PC port has missing effects or are simply broken

Vitin_96 · 02-10-21, 21:29

Heys guys! While playing chronicles on PC. I noticed lots of small details that are not quite right, especially if you compare to the PS1 release. Things such as wrong skybox textures, missing indirect lightning effects, dialog audios not playing correctly, worse quality FMVs, shotgun not displaying on lara's back, missing animation from elevator falling down on 'Escape with the Iris". And that is just only what i noticed. I don't know some of these problems were already fixed. But if someone takes interest on it, it might help to locate these problems now...

PS1:
https://imgur.com/qxj2EOC
PC:
https://imgur.com/UEZ1BWO

PS1:
https://imgur.com/iowr5EU
PC:
https://imgur.com/dKjJgN8

PS1:
https://imgur.com/2xSk8Mg
PC:
https://imgur.com/VllwC9Y

PS1 (around 4:05:22 you can hear zip asking to "close the door"; around 4:05:35 you can see the wall animation which indicates that the elevator is falling down, also absent on pc):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd2XZIeKGmI&t=15472s
PC (6:39 and 7:09):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjhITCOVclg&t=968s

ATombRaiderFan · 03-10-21, 07:54

Looks like the Rome skybox on PS1 blends more seamlessly than on the pc version. I wonder if it's a blue hue effect or a different texture entirely.

Kirishima · 03-10-21, 09:56

The skybox issue was already known, and the lighting differences don't really surprise me considering other lighting issues. Core tended to tweek the ps1 releases more than the pc or dreamcast releases.

perryloo · 03-10-21, 12:09

When playing TR games on different consoles and PC, there are usually minor differences. But the game is the same no matter what. Well spotted on Chronicles by the OP

I do not mind minor differences like above, but the worst offender was TR Underworld, where huge differences and with bits missing in the game, depended on what console or PC you played on, it was like playing a different game.

I played the game on PS2 and then PC when I upgraded my computer to meet the specification, and the PS2 version had many locations cut short, and many baddies missing, to save on memory, but strangely the hammer rooms was different to play, with the PS2 having a lot more moves allowed by Lara as she crossed the hammers. The PC version in the hammer room was poorly done, with a lot less moves by Lara. So there was all these changes to the game.

The more expensive consoles like Xbox at the time had far more to the game, as mentioned on forums, likely due to more computing power, than PS2 and PC. (I never got around to Xbox, too expensive at the time)

A game should be the same no matter what platform you are using, but in TR Underworld, it was not.

Caesum · 04-10-21, 08:13

I might be wrong but skybox issue might be due to lack of other blending modes for transparent textures on the PC version. PC version can only do additive blending, while PSX has 4 blending modes. In TR4/TRLE if you use a FLEP patch you can restore other blending modes (5 in total) and it changes how some particle effects look.

The lighting differences are interesting. I know that there is a significant difference in lighting between PC and PSX due to DirectX 5. For example TR3 lighting is very bland and washed out on PC because of older DirectX version limitation. You could try playing Chronicles in software mode to see if there's any difference. The lighting should be more saturated.

Kirishima · 04-10-21, 18:08

Software mode doesn't really fix anything graphically. One odd difference I noticed was no load screens, so everything loaded instantly.

Vitin_96 · 04-10-21, 19:42

Yeah, software mode doesnt do much thing....
But what I noticed was that it fixed those small artifacts that surround an item displayed on bottom right corner, when it is picked up.

LaraCablara · 06-10-21, 20:47

That skybox is a travesty I don’t know how they shipped the game like that

LateRaider · 07-10-21, 03:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaraCablara

That skybox is a travesty I don’t know how they shipped the game like that

replace "that skybox" with "the entire game"

Vitin_96 · 07-10-21, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by LateRaider

replace "that skybox" with "the entire game"

I feel kinda bad because i really like this game lol
It's just this pc port that was a lazy job...

02-10-21, 21:29	#1
Vitin_96 Hobbyist Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 23	PC port has missing effects or are simply broken Heys guys! While playing chronicles on PC. I noticed lots of small details that are not quite right, especially if you compare to the PS1 release. Things such as wrong skybox textures, missing indirect lightning effects, dialog audios not playing correctly, worse quality FMVs, shotgun not displaying on lara's back, missing animation from elevator falling down on 'Escape with the Iris". And that is just only what i noticed. I don't know some of these problems were already fixed. But if someone takes interest on it, it might help to locate these problems now... PS1: https://imgur.com/qxj2EOC PC: https://imgur.com/UEZ1BWO PS1: https://imgur.com/iowr5EU PC: https://imgur.com/dKjJgN8 PS1: https://imgur.com/2xSk8Mg PC: https://imgur.com/VllwC9Y PS1 (around 4:05:22 you can hear zip asking to "close the door"; around 4:05:35 you can see the wall animation which indicates that the elevator is falling down, also absent on pc): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd2XZIeKGmI&t=15472s PC (6:39 and 7:09): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjhITCOVclg&t=968s Last edited by Vitin_96; 03-10-21 at 02:28.

03-10-21, 12:09	#4
perryloo Explorer Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Sunny UK Posts: 554	When playing TR games on different consoles and PC, there are usually minor differences. But the game is the same no matter what. Well spotted on Chronicles by the OP I do not mind minor differences like above, but the worst offender was TR Underworld, where huge differences and with bits missing in the game, depended on what console or PC you played on, it was like playing a different game. I played the game on PS2 and then PC when I upgraded my computer to meet the specification, and the PS2 version had many locations cut short, and many baddies missing, to save on memory, but strangely the hammer rooms was different to play, with the PS2 having a lot more moves allowed by Lara as she crossed the hammers. The PC version in the hammer room was poorly done, with a lot less moves by Lara. So there was all these changes to the game. The more expensive consoles like Xbox at the time had far more to the game, as mentioned on forums, likely due to more computing power, than PS2 and PC. (I never got around to Xbox, too expensive at the time) A game should be the same no matter what platform you are using, but in TR Underworld, it was not. Last edited by perryloo; 03-10-21 at 12:14.

03-10-21, 07:54	#2
ATombRaiderFan Explorer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 511	Looks like the Rome skybox on PS1 blends more seamlessly than on the pc version. I wonder if it's a blue hue effect or a different texture entirely.

03-10-21, 09:56	#3
Kirishima Explorer Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 666	The skybox issue was already known, and the lighting differences don't really surprise me considering other lighting issues. Core tended to tweek the ps1 releases more than the pc or dreamcast releases.

04-10-21, 08:13	#5
Caesum Tomb Raider Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Poland, Warsaw Gender: Male Posts: 11,978	I might be wrong but skybox issue might be due to lack of other blending modes for transparent textures on the PC version. PC version can only do additive blending, while PSX has 4 blending modes. In TR4/TRLE if you use a FLEP patch you can restore other blending modes (5 in total) and it changes how some particle effects look. The lighting differences are interesting. I know that there is a significant difference in lighting between PC and PSX due to DirectX 5. For example TR3 lighting is very bland and washed out on PC because of older DirectX version limitation. You could try playing Chronicles in software mode to see if there's any difference. The lighting should be more saturated.

04-10-21, 18:08	#6
Kirishima Explorer Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 666	Software mode doesn't really fix anything graphically. One odd difference I noticed was no load screens, so everything loaded instantly.

04-10-21, 19:42	#7
Vitin_96 Hobbyist Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 23	Yeah, software mode doesnt do much thing.... But what I noticed was that it fixed those small artifacts that surround an item displayed on bottom right corner, when it is picked up.

06-10-21, 20:47	#8
LaraCablara Professor Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3,419	That skybox is a travesty I don’t know how they shipped the game like that