Atelier Mysterious DX Trilogy uses lower quality Switch Assets & Maps (for both PC & PS versions)

[General Plastro]

Just like Dragon Quest 11's Definitive Edition, these new atelier DX versions uses the Switch version as a base, so we are getting some lower quality effects and assets here and there:

DX:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/236388275567329280/834630098379997224/20210421231836_1.jpg

Original:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/236388275567329280/834630233218351104/Atelier_Sophie__The_Alchemist_of_the_Mysterious_Book__20210421231824.jpg

Missing Flower Fields:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/236388275567329280/834929417024307240/Untitled.png

It gets worse, apparently in Sophie DX it rains raw oil, since theres black puddles instead of water on rainy days:

http://puu.sh/HAU9o.png

As you can see, theres some missing shadows and lower tree quality in the DX version.

The same is true for Firis and L&S, sadly.

[iriyap]

Originally posted by Melodia:

Though it looks like this only unpacks the files and doesn't have a way to put them back

If it's like Ryza you should be able to run the game with unpacked files.

[kak]

Originally posted by Melodia:

Originally posted by COVID69:

it might be possible but it won't be made because this series is not popular.

It's not a linear sum game here. It only takes one or two dedicated people to make it happen.
For instance, a person such as the programmer who made this
https://github.com/shizukachan/atelier_pak_decrypt

(Though it looks like this only unpacks the files and doesn't have a way to put them back)

If popularity were the sole deciding factor, there wouldn't be SO many more mods and tools for FF12 than there are for FF10.

I wish as much as you for it to happen but it probably won't

[Melodia]

Originally posted by iriyap:

If it's like Ryza you should be able to run the game with unpacked files.

Not a great solution for most people. Certainly doable for the dedicated.

They don't seem to be using Unreal here, but it seems to be similar with the whole pak format and being able to just run uncompressed. Wonder if there's a way to make it recognize a file as a 'patch' file like you can (very easily) with UE4.

Incidently I'm extremely surprised they couldn't get DQXI to work at least for very obvious same places. But there's probably some other backend shenanigans going on there.

[DiaborMagics]

Originally posted by CLG:

I bought them but havn't touched them yet. I might just get a refund considering how pathetic KT support is to getting these types of things fixed. Dusk DX is still a broken buggy mess on nvidia cards as well.

Thanks for letting me know about Dusk, as I have those on my wishlist but both my laptop and pc use NVIDIA...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I kind of wonder what to do with the mysterious trilogy. I have the original sophie and Lydie & Suelle on pc, but I just bought the dx trilogy as well before checking out this thread. still untouched as im playing lulua first.

Since I have a switch, maybe its better to get it on the switch and refund the steam version. I got it on pc because in my mind thats supposed to have better quality >.< or maybe even just find a key for OG firis and then i have all 3.

but i kinda want the new costumes and content too... sigh.... neither the originals nor the dx versions are the end-all be-all. leave it to koei to royally mess these things up.

Originally posted by Kiru:

I mean.. it's not great that this happens, but sometimes I wonder why people even care so much. These games aren't exactly known to look great. Half of the gameplay is on the synthesis menu, 10% in battles. The rest you run from glowing gathering point to the next and have cutscenes.
I seriously doubt I would've figured out something is looking worse. The only thing I can definitely say is that the game isn't looking better. (at least Sophie still seems to be incredibly toaster friendly)

Speaking of toaster friendly, I doubt they needed to adapt Sophie of all things for the switch. Who knows what actually happened to cause some "issues".
Then again. It IS the Switch. Might even be weaker than a freakin' Ps3.

Graphics matter. For me and for a lot of other people, too. Especially that flower field being so barren, things like that just put me off. That almost looks like a PS1 era floor with ps2 era everything else, except sophie, she looks ps3. Its so weird to look at.

[iriyap]

Originally posted by Melodia:

They don't seem to be using Unreal here, but it seems to be similar with the whole pak format and being able to just run uncompressed. Wonder if there's a way to make it recognize a file as a 'patch' file like you can (very easily) with UE4.

No one figured that out for Ryza yet and that game has a pretty healthy modding scene. The current solution is to unpack everything and replace whatever files the mod comes with. I suppose the same method could be used for Sophie's level geometry.

If there's a way to pack files back I guess one could also just make a diff patch. It would be pretty small in size and the end user won't need to unpack anything.

[百合 姫]

Originally posted by DiaborMagics:

Originally posted by CLG:

I bought them but havn't touched them yet. I might just get a refund considering how pathetic KT support is to getting these types of things fixed. Dusk DX is still a broken buggy mess on nvidia cards as well.

Thanks for letting me know about Dusk, as I have those on my wishlist but both my laptop and pc use NVIDIA...

lol it's not even NVIDIA fault, it's just that the developer is misusing the API and it happens to not work on NV / Intel because they follows the spec well

[DiaborMagics]

Originally posted by 百合 姫:

Originally posted by DiaborMagics:

Thanks for letting me know about Dusk, as I have those on my wishlist but both my laptop and pc use NVIDIA...

lol it's not even NVIDIA fault, it's just that the developer is misusing the API and it happens to not work on NV / Intel because they follows the spec well

figured it wasnt NVIDIAs fault. koei facepalm are doing what they do best. muck things up.

[Monterossa]

Wow... that sucks. The Switch continues to be a burden to the video game industry as always. KT is also downgrading Sengoku Musou 5 to cartoony graphics because of the Switch.

Well... it's weird for Sophie to be downgraded that much though. I doubt the Switch couldn't even handle Sophie if they leave things like the original. The Switch can run Ryza & Ryza 2, and rendered all of those vegetation, trees, water, etc.

If I have to guess, for Ryza 1-2, they made downgraded versions of field assets for the Switch, but for these DX games they're too lazy or have smaller budget, they didn't bother making downgraded assets and just remove objects from the maps for a quick fix.

BTW there's no excuse for them to use the Switch version as a base to port the games to more powerful platforms.

[Ru]

Originally posted by COVID69:

Originally posted by blackwind:

Is it possible to replace assets with old ones?
I just tried but the game crashed...

No. And no mods will ever be made
The vastly more popular game, Dragon Quest 11S suffers the same downgrade like this and nobody could make any mods to fix it.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2312807086

Atelier Sophie is a much smaller game, so in theory it should be a lot easier to manage for someone with the know-how.

[LoveLessAeris]

i also noticed that they all don't have English dub any more even know the first games did.........wtf? do we have to "buy" English DLC now?

[General Plastro]

Dragon Quest 11's case is much... Much more minor than this case here in Sophie. But even there, at least we had mods that fix it and enough new content to overlook possible lower texture quality. Including the japanese dub to replace that god awful amateur hour english dub we got.

Originally posted by LoveLessAeris:

i also noticed that they all don't have English dub any more even know the first games did.........wtf? do we have to "buy" English DLC now?

The english dub is still "there", but just like the original, it's a very limited dub, you will go some 80% of the game without voice acting if you choose the english voices

[Jeffer'son Airship]

That's more a Firis thing. Sophie has a decent amount dubbed.

Originally posted by Monterossa:

BTW there's no excuse for them to use the Switch version as a base to port the games to more powerful platforms.

This is the same company that often used Vita ports as the base for PC versions. Or PS3 long after PS4 was out.

The theory is that they often make the ports targeting the lower spec office oriented PCs more common in a lot of Eastern Asia than proper gaming ones.

[_Fedexx9000_]

Originally posted by Melodia:

For instance, a person such as the programmer who made this
https://github.com/shizukachan/atelier_pak_decrypt
(Though it looks like this only unpacks the files and doesn't have a way to put them back)

Originally posted by iriyap:

If there's a way to pack files back I guess one could also just make a diff patch. It would be pretty small in size and the end user won't need to unpack anything.

https://github.com/VitaSmith/gust_tools

[CLG]

The file strictures for both games seem to be very different. The original game only has 2 .PAK files while the DX version has 8. Either way it's going to be a nightmare to locate and flip all the assets if it's even possible.

[feena]

Dang. This is truly unfortunate and a hard pass for me. Sucks for all the dedicated fans, but I refuse to financially support this kind of practice.