Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

The ARMS segment probably led to the "ARMS is dead" debate reappearing.

@IceClimbers Probably half of that is the loot crate database and microtransaction market.

Axiom Verge is so dang fun!

So apparently the reason we haven't seen DQXI on Switch yet is because the "development issues" are that PS4 uses Unreal Engine 4.13, and Switch uses the updated 4.15.

And 4.15 is when they changed how Blueprints (Visual node based programming for you guys who don't know) changed to incorporate more direct text based programming, IIRC. They basically expanded how you can program your games and such, giving a wider toolset, and this, whenever you scale up to a newer engine version, presents issues, as some features will be removed or deprecated, and new ones added.

So TL;DR, it's running on an ''old'' engine that doesn't support the Switch and porting will take some time.

Saw that.

It means Dragon Quest XI will be the full console version on Switch. And I can't remember the last time a mainline dragon quest game was on a Nintendo console (not handheld).

What, woulda been SNES, right? Switch truly is the new SNES. There are some differences obviously, Switch will never be a multi platform machine like SNES, but, the quality is there like SNES. People are loving it just like they loved SNES. And it's the first time a lot of these games are returning to Nintendo. I guess DOOM was on N64 but, close enough. Seeing DOOM, Wolfenstein, seeing Dragon Quest, seeing Shin Megami Tensei, seeing a fantastic Mario RPG developed in conjunction with a major AAA developer...

I said it before, and I'll say it again. It's a new golden era emerging right before our eyes...

@Octane No, actually.

TL:DR Its running on a NEWER engine that cant just be ported up because some features and tools changed from the older one on PS4 to the newer one used on Switch. As I said, PS4 uses UE4.13, Switch uses UE4.15.

This is actually common, as I know people who use older engine versions than I do, and we have compatability issues with shaders or how code is written using functions, because newer, more efficient functions and shaders were added and the ones in prior versions were deprecated or just flat out removed.

So in this case, it's a problem that Switch uses the newer version of the engine, because Epic changed how some of the tools work in 4.15. PS4 is stuck using 4.13.

@BLP_Software I meant the PS4 version is running on an ''old'' engine that takes some time to get running on the Switch, because the old version.. never mind, I meant what you just said!

@Octane That's not how it works, but close enough.

Hilariously though, this is the reverse from how it normally is. Now ports are hard because the tech is above everyone else XD Now its the other consoles stuck in the old times without Vulkan or the latest middleware. How weird.

No wonder games are coming over from PC with ease, the tools are as new as they come.

Glad we've finally heard something about this game! It'd be cool if we could get a simultaneous Western release of the PS4 and Switch versions of the game.

@DarthNocturnal I would think Samus Returns, or even Mario Odyssey (look how they compared it) are signs that just because Nintendo sometimes "experiments" more than it probably should at times, does not mean they forget what made older games good and beloved.

And honestly the gameplay of M&L has constantly been getting better and better, even if the plots of the most recent games (Dream Team and Paper Jam) aren't up to the standards of previous. But Bowser's Minions definitely shows that the writing talent is still there and cares about the series's history.

@DarthNocturnal Super Mario RPG 2: Sticker Star Returns

@Grumblevolcano I would play it. Then again I was one of the few that enjoyed SS.

Yes, please. Or better yet, bring back the old Paper Mario. The Thousand Year Door remains one of my favorite games of all time, and it really sucks how much they've changed the series. I still think very few Nintendo games can compare with TTYD in terms of the world, the story, and the characters. The gameplay was also fantastic.

In this day and age, it's maddening that an iteration from 4.13 to 4.15 leaves problems like that. They gotta be making that **** fully backwards compatible so that nothing gets left behind... at least until they jump to UE5.

@DarthNocturnal Now, I don't really agree that longer, more complex enemy attack patterns are a bad thing. They add a significant degree of challenge to boss battles in particular; Paper Jam probably has the most difficult bosses in the whole series because of this (and high attack power), with Dream Team close behind. By comparison Superstar Saga's are stupidly simple; I'm not exaggerating when I say Cackletta's Soul is the only remotely challenging fight in the original for any veteran, not just due to starting at 1 HP or stats, but having moves that require more than a simple jump or pound to counter.

What made battling a drag in the 3DS entries was the BROS's moves taking forever to perform, not even including the possibility of failing them and dealing next to no damage after a long animation. They couldn't even do a basic jump attack without stopping to celebrate afterwards.

@gcunit Honestly with a change and update to the main programming toolset (Blueprints) like that...id expect that in UE5. But no, 4.15.

Whats sad is at Univeristy we had to learn UE 4.05. I believe. It was well below 4.10 I had at the time. Wont bode well for the future of students.

Still You can use any version of UE4 you want, its just that PS4 doesnt support the newer builds while Switch does, and Square obviously started work in earnest on an older build rather than waiting for Epic to finish on Switch integration and push out 4.15.

The issue just comes down to bad timing for a few games. In future I expect UE4.15 to be compatible with other systems otherwise the upgrade path for PC and Switch will leave them behind.

Switch having access to the ever evolving newest iterations of tech and software seems to be a big boon especially with PC developers like Bethesda and indies and thats really a win by being right up there with the latest stuff.

Which is hilarious to think about because...ya know...Nintendo

Well, it’s nice to have confirmation that it is in development. A console version of DQ on Switch will be great!

Although, if they had said that from the beginning they wouldn’t have caused all this questions and doubts.

I thought this site would have put out an article by now on the UK games sales charts. Here they are.

Individual Formats

All Formats

MK8D continues to chart well. What its numbers are, who knows. The sales for FIFA 18 are down 69% on last week and still holds onto top spot in both charts so that might give some indication of how everything else is faring. The Switch version seen the biggest drop in the charts and given that last week it was 1% of overall sales, then its sales this week must be in the hundreds.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE How were the sales for it overall? Since by looking at this chart, I'm guessing it sold the worst of all versions.