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Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

remedygames.com

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Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#31

Post by eddythompson80 »

p1necone wrote: post #23
eddythompson80 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why?

Not OP, but after getting used to Steam and GOG I don't really want to use anything that doesn't have text reviews.

That's fair, as it's your preference. It's my preference too to use steam just because it's where I have the most games and I like keeping things tidy and in 1 place. Though it's not an ideological stance, which "refuse" leads me to believe. I'm genuinely curious about the reason an adult would take that position. Last time I asked (a couple of years ago) on Reddit I didn't get, ummm, mature responses.

If there is a game I'm interested in, I'd use whatever is cheaper/available for it.

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#32

Post by lloeki »

capableweb wrote: post #13
kg wrote: post #3

Considering their size (a few hundred people for the whole studio AFAIK), Remedy consistently punches above their weight when it comes to graphics. Off the top of my head only Remedy and CD Projekt Red are able to compete with the big dogs (Unreal, Unity, EA Frostbite) when it comes to image fidelity and performance. Their GDC/siggraph/etc presentations are fantastic for anyone interested in computer graphics or tech…

> without having the 'every NPC has 10k-poly teeth in their mouth' problem that's currently sabotaging Cities Skylines 2's performance Sad to see an otherwise good comment end with a misconception. The problems with the performance is much grander than just "teeth rendered but not visible" ( https://blog.paavo.me/cities-skylines-2-performance/ ), although I guess it's a illustrative point. Missing LODs and lack of cu…

> Missing LODs and lack of culling

That is the exact start of the sentence of which you quoted the end of:

> Mesh Shaders in this case enable a lot of really smart culling and dynamic level of detail

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#33

Post by anaisbetts »

lfkdev wrote: post #27
add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this reasonably okay for someone who hasn't played Control or AW1, if they're not strict about needing to know all the backstory?

Alan Wake has nothing todo with Control. AW1 is not important to know, but you'll miss some details.

...did we play the same game?

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#34

Post by anaisbetts »

add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #17
squidsoup wrote: post #10

Technical achievements aside, this game is delightful, particularly if you're a fan of Twin Peaks or scandi noir. Highly recommended if you have a penchant for the weird or macabre. A milestone in interactive storytelling.

Is this reasonably okay for someone who hasn't played Control or AW1, if they're not strict about needing to know all the backstory?

Start here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=309aaFblCJI, then watch the next few videos in the series until the end of Control (Control Pt. 1 => Alan Wake Pt. 1+2 => Control Pt. 2) and you will be completely thoroughly caught up

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#35

Post by rickstanley »

lfkdev wrote: post #27
add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this reasonably okay for someone who hasn't played Control or AW1, if they're not strict about needing to know all the backstory?

Alan Wake has nothing todo with Control. AW1 is not important to know, but you'll miss some details.

It has though. There are hints "everywhere" (not to be specific, otherwise I'll spoil it) in the game, but it's not vital to play AW2, I would add what you said about AW1, "you'll miss some details."

AW2 is a step forward to the shared universe of Remedy.

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#36

Post by Tade0 »

SirMaster wrote: post #26

In the first example it's still really jarring how much their feet slide around on the ground, or sliding in place as they walk into an object without moving. I wonder when this will ever be solved. Don't get me wrong, the engine is incredible and the visuals and systems are some of the best we have seen.

I've seen a demonstration of a solution on the YouTube channel Two Minute Papers - it was actually about an algorithm that blended animations so that the transitions looked natural.

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#37

Post by Night_Thastus »

wilg wrote: post #29
Night_Thastus wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it deserves a lot of praise, but also some criticism: * While it may keep their creative vision "pure", the lack of lower graphical settings makes it run pretty terribly on an RTX 3080, which is very frustrating. You can brute-force this problem away with DLSS, but I like native resolution and I'm sick of DLSS being used as a crutch. * The difficulty is all over the place. "Story" mode is likely too easy, whi…

Doesn't make much sense to me to be OK with lower graphical settings but not DLSS. Just use DLSS.

I don't like the kind of artifacts or presentation that DLSS creates. It's a different kind of image than one with native, but say - lower foliage density or a lower-resolution mesh, etc.

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#38

Post by imiric »

squidsoup wrote: post #10

Technical achievements aside, this game is delightful, particularly if you're a fan of Twin Peaks or scandi noir. Highly recommended if you have a penchant for the weird or macabre. A milestone in interactive storytelling.

I'm a few hours in, and it's enjoyable, but I'm not blown away by the gameplay as much as the graphics and sound design. It's a fairly linear affair with a lot of backtracking, and I find the Mind Place system tedious. It's a glorified menu system that blocks off progression until you've pinned some notes to predetermined places on the board, or watched some cutscenes where the character miraculously figures out what to do next. It's not engaging in any way, and just takes me out of the core game loop.

But I love the numerous references to Control and Max Payne, and how they've integrated it into the same universe. I can't wait for the Max Payne remakes, and hopefully the next installment in the series. I just wish it could be done without association with Rockstar. They ruined the experience of MP3, which was a solid game, but Rockstar's Social Club launcher is a garbage piece of software.

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#39

Post by MaxikCZ »

zaptrem wrote: post #25
Night_Thastus wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it deserves a lot of praise, but also some criticism: * While it may keep their creative vision "pure", the lack of lower graphical settings makes it run pretty terribly on an RTX 3080, which is very frustrating. You can brute-force this problem away with DLSS, but I like native resolution and I'm sick of DLSS being used as a crutch. * The difficulty is all over the place. "Story" mode is likely too easy, whi…

I've found DLSS Quality mode actually looks better than no DLSS at all in most games.

That's because DLSS2 actually also antialiases the game fairly well and cheap, compared to other methods commonly used.

Re: Northlight technology in Alan Wake 2

#40

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

lfkdev wrote: post #27
add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this reasonably okay for someone who hasn't played Control or AW1, if they're not strict about needing to know all the backstory?

Alan Wake has nothing todo with Control. AW1 is not important to know, but you'll miss some details.

Control had a whole DLC devoted to the link (haven't played AW2 yet).

https://control.fandom.com/wiki/AWE_(expansion)

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