Developer Diary 49

I have to admit, I like the command and control approach to the settings menu. Forcing preset settings on players has to make bug squashing so much easier. Also, looking forward to getting seriously lost over Stalingrad. Thanks for posting.

Graphic presets. Yup, no doubt that will be controversial. Especially if a given one is ALMOST fast enough and people feel like they could tweak it to make it run ok without having to step down.

Well, they can still tweak their drivers.



The Jedi Master

The preset is the dumbest thing I have seen from their team sofar and that even dwarfs the early access #%&*$#.

I have not used it yet so I cant tell what is and is not tied to each level but God help them if they tie post processing effects to it.

I just cant understand the mentality. There will ALWAYS be disparity in what people can see as long as there is hardware differences. Next are they going to remove trackir because some people dont have it? Or force us all to use an xbox controller because some people cant afford expensive hotass systems.

The idea behind this move is so blatantly ignorant that whoever thought it up should be fired and never allowed near a computer again.

I am so pissed off and this.

Presets are a good way to evaluate performance.
We are still in alpha.

You're moaning about something you have never even seen. Sensible.

First, I could easily understand if they put it in for only the beta so they could evaluate the performance hits for the stalingrad map (as a kind of benchmark test) but that is obviously not the case.



That is pretty obvious that they intend to use it to keep the game "competitive" which is a joke.

Anyone looking to gain a performance advantage will just turn down the setting all the way. Anyone looking to get a graphics advantage will just turn it all the way up.

It does not do anything to help competition period. All it does is hurt people who would be able to get good fps with one option turned off but now have to either run with horrible fps or with their whole settings turned down across the board.

Secondly. I am not complaining about their implementation of this feature. I am complaining about the principle of why they feel the need to use it.

In that respect, firstly I dont like people dictating to me that I dont know enough about computers to set my settings properly. Secondly it is a #%&*$# ridiculous and stupid mentality behind it. It serves nothing but to limit our options and force us to use settings which are not optimal for our preference or our systems. It can do nothing but do that with the way it was worded. I dont need to actually play it to know it is a bad idea.

I appreciate your candor Master, I am able to vicariously vent reading your posts.

Testing/limiting of this sort is fine with me during the Alpha/Beta phase, will not be a happy bunny if it is carried over to release, im a fiddler/screenshot guy at heart, i want to play with settings to find the look i want.

I cant see being a released feature, so im not worried.

I expect 4 choices to last only for a short while. No need to be heated about this alpha.

It gives people something to do?



The Jedi Master

That is does...but just because you can....


Anyhow, most optimistic open access is in 4 minutes. According to Russian forums.

At the end of the day it's their trainset and if they want to do this for whatever reason then it's their call. The reason (obvoiusly) is so that they can get hard data which is neatly pigeon-holed into only four variables excepting resolution. Without this limitaion the data is too variable, so live with it for the time being or alternatively don't log in until release if helping to test this alpha is too much for you.

What about allowing the online players to agree on restrictions of certain graphics options which might give unfair advantages? That way the server master can impose the restrictions and the other players can choose to join or not. Then the offline players can keep their individual options.

That might very well be the aim. It's far easier to have a server set with "minimum graphics level = 3" or something than to breakout each and every option.

Now in theory you could have separate offline and online graphics settings allowed, and maybe at the end of the day that's what they'll do, but methinks this is an attempt to tamp down the complaints about MP adversarial mismatch.


The Jedi Master

To be honest if you're on a server with early Russian vs early German then graphics is going to be the least of your worries...

Less chatting, more playing. Access enabled.

Stalingrad is a bit smaller than I had expected, quite amazing to think this was arguably where WW2 fully turned in the Allies favour.

I like the smoke clouds, but not really spent much more time exploring the map.

'No need to be heated about this alpha.' - lol this is an option I think I will keep. Your options are belong to me

I'm not so much concerned about the game options, hell you lost me with this constant need to update (yes I know, it's alpha state and to be expected). Few options there for me, though I can see a long, slow big mack and fries as I download the update in the parking lot of my local McDonalds.

I don't see the graphic setting thing as a big issue. AA is left outside of the preset along with V-Sync. As far as I can tell the preset just control the level of detail settings for texture and lighting effects. Low, Medium, High.