The Division - officially announced for PC!

I like the gameplay overall, but the last beta didn't give me a good feeling about the game. It seems very limited and the game world is very small. Even when they unlock the other zones, it's still going to be small. What's really bugging me is the Dark Zone. It really seems limited in it's lasting appeal. Small instanced maps with low character populations. There wasn't really anything to do but run around killing the respawning bad guys and trying not to get killed by rogues. Got boring very fast, and it should be the "end game". I hope there's something else we haven't seen, because that's a very boring end game.

And the freaking community is toxic. The chat was just a constant stream of "Fuck your mother!!" or "You stupid fucking noobz" or "My PC is better than yours faggots". It was horrible. In the first beta I had hope because the small amount of content was pretty fun. It felt like we were seeing a very small slice of the game. But in the open beta, I started to realize that even if they unlocked all the other zones, it was just going to be more of the same in a bigger world. There wasn't a giant awesome portion of the game they were keeping from us, but just more zones and more of the same type of stuff. Maybe it will be good, but I'm definitely not feeling it at this point.
 
The beta was pretty mediocre to me as well and the FPS drops are not justified with the way the game looks, i mean the game looks good but not great and is not mind blowing in any way at all.
 
husker4life said:
The beta was pretty mediocre to me as well and the FPS drops are not justified with the way the game looks, i mean the game looks good but not great and is not mind blowing in any way at all.
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What FPS Drops? Someone with a 980 Ti shouldn't have FPS drops.. Not unless you're running ridiculous settings.. That's when it becomes a user error.
 
Dion said:
What FPS Drops? Someone with a 980 Ti shouldn't have FPS drops.. Not unless you're running ridiculous settings.. That's when it becomes a user error.
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I play the game at 2560x1600 on ultra settings with no PCSS shadows at 60FPS (adaptive vsync) and i was getting drops to 45-50 which too me the drops are not justified with how the game looks imho, yeah i know its a beta and the performance might improve but i'm not holding my breath it is Ubisoft after all.
 
husker4life said:
I play the game at 2560x1600 on ultra settings with no PCSS shadows at 60FPS (adaptive vsync) and i was getting drops to 45-50 which too me the drops are not justified with how the game looks imho, yeah i know its a beta and the performance might improve but i'm not holding my breath it is Ubisoft after all.
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Lower some settings. This is why you're getting drops.

And the game looks amazing.
 
Dion said:
And the game looks amazing.
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Witches 3 looks amazing. This game looks pretty good. I can run it at max settings and get 70 FPS. It should look better since the buildings keep this game from having giant vistas. It's pretty boxed by the buildings, so you'd think they wouldn't have dropped the graphics quality as much as they did from the original release videos and now.
 
Drawmonster said:
Witches 3 looks amazing. This game looks pretty good. I can run it at max settings and get 70 FPS. It should look better since the buildings keep this game from having giant vistas. It's pretty boxed by the buildings, so you'd think they wouldn't have dropped the graphics quality as much as they did from the original release videos and now.
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I think some of you are seriously downplaying the graphics. The Division looks phenomenal for many reasons, especially the attention to detail, it's insane! The reflections and lighting are spot on and the gradual weather changes are very well done. It's really not that downgraded compared to the E3 video.
 
NickJames said:
It's really not that downgraded compared to the E3 video.
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I've been thinking about this after playing the beta and imo the production fidelity of the original promos is still achievable - but to achieve it you need to render the game internally at like 7680x4320 and then downscale to 1080p. I think the primary difference between then and now is the "cleaner" feel of the geometry in the original promos, which is only achievable by downscaling from very high resolutions. It's not technically "bullshotting" but its a case of 'every dev does it for their promos so we have to also'.
 
Drexion said:
I've been thinking about this after playing the beta and imo the production fidelity of the original promos is still achievable - but to achieve it you need to render the game internally at like 7680x4320 and then downscale to 1080p. I think the primary difference between then and now is the "cleaner" feel of the geometry in the original promos, which is only achievable by downscaling from very high resolutions. It's not technically "bullshotting" but its a case of 'every dev does it for their promos so we have to also'.
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Pretty much this. I remember when Crysis came out and people were bitching that it was a downgrade. Then people found out the e_screenshot command that would render multiple high resolution screenshots of what you are currently seeing and then stitch them together resulting in exacly what the promo screenshots looked like.
 
Drexion said:
I've been thinking about this after playing the beta and imo the production fidelity of the original promos is still achievable - but to achieve it you need to render the game internally at like 7680x4320 and then downscale to 1080p. I think the primary difference between then and now is the "cleaner" feel of the geometry in the original promos, which is only achievable by downscaling from very high resolutions. It's not technically "bullshotting" but its a case of 'every dev does it for their promos so we have to also'.
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Look up Marcostyles comparison videos on YouTube. They removed a ton of the graphics. In the e3 demo, just about everything was affected by global illumination and had additional shader detail, which gave if that high-fidelity render like look. Most of what is in there now is "faked" such as using two light sources to fake global illumination (much easier to render, has some graphic drawbacks).

Some details still remain though, such as shooting stop signs puts a dent on the opposite side. Bricks and individual subway tiles breakaway in a procedural way and not in a premodelled way (destruction used to be done by doing multiple models and then destroying/swapping them as damage was taken).

I'm guessing that at some point, development switched from a "let's go full on hardcore graphics" to "let's make it work on the consoles", probably also when they switched from Brooklyn to Manhattan (that just screams executive "marketing" to me, as Brooklyn isn't associated with the same things as Manhattan IRL). My guess, the hype after E3 was so large that the executives got involved in the game design. Seems to happen a lot with Ubisoft.

Look at WatchDogs, you have a concept/first-view that is awesome graphics and it gets a big reaction, next thing you have a ton of cuts that make it fit the console mold. Developers tend to want to make something cool, and impressive, their love of art shows through - executives want you to do more with less. "We can save tons of production hours by not doing such and such because it won't run on the consoles!" Look at the evolution of most popular games, they used to get 1 or 2 releases (Battlefield, Rainbow Six, early Hitman, Call of Duty, Crysis, Far Cry) where the developers had their way and made something great - then executives got involved and began the "yeah but, how we can grow our customer base? How can we get it on consoles?" - now, that evolution seems to be much shorter where a development team is given free reign to create a new IP, probably hands off by executives, and when it works out they quickly go into "how do we cater to the biggest market? What can we cut?" mode.

Here's the comparison:
 
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I never seen so much Hype for a Cover based shooter before.
The last good Cover Based shooter I played was Kane and Lynch Dog days. The played a few of the Gears of War which I thought were pretty good.
 
Comixbooks said:
I never seen so much Hype for a Cover based shooter before.
The last good Cover Based shooter I played was Kane and Lynch Dog days. The played a few of the Gears of War which I thought were pretty good.
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The Last of Us, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid Phantom Pain, GTA V, Mass Effect, Hitman ? These are all great cover based TPS.
 
NickJames said:
The Last of Us, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid Phantom Pain, GTA V, Mass Effect, Hitman ? These are all great cover based TPS.
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Agreed.

I don't expect The Division to be some kind of industry game changer but overall I am expecting a solid title that I will be having plenty of fun with.
 
I'm legit buying this game because the solidarity of all these single player games lately is depressing. I wish something FANTASTIC would come out that was multiplayer, but I'm settling for mediocre at this point just to play with other people again. MMO's have been a crapshoot over the last couple of years - mostly being single player experiences in online worlds - and I'm yearning for some actual "teamwork" mechanisms.
 
a new Division trailer has been released showcasing the Nvidia exclusive tech in the game such as HBAO+...

 
delita said:
I'm legit buying this game because the solidarity of all these single player games lately is depressing.
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...Huh? What single player games?

There seems to be a massive focus on MP-only games these days...
 
Saw this image of beta screenshots on the game's subreddit, which makes it seem like there still is some actual GI in the game, instead of the 'fake' kind simulated by simple point lights. Yeah no doubt there's been changes to the game's visuals (as is expected of all AAA titles), but I still think the downscaling is the biggest IQ factor at play between the original promos and the actual game.

It's an arpg anyway, depth of gameplay will probably be more of an issue than the visuals for most players of this game.
 
Drexion said:
It's an arpg anyway, depth of gameplay will probably be more of an issue than the visuals for most players of this game.
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One would sincerely hope. I would take a downgrade if it meant they spent serious effort into developing deep and engaging gameplay throughout the late-game grind.

(But then the question is, what is "deep and engaging" when it comes to these kinds of things? I mean, look at Diablo 3 for example - is that it? Is it Destiny-style raids?)
 
I think it's safe to say it'll be more difficult missions with tougher enemies and bosses, requiring more players and resulting in more elite gear and crafting mats. There will probably be other staples of games of this type like daily missions or rep-based missions.

Don't expect anything more than that.
 
There Is No 'The Division' Review Embargo Because There Are No Early Review Copies

“Since it’s impossible for us to populate the servers in a way that would adequately replicate playing The Division on launch day, reviewers will start playing the game along with everyone else when it’s released on March 8 – after the servers go live officially at 00:01AM Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT)...We anticipate there may be some impressions posted online within the first few days of launch that were based on experiences with The Division Beta, and we look forward to seeing streams, videos, and opinions that provide accounts of final, in-game conditions.”...

There Is No 'The Division' Review Embargo Because There Are No Early Review Copies
 
Colonel Sanders said:
I don't think the game launches on Monday, that's just when they said the servers are going live.
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Yeah good point. They could kick off the servers ahead of time and wait to unlock the game at the official release time.
 
polonyc2 said:
There Is No 'The Division' Review Embargo Because There Are No Early Review Copies

“Since it’s impossible for us to populate the servers in a way that would adequately replicate playing The Division on launch day, reviewers will start playing the game along with everyone else when it’s released on March 8 – after the servers go live officially at 00:01AM Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT)...We anticipate there may be some impressions posted online within the first few days of launch that were based on experiences with The Division Beta, and we look forward to seeing streams, videos, and opinions that provide accounts of final, in-game conditions.”...

There Is No 'The Division' Review Embargo Because There Are No Early Review Copies
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Makes sense since the game is online only. MMO's are the same way. Besides everyone could play the beta. People should know what type of game they are getting.. and its a fantastic PC game at that.
 
Ubisoft has outlined their plans for post-release content which will include paid and free updates:

Two free updates are planned soon after the game releases and these are:
  • Incursions: In April, the first free update will introduce the first incursion, a new challenging end-game activity developed specifically for squad play. Teams will be able to test their skills as they face seemingly unstoppable enemies to gain high-level weapons and equipment. This update will also add one of the community’s most-wanted feature, loot trading; allowing players in the same group to trade loot collected during a co-op game session.
  • Conflict: In May, the second free update will add new features to the Dark Zone and add a new incursion in the iconic Columbus Circle.
UbiSoft want you to part with some cash for the full expansion and three have been revealed:
  • Expansion I: Underground
    Available in June, this first major expansion lets players explore the uncharted underworld of New York City. Players will chase deadly enemies with up to three other Agents through an endless maze of tunnels and subways.
  • Expansion II: Survival
    Available this summer, this expansion will challenge players to survive as long as possible by gathering essential supplies in a very hostile environment.
  • Expansion III: Last Stand
    Next winter, a new threat rises as players and their squad must prepare to defend against a relentless foe
The Division Post-Launch Content - New Details on Loot Trading, Free Updates, and Paid Expansions - UbiBlog - Ubisoft®
 
MavericK said:
3 paid expansions and the game isn't even out yet...damn.
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Par for the course these days sadly. I bought a copy for $40... I had fun in the beta, the changes that are said to be made for the final game should make it even better. Whether I buy the expansions or not just depends on how good the game is. I remember buying Titanfall on PC and actually had a pretty good time (I got it uber cheap) then they released all the expansion packs for free basically.

Can't really get any worse than the Forza debacle years ago where there was DLC content baked into the release disc, you just had to pay to unlock it, which is uber shitty IMO.
 
MavericK said:
3 paid expansions and the game isn't even out yet...damn.
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collegeboy69us said:
Par for the course these days sadly. I bought a copy for $40... I had fun in the beta, the changes that are said to be made for the final game should make it even better. Whether I buy the expansions or not just depends on how good the game is. I remember buying Titanfall on PC and actually had a pretty good time (I got it uber cheap) then they released all the expansion packs for free basically.

Can't really get any worse than the Forza debacle years ago where there was DLC content baked into the release disc, you just had to pay to unlock it, which is uber shitty IMO.
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I don't understand what the issue is. People have been complaining/speculating about the potential lack of content for the game long-term and this basically abates those concerns. Neither of you seemed to notice that we are getting free content, and apparently the game on it's own without the expansions is possibly quite long too. So, honestly I see nothing but good news here. Seems like they have a solid plan for content and supporting the game long-term.

Here is the Year One and Season Pass content trailer:

 
I never preorder games, but I enjoyed the closed & open beta so much I decided it was worth the $40 to lock it up to play day 1. I preloaded last night and i'm ready to go... total download was like 28 gb or so.
 
Yup, paid expansions have always been par for the course. Nothing wrong with it if they provide substantial content (IE Fallout's)

Hell, Farcry just released an expansion pack, labeled it a full release, and charged $60 for it. Publishers can do whatever the fuck they want if people are willing to shell the cash out haha
 
I thought beta was pretty fun but I am worried about hackers. Will get a nvidia code if I see they clean up the rampant hacking that occured in beta on release.
 
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