The PC version of Final Fantasy 15 is set to become the definitive edition of the game. It will boast improved graphics, a new first-person mode and support for 8K resolutions. You'd think those add-ons would make development difficult—not so, according to game director Hajime Tabata. In fact, he says it was "more than 100 times" easier crafting the PC edition than the console version before it.

The team only started working on the PC edition this year but it's due to come out in early 2018, and Tabata told MCV: “The console version, which required reconstruction from the very start for both the game itself and the engine, was more than 100 times more difficult."

Tabata also revealed that the team is working hard to make the game run better on low-end PCs. “In entering the global PC market, it’s a requirement that games can be played on a wide range of specs,” he said. “At this stage, FFXV is at the high end of these settings, and we are in the process of seeing how well we can push things out on a lower spec."

http://www.pcgamer.com/making-final-fantasy-15-for-pc-has-been-100-times-easier-than-console-version-says-game-director/

Glad to hear from a developer who cares about visuals how freeing the experience is working on PC with unlimited power and possibilities as opposed to other more restricted platforms.

Hasn't there actually been a decent amount of Japanese developers that embraced PC quite well this gen?

I heard MGSV on PC was the best version, although I might be wrong on that.

Still, i'm glad to hear this. If it ends up being a great version(which I have no doubt it will, especially with the subtitle "Windows Edition") I might just rebuy it.

Probably because of bad management in the past and I expect the PC version to be poorly optimized too ...

The number is probably exaggerated anyhow, I bet they wouldn't claim it to be as easy if they had a DX12 backend on PC in mind ...

AngryLittleAlchemist said: Hasn't there actually been a decent amount of Japanese developers that embraced PC quite well this gen? I heard MGSV on PC was the best version, although I might be wrong on that. Still, i'm glad to hear this. If it ends up being a great version(which I have no doubt it will, especially with the subtitle "Windows Edition") I might just rebuy it.

It felt more like Japanese devs being forced to go to PC because that's where more money is. I mean if you look at the majority of Japanese games on PC, they're all ported like an afterthought usually with a lot of issues. This is actually the first time I heard a Japanese dev (or any dev) saying how nice developing for PC is.

vivster said: AngryLittleAlchemist said: Hasn't there actually been a decent amount of Japanese developers that embraced PC quite well this gen? I heard MGSV on PC was the best version, although I might be wrong on that. Still, i'm glad to hear this. If it ends up being a great version(which I have no doubt it will, especially with the subtitle "Windows Edition") I might just rebuy it. It felt more like Japanese devs being forced to go to PC because that's where more money is. I mean if you look at the majority of Japanese games on PC, they're all ported like an afterthought usually with a lot of issues. This is actually the first time I heard a Japanese dev (or any dev) saying how nice developing for PC is.

That's true too. Although if the result is a good one then I don't mind them being forced to embrace the platform. 

Hmm... I wouldn't say 100x easier myself. PC hardware and device drivers are very varied. Windows comes with lots of other junk installed. They may change their minds after they run a public beta and start getting crash reports back... The main benefit of consoles from a developer's perspective is that there isn't much variation in the hardware.

In any case, the big expense in game development is the graphics and other assets. The development teams are pretty small in comparison. Porting between platforms is a pretty small component of that: maybe 5% of the codebase needs rework.

OneTime said: Hmm... I wouldn't say 100x easier myself. PC hardware and device drivers are very varied. Windows comes with lots of other junk installed. They may change their minds after they run a public beta and start getting crash reports back... The main benefit of consoles from a developer's perspective is that there isn't much variation in the hardware. In any case, the big expense in game development is the graphics and other assets. The development teams are pretty small in comparison. Porting between platforms is a pretty small component of that: maybe 5% of the codebase needs rework.

He mostly refers to the time it took to develop the Luminous Engine.

RenCutypoison said: He mostly refers to the time it took to develop the Luminous Engine.

Fair enough.  

 

Even so: there's a big difference between developing for a high-end NVidia card, running on a well maintained developer machine, with a huge SSD and Windows 10 Ultimate...

...and a 6 year old laptop with Windows 8, a disk that is 95% pr0n and 5% virus, some random antivirus that kicks off every few minutes, yahoo toolbars.  Oh and, whoops... no H264 hardware video playback...  actually no H264 video codecs installed at all.  Controllers - yes, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, and PS4, and Steam Controller, and a Steering wheel, and keyboard instead: but with Turkish key layout, and a gaming mouse with thireeen buttons.

Do I sound bitter?  :)

I can't wait for 100 spin offs on PC.

caffeinade said: I can't wait for 100 spin offs on PC.

Can't be worse than the original game.