Widescreen Gaming Forum

Yay, another vert+ game unfairly penalized by WGSF's robot grading system.

This game, like any other recent console-centric release was obviously designed for 16:9 first and foremost. It's not 2004 guys, you can't assume the 4:3 FOV is the "correct" FOV anymore.

How about pulling the stick out and putting some human thought into whether the grade actually reflects the widescreen gaming experience...

This game, like any other recent console-centric release was obviously designed for 16:9 first and foremost.

That's just as much of an assumption as it is to assume that 4:3 settings were intended to look right on a 4:3 screen. Regardless, developers aren't allowed to design their games for 16:9 anymore, because that would require using black bars to ensure the game meets their design, and we HATE black bars. We hate them. They're so annoying.


And whether the game is designed for 4:3 or 16:9, vert scaling will cause 16:10 to have the wrong amount of vertical FOV.

How about pulling the stick out and putting some human thought into whether the grade actually reflects the widescreen gaming experience...

It's just not possible to do that on a game-by-game basis, without the grading system devolving into essentially the DR writer's opinion on how much he liked the game. With a robot grading system, readers can at least understand precisely why a game gets a C+, and can look at 16:10 screenshots and judge for themselves whether or not the consequential flaw would bother them.

This game, like any other recent console-centric release was obviously designed for 16:9 first and foremost.

That's just as much of an assumption as it is to assume that 4:3 settings were intended to look right on a 4:3 screen.

Oh come on, it's a pretty darn safe and obvious assumption, just like more than 5 years ago it was pretty safe to assume a game was designed for 4:3.

I'm sorry but this site was once a decent recent resource for a gamer to quickly see what they're experience on a 16:9 or 16:10 monitor would be like. Now you've become so consumed by rating games according to your increasingly strict minutae that it's useless for anyone that's not an insufferable nitpicker that has lost all sense of perspective.

This game's widescreen behavior being rated a D is just bonkers. Playing this game on a 16:9 monitor is not a D grade experience, but your obtuse grading rubrik tells a visitor it is. It's not fair to the visitor, and not fair to the game developer.

The grades satify your rules for the rules sake and that's about the only use I see for them anymore, because they sure as heck aren't representative of the widescreen gaming experience.

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Another problem even working within the rules. Without the hack, the game is a typical vert- C-rated game, right? But with the hack that makes it hor+ (inappropriately hor+ actually), it's a D? You don't see a problem with this? The presense of a "fix" results in a lower score than the game would have gotten otherwise? This is the problem with robots...

[quote]

This game, like any other recent console-centric release was obviously designed for 16:9 first and foremost.

That's just as much of an assumption as it is to assume that 4:3 settings were intended to look right on a 4:3 screen.

Oh come on, it's a pretty darn safe and obvious assumption, just like more than 5 years ago it was pretty safe to assume a game was designed for 4:3.

Give up. I tried before. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

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Oh come on, it's a pretty darn safe and obvious assumption, just like more than 5 years ago it was pretty safe to assume a game was designed for 4:3.

WSGF policy disagrees. If you think we should change that policy, there's a place to suggest it. But this thread isn't it.

I'm sorry but this site was once a decent recent resource for a gamer to quickly see what they're experience on a 16:9 or 16:10 monitor would be like.

You just said that all games are designed for widescreen now. If that's true, doesn't that make a "decent resource" redundant and unecessary?

Now you've become so consumed by rating games according to your increasingly strict minutae

First of all, this isn't a new thing. I've graded games according to the rules from the start. Vert - games *always* got a C or worse. Secondly, they aren't all my rules. Rules have been added or changed over the years, and not always by me. Third, if you think there's something wrong with the rules, you are entitled to propose we change them. Complaining about them on threads meant to gather information is not productive.

The presense of a "fix" results in a lower score than the game would have gotten otherwise?

The rationale used in the past is that it's punishment for leaving it up to third parties to implement proper widescreen support, when the fact that it's even possible for third parties to do so shows that the devs could have done it themselves.

Playing this game on a 16:9 monitor is not a D grade experience

For the sake of objectivity, the WSGF grades games (and ultimately devs), not experiences. It itches sometimes, but as a unified system for exploring the widescreen jungle, it works quite well.

StingingVelvet, maybe you could just add the values you've used to the screenshots' description ?

In any event... MEGA THANX to Racer_S :D
My game's value has suddenly increased, and for that I'm always happy to donate. (By the way, there's this game called Shaun White Snowboarding, which uh err...)

StingingVelvet, maybe you could just add the values you've used to the screenshots' description ?

Those are 33 on the hack... little too far out in my opinion, but it worked for the shots. Honestly I play the game without the hack normally.

You just said that all games are designed for widescreen now. If that's true, doesn't that make a "decent resource" redundant and unecessary?

I didn't say all games; I said games where a current-gen console is the primary target platform. Investigating the games is still useful for cases like Dark Sector where the PC port was botched and doesn't behave the same as the console version, or to check if the game still works suitably for 16:10 resolutions since they're more prevalent on PC. I just believe the grading for these games that assumes 4:3 is the "correct" aspect is inappropriate.

Case in point:

Those are 33 on the hack... little too far out in my opinion, but it worked for the shots. Honestly I play the game without the hack normally.

By assuming the FOV of this game was designed for 4:3 and not 16:9, changing the game to be hor+ versus 4:3 results in too wide a FOV, making the game "incorrect".

I feel the hor+ solution listed here is actually detrimental to 16:9 and 16:10 users (for TH users, the hack is obviously very useful). And regardless of our disagreements about the grading, I'd think you'd want to avoid making the widescreen experience worse for people.

I understand your concerns, and don't want you to think I'm neglecting them, but again, this wasn't the right place to discuss what you're trying to discuss.

I split this topic off.

Let's set aside the whole 16:9/10 vs. 4:3 discussion. I agree that most games are currently made with some widescreen aspect as a baseline. Point given.

But, as the game goes from 16:10 > 16:9 > TH > WTH, the FOV should get wider. In Wheelman, the FOV got increasing smaller.

The stance of the WSGF is that the FOV should increase in proportion to the aspect ratio. Even if 16:9 is the baseline, and it's anamorphic in 16:10, it should get wider in TH and WTH.