Screenshots of your games

[Mr. Fox]

13 hours ago, Sir Beregond said:

Very nice, was this on the Z690 Dark or the Z790 Apex?

Thank you. That was on the Apex. The Z690 Dark is in the be quiet! Dark Base Pro 901 paired with the 6900 XT. I am debating whether to replace the 6900 XT with a 4080 Ti or 4090.  The Z690 Dark has no problem keeping pace with the Z790 Apex in terms of CPU and memory overclocking, and it is a notably better product in several ways, but the 6900 XT leaves a lot to be desired. 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Mr. Fox

[UltraMega]

15 hours ago, Slaughtahouse said:

 

The lighting can be very impressive depending on the time of day. Just note that all of those screenshots above are from the photo mode. It doesn't mean that in-game looks bad, but I've tweaked aperture and post-processing effects in game to jus it up.

 

I'll add some screenshots below, not from photo mode. I'd also flag that there are two notable scenarios or elements that look bad in my opinion. Some large open interiors during the day and faces (depending on the scene). 

 

An example: I raided a large prison today and found, arguably the most bland area I've seen in the game. Once I went into the prison court yard, the direct sun light brought some life into it. I suspect largely due to the particle and volumetric effects (sun light hitting clouds of sand).

 

Example screenshots from the prison at 1440p (TAA native) max settings.

 

Figure 1. Indoor, during mid day in large interior area

 

Figure 2. Exterior, same time of day, just outside in a courtyard.

 

Once I passed through this mission and area, night started to fall and the next interior with the local lights and candles changed the perceived visual quality immensely. 

 

Figure 3. Interior, new location, night, mid cutscene (rendered in realtime)

 

Now, if find a nice scene for lighting outside, even at 1440p, and use the photo mode, you can a better understanding of the difference. 

Figure 4. Exterior, new location, dusk, photomode with tweaks.

 

I can't take screenshots with my controller when playing on the OLED (4K) because there is no shortcut / input on Ubisoft Connect but here is a "screenshot" in photomode with all the default settings (no additional post-processing). Which looks by and large, the exact same when playing at 4K in realtime. 

 

Figure 5. Exterior, morning, photomode without tweaks.

 

Hmm, maybe they did take a step back after all, which really wouldn't be surprising considering how demanding Wildlands still is today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

None of these are photomode. Ubi's Anvil engine has improved, but not by a lot since 2017 at least not in terms of visuals but I think that shows that it was just really good back in 2017. They did definitely improve the sky/clouds but not much else seems to be any different from a pure visual tech level. Infact I'm not sure Ubisoft has released a game visually on par with Wildlands since. Origins and Odyssey definitely had a major visual downgrade compared to Wildlands even though they all use Anvil. Breakpoint is a little bit of an upgrade in some ways, downgrade in others. The Division 1/2 is hard to judge because the setting is so different, and they use Snowdrop. Far Cry 5/6 use Dunia and is definitely not on par visually. 

 

AC Mirage does look pretty close though. Maybe the lighting quality is on par and it's just harder to tell since everything is so yellow due to the setting. Either way, there has been an interesting lack of progression since wildlands came out in 2017. Since then 4K became the standard, that may have forced them to scale some things back to hit higher resolutions. 

 

Love em or hate em, Ubisoft's tech has been pretty solid for a long time. Their tech sort of all traces back to the original CryEngine, which makes it an interesting look at what CryEngine was capable of becoming in the hands of a bigger and more experiences developer than Crytek was, or ever became. At the same time it feels like they don't often use their tech to the fullest, maybe out of a reluctance to release games that are overly demanding and end up being overly homogenized between PC and console versions. 

Edited October 10, 2023 by UltraMega

[Slaughtahouse]

7 hours ago, UltraMega said:

 

Hmm, maybe they did take a step back after all, which really wouldn't be surprising considering how demanding Wildlands still is today.

 

None of these are photomode. Ubi's Anvil engine has improved, but not by a lot since 2017 at least not in terms of visuals but I think that shows that it was just really good back in 2017. They did definitely improve the sky/clouds but not much else seems to be any different from a pure visual tech level. Infact I'm not sure Ubisoft has released a game visually on par with Wildlands since. Origins and Odyssey definitely had a major visual downgrade compared to Wildlands even though they all use Anvil. Breakpoint is a little bit of an upgrade in some ways, downgrade in others. The Division 1/2 is hard to judge because the setting is so different, and they use Snowdrop. Far Cry 5/6 use Dunia and is definitely not on par visually. 

 

AC Mirage does look pretty close though. Maybe the lighting quality is on par and it's just harder to tell since everything is so yellow due to the setting. Either way, there has been an interesting lack of progression since wildlands came out in 2017. Since then 4K became the standard, that may have forced them to scale some things back to hit higher resolutions. 

 

Love em or hate em, Ubisoft's tech has been pretty solid for a long time. Their tech sort of all traces back to the original CryEngine, which makes it an interesting look at what CryEngine was capable of becoming in the hands of a bigger and more experiences developer than Crytek was, or ever became. At the same time it feels like they don't often use their tech to the fullest, maybe out of a reluctance to release games that are overly demanding/overly homogenized between PC and console versions. 

 

Difficult for me to comment on the steps back because I haven't played the newer Ghost Recon series or much of the AC series in recent years but I am glad the photos help give you a better picture of the visuals. All I can say is that Mirage looks very impressive at times and comparing it against captured footage, it does look better (especially in HDR / 4K... :P) but in other areas or at other times (there is an inconsistency), facial animations and some interiors falls flat. The environment doesn't appear to be nearly as diversified as the screenshots you've shared of Wildlands but that's the nature of the game. Mirage is very enjoyable to play and watch, which is a bit surprising to me personally because I strongly disliked the direction the series was going (hack & slash, RPG). Especially coming off of Starfield, it's good change of pace.  If you're interested in giving it a try, I'm giving away a code in a couple days here -> https://extremehw.net/topic/3225-giveaway-assassins-creed-mirage-ubisoft-connect/ Alternatively, send me a PM. 

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[UltraMega]

4 hours ago, Slaughtahouse said:

 

Difficult for me to comment on the steps back because I haven't played the newer Ghost Recon series or much of the AC series in recent years but I am glad the photos help give you a better picture of the visuals. All I can say is that Mirage looks very impressive at times and comparing it against captured footage, it does look better (especially in HDR / 4K... :P) but in other areas or at other times (there is an inconsistency), facial animations and some interiors falls flat. The environment doesn't appear to be nearly as diversified as the screenshots you've shared of Wildlands but that's the nature of the game. Mirage is very enjoyable to play and watch, which is a bit surprising to me personally because I strongly disliked the direction the series was going (hack & slash, RPG). Especially coming off of Starfield, it's good change of pace.  If you're interested in giving it a try, I'm giving away a code in a couple days here -> https://extremehw.net/topic/3225-giveaway-assassins-creed-mirage-ubisoft-connect/ Alternatively, send me a PM. 

 

 

Thanks but I think I'm still burned out on AC after Odyssey. I liked Odyssey, but it was a very long game and got really repetitive toward the end. Mirage looks like a step in the right direction, but still too similar to Odyssey. I'm sure someone else here would enjoy it more than I would. 

 

If you ever have any interest in Wildlands, it goes on sale for cheap pretty often. I'd say it's the best Ubisoft game I have played. Still has its issues, the driving physics are not great but the open world tactical shooting is second to none. Don't play breakpoint tho, that game is pure trash. 

 

I've beat Wildlands twice, and I've been slowly doing a third play through with the hardest difficulty and the hud/spotting elements turned off, and AI teammates turned off as well. 

Edited October 10, 2023 by UltraMega

[Sir Beregond]

I think Black Flag was the last AC game I played. 

[Slaughtahouse]

29 minutes ago, Sir Beregond said:

I think Black Flag was the last AC game I played. 

AC2 was the last one I beat so...

[Slaughtahouse]

5 hours ago, UltraMega said:

 

Thanks but I think I'm still burned out on AC after Odyssey. I liked Odyssey, but it was a very long game and got really repetitive toward the end. Mirage looks like a step in the right direction, but still too similar to Odyssey. I'm sure someone else here would enjoy it more than I would. 

 

If you ever have any interest in Wildlands, it goes on sale for cheap pretty often. I'd say it's the best Ubisoft game I have played. Still has its issues, the driving physics are not great but the open world tactical shooting is second to none. Don't play breakpoint tho, that game is pure trash. 

 

I've beat Wildlands twice, and I've been slowly doing a third play through with the hardest difficulty and the hud/spotting elements turned off, and AI teammates turned off as well. 

I’m turned off by most shooters (competitive) but considering this is a cooperative / PVE game, you’ve recommended it in the past, and so have friends, I may give it a try in the future

 

RE: AC I was very skeptical. I’ve played maybe 2 hrs in Odyssey and about 3-4 hours in Valhalla before calling it quits. I couldn’t enjoy the gameplay loop and I know those games are essentially part-time jobs, I have no interest to play them. Mirage promised to go back to roots and I think they delivered

 

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[UltraMega]

11 minutes ago, Slaughtahouse said:

I’m turned off by most shooters (competitive) but considering this is a cooperative / PVE game, you’ve recommended it in the past, and so have friends, I may give it a try in the future

 

RE: AC I was very skeptical. I’ve played maybe 2 hrs in Odyssey and about 3-4 hours in Valhalla before calling it quits. I couldn’t enjoy the gameplay loop and I know those games are essentially part-time jobs, I have no interest to play them. Mirage promised to go back to roots and I think they delivered

 

 

 

I think Wildlands is a lot like Far Cry, but bigger, better, and more tactical. If you like Far Cry but think something a little more serious and grounded in tactics vs pure run and gun would be fun, then you will like Wildlands. It's not too serious, definitely not ARMA or anything, but it's just serious enough to make the tactics feel engaging and rewarding. In my first playthrough on a normal difficulty, I never really used flash bangs or anything like that. On the harder playthroughs, they became almost mandatory. 

 

It's also a solid game if you like stealth. It's kind of a spiritual successor to splinter cell in a lot of ways. Not only is Sam Fisher in the game, but if you choose to play missions at night, you can be as stealthy as you want, shoot out all the lights and basically play it as if it were a splinter cell game. 

 

Side note, Wildlands and Far Cry 5 are connected. In Wildlands, the mission you do with Sam Fisher involves a "broken arrow" which is a code phrase for a missing nuke. The nuke that goes off at the end of FC5 is that same broken arrow. The Division 2 also makes references to these events, and you can find notes left by Sam Fisher. 

Edited October 10, 2023 by UltraMega

[Sir Beregond]

5 hours ago, Slaughtahouse said:

AC2 was the last one I beat so...

Oh I think the only one I ever beat was the original.

[UltraMega]

After this convo I figured I'd try photomode in Wildlands since I never have before. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by UltraMega

[Slaughtahouse]

41 minutes ago, Sir Beregond said:

Oh I think the only one I ever beat was the original.

alright alright, you win XD 

 

37 minutes ago, UltraMega said:

After this convo I figured I'd try photomode in Wildlands since I never have before. 

 

Heck yea! I find it addictive just to pause the game and get creative with the scene. You don’t have full control like a DSLR or film camera but they do a great job at providing accessible photo tools to make interesting photos.

[pio]

We became wobbly willionaires.  So we figured to celebrate with some cake at the coffee shop at the local mall.  

 

 

 

@LabRatgetting sucked back into the coffee shop as he was try to pose in front of his creation.

 

 

And I don't know who let the rift raft in at the local fair, but man they sure did litter. -_-

[LabRat]

26 minutes ago, pioneerisloud said:

We became wobbly willionaires.  So we figured to celebrate with some cake at the coffee shop at the local mall.  

 

 

 

@LabRatgetting sucked back into the coffee shop as he was try to pose in front of his creation.

 

 

And I don't know who let the rift raft in at the local fair, but man they sure did litter. -_-

Themesong? 

 

 

Wobbly Things...

Edited October 15, 2023 by LabRat

[UltraMega]

Messing with video editing and recording, made this: 

 

 

 

 

 

[UltraMega]

Clip above was just testing to see how doing a timelapse would work. Added some more clips, made a longer version.

 

 

[Slaughtahouse]

On 17/10/2023 at 18:49, UltraMega said:

Clip above was just testing to see how doing a timelapse would work. Added some more clips, made a longer version.

Cool vid! What are you using to record gameplay? I used to use Shadowplay from Nvidia back in the day but it's been a long time since I've recorded. 

[UltraMega]

12 minutes ago, Slaughtahouse said:

Cool vid! What are you using to record gameplay? I used to use Shadowplay from Nvidia back in the day but it's been a long time since I've recorded. 

Thanks! I just used the AMD control panel stuff to record. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by UltraMega

[Slaughtahouse]

Assassin's Creed Mirage

Max - 4K

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just rolled the credits. 35hrs, nearly 100% completion. I am very impressed with Mirage. I was super skeptical of AC, it still has quite a bit of jank (e.g., character not going where you want to go) and in certain locations and quests, it can look disproportionally worse when compared to the majority of the outdoor environments or large temples. As if some assets and textures were remixed between old and new. Most importantly, very fun to play when you're focused on stealth, especially on Hard. The game punishes you fairly fell if you try to just "kill everyone". Takes quite a few hits and it's slow. They decentivize the hack and slash fairly well. Fun tactic: Equipment a unique sword, that you can unlock which reduces your health by 50%, but also increases damage dealt by 50%. Mixed with Hard mode, you go down it one to two hits and really cranks up the risk/reward for going stealth. If you're looking for a... stealth / action / narrative... highly recommend. 
 

Edited October 22, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Slaughtahouse]

Super Mario Bros.™ Wonder

Docked (does it really matter?)

 

 

 

 

If you own a Switch and you have someone to play co-op with, I highly recommend Wonder. Wonder plays like Super Mario World from SNES. Super colourful, seriously it POPS on an OLED, great level design, a lot of unique levels and modifiers (wonder seeds) that will change how your characters behaves, or controls, or simply the environment, or mixture of many more variables. This is a must play if you like 2D platformers. The soundtrack rips too, some of the Bowser levels will just break out into some serious heavy riffs for a Mario game, I was genuinely surprised. Get it and if you don't have a Switch, I am sure it will be on Yuzu soon. 

Edited February 4 by Slaughtahouse

[Andrew]

Gran Turismo 7

 

(or is it )

[Andrew]

Gran Turismo 7

 

[UltraMega]

Made another one of these:

 

 

[Andrew]

Gran Turismo 7

 

[UltraMega]

Another one:

Wildlands 10000% speed

[UltraMega]

Did one for read dead 2.