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Dropping performance demanding features for low spec hardware sounds like a pretty reasonable solution, no scare quotes.
Microsoft kept trying to force it, and Larian kept publicly talking about how the worst Xbox is holding back the best Xbox, but they were being forced to treat them like they were the same.
Which I think is why Microsoft let them drop this.
It's better for them to be different than people know the X is getting shafted
Reminds me how much ps3 support fucked FF14 development for so long. They kept having to split zones cause the old console couldn't keep up. You would join a dungeon and wait a few mins cause tank was on ps3. Nowadays it's the ps4 support holding it back ofc
I had the same thought. Sometimes compromises are necessary.
So feature parity wasn't as important as getting at least some sales, eh Phil? Tired of having the S make Xbox look bad?
But isn't the S a lower powered device? Or am I mistaken?
The original idea mandated by Microsoft was that Xbox games need to support Series S as baseline, and then the Series X version would just be prettier/faster than Series S. But the two versions are expected to have the same features/compatibility.
Dropping splitscreen support for just the Series S but keeping it on the Series X seems like it might run afoul of Microsoft's policy in that regard, but I think Microsoft is likely to let it slide given the embarrassment of not having what is likely to be the most popular game of the year on their console at all otherwise.
You act like Larian said fuck it and made this call...
Microsoft had to be the ones to say this was cool
Yeah Phil Spencer gave it the go-ahead. It said it in the article.
It's in the article that MS-Xbox gave them the green light. Hell, its even in the summary OP gave.
I didn’t read it that way. Of course Microsoft made the call to let it happen, but they may have stuck to their guns if this weren’t the biggest game of the year.
The original idea mandated by Microsoft was that Xbox games need to support Series S as baseline, and then the Series X version would just be prettier/faster than Series S.
If they wanted that they needed to offer CPU parity.
This is the right call.
It is.
CPU is only about 200Mhz slower
- Series X: 3.8 GHz, 3.6 GHz with SMT
- Series S: 3.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz with SMT
But there's much less RAM to work with and it's slower by a LARGE margin
- Series X: 10 GB/320-bit & 6 GB/192-bit (16 GB total)
- Series S: 8 GB/128-bit & 2 GB/32-bit (10 GB total)
And the GPU used in the S is less than half the power
- Series X: 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz, 12.16 TFLOPS
- Series S: 20 CUs @ 1.565 GHz, 4.01 TFLOPS
So it's not just a little weaker, in 2 of the 3 areas (CPU/Memory/GPU) it's massively cut down.
Yeah, having the series S as baseline seems untenable, lest all games get held back on the whole platform.
You know Phil Spencer doesn’t read your comments on Lemmy, right?
Who are you talking to?
I don't know if I was going to get the wife to play with me, and this won't prevent me from enjoying the game (it's on game pass right?) But it is disappointing, couch co-op is the best co-op.
Nope definitely not on game pass
Now you'll have to buy a second TV and console. Full screen couch co-op!
How does this game even work with controller? Like diablo?
They completely redesigned the UI for when you're using a controller. I've been playing on Steam Deck and I love it. You can walk around with a thumb stick or point and click your way around. Abilities and inventory are auto added to radials that you can customize and reorganize however you like. There's a "search" function that helps you dig through any stuff in your immediate area vs trying to point and click your way over each piece.
There are some minor quirks but overall it's awesome.
Am I wrong or the inventory screen doesn't exist on the deck, replaced by the character sheet?
Yeah that's right. They combined your character sheet and inventory when you use the controller layout. That's where some of the quirks come in for sure
Yeah I don't really like that, much prefer the inventory screen you get on the desktop
That's my observation. Inventory management is kinda jank most of the time.
Having tried a controller on BG3 after playing DOS 1 and 2 with MnK, it works FANTASTIC on controller and would highly recommend it. Feels just like a third person RPG.
Like Divinity Original Sin I'd imagine - running around talking to people is fine, fights are a bit clunky, and inventory management will drive you mad.
I see, I don't think I could ever see myself playing this with controller, would drive me mad aha!
I’m using a controller and it’s working really well, honestly. Instead of a bar, you hold down a trigger to bring up a menu wheel.
It's a disaster. The game is imprecise to the point of unusability when operated with a controller. Hard to aim at a body to loot. Hard to aim at particular character to talk to when more than 1 stay close by. The action wheel is wobbly and lacks any snapping. Item icons are made for ants so playing from a couch on a monitor is not that comfy.
It's not amazing with a controller, but it's serviceable.
I've been running the game on a Steamdeck, nearing what I think is the end of act 2.
Looting is made much easier by holding "A" and iterating through whatever is in the environment. Unopened items like chests and bodies have an asterisk* to indicate as such. The action wheel isn't wobbly as far as I can tell, but the lack of snapping is an accurate critique. Small item icons are probably just how it has to be unless you fancy navigating between several pages/tabs/scroll screens full of items.
Not sure how diablo works but the big difference is you move with the stick rather than clicking where you want to go, and you get a set of action rings instead of bars.
Imo it's not bad, lets me play away from my desk after sitting at a computer all day for work.
The only thing that really annoys me is picking up small things directly from the overworld... You can scroll selectable items with the d-pad but you have to be within a certain distance and the order of things changes when your character moves to pick something up.
I think this is the right call. I wouldn't think the series S people would be mad about this. Now all the Xbox players get to play the game.
Slightly sad for this as a pc player as I hoped this would bring added performance to local coop on pc. But I can’t say I don’t understand the situation.
this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is a story-rich, party-based RPG set in the universe of Dungeons & Dragons, where your choices shape a tale of fellowship and betrayal, survival and sacrifice, and the lure of absolute power. (Website)
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