Hard Reset Redux graphics downgrade concerns addressed by studio
Flying Wild Hog issue a statement addressing complaints that Hard Reset Redux has been downgraded.
Hard Reset Redux graphics downgrade concerns addressed by studio
Hard Reset Redux was released on PC back in 2012, and this June we'll see the Redux on both consoles and PC.
But over on reddit there has been some concern that the game's new face lift has actually made it look worse than the original. You can judge for yourself in the comparison video above.
Flying Wild Hog have responded to the criticisms by issuing a statement elaborating on the two main changes to the game's graphics and why they were made.
"1. Baked Ambient Occlusion (Hard Reset) has been changed to a Dynamic system (SSAO): One of the main undertakings that we made when developing Redux, was to upgrade the game to the new version of our in-house Roadhog game engine (RoadHog v2). The new Dynamic system is one of the changes that came with this move of engines, as our new engine no longer uses Baked Ambient Occlusion (none of the games we’ve released have used this post the original Hard Reset). The new Dynamic system used in Redux is an overall improvement, as it works on ALL OBJECTS instead of ONLY STATIC ones. This is an important change in a game like Redux, as it features a ton of dynamic objects with physics. So this new system works better to highlight more of the objects that players will be directly interacting with during their playtime (e.g. characters, barrels, terminals etc). Nothing has been removed from the game, as it just currently uses a different system which highlights more objects instead of a pre-determined selection.
"2. Textures and Post Process: As with the Occlusion system, we have changed the post-processing filters we used in the original Hard Reset. Redux does not use the same Image Sharpen Post Process which was used in the original H.R. This change was made to decrease aliasing, which cause flickering during camera motion. Because of this the game can at times look worse during static screens, but it looks better in motion. Hard Reset Redux is a game where players will constantly be moving and shooting; so this change was made to improve the overall visual experience that the game delivers during gameplay."
So the problems of "missing particles and lighting effects," are bugs rather than elements that were cut to improve performance, according to the studio.
Hard Reset Redux is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on June 3.
Thanks, PC Gamer.