Update #100 - Switch Graphics and Performance Update

I think following in MN9's footsteps with stretch goal ports was a horrible idea to begin with. You have a slated developer who claims they can get UE4 working on Vita and Wii U...that's already a lofty goal as it is but now we don't see that developer at all anymore. They skipped town like they were skipping alimony payments.
I mean that sort of wizardry is probably possible but would fall under miracle tech genius like the studio Panic Button. Wolfenstein 2...AND Doom(different engine, I'm well aware) on Switch and they look amazing and run pretty well too.
I mean at the end of the day, it's the carpenter and not the tools. Any engine, even with its limitations or faults can accomplish great things. I was under the impression for a while that UE4 and Switch will never get along, but then I saw Dragon Ball: FighterZ run on it, I saw Yooka Laylee 2 run on it, Yoshi ran pretty well on it too. Even the best carpenter can fail if they don't have a solid plan. A straight port was a mistake and I knew the minute I heard that the Switch port would only be delayed by a month or less that it would be a disaster. The plan should have been computers first, then PS4/XBOX later, then everything else. Sure more people would have waited, but a more stable product would come of this. But hey, I'm just an observer. You guys are the experts. So I say once again, good luck.

You're probably never going to see those rain effects added. It's not an over-sight, they were absent from the initial release to improve performance. I don't think there's any way of adding those water effects without significant lag/fps drops.

That is EXACTLY what happened. Focus on UE4 on PC, do a tiny bit of testing on PS4, a tiny tiny bit of testing on Xbox, and then blow the rest off until the end of last year, try to just switch the targets and realize there was a big, big problem on their most profitable target (retail Switch sales).

We know 505 was spending its own money on development and the kickstarter cash was all gone, so they needed to get the game out and selling ASAP, and needed to start throwing stuff off the train to get it done. So, looking at likely post-release retail sales, the first obvious cuts were Linux and Mac. There wasn't anything actually wrong with those, but they weren't going to bring in Switch or Windows PC sales numbers, so management didn't care too much if they got dropped.

The people meant to work on the cancelled platforms were thrown at the Switch version, but of course, it wasn't nearly enough and 505 chose to ship a game that runs at 15fps on the Switch with an IOU for a better framerate. (and a bunch of IOUs for additional content, but whatever).

It's a business story as old as time - the developers overpromise, underperform, and then the business managers show up and lie through their teeth to make sure the dollars still roll in. Rush the release out, lie to the consumers, and then beg for forgiveness after release day, while walking off with bags of money.

Oh well.

It's kind of sad that the game runs on a cancelled platform a hell of a lot better than it ever will on 505's golden goose. I've heard the Switch can run Ubuntu - maybe they should just try that instead ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

yulan #99 is on the Kickstarter page with the rest of them. It just wasn't posted here because it's something more specific to Japan.

Update 99 about Yamane's concert

The Kickstarter site is the original area for the news, rather than here.

I believe I've said it before, but I know for a fact that the middleware problem was real. I'm not able to tell you what it was specifically, but it wasn't a lie.

It's common knowledge that the Switch doesn't run games as well as consoles or PC. Letting the customers know that it's "meant to be different" is unnecessary. That said, it is agreed by all including them that it should have been released in a better state, and hopefully after the most recent patch + the next, it will be in a state more can agree is acceptable.

Curious...do what you have firsthand knowledge?

BTW, I was more so referring to management, not developers.

Hence I put the caveat about management and not developers. I also never called out developers to begin with.

Xbox ETA for the iga pack is the 29th

Ori plays better on Switch than Bloodstained on Switch does but Ori Switch doesn’t play better than Ori on Xbox, c’mon now.

Also Ori, as fantastic as it is, isn’t as taxing on hardware as Bloodstained is.