty to leave the music crowd stations in the quest Taken (Kidnap Estrid).
Gameplay

  • Added a Saga Difficulty Mode: Write your own Viking Saga without having to worry about the challenges of stealth and combat.
  • Combat: Enemies inflict less damage and don’t scale with players.
  • Stealth: More time allowed to perform actions when being detected (assassinating, shooting, disengaging, etc).
  • Added new combat settings.
    • Damage Eivor Takes
    • Eivor Damage Output
    • Ration Healing Ratio
    • Adrenaline Regeneration
    • Enemy Health Modifier
  • Added support for more controllers on PC (Nintendo Switch Pro & Stadia).
Addressed

  • Eivor gets teleported randomly in some instances.
  • Headshots are blocked by the NPC’s shield when shooting from behind while undetected.
  • Players can remain stuck in any Boss fight if Dive of the Valkyries is used as last hit while having the Night Rogue Set equipped.
  • PC players losing all input after pressing the ; key on their keyboard.
  • Light Fingered skill not activating when dodging through a lootable body.
  • Cannot defeat the Black Shuck Alpha Animal as the end QTE is not appearing.
  • Enemy’s attacks become weaker if Combat Difficulty value was set to Custom.
  • Unable to use the fishing line.
  • Unable to use rations.
  • Several option changes made from the pause menu were not applied.
  • Hero stats not updated correctly upon equipping the Arenhare’ko:wa Gear Set.
  • Feign death ability not working properly when used on specific terrain or objects.
  • Eivor’s bow disappearing when using the Goule Breath.
  • Mouse and keyboard icons remain visible despite adding a controller.
  • Wrath of the Druids: Enemies in Dublin and Meath territories do not scale with Eivor’s Power Level after changing Level scaling options.
  • The Siege of Paris: Keyboard input being displayed while using a controller in some instances.

Main Quests, World Events, and Side Activities
Addressed

  • Dag is not present near the longhouse making it impossible to complete A Brewing Storm.
  • Cannot progress The Prodigal Prince as the assassination prompts are not showing up during the training sequence.
  • Cannot collect the Offchurch Key during the Tilting the Balance quest.
  • Cannot assassinate Gorm in Hunter of Beasts.
  • Missing quest marker in Closing the Vault after following Ljufvina.
  • Unable to complete The Forge and the Flame quest as a cutscene would not be triggered.
  • Unable to complete Pilgrimage to St. Albanes as players cannot interact with Fulke.
  • Unable to kill the Pict Chief during the quest Old Friends.
  • Unable to proceed in Road to Hamartia as Beonton the dog is stuck.
  • Unable to interact with Ivarr during King Killer.
  • Unable to complete A Feast to Remember after defeating Suttungr.
  • Unable to proceed in Abbots Gambit with the objective Find Fulke and Sigurd.
  • Unable to complete This Son of Jorvik as Faravid does not get on his horse.
  • Old Wounds cannot be completed as Rollo is stuck outside his camp.
  • Guards are stuck in the brothel in Old Wounds.
  • Cannot complete King of Shitsby World Event due to NPC spawning outside of the church.
  • Deviled Water world event cannot be completed as NPC is stuck in the river.
  • Haunting of Neist Point and The Drink of the Picts world events cannot be completed if a meditation is performed during the Dialogue Scene.
  • The NPC does not show up in the camp in the World Event The Twit Saga Part 2.
  • The Siege of Paris: Siegfried does not move in Warlord of Melun.
  • Wrath of the Druids: Barid and Ciara will not go to the coronation for Flann over Ireland.
Assassin’s Creed Crossover Stories
Addressed

  • A Fated Encounter does not update upon completing A Wise Friend and building Valka’s Hut.
  • The Temple could be opened by throwing a fire pot at the door in What Dream May Come.
  • What Dreams May Come quest does not update after exploring the Cave of Gold if the objective is reached after entering a conflict state.
  • Enemy villagers can be found again at the light puzzle in the Cave of Gold after completing What Dreams May Come.
  • Two of the five shards remain marked on the map upon collecting them in Counting Sheep.
  • Kassandra’s voice does not match in a segment of the Dialogue Scene in Night and Day.
River Raids
Addressed

  • Extensive loading times when transitioning from River Raids to the Ravensthorpe.
Mastery Challenge
  • Unable to progress in A Challenge From the Gods after the first cutscene.
  • Enemies are not highlighted when using Odin Sight in Odin Mine Hideout.
  • Goliath NPC can throw the boar outside of the arena making it impossible to complete the Outpost Fight Challenge.
  • NPC fall to their death in Lolingestone bandit camp.
Tombs of the Fallen
Addressed

  • Platforms descending before the push/pull object is on them.
  • Carriable snaps in Eivor’s hands if thrown behind the spike wall in Swamp tomb.
  • Various issues where Eivor would remain stuck in a free fall animation and/or get desynchronized.
Miscellaneous
Addressed

  • Wrong gameplay options present in the Discovery Tour: Viking Age menu.
  • Online Service Error (0x20100302) when viewing photos on world map.
  • Assassination cutscenes are still playing when activating Photo Mode.
  • Horses can photobomb dialogues scenes.
  • Achievements / Trophies are not unlocking after playing AC Crossover stories when sharing progression on multiple platforms.
Graphics, Animation and Audio
Addressed

  • Meteorites not being spawned in England.
  • Store items disappearing from the inventory or not being visible on Eivor.
  • Smoke Bombs not exploding when returned to the enemy with the missile reversal skill.
  • Instances of misplaced or floating objects or textures.
  • Numerous clipping issues.
  • Numerous graphics, texture, animation, or lighting issues.
  • Various issues with missing SFX.
  • Numerous Menu Narration issues.
UI/HUD
Addressed

  • Numerous UI/HUD issues.
  • Added various improvements to the Codex menu.
 
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you mention ubisoft games, so I look at latest patch for latest assassin creed game

I include in the spoiler the last Patch from Tuesday 22nd February 2022, The Game released 16 months before this!

In my experience (Watch Dogs 1 and 2, most Assassin's Creed games, Far Cry 1-5 + Primal), Ubisoft are very good at long term supporting, going above basic fixes and including gameplay/UI tweaks and other free content.

Last year they patched Assassin's Creed Odyssey to unlock 60fps for current gen consoles and that wasn't trivial because they need to recompile to update for the latest console firmwares, which means updating all of software libraries and all of the dependent libraries. It's not changing maxfps from 30 to 60, clicking compile and going to lunch!
 
In my experience (Watch Dogs 1 and 2, most Assassin's Creed games, Far Cry 1-5 + Primal), Ubisoft are very good at long term supporting, going above basic fixes and including gameplay/UI tweaks and other free content.
That may be, I look at the first bug they fix with a quest
A Brewing Storm -> https://www.ign.com/wikis/assassins-creed-valhalla/A_Brewing_Storm
so its obviously been there since the start of the game 16 months ago
2nd one The Prodigal Prince -> https://www.ign.com/wikis/assassins-creed-valhalla/The_Prodigal_Prince
Also been there since the start
I gave up checking here, but wouldnt be surprised if most/all were there since the start

Its why RPGs (GTA like games with multiple stories/quests also) are more difficult to make/test compared to say sports, FPS, platformers, driving etc games. Its the quests and the usually huge open world, so just so many places where it can screw up on top of the issues the other games (be they FPSs,platformers,driving etc) have.
 
That may be, I look at the first bug they fix with a quest

A Brewing Storm -> https://www.ign.com/wikis/assassins-creed-valhalla/A_Brewing_Storm
so its obviously been there since the start of the game 16 months ago

Not necessarily. Like all projects, fixes/snagging will be prioritised. The more reports that come in about an issue, combined with the severity of the issue, the higher it will get prioritised.

It may be that this quest was broken from the beginning and it impacted nobody - if it's not reported, it won't be intentionally addressed. It may also have been the case that this quest was broken from the beginning and impacted so few people - compared to other issues - that it ended up being near the end of list of what may have been hundreds/thousands of issues to review and fix.

Equally, it may be that there was no bug at launch, and the quest was inadvertently broken by a more recent change. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
 
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Yes that all could be true, but equally what you say can also be applied to the horizon forbidden west bugs.
All we can say is both patch address approx the same number of issues.
The main difference is one patch is 6 weeks into the game, the other patch is 16 months into the game.
Sure both patches havent fixed everything in the game
All I'm trying to say is software is generally released buggy and from I have seen HFW doesnt seem to be esp bad, in fact it looks to have fewer bugs than similar games.
 
Yes that all could be true, but equally what you say can also be applied to the horizon forbidden west bugs.
All we can say is both patch address approx the same number of issues.
Yup. I would expect the number of patches for Horizon Forbidden West (on PS5) to drop off, just as they did over time for Horizon Zero Dawn. The PC is a different kettle of fish and games often need to be maintained longer because Windows updates frequently.

I think that a big part of the reason that you see so many substantial patches for Assassin's Creed Valhalla is because they keep releasing paid-for and free DLC that adds new mechanics, and these sometimes create issues that weren't there before. You also see this with some Grand Strategy games like Paradox's Stellaris. There also release a bunch of paid DLC but they also update the base game with complete mechanics changes and that's a game released in 2016 - and which continues to eat a mad amount of my time! :yes: Every substantial new version introduces a host of bugs that get squashed. Some bugs appear, get fixed, re-appear, get fixed.
 
They are likely patching the game as there is a DLC that is likely to drop sometime soon. Also 1.09 broke some of the weapon damage, they have reverted most of the damage in 1.11.

I like that they are supporting the game weekly, some developers take ages to release a patch, GG have released one almost every week. I appreciate the quick fixes they have provided for some of the bugs and have added features that weren't in v1.0 but that fans have asked for e.g. the "no pickup animation" ala Ghost of Tsushima.

Awesome imo. I also love the Easter Eggs that pay homage to other Sony games and other legends ala God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, The Sword in the Stone(King Arthur) etc.
 


Fixed an issue in Cauldron KAPPA where the “Kill the Tideripper” objective could not be completed after killing the Tideripper very quickly. Another Tideripper that needed disciplining! We definitely know who our naughtiest machines are.

Fixed an issue where Aloy may severely bounce for up to 10 seconds while looting an item. The celebratory loot raves are over, but they live on in memory.
:LOL:
 
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