New technical info on the PS3 version of Oblivion

[mrboo]

It might might pull the data twice as fast, but how fast does it take to find that data? Seek time's anyone? Also is'nt PS3's BR drive faster in some area's of the disk when ccompared to DVD?

 

[Hardknock]

It might might pull the data twice as fast, but how fast does it take to find that data? Seek time's anyone? Also is'nt PS3's BR drive faster in some area's of the disk when ccompared to DVD?

Well Bethesda specifically stated twice as fast and thought it was significant enough to proclaim it the "the biggest differences between the two console versions". So apparantly this is an issue. Not to mention the 25+ second Resistance load times that are being reported.... So it's not like this is the only place we've heard of long load times mentioned.

 

[Nesh]

PS3 cannot do AA and HDR at the same time. So, they may have chosen AA over HDR.

The ps3 screens seems to more be "flat" in terms of dynamic lighting:

Oblivion PS3


Oblivion XBOX 360

Indeed the PS3 version seems to be lucking

 

[Bad_Boy]

Well Bethesda specifically stated twice as fast and thought it was significant enough to proclaim it the "the biggest differences between the two console versions". So apparantly this is an issue. Not to mention the 25+ second Resistance load times that are being reported.... So it's not like this is the only place we've heard of long load times mentioned.

You have links to those? I've seen times as low as 16 seconds on resistance, and thats without hdd caching.

 

[mrboo]

Well Bethesda specifically stated twice as fast and thought it was significant enough to proclaim it the "the biggest differences between the two console versions". So apparantly this is an issue. Not to mention the 25+ second Resistance load times that are being reported.... So it's not like this is the only place we've heard of long load times mentioned.

They was'nt 25 seconds when i watched the online demonstration video's

 

[Hardknock]

Well here's the one for 22 seconds:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4583397&postcount=49

Okay. Just got back from Digital Life at the Javvy Jav.

I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I couldn't say I played Resistance before all the armies of the SDF that so mightily lumber through these grizzled plains. And so I did.

+ The scale of the levels is enormous. This is unquestionably Resistance's greatest strength. You walk into this valley and there are turrets way in the distance and past that are foxholes and past THOSE are run down shacks and hide-outs and the like, and those have levels. So overall, yeah, it's size is impressive as hell. Even the second level, which is boring on several levels, actually consists of SEVERAL LEVELS, a staircase that goes way down, with several new baddies on each "floor".
+ Smooth. Framerate never dips or falters, and there is no tearing whatsoever. Anywhere. I couldn't tell you what the framerate was, as I have no eye for that sort of thing.

- The textures vary in quality drastically. In the second view, when you want a more snipery look, the textures on the gun are horrendous. Some of the trees have really nice textures on the bark but then the fallen trees are really awful. Which brings us to
- What is up with the trees? There is so little edge detail EVERYWHERE. I don't know how else to describe it but the trees that have been knocked over have broken edges that look about as complicated as Jughead's crown or Bart Simpson's haircut. There are examples of this everywhere. Videos do a really good job of making things blend together nicely in terms of textures and these edges and everything looks much better than it does in person.
- Now, this is something that I'm sure can be changed in settings, but RB is fire and RT is change weapon. When I was waiting in line, I kept wondering why every single person checked their weapons before they did anything else. Then I did the same thing. Because everyone thinks that trigger = fire. It brings you to an Oblivion/Saints Row type weapon set up that is just as annoying as it is in those games. There is an option to just cycle through your weapons without bringing this mini-menu up. Just resist the urge to pull the trigger on the controller. In this shooter.
- The controller is extremely light, which isn't terrible, but the rumblelessness is very very terrible. I found myself having to look at the HUD health level all the time because that was the only way I could keep track of how many times I'd been hit. I'd just gotten used to, you know, years of using physical stimulus to keep track of that sort of thing.
- Along with slippery controls (which could easily be fixed in the control setup) all this combined to prove my suspicions about this game: A very smooth, very broad in scope game that at no point sucks you in. The weapons are interesting, but because the textures aren't impressive enough to convince you of their grittiness and reality and there's no rumble to take your mind off that, you never feel any fear or rush. You're just spinning around shooting things.

? Loading time for the first level is 22 seconds. It's the first time I've ever timed a loading, so I don't know if this is good or bad.

The main thing I left the game with was a secure knowledge that the 360 and the PS3, in terms of games I have played, are 100% on an even playing field. However, I do feel like in the mind of the public, and especially in the minds of everyone around me, Next Gen does not start until the PS3 arrives. And so it doesn't have to look more impressive than the 360. It just has to look impressive. If I had never played a 360 game, which many people around me had not, I'd be blown away. Next Gen Am Here. Unfortunately, Garnett was right. Next Gen started last year. There was nothing on display that was in any way more impressive than stuff I could play right now on my 360, right after I hit Submit Reply.

NBA 07 did not help to change this at all. It was playing on the screen next to Resisto. Most glaring was the difference in floor texture between that game and 2K7 on the 360 just a short walk down the floor at the 360 zone. In 2K7, every single board in the floor reflects the light on its own. In 07, it looks like maybe four textures across the whole floor. Lame.

But oh, MS, you don't get off light. Their set up was a mess. They had tons of Viva Pinata kiosks and oh was I ever psyched to play it. Unfortunately, it was a frigging interactive video of what you can do in the game. With no game play.

TERRIBLE.

I did get to play Mutant Storm Empire, which was really phenomenal, Lumines, which I had bizarre problems getting used to, Small Arms, which was fun but a little confusing in that environment (I would've liked to just be able to sit down and learn how to play it), and Assault Heroes, which was absolutely classic fun.

I played Guitar Hero II (PS2) for the first time. I did "Them Bones" on Easy. And I was astonishingly awful. This is going to be fun to learn when the 360 versio comes out next year.

MS really REALLY REALLY REALLY should have had Gears there. It was inexcusable in its absence. R6 Vegas looked incredible, and SC looked good, but a bit teary.

So, there you go.

 

[mrboo]

Ive just watched the Resistance online demonstation video again and i counted 17 seconds for the load time, now that may or may not be with load optimizations yet.

Again Hardknock, was the build he played fully optomized for loading? Having a game that right now, is going though its polishing phase riduculed for its load times is silly.

 

[Bad_Boy]

Well here's the one for 22 seconds:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4583397&postcount=49

Yeah but where is the 25+ seconds?
Basing the load times off a demo isnt quite accurate of the final game.

 

[Hardknock]

Ive just watched the Resistance online demonstation video again and i counted 17 seconds for the load time, now that may or may not be with load optimizations yet.

Again Hardknock, was the build he played fully optomized for loading? Having a game that right now, is going though its polishing phase riduculed for its load times is silly.

First off you can't compare single player load times to multiplayer. What was the size of the multiplayer map? Load times are dependent on a multitude of things. I merely posted what's being reported and that long load times for PS3 games have been mentioned before.

Yeah but where is the 25+ seconds?
Basing the load times off a demo isnt quite accurate of the final game.

Okay 22 + seconds you got me

 

[Arwin]

Ive just watched the Resistance online demonstation video again and i counted 17 seconds for the load time, now that may or may not be with load optimizations yet.

And it did include the online negotiation phase, although in this case that could of course have been very short (though they were playing a ! 39 ! player match)

Again Hardknock, was the build he played fully optomized for loading? Having a game that right now, is going though its polishing phase riduculed for its load times is silly.

Anyway, we'll see where Oblivion stands. If they didn't change anything then the load-times could indeed have suffered somewhat, because the 360 and PC versions were both SL DVDs and the 360 should peak at near twice the speed of the PS3's BD player, though that should drop to just below the PS3's BD player near the inner layer. As soon as a game becomes DL on the 360 though, I seem to remember speeds drop significantly.

Anyway, we'll see what happens.

 

[mrboo]

First off you can't compare single player load times to multiplayer. What was the size of the multiplayer map? Load times are dependent on a multitude of things. I merely posted what's being reported and that long load times for PS3 games have been mentioned before.

That is so true, just like you cant compare load time's from a demo of an unfinished game

 

[Bad_Boy]

Okay 22 + seconds you got me

Again where does the + come from? + would infer theres higher load times than that.
And is 15-20 seconds really all that long? I've seen much longer on some next gen games, not even counting oblivion. I think it only becomes a problem when there is loading screen after loading screen after loading screen, one load isnt much of a big deal.

That is so true, just like you cant compare load time's from a demo of an unfinished game

So true. They most likely took the single player in-game cinematics out of the demo so it wouldnt reveal any secrets (ted price mentioned this at TGS). And its been stated that the cutscenes and in-game playing loading is pretty seamless. I hardly doubt you can judge the final loading times off a demo.

Even then, the 16-17 seconds loading in multiplayer was a pretty big map, 40 player map IIRC. Theres maps that size down to much lower numbers (sub 10), so 17 seconds might be the longest we see on multiplayer loading.

 

[liverkick]

Even then, the 16-17 seconds loading in multiplayer was a pretty big map, 40 player map IIRC. Theres maps that size down to much lower numbers (sub 10), so 17 seconds might be the longest we see on multiplayer loading.

I wouldn't pay much mind to Hardnock here. Context is the least of his concerns in this "argument".

 

[Hardknock]

Again where does the + come from? + would infer theres higher load times than that.
And is 15-20 seconds really all that long? I've seen much longer on some next gen games, not even counting oblivion. I think it only becomes a problem when there is loading screen after loading screen after loading screen, one load isnt much of a big deal.



So true. They most likely took the single player in-game cinematics out of the demo so it wouldnt reveal any secrets (ted price mentioned this at TGS). And its been stated that the cutscenes and in-game playing loading is pretty seamless. I hardly doubt you can judge the final loading times off a demo.

Even then, the 16-17 seconds loading in multiplayer was a pretty big map, 40 player map IIRC. Theres maps that size down to much lower numbers (sub 10), so 17 seconds might be the longest we see on multiplayer loading.

Interesting that you quote a demo of multiplayer's loading times but yet say it's reaching for me to do so. Do we know if the demo was being played from the disc or entirely from the HDD? Is that the biggest level? Like you stated you hardly doubt you can judge final loading times off a demo. But yet you just did.

I wouldn't pay much mind to Hardnock here. Context is the least of his concerns in this "argument".

Wow. You might want to post something a bit more substantial if you like posting here. One liners like these don't float.

Anybody feel free to double check the GI magazine for yourself if anyone's so concerned with the "context".

 

[liverkick]

Anybody feel free to double check the GI magazine for yourself if anyone's so concerned with the "context".

I was referring to the Resistance comparison of "25+ second load times" that you brought up. And no, context clearly wasn't your concern there.

Resistance was loading off the disc btw (confirmed by Insomniac developer on their forum).

 

[Bad_Boy]

Interesting that you quote a demo of multiplayer's loading times but yet say it's reaching for me to do so. Do we know if the demo was being played from the disc or entirely from the HDD? Is that the biggest level? Like you stated you hardly doubt you can judge final loading times off a demo. But yet you just did.

I'm pretty sure Ted was not playing a demo. He could pull up game options, campaign mode, multiplayer at any time, not to mention go into stat tracking, user customizations, and buddy lists. Things you just dont see in a demo like the one shown at Digital Life in NYC. James Stevenson @ insomniac games said what Ted displayed was running off the disc.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4575819&postcount=119

And I was just giving an example of the map size. 40 player maps WILL be the largest maps in the game, and it was a 40 player map that he played on (higher the player count, larger the map). So its only safe to assume that the lower sized maps will only be the same in loading or less time.

Anyways this is already off topic enough. I think you get the point.

 

[Hardknock]

I was referring to the Resistance comparison of "25+ second load times" that you brought up. And no, context clearly wasn't your concern there.

Resistance was loading off the disc btw (confirmed by Insomniac developer on their forum).

Lets see here. I present a quote from a developer that states 360 drive is twice as fast as the Blu-Ray drive in PS3. We are discussing loadtimes might be longer which MrBoo seems to doubt these claims. I present the fact that long load times are not unheard of in a PS3 game. And this is out of context how?

 

[rounin]

I want to bring this back to the beginning again : Was this a direct quote from the developer or did it appear in a magazine as a line reinstated by the writer as a sort of way of stating what the developer did in his or her own words.

 

[Hardknock]

I'm pretty sure Ted was not playing a demo. He could pull up game options, campaign mode, multiplayer at any time, not to mention go into stat tracking, user customizations, and buddy lists. Things you just dont see in a demo like the one shown at Digital Life in NYC. James Stevenson @ insomniac games said what Ted displayed was running off the disc.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4575819&postcount=119

And I was just giving an example of the map size. 40 player maps WILL be the largest maps in the game, and it was a 40 player map that he played on (higher the player count, larger the map). So its only safe to assume that the lower sized maps will only be the same in loading or less time.

Anyways this is already off topic enough. I think you get the point.

Thanks for the link. So every 40 player map will load the same aye? Anyway this is an exercise in futility. Like was stated before final game will be the judge. No harm in discussing the possibilities however.

 

[Hardknock]

I want to bring this back to the beginning again : Was this a direct quote from the developer or did it appear in a magazine as a line reinstated by the writer as a sort of way of stating what the developer did in his or her own words.

It was written exactly the way I typed it in my quote. Todd Howard, Oblivion's executive producer, relayed this to GI who then put it in the Preview. There are several quotes from him throughout the preview. GI even calls him the "all-purpose authority on everything PS3-related."