Sonic Forces file sizes revealed

[Graystripe2000]

According to Amazon Japan, the file size for Sonic Forces on PS4 is 16.12 GB. The Switch version? 7.042 GB. Maybe that version is one of those Switch games that requires a download? 

https://gonintendo.com/stories/291042-sonic-forces-file-size

[memoryman3]

The texture quality downgrade on Switch might explain the file size. Still, this means that the game WON'T be content starved. 

[McGroose]

Should I be happy or disappointed about the file size? Yes, we complain that games are always so gigantic in file sizes (40GB+ commonly), but a game this low in size implies that there's just not as much content in the game as there should be. When Battlefront 2015 was released, we found out the file size was roughly 25GB barebones. That correlated with just how little content there was at launch.

So ya, you've got a little more space on the hard drive, but will there be enough content in the game to justify 4 some years in development? I don't know. I'm beginning to doubt it.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Just now, McGroose said:

Should I be happy or disappointed about the file size? Yes, we complain that games are always so gigantic in file sizes (40GB+ commonly), but a game this low in size implies that there's just not as much content in the game as there should be. When Battlefront 2015 was released, we found out the file size was roughly 25GB barebones. That correlated with just how little content there was at launch.

So ya, you've got a little more space on the hard drive, but will there be enough content in the game to justify 4 some years in development? I don't know. I'm beginning to doubt it.

I don't think there's much need for panic. I'm pretty sure Unleashed and Generations were around this area in file size as well, if not less.

[Bobnik]

1 minute ago, McGroose said:

Should I be happy or disappointed about the file size? Yes, we complain that games are always so gigantic in file sizes (40GB+ commonly), but a game this low in size implies that there's just not as much content in the game as there should be. When Battlefront 2015 was released, we found out the file size was roughly 25GB barebones. That correlated with just how little content there was at launch.

So ya, you've got a little more space on the hard drive, but will there be enough content in the game to justify 4 some years in development? I don't know. I'm beginning to doubt it.

You forget Odyssey is a 5 GB game and it looks like it's filled with content, so size doesn't always equal to amount of content. Sure it might look like not a lot, but I somewhat appreciate that it's not a 30-50 GB game.

[Crazy_Diamond]

It is important to remember that file size does not equal content. This information doesn't tell us anything about the content of the game.

[___-_]

@McGrooseIt's hard to say where Forces stands. I think Zelda BOTW and Mario Odyssey also have really low file sizes. In fact, after just looking up, Mario has an even less file size than this (around 5 GB) and that game seems to have every game type since the dawn of mankind, so it's a toss up really. It could just be that everyone's stepping up their compression game? 

[Strickerx5]

If I remember correctly, Unleashed had a file size of around 6gb. LW was 8gb and Generations is 11gb.

File size is rarely the best indicator to go on in terms of game size. Half the time the reasons you see big games getting big file sizes is due to poor optimization techniques and extremely massive texture files. If you're not going for photorealism, the latter reason is out. It's why games like botw can get away with low file sizes for the most part.

[Mad Convoy]

Small file size can mean a few things:

---The developers are really good at compressing the game's content as well as using memory-saving techniques. This demonstrates high programming competency, which in turn is a good sign that the game is at least reasonably competant

---There is not a lot of content in the game, hence the file size is low by today's standards. This is generally a bad sign for something like Sonic Forces, but if its something simple like Tetris, its not a big deal.

---The game is incomplete. It might have a lot of content, but its not finished and Sonic Team doesn't have time to do much more than compress, compress, compress so that the game at least isn't bogged down by loading times. This is a bad sign-- an incomplete game is usually a bad game.

---The developers only put some of the game on the actual disc or base download. You have to download an update to get the rest. This is an annoying game development practice that needs to die, because if the whole game isn't on the initial game purchase, as far as I'm concerned you paid full price for only a part of the game. Bonus points if its tied to DRM, as the pirates will gladly provide a package containing all of the game, therefore defeating the point of the DRM. There is no evidence that Forces will do this, so I am discounting it at this point.

Fortunately, for games that aren't tying the rest of the game to an update, the small file size is usually caused by good compression and lack of content. Here's hoping that Forces has the former and not the latter.

[Badnik Mechanic]

It's got to be the texture files.

The Switch version looks like an ugly horse when you play it. 

[Marcello]

Sorry, SEGA, I only buy games starting at 16.2 GB. 

[James Cloud]

Meh...don't care likely compressed still getting it for Switch especially for the portability! PS4 version later down the line.

[memoryman3]

3 hours ago, Mayor D said:

It's got to be the texture files.

The Switch version looks like an ugly horse when you play it. 

Did you play it in handheld or docked mode? 

Also, Sonic games are highly compressed into CPK’s. It’s how games like Rio 2016 are 3GB or less while they are actually closer to 6GB unpacked. SEGA’s compression tools are even better than Nintendo’s. 

We could be seeing a meaty Sonic game here, since the Avatar means they can’t use prerendered movies.

Edited September 23, 2017 by memoryman3

[Badnik Mechanic]

Just now, memoryman3 said:

Did you play it in handheld or docked mode? 

Docked.

If you're next response is going to be 'I'm playing it in portable' 

The fact it looks like an Ugly Horse is the least of the Switch versions problems.

[memoryman3]

Just now, Mayor D said:

Docked.

Interesting. Was there input lag?

[Badnik Mechanic]

Just now, memoryman3 said:

Interesting. Was there input lag?

Loads.

[memoryman3]

1 minute ago, Mayor D said:

Loads.

Oh boy....

I REALLY hope that’s a bug in the early E3 build of the game and won’t make final release. There’s also considerably more slowdown (like ACTUAL slowdown) in handheld mode and audio issues in the same build, so I don’t expect the final Switch version to suffer from these issues. 

The fact that Forces on Switch is three times as big as Generations on PC makes me hopeful.

 

[soniclegender]

2 minutes ago, memoryman3 said:

Oh boy....

I REALLY hope that’s a bug in the early E3 build of the game and won’t make final release. There’s also considerably more slowdown (like ACTUAL slowdown) in handheld mode and audio issues in the same build, so I don’t expect the final Switch version to suffer from these issues. 

The fact that Forces on Switch is three times as big as Generations on PC makes me hopeful.

 

A SEGA representative did comment on the switch version at E3. He said that the switch version of Forces is still a very early build of the game, and it's not nearly as far in development as the PS4 and XB1 versions. He also said that the final version of the game will likely run above 30 fps with a higher resolution than it is currently. I just hope that it doesn't lead to the game being delayed, but I think it'll be worth it if it is.

[Badnik Mechanic]

2 minutes ago, soniclegender said:

A SEGA representative did comment on the switch version at E3. He said that the switch version of Forces is still a very early build of the game, and it's not nearly as far in development as the PS4 and XB1 versions. He also said that the final version of the game will likely run above 30 fps with a higher resolution than it is currently. I just hope that it doesn't lead to the game being delayed, but I think it'll be worth it if it is.

Heard this line before, if the game is that bad, don't show it at cons. 

Seriously, other companies had switch versions alongside other systems and theirs were fine, if it looks like an ugly horse, don't demo it.

[Graystripe2000]

6 minutes ago, soniclegender said:

A SEGA representative did comment on the switch version at E3. He said that the switch version of Forces is still a very early build of the game, and it's not nearly as far in development as the PS4 and XB1 versions. He also said that the final version of the game will likely run above 30 fps with a higher resolution than it is currently. I just hope that it doesn't lead to the game being delayed, but I think it'll be worth it if it is.

I doubt it'll be delayed, considering we have had a release date for a while.

[soniclegender]

1 minute ago, Mayor D said:

Heard this line before, if the game is that bad, don't show it at cons. 

Seriously, other companies had switch versions alongside other systems and theirs were fine, if it looks like an ugly horse, don't demo it.

I agree. There's no excuse to present a game that's so half-baked, even if it's gonna be better at release. My hopes aren't too high for the switch version of the game, but there's still a chance it's going to turn out alright.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Man that leaves me in a pretty shit place. I'm either stuck with the Switch version, which could be kinda crappy, or the PC version, which I'm not guaranteed to be able to run properly. And neither my PC nor my Switch have a ton of space left on them as-is.

[Crazy_Diamond]

2 minutes ago, Mayor D said:

Heard this line before, if the game is that bad, don't show it at cons. 

Seriously, other companies had switch versions alongside other systems and theirs were fine, if it looks like an ugly horse, don't demo it.

Yeah, that's very true. They already had the PS4 version ready, so why show off the Switch version if it was in such a bad state? Maybe they were trying to prove that it could run on the Switch? I don't know, but whatever the reason, I hope these issues don't persist in the final game. I am probably going to get the Switch version, so I hope that Sega fixes this stuff.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Oh yeah another odd thing.

Switch version didn't have the tag team level..

The others however did.

 

...lol You don't think... that's the reason for the file size?

[soniclegender]

1 minute ago, Mayor D said:

Oh yeah another odd thing.

Switch version didn't have the tag team level..

The others however did.

 

...lol You don't think... that's the reason for the file size?

When did you try it?

I don't think that tag-team stages were revealed at the time they presented the switch version of the game, but like I said before, the switch version is a very early build of the game.