Quantum Break

[Armenius]

So, this is a cross-buy, yes? Meaning, if the PC version is straight up busted and never fixed I can still play on the Xbox One, right?

No. Confusingly, this isn't a cross buy title. There was a preorder incentive for the Xbox ONE digital version that gave you a prepaid code for the PC version.

 

[Domingo]

Jeez. The whole cross-buy Windows store thing is baffling. Oh well - Gears ended up getting fixed (I'm enjoying it) and Dark Souls 3 is out next week. I'll hold off on this one until the next Nvidia hardware refresh if they never fix it

 

[FrgMstr]

OK, can you buy the PC game anywhere? I am a bit confused on this too.

Nevermind, saw the previous post....

XBOX LIVE ACCOUNT REQUIRED: You’ll need a Microsoft account on Xbox Live to play Quantum Break. If you already play games on Xbox 360 or Xbox One, you can use the same account.

Hmmm.

 

[Ryan7968]

Which one of those criticisms specifically goes "overboard"?

When I said some are going overboard, I meant some people. Basically I am saying I see a lot of people being jerks when discussing this game as they cannot look at it objectively and their bias is too strong (and I mean at large, Hardforum here is always a bit more level headed). But we can look at those 4 complaints as they seem to be the biggest complaints I personally have run across.

Too short: Sounds like the game is about 6-10 hours long on a playthrough, that includes watching the episode between acts (5 acts from what I can see). Some buyers would consider this game a poor value based on that, and it is hard to argue against those types of arguments. In the end that is a personal preference, and the fact is there are plenty of single player focused games sitting at 10 hours or less for a playthrough.

720P: This is mostly for the Xbox version of course. I watched a digital foundry video where they covered the game and included some bits about the game tech and how they alleviate the problems of running at 720p. Was interesting and helps in spots, but really just reinforces that fact that the current gen consoles are a bit underpowered.

M$$$$$: Some people just don't like them. From my perspective I see them really pushing the Xbox version of the game. They wanted us to buy the xbox bundle to get it for Windows 10, it was the only way to preorder. They are forcing us to use their store (I really think this is silly). Say what you will about UWP but MS should be allowed to have a store. I've been around since before Steam, I like Steam but I don't put it up on a pedestal. Sure it sucks right now but it should improve.

UWP: Call me when I can't install programs myself, then I will switch to Linux. Maybe I am ignorant of what is planned for the future, but I just really don't see the reason to fear UWP. I don't expect it to take over the PC world, just the MS world and the MS store. If they try to turn our PC's into MAC's then we will leave, right?


I don't like the Windows store but here I've gone and bought two games from it now, I suppose I am just helping to usher in the end of PC gaming.

 

[Armenius]

...I am just helping to usher in the end of PC gaming.

And for today's quote taken out of context, this will be our sound bite for the day .

 

[pendragon1]

It's not the end of PC gaming. It's just a different distribution method.

 

[sblantipodi]

It's not the end of PC gaming. It's just a different distribution method.

Too expensive too problematic.

 

[pendragon1]

so you don't want to buy from MS use steam. gaming does not stop, you just don't get a handful of games. it is not the end. unless I missed the sarcasm....

 

[twonunpackmule]

As of right now...UWP is terrible and shouldn't be supported.

 

[mrgstiffler]

As of right now...UWP is terrible and shouldn't be supported.

I haven't any any issues at all with UWP. Really only two big problems are lack of v-sync and lack of multi-GPU. Both are being fixed.

 

[twonunpackmule]

I haven't any any issues at all with UWP. Really only two big problems are lack of v-sync and lack of multi-GPU. Both are being fixed.

I kinda don't believe you. Sorry. Granted peoples perceptions of problems can be different. What you're willing to tolerate...etc. However, given how UWP is at the moment - and it's consistent - the thought of giving it money and supporting this behavior is silly to me. Don't support bad ports.

 

[mrgstiffler]

I kinda don't believe you. Sorry. Granted peoples perceptions of problems can be different. What you're willing to tolerate...etc. However, given how UWP is at the moment - and it's consistent - the thought of giving it money and supporting this behavior is silly to me. Don't support bad ports.

There's a difference between a bad port and a bad platform. Bad ports have been made on many platforms, especially Win32. UWP isn't the issue you should be complaining about it. It's lazy developers who don't care about their work.

EDIT: Or asshole publishers that don't let the devs do their job.

 

[pendragon1]

I haven't any any issues at all with UWP. Really only two big problems are lack of v-sync and lack of multi-GPU. Both are being fixed.

Vsync works for me. Seen any of the KI videos with vsync off? It's KI: Hyper super turbo fighting! Don't have CF/SLI so don't know about that.
But you are right, they are working on it. Who knows, in a years we could be praising UWP. My crystal ball is kinda cloudy about it....

 

[twonunpackmule]

There's a difference between a bad port and a bad platform. Bad ports have been made on many platforms, especially Win32. UWP isn't the issue you should be complaining about it. It's lazy developers who don't care about their work.

EDIT: Or asshole publishers that don't let the devs do their job.

Yet, it all seems to be a consistent problem with one platform. Publisher being MS. Yea, don't support and until they fix their shit.

 

[MrDeas]

Game looks brutal IQ wise. I could not believe my eyes, after setting the resolution to 1440p. It looks 720p upscales for sure.

I'm sure the game is great, but I'm definitely getting refunded by MS. I only bought the PC version from the MS store, and this is shameful for a PC version. It's beaten Arkham Knight for worst port in recent history. Fuuuuuuuu

 

[DPI]

I haven't any any issues at all with UWP. Really only two big problems are lack of v-sync and lack of multi-GPU. Both are being fixed.

The issue with UWP is it's an unnecessary wrapper/layer that adds zero value.

 

[Kor]

Everything I've read so far points to the UWP version being a steaming pile of shit.

 

[djoye]

I've seen mixed reviews. I don't typically have issues with games so I think I'm going to throw away $60 at it. I'll seek a refund if it's really as bad as some people say or post an appropriate review based on the experience.

 

[cageymaru]

Just finished the first Act on Normal. Pretty cool game. I threw all of the settings on the highest levels and all was good until the last section before the end of Act I movie starts. There were 2 or 3 floodlights at the bottom of some stairs that really messed with my frame rate. Like really choppy. But everything else was fine until that point. As far as textures go it was like the Clint Eastwood movie "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". Personally I thought the game was engrossing enough that I didn't care. One section reminded me of a certain shootout from probably the first Max Payne. That made me grin like a Cheshire cat.

Also there are hard choices that lead down a certain path in the game. Since the game is pretty darn fun, I can see myself playing it over again to see the other path.


Big negatives were the loading of textures at the start of the game. That made me want to cut on VSYNC. I figured that I'd mention that as I know some love VSYNC. After the game got going I noticed it from time to time, but I was too busy shooting people to care. I didn't like the fact that the character I'm playing was a grenade and bullet sponge. The first grenade that was thrown at me I ate like a champ. I was left blinking "red", but was able to recover my health almost instantly by hiding. I know it isn't Max Payne, but I think any gamer can appreciate dying to a grenade if they just stood there like a dolt.

 

[djoye]

I also just finished the first act and it's definitely good but I ended up locking it to 30FPS. They've gone heavy on lighting, shadows, and reflections, all stuff that kills performance, and I don't want to turn it down so I'm sticking with 30FPS to get consistent performance. It seems like it could perform better considering that the visuals don't appear to be just awesome, but it does look fairly good and I am running it at 2560×1440 so maybe it's reasonable.

I bought Bloodborne on PS4 and really want to play it, but there is awful frame lag; maybe I'll play through this first to get myself adjusted before getting into Bloodborne.

 

[Pringle]

Out of the 6-10 hours it takes to complete the game, it feels like almost an hour of that are load screens. And holy shit are they poorly placed.

The combat is fun for maybe the first couple of hours, after that it gets pretty stale. The voice acting and story are pretty good (but that ending? wtf?).

All in all, I'd consider this a decent buy at $15-$20 if you're into the gimmicks it uses. Otherwise, it definitely didn't live up to the hype Microsoft was throwing at it.

 

[Blade-Runner]

I haven't any any issues at all with UWP. Really only two big problems are lack of v-sync and lack of multi-GPU. Both are being fixed.

Uh, or the fact that it doesn't work with g-sync (and probably not freesync either), doesn't allow modding in its current form, is unable to interact with other executables necessary for overlays (fraps/steam/afterburner), doesn't allow shader injections like ShaderFX, or cant run in native fullscreen mode. It is appalling that this sort of crap even needs fixing, especially when MS attempted to woo PC gamers by promising it would do right by them, and this time it totally meant it, and was going to keep all its lofty promises. It seems very evident that MS has no idea, or just doesn't want to know, what it is that PC gamers find attractive about the platform, because otherwise it would have done everything to ensure that UWP didn't suffer from these fundamental deal breaking issues at the outset.

 

[polonyc2]

will this ever be available on Steam and other digital platforms?...with how poorly the PC version is being received I would think MS would want to separate itself from it

 

[delita]

Quantum Break pirates slapped with an eye patch

Thought this was pretty comical.

 

[Domingo]

Ha, they did the eye patch thing with Alan Wake, too. It became popular enough that people modded the real version to include it.
For the people with loading issues - any chance you're on a SSD? Just curious as I can't think of any game that had overly long waits on one.

 

[djoye]

I figure if it comes to Steam it'll probably be at least six months before that happens... and I'll kinda hate myself. I've not had any issues with it on WIN10, though. I am running 2x1TB Samsung 850 SSDs in RAID 0 so I've not really noticed any loading outside of the breaks between scenes. At this point I'm just surprised at how demanding it is on the GPU.

 

[sblantipodi]

is there someone with an high end SLI who can tell the framerate maxed out at 1080P?
please remove the 30FPS cap in the game settings before saying that the game does not go over 30FPS.

 

[Domingo]

Gears also has the framerate capped at 30 by default. I thought that was a very odd decision.

 

[DPI]

will this ever be available on Steam and other digital platforms?...with how poorly the PC version is being received I would think MS would want to separate itself from it

Except Microsoft is the *cause* of a lot of the problems. Like it being in a shitty UWP wrapper and Windows 10 only, and all the associated technical problems that get introduced that way.

 

[cageymaru]

I think there are 2 sets of issues with the game. The developers have tons of mood lighting effects in the game that are hard on a GPU. Then the Windows Store known issues like mGPU, GSYNC, FreeSync, etc are still there. I don't think we should be blaming MS or Remedy for the game requiring a ton of GPU power to run. Also did Nvidia release a working driver for the game? My 5 year old system seems to cut the mustard in the game just fine. AMD released a 16.4.1 driver just for this game. I'll start Act II this evening and let you'll know how it goes.

 

[refraxion]

Is there a way to get both games for one price still? Xbone and PC?

 

[Ryan7968]

Downloaded the game last night. Disabled gsync and SLI right off the bat, not sure if they work properly but betting they do not at this time. Game loads fine, I pick up in Act 2 right where I left off on the Xbone copy. Graphics options set to Ultra, felt a bit off so dropped down to Medium.

Gameplay is pretty easy for most parts (playing on normal, we all know the game is short so I am saving a hard run for later), the regular enemies can't hang with the time powers. Chronon enabled troopers are a bit tougher. Everything looks and sounds cool during fights, very stylish.

Time powers can be awkward to aim with no aim assist. I am constantly missing with my time stops. On the Xbox you get Full Aim Assist by default for both weapons and time powers (and this is identical when using a controller on PC). KB+M has an option for aim assist just for time powers and I think I may enable it for now.

Best part of this game is the story. I made it to about the middle of Act 3 and while I enjoy the gameplay, the story parts have been my favorite. I am really interested to know more about Serene and what he went through after the fracture.

 

[Ryan7968]

Is there a way to get both games for one price still? Xbone and PC?

From what I can tell that was a pre-order bonus only.

 

[cageymaru]

Damn no wonder so many Nvidia users are complaining about this game. Nvidia GTX 970 is 50% slower than the AMD R9 390 in this DX12 title as shown in the video linked below. Nvidia users should complain on their forums for a proper driver. I thought you'll were being nit picky about the game until I saw how terrible it runs on Nvidia's hardware as showcased in the video. The driver is so bad for the game that it crashed in the middle of the run. Not sure if you can blame the game developer when it runs perfectly fine without blackbox tricks on other hardware. Nvidia needs to get their stuff together for the mass influx of DX12 titles that are coming this year and into the future.

 

[TaintedSquirrel]

Are we giving AMD a pass for GOW:U's disastrous launch?
All I see here is everybody getting a piece of the broken DX12 pie.

The more I see of this API, the less I want it. Back to DX11 for another year or two, please.

 

[Armenius]

Damn no wonder so many Nvidia users are complaining about this game. Nvidia GTX 970 is 50% slower than the AMD R9 390 in this DX12 title as shown in the video linked below. Nvidia users should complain on their forums for a proper driver. I thought you'll were being nit picky about the game until I saw how terrible it runs on Nvidia's hardware as showcased in the video. The driver is so bad for the game that it crashed in the middle of the run. Not sure if you can blame the game developer when it runs perfectly fine without blackbox tricks on other hardware. Nvidia needs to get their stuff together for the mass influx of DX12 titles that are coming this year and into the future.

Wow, cagey. This is the 4th thread I've come across in 10 minutes where you've posted the same thing. You usually have some quality posts, so it's a shame to see you descend into trolling.

 

[cageymaru]

Wow, cagey. This is the 4th thread I've come across in 10 minutes where you've posted the same thing. You usually have some quality posts, so it's a shame to see you descend into trolling.

Not trolling. Trying to get Nvidia users to notice it and COMPLAIN to Nvidia on the official Nvidia forums about DX12 and their current cards. I don't want people to relive the 700 series vs Maxwell performance drop off when the new series launches. So if that's seen as trolling then so be it.

I like video cards and technology. Red or Green doesn't matter to me other than the proprietary shit. I would have a 980ti today if GameWorks didn't piss me off.

#Truth

 

[cageymaru]

Are we giving AMD a pass for GOW:U's disastrous launch?
All I see here is everybody getting a piece of the broken DX12 pie.

The more I see of this API, the less I want it. Back to DX11 for another year or two, please.

That was more of a developer fucked up issue than AMD messed up. I thought about that issue long before I posted any information.

 

[TaintedSquirrel]

That was more of a developer fucked up issue than AMD messed up. I thought about that issue long before I posted any information.

AMD had problems with GoW:U and everyone went straight to complaining about Microsoft, the developer, Windows 10, UWP, and GameWorks.
Nvidia has a problem and it's "Fix the driver".

By the way, GoW did have driver problems and AMD eventually fixed it.
The crazy thing is, this was a month ago and apparently people are STILL blaming the developer.

Where were you last month posting DigitalFoundry videos appealing to AMD owners to "petition AMD to fix the game"? Just ridiculous... You're trolling, concern trolling specifically.

 

[Revdarian]

What went wrong with Quantum Break on PC?

Eurogamer's full article is live.

QB on PC IS a shitshow, with weird bugs and terrible decisions (720p reconstruction for 1080p on pc? WTFing F???)