lycanwarrior
Scholar
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Both this and Kerbal Space Program 2 may have just lead to this:
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The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition - Obsidian's first-person sci-fi RPG set in a corporate space colony
- Thread starter Infinitron
- Start date
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Subtle way of throwing their no longer necessary publisher under the bus?
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Yeah it's extremely important for Obsidian to make clear they had nothing to do with the currently-19% positively-rated remaster on Steam that's also been bringing down the score of their own release (48% of recent reviews being negative because they're mad at the gall of charging $10 for an "upgrade" that largely makes the game worse). Private Division is going down and their attempt to use The Outer Worlds as a life preserver is taking it down with it.
Damage control from the Microsoft shills:
Damage control from the Microsoft shills:
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Kill yourself.
Cat Headed Eagle
Learned
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I still can't get over how high the price tag for this game is.
Heroic Liberator
Arcane
Idiocy tax for those willing to buy this garbage))
Heroic Liberator
Arcane
Win-win cooperation. They make money, tards get to cons00m.
FreeKaner
Prophet of the Dumpsterfire
It's a very inoffensive game, opposite of Bloodlines in many ways. Being a mediocre "humorous" space flick I can see why it was decently popular. I can't even hate the game but it is very disappointing this is what Tim Cain and Boyarsky came up with in their supposed passion project. It is still better than Fallout 4 but that judgment in itself speaks to how disappointing a game it is.
Heroic Liberator
Arcane
Exploring the Glowing Sea in the base game or the island in the Far Harbor DLC (and admittedly treating it as an open world looter shooter experience) >>> anything in TOW. The latter might have better RPG mechanics, but those don't mean jackshit if the product as a whole is unenjoyable due to its visual and narrative blandness.
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Stop defending this garbage.
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- Mar 6, 2016
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As far as I know FO4 isn't an SJW shitfest, so I'd have to disagree.
IHaveHugeNick
Arcane
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Sheeeeit the steam reviews for Spacer's Choice edition are something else. 27% positive score lol.
You know, it's quite ironic considering "Spacer's Choice" was a term used ingame for products that were not the best, but "Spacer's Choice".
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- 98,362
https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfo...s-and-dynamic-frame-rate-are-a-disappointment
The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition: 'improved' graphics and 'dynamic' frame-rate disappoint
This $10 upgrade for current-gen consoles needs work.
Four years on from the original release of The Outer Worlds, the Spacer's Choice Edition bundles up all of the game's DLC and comprehensively overhauled visuals for a $10 upgrade fee - with the idea being to take advantage of PS5, Series X and S. Sadly, despite the depth of the changes on offer, the overall experience is flawed with frame-rates struggling to hit 60fps, plus a questionable shift in its art direction.
The experience on console - and PC - has been subject to a lot of negative feedback since its release, especially with regards to its performance. And this holds true as of the latest patch 1.1 on PS5 as well, sadly, where this iteration of the game still isn't one we can recommend. Today then, between PS5, Series X and S we've looked at three major points of the Spacer's Choice Edition: firstly, how the consoles differ in their visuals and frame-rates. Secondly: which modes offer the best experience - between performance and cinematic modes - and finally, how far the visual upgrades go compared to the base game.
Before we get into the revamped Spacer's Choice Edition, it's worth highlighting how the original Outer Worlds release runs on a current-gen console today. Thankfully, the original Outer Worlds - sans visual updates - is available on Game Pass on Xbox Series X, giving us a handy point of comparison.
For Series X users, the original version of the game runs on the One X code-path with soft back-compat enhancements to let it run uncapped at 60fps. (And in fact, the same is true for the PS4 edition running on a PS5 system.) On Series X, we get a dynamic 4K resolution this way, with drops to the mid-50s possible but a 60fps lock being achievable for the bulk of play. It's a pretty reasonable option then, using the power of the current-gen machines to run the game at higher resolutions and frame-rates than would be possible on the last-gen hardware.
Switching over to the Spacer's Choice Edition, also running on Series X, shows immediate benefits and drawbacks by comparison. Certainly the visuals are dramatically altered - but performance is degraded in the same breath, with the opening segment of the game now running at well below 60fps. This is the issue in a nutshell: rather than polishing up the sub-60fps dips of the original code, the priority is instead placed on further embelishing the visuals - resulting in a worse overall frame-rate. All of which is a devil's bargain given the existing, original version runs well as-is on PS5 and Series X.
The focus for today's coverage is squarely on the console editions, however, so let's start on the upgrades. Spacer's Choice runs on an updated Unreal Engine 4 build, with the intent to capitalise on PS5 and Xbox Series X's horsepower by virtue of being a true, native app.
In the 30fps cinematic mode, the game provides a good first impression as you explore the landscape of the starting planet, Terra 2. Grass is more abundant, trees are redrawn and textures are reworked. We see ground textures and rocks broadly use higher resolution assets - and even geometry placement is altered across the scene. From the word go, it results in a more densely layered opening area. In others? It's perhaps less of an objective improvement, and more of an artistic side-step.
Side by side, it's clear to see the differences that Spacer's Choice exhibits compared to the original version on the same Xbox Series X hardware.
Keeping with the good news, major characters also have reworked models, with eyes that reflect light more realistically and higher-res skin shaders. Not all textures are radically changed, mind you, but certainly enough to hold up to closer scrutiny. Another obvious change is the addition of volumetric lighting to the world. The original release of The Outer Worlds already had bloom, lens flare and a light form of the god ray effect, but this new release allows light to fill an empty space. Interior areas now have a satisfying density to the air when populated with dust, mist, or steam. Overall, it's a welcome upgrade for interior areas, from beautiful crepuscular rays leaking through apertures in the ceiling to the streaks of light around spaceship docking bays - it all sits very naturally.
Materials and lighting are radically overhauled at points, but it's not a universal success. At times, the changes give towns a drastically different aesthetic, like Edgewater which takes on a deeper red hue due to the lower arc of the sun, with similar changes to later planets as well. The outskirts of Stellar Bay now deploy a heavy-handed approach to volumetrics, with rising dust and cyclones adding a certain weight to the air. It's a huge artistic break from Obsidian's original game, and for returning players it might take some adjusting to.
Beyond the visual upgrades and changes in art direction, some visual features are missing compared to the original release. For example, shadow draw is pruned back. On PS5, Series X and S, large objects - like the player's ship - demand much closer proxomity before a shadow is drawn in below it. We also spotted missing dynamic shadows below characters and objects in some indoor scenes.
Character rendering is a strength of the Spacer's Choice Edition, with more realistic skin rendering and eye reflections.
All of which brings us to those 30fps (cinematic) and 60fps (performance) modes, which work near identically on PS5, Series X and Series S. Both modes offer the same settings in terms of textures, volumetrics and shadows, but screen space reflections (SSR) are removed in performance mode and ambient occlusion (AO) runs at a lower resolution. The AO downgrade isn't too noticeable, but the removal of SSR is disappointing given that this feature was possible at 60fps in the original game on current-gen hardware. Patch 1.1 also reduces grass density on PS5 in the performance mode - likely a push to boost frame-rates for this mode - and I expect we'll see a similar change once the patch arrives on Xbox Series consoles as well.
It's a very mixed turnout then. To get the best visual returns you'll have to run in the cinematic 30fps mode, a clear drop coming from the 60fps of the older version. In terms of resoutions, both PS5 and Series X run at a dynamic 4K here, dropping to 2560x1440 at lowest - similar to the range we had in the original game on Series X. Series S inevitably runs at a lower internal resolution, coming in at a steady 972p in the bulk of our tests. Grass density and ambient occlusion are also set lower on the 4TF console, which can cause a pixellated shimmer on grassy elements. In performance mode, PS5 and Series X also still run at a dynamic 4K - just with a lower average resolution given that the 60fps target is harder to hit. And oddly enough, Series S sticks to its native 972p presentation in performance mode too.
In terms of performance, neither the cinematic or performance modes are easy to recommend on any console right now. The 30fps cap in cinematic mode comes with frame-pacing issues on every platform with fluctuating frame-times, and the possibility of hitches beyond this. This state of affairs is particularly frustrating when even the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X delivered a clean 30fps cap on the original version of the game. In addition to the frame-pacing problems, there are also drops below 30fps, especially on PS5. Even with patch 1.1 installed, we can see the frame-rate momentarily drop to 15fps in battle, which makes aiming difficult and just feels jarring.
Performance mode is unfortunately not the panacea we hoped for a smooth experience.
The sensible solution, on paper then, is to switch to the 60fps performance mode, but this is also far from stable. Even with patch 1.1 installed, PS5 exhibits the worst frame-rate readings, occasionally matching the Series consoles but oftentimes being a clear 8fps lower in matched tests. In one area, for example, the game ran at around 48fps on PS5 while Series S and X each hover at around 54fps. However, the Series consoles have a specific issue too: hitching blights the experience on Xbox Series X and S, with 80ms+ stutters to gameplay just as we run across the world. Surprisingly this does not affect PS5 in the same way, and it appears related to the way the Xbox machines handle terrain streaming.
No matter which console you pick, any battling outdoors is apt to take you down to the 30-40fps region, and even just under 30fps at times on PS5 - and again, this is with patch 1.1 installed on PS5. And while the Series X's frame-rate is better on average, you're still looking atnoticeable performance drops, under 30fps in the worst scenarios. Even VRR displays will struggle to hide such huge fluctuations between 30 and 60fps. Interior areas do at least run much better on all three machines, almost always at 60fps, but heavy bursts of alpha effects like gunfire still cause frame-rate drops. Series S exhibits low frame-rates as well, with a highly dynamic frame-rate that bounces between 30 to 60fps outdoors and mostly locks to 60fps in quieter indoor areas.
Series S is in a particularly poor place when it comes to performance mode frame-rates.
The state of performance puts a huge damper on the Spacer's Choice Edition. Honestly, I'd much rather just go back to running the Xbox One or PS4 versions on Series X or PS5 hardware. They certainly feel much nicer to play, with a more consistent 60fps.
Further patches have been promised to fix the game's performance problems, but despite delaying our coverage to test patch 1.1 on PS5 you're still getting a pretty poor experience for the money. Xbox updates are due soon as well, but in fairness, Series X is already in a better place performance-wise than PS5 - not counting the hitches - and in its visual features.
As a paid upgrade, The Spacer's Choice Edition is best avoided for now. The visual tweaks are broadly speaking well done, but they do have a knock-on effect to the art direction that might prove divisive. Less debateable are the performance issues - the frame-pacing at 30fps and the highly variable frame-rate in performance mode need to be fixed. Certainly going by the results on PS5, updates beyond patch 1.1 still have a lot to address to justify that upgrade fee. And for those that have already bought in, I seriously hope it's possible to turn this release around soon.
Cael
Arcane
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- 21,187
They are selling food you can't digest. The entire premise is that people are all starving to death because of incompatibility with the native wildlife. That entire colony should have been wiped out decades ago from starvation.
In order to show off the new reflections they decided to put this random wet spot right in the middle of the area and I guess the corporations are ~so wacky~ that they see no need for "caution: wet floor" signs.
What is a few missing caution signs compared to that?
KVVRR
Learned
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- Apr 28, 2020
- Messages
- 624
Isn't that the Groundbreaker though? I remember that the major quest on that place was that the ship was two days away from cooking everyone alive due to lack of maintenance, and you have several characters complain about the heat. I wouldn't expect a random spot of water to be sitting on floors like those.They are selling food you can't digest. The entire premise is that people are all starving to death because of incompatibility with the native wildlife. That entire colony should have been wiped out decades ago from starvation.
In order to show off the new reflections they decided to put this random wet spot right in the middle of the area and I guess the corporations are ~so wacky~ that they see no need for "caution: wet floor" signs.
What is a few missing caution signs compared to that?
CyberWhale
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 98,362
Against my better judgement, I decided to try the two DLCs for this game. Played the original version (not the Spacer's Choice edition).
I have to say that I did enjoy them a bit more than I thought I would, though many of the same problems from the main game are obviously present. Length-wise both of them feel pretty meaty which is nice.
-Murder on Eridanos
A murder "mystery". You get a little gimmicky "searching for clues" mechanic. It doesn't add up to much but it's kind of fun and is a nice way to break up the gameplay a little bit. The setting of it is pretty cool, a hotel resort with additional areas connected to it via bridges. I actually think it looked pretty cool. I tried some ini-tweak thing when going back into the game which, I think, improves the draw-distance and it does make the game look better. But yeah, I liked the design.
Story-wise it's nothing to write home about. It does hit a slightly better tone than the main game with the setting. It's still way too silly and steeped in humor (which is very rarely funny) but there are some parts where you can sort of appreciate where they could go with the setting.
Overall, it's a good DLC but nothing amazing.
-Peril on Gorgon
This was better I think. Again, still suffers from the same gameplay problems as the main game does (crappy combat, way too much loot, etc). But on this, they hit a way better tone with the setting which should've been more present for the overall game. Parts of it feel much darker in terms of atmosphere and that really did wonders for my enjoyment of it. Felt much closer to Fallout in that regard, where the humor enhanced the darker parts of the setting.
The overall design for this felt kinda like the big, combat-heavy planet in the main game but done much better. I found it a lot more interesting to explore, whereas that planet in the main game nearly made me stop playing the game because I was so bored.
It's still not amazing, and I found the end kind of lackluster, but on the whole I enjoyed this and wish this was the tone and atmosphere they had gone for for the the whole game.
But, it's still the same game underneath obviously.
I have to say that I did enjoy them a bit more than I thought I would, though many of the same problems from the main game are obviously present. Length-wise both of them feel pretty meaty which is nice.
-Murder on Eridanos
A murder "mystery". You get a little gimmicky "searching for clues" mechanic. It doesn't add up to much but it's kind of fun and is a nice way to break up the gameplay a little bit. The setting of it is pretty cool, a hotel resort with additional areas connected to it via bridges. I actually think it looked pretty cool. I tried some ini-tweak thing when going back into the game which, I think, improves the draw-distance and it does make the game look better. But yeah, I liked the design.
Story-wise it's nothing to write home about. It does hit a slightly better tone than the main game with the setting. It's still way too silly and steeped in humor (which is very rarely funny) but there are some parts where you can sort of appreciate where they could go with the setting.
Overall, it's a good DLC but nothing amazing.
-Peril on Gorgon
This was better I think. Again, still suffers from the same gameplay problems as the main game does (crappy combat, way too much loot, etc). But on this, they hit a way better tone with the setting which should've been more present for the overall game. Parts of it feel much darker in terms of atmosphere and that really did wonders for my enjoyment of it. Felt much closer to Fallout in that regard, where the humor enhanced the darker parts of the setting.
The overall design for this felt kinda like the big, combat-heavy planet in the main game but done much better. I found it a lot more interesting to explore, whereas that planet in the main game nearly made me stop playing the game because I was so bored.
It's still not amazing, and I found the end kind of lackluster, but on the whole I enjoyed this and wish this was the tone and atmosphere they had gone for for the the whole game.
But, it's still the same game underneath obviously.
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- Mar 14, 2012
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- 1,473
Did they fix their new shitter's choice edition?
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