BETAs helping to lower expectation for 'next gen' gaming?

I have played in a few BETA test, this year with the launch of games that will be both on PC and on the new consoles, I was hoping to get a feel for what to expect from this next generation.

It seems, more of the same. While I am fully aware that we wont see these early titles push consoles to their limits for some time... if ever. I am a little disapointed in the PC offerings.

BF4 in particular doesnt really seem to offer anything new. Levelution is not really a feature. I mean they had distructible objects anyway.. so the landscape was always changing. Now it just changes a bit more.

I was hoping that with the dawn of this new gaming era, game makers might start pushing PC a little harder... sorry for those with older rigs (Mine is not that new) but push the min requirements and show real value for having done so? I am just not seeing it.

Now, I know BETA is BETA, but it looks like I am goign to need a lot more convincing to buy the hype.

What are your thoughts?

welcome to the diminishing returns of hardware technology.  You wont get a new leap like last gen was when it came out because the major improvements have already happened.  We're now onto more 'backgrond' or detail things....particles, physics, AI programming, and scale

There is no "next generation" of PC games. We hit the era of major diminishing returns with hardware. Games are not going to have massive leaps in graphics anymore.

BF4 has tons more interactivity with the levels, far more dynamic lights, a lot of subtle graphical improvements that improve overall image quality, fantastic audio, and a whole meta-game with the commander back. Everything is more thought out and fully featured than before. The UI is much more intuitive, the game controls much better, and there are subtle improvements everywhere.

That's what we'll see a lot of with games moving forward. Overall quality will continue to increase subtley. Stuff is going to make more sense and be less gamey. Smaller devs will be able to pump out AAA quality content through massive improvement in game engines and content creation tools. 

Large leaps are over.

Well, your expectations for "next gen" should be "well, the consoles are more powerful." They aren't launching with any new control or distribution systems, and it's really going to be very similar to what we have now. That all depends on what you want though I guess. For some people, being able to stream your gameplay to twitch seems huge.

As for PC, there is no next gen.  It's just always slowly getting better, so the immediate gains seem even smaller.

  I really miss Bad Company 2 levels of destruction. Both BF3 and the BF4 beta seems watered down in that aspect. I need to play more the beta, but so far -still- didn't convince me about buying the game.

   But for new "next gaming" experiences I'm more thinking about games as The Witcher 3/Cyberpunk 2077 or The Elder Scrolls VI than about any game announced to date. If BF4 is "next gen" then I've been living in "next gen" for a few years.

  I really miss Bad Company 2 levels of destruction. Both BF3 and the BF4 beta seems watered down in that aspect. I need to play more the beta, but so far -still- didn't convince me about buying the game.

   But for new "next gaming" experiences I'm more thinking about games as The Witcher 3/Cyberpunk 2077 or The Elder Scrolls VI than about any game announced to date. If BF4 is "next gen" then I've been living in "next gen" for a few years.

Ondoval

It's a design decision to reduce the amount of destruction in BF3/BF4 from BC2. BC2's destruction altered the maps too much. BF4 has a TON of destruction that is both visible and map changing without ruining the flow of the map like it did in BC2. 

However if you're looking for a real "next-gen" PC game look no further than Star Citizen.

I really miss Bad Company 2 levels of destruction. Both BF3 and the BF4 beta seems watered down in that aspect..Ondoval

[QUOTE="Ondoval"] I really miss Bad Company 2 levels of destruction. Both BF3 and the BF4 beta seems watered down in that aspect..yellosnolvr

In DICE's defense, and obviously so, there's way more going on in BF4 than BF3. And it's still too early to tell. Some of the graphics options are not available/enabled in the beta. I mean, i didn't have to say this but it should be common knowledge by now.Elann2008

In DICE's defense, and obviously so, there's way more going on in BF4 than BF3. And it's still too early to tell. Some of the graphics options are not available/enabled in the beta. I mean, i didn't have to say this but it should be common knowledge by now.Elann2008

I agree.  I don't know where they are getting these expectations either.

I have no expectations.. but DICE said they turned off some assets and I don't think they'd BS. The game has to look at least equivalent to BF3, but with a lot more going on. It's Frostbite 3.0, not Frostbite 2.0. It would be stupid to backpedal, having worse graphics and less dynamic graphical features like destruction (levelution), better particle effects, etc. I'm not even buying the game until December and my hype is 0. I'm simply saying that people are complaining about a beta. It's okay to list your problems and issues in beta.. to give feedback to DICE but don't complain and make a thread about graphics..

It's even dumber to think that we were going to see next-gen graphics with BF4.. when BF3 didn't even have true destruction.. These things takes time. They take new iterations of the game engine. It's really easy as consumers to bitch and whine isn't it? You're not the one making the game that takes a ton of man power and brains. Some people here lack one.

I agree.  I don't know where they are getting these expectations either.

I have no expectations.. but DICE said they turned off some assets and I don't think they'd BS. The game has to look at least equivalent to BF3, but with a lot more going on. It's Frostbite 3.0, not Frostbite 2.0. It would be stupid to backpedal, having worse graphics and less dynamic graphical features like destruction (levelution), better particle effects, etc. I'm not even buying the game until December and my hype is 0. I'm simply saying that people are complaining about a beta. It's okay to list your problems and issues in beta.. to give feedback to DICE but don't complain and make a thread about graphics..

It's even dumber to think that we were going to see next-gen graphics with BF4.. when BF3 didn't even have true destruction.. These things takes time. They take new iterations of the game engine. It's really easy as consumers to bitch and whine isn't it? You're not the one making the game that takes a ton of man power and brains. Some people here lack one.

Elann2008

There is no "next generation" of PC games. We hit the era of major diminishing returns with hardware. Games are not going to have massive leaps in graphics anymore.

BF4 has tons more interactivity with the levels, far more dynamic lights, a lot of subtle graphical improvements that improve overall image quality, fantastic audio, and a whole meta-game with the commander back. Everything is more thought out and fully featured than before. The UI is much more intuitive, the game controls much better, and there are subtle improvements everywhere.

That's what we'll see a lot of with games moving forward. Overall quality will continue to increase subtley. Stuff is going to make more sense and be less gamey. Smaller devs will be able to pump out AAA quality content through massive improvement in game engines and content creation tools. 

Large leaps are over.

Wasdie

[QUOTE="Elann2008"]

I agree.  I don't know where they are getting these expectations either.

I have no expectations.. but DICE said they turned off some assets and I don't think they'd BS. The game has to look at least equivalent to BF3, but with a lot more going on. It's Frostbite 3.0, not Frostbite 2.0. It would be stupid to backpedal, having worse graphics and less dynamic graphical features like destruction (levelution), better particle effects, etc. I'm not even buying the game until December and my hype is 0. I'm simply saying that people are complaining about a beta. It's okay to list your problems and issues in beta.. to give feedback to DICE but don't complain and make a thread about graphics..

It's even dumber to think that we were going to see next-gen graphics with BF4.. when BF3 didn't even have true destruction.. These things takes time. They take new iterations of the game engine. It's really easy as consumers to bitch and whine isn't it? You're not the one making the game that takes a ton of man power and brains. Some people here lack one.

godonholiday

NeoEnigma's screenshot taken from screenshot thread.  Credit goes to him but I'd like to use this to further prove my point.  Even in beta, look at what BF4 can do and show you that BF3 coudn't touch with a 1000ft pole.  BF3's maps were small.  BF3 players that played hours and hours of it would even admit that.

I think we reached a point where the hardware is no longer the factor that determines the game quality.  Dev costs are spiraling out of control for these AAA games, and eventually cuts will be made to stay on budget or to meet the release.  A game will only be good as the backing it has by the publisher... 'next gen' or not.

NeoEnigma's screenshot taken from screenshot thread.  Credit goes to him but I'd like to use this to further prove my point.  Even in beta, look at what BF4 can do and show you that BF3 coudn't touch with a 1000ft pole.  BF3's maps were small.  BF3 players that played hours and hours of it would even admit that.

Elann2008