[Video] BioWare Makes Fun of Marvel's Spider-Man's "PuddleGate" Controversy

[u/cristi1990an]

https://youtu.be/yQph-_imtDY

[u/And_You_Like_It_Too]

I don’t doubt their complexity, and I’m sure the reason they removed them from their launch target was to create smoother, more fluid gameplay. And people will care more about what it feels like to swing from building to building than they will to see their unique Spiderman suit reflected on the glass windows of the buildings as he runs against them or any character movement in any body of water that has a reflective surface.

• Unfortunately, because it was removed the people that are upset about it have a legitimate point that there was a visual downgrade... but it’s extremely minimal in terms of the overall look of the game (and say, the difference between trailer “Watch Dogs” and launch “Watch Dogs”). It’s the reason CD Projekt Red was hesitant to release the gameplay demo of “Cyberpunk 2077”.
  

Regardless, the entire conversation was derailed because people thought other people were up in arms about the movement or reduction in the size of a single puddle, and that story ran in articles which were then posted back to reddit where other people could talk about how ridiculous the first group of people were to be upset about a puddle in the first place. Again, it doesn’t bother me, and I’d be willing to wager that we might see those reflections return (perhaps to a lesser degree of fidelity) in a later patch, if it doesn’t majorly impact the game’s performance. But I’m firmly in the camp of wanting smooth gameplay over stunning reflections.

[u/And_You_Like_It_Too → u/[deleted]]

Hi, /u/I_Am_Gassy — I came across this post when it was brand new and the comment I replied to only had a couple upvotes. Never meant to be the voice of the controversy or represent one side or the other, so I definitely apologize if I’ve misled anyone in any way. My only intention was to clarify that people were actually upset about the supposed removal of reflections as demonstrated in the puddles and not the puddles themselves (which I did better in a lower reply). That allegation was obscured by articles and posts and threads claiming that people were outraged by the movement or diminishment of a single puddle, which of course is ridiculous. I was not, and have never been, part of the group of people complaining about any graphical changes or supposed downgrades, I was just attempting to highlight what the actual complaint involved... and had I any idea that my comment would be upvoted or viewed more than 500 times, I would have either been far more careful in my wording and selection of the gif, or just not made the comment at all.

—————

I’d be happy to edit my post, but I do recommend for anyone reading this to thoroughly read all the replies to it as well. It exemplifies the controversy in that people are claiming things were different either before or after a certain point, but no one is really saying when that point was. And to prove it, they’re sharing gifs and images without that context, so it makes it hard to tell if it’s part of the “before” or “after” group without serious analysis. My inbox is filled with images showing puddles with and without reflections, and even windows with and without reflections.

I had seen a gif of Spiderman running across a glass building in a comment replied to another post about “puddlegate” and it turns out then when you try to search for images about Spiderman and any reflections, windows, or puddles... there’s a lot of stuff out there. After a couple minutes of searching, I chose the gif I did because I was trying to show what it looks like when Spiderman runs along a reflective glass building. As some have pointed out, because it was from an alpha build, it proves there were never any building reflections. One commenter provided this gif to demonstrate that there is a subtle reflection, although I’m not sure how old it is or from what video. And then, in the August 16th “Just the Facts” video, you can see at 0:39, 1:08, and 1:59 that there don’t appear to be reflections. Maybe they’re there, maybe they’re not. Maybe it’s due to the time of day, or the location of the sun, or what side of the building Spiderman was on... who knows.

—————

As for reflections in the puddles, that same video contains the image that you shared that definitely looks like a puddle reflection to me. Other people have claimed that people were seeing shadows rather than reflections. Or that it’s actually an issue with cube maps, or ray tracing, or image/video compression, or time of day, or that I’m a deliberate and blatant liar, a karma whore, intentionally spreading misinformation, a dumbass for pre-ordering, an asshole for not responding (because I went to bed after my comments), and a variety of other fun things. I just want to point out that I think the game looks fantastic, that the controversy is silly, and that I’m excited to play the game. Thank you for being polite about it.

[u/[deleted] → u/And_You_Like_It_Too]

If you ask me, that’s the real story.

Not the reflection changes but the jackasses who are derailing he conversation. I.e. the usual suspects games media. The way they act push me away from games I would otherwise be interested in.

[u/And_You_Like_It_Too → u/[deleted]]

I know when I first bought “The Division”, I spent a good long while marveling at the reflections in tiny puddles in the street, with neon signs, blinkers and sirens from cars, ambient light, and the sun overhead all factored in.

I thought it was really impressive and one of the first truly “next-gen” games I’d bought on the console. Whenever I was waiting for someone to buy/sell/clear inventory or whatever, I’d spend some time just looking at puddles and shooting the outline of dicks into vans to see how long bullet damage stayed before disappearing, etc. It’s mostly just stuff that adds to the realism and you really don’t notice it unless you’re specifically looking at it (or know it’s not there).

It’s nothing that would make me buy or not buy a game, or be outraged over... but it’s like the store displays that aren’t just static images, and have Christmas trees and presents or mannequins or whatever inside that you could actually shoot... or people in upstairs apartments leaning over and watching people go by, or actual indoor space that you can enter and not just streets, or lights that will turn on in office complexes across the way... all of it is pretty cool, and makes me recognize how far we’ve come in thirty years. I’m excited to see what games will look like in another 30.

[u/PraiseTheSun1997 → u/And_You_Like_It_Too]

You're representing the liars that's for sure. There was never any real-time reflections