is PC game optimization worth to do?

[orangpelupa]

suddenly this comes to mind...when im thinking of playing multiplatform game on PC instead of PS4. With the current trend, game on PC will become more and more heavier while they still run fine on console.
from the consumer perspective, sure optimization for PC games is nice. But is it really something that worth to do by developer?

Its been quite common that PC games have bad optimization, including for AAA games. Watch Dogs runs nice on Nvidia, not too good on ATi. AssCreed series did not properly use multipler cores, etc.

games without superb pc optimization keep selling well (and maybe it make PC gamer invest more in their hardware).

So is there any reason why developer should optimize their pc games? what is the benefit for them to optimize games? does games that run well on super wide array of PC really give more sales?

With the design on PS4 and X1, i think optimizing PC game should be much easier this generation than last generation (PS3/X360).

some AAA games that have post-update "noticeable" performance optimization:
- Tomb Raider reboot
- Titanfall (almost 100% fps boost for my tablet)
- Battlefield series

 

[homerdog]

Smart developers try to get their games to run on the maximum amount of hardware they can. Optimization is definitely important.

Mantle and DX12 will go a long way towards alleviating the PC optimizations woes we've grown used to, allowing efficient use of multicore CPUs and better access to GPU features. The user mode driver will still be there but that isn't such a large problem.

 

[ArcticCircle]

I don't think it's important. People like me, who play games only on PC, buy unoptimized games anyway sooner or later. Advantages are still great like higher framerate and resolution.

Of course one could argue that even adding support for keyboard and mouse, allowing higher resolution and framerate is "optimization", but that actually would be breaking point for me. I wouldn't buy game, no matter how good it is, this those features are locked to console settings (obviously one loophole is mods that fix the situation as in DS or similar games).

 

[Pixel]

In this day and age I sadly must consider Crysis series d3d featureset implementation & larger textures, adjustable LOD, part of the high end "optimization". And it certainly helped sales of the game for high end pc users. I just hop0e that there is a good return on investment so its something they continue to do (and hopefully other developers pick up on).

On the low end with the majority of steam users having low end hardware like integrated gpus, it shows the importance of optimization for the low end.

The big issue last gen was porting the risc code over to x86 hardware. This gen coupled with Mantle/DX12 means pc-cpus will not be as heavily burdened for alot of tripleA titles.

-Side note: there is probably going to be some nice performance bang for buck for pc systems with gcn1 gpus and jaguar cpu cores.

 

[pjbliverpool]

Most PC games are pretty well optimised at console or below settings. Its when you start turning on the "PC only" settings that performance can fall off a cliff because those are the settings targetted at a small niche market that devs don't spend much time optimising for. Take the Watchdogs example, it may be considered poorly optimised for AMD but if you're aiming or console parity only then a 7870 will do just fine.

 

[swaaye]

I assume you're talking Xbox One parity there with the 7870. Watch Dogs runs pretty well on slower hardware. I've run it on my 1GB 560 Ti at 1080p.

As to whether it's worthwhile or whatever to make games work well, maybe some examination of the ~40 years of PC gaming is in order. Today we generally have very high quality, very stable games. There was a time when games, your OS, and your drivers (or the hardware itself for that matter) were not stable or polished at all. Seems to me there has been major progress in bringing better quality to every aspect of gaming and in doing so it makes far more money than ever before thanks to its huge audience.

If you actually use PC gaming for its true advantage of unique gameplay opportunities like indie, strategy, MMO, complex simulation and modding, then you can't complain about supposed lack of optimization anyway because there's nothing to compare with.

 

[Billy Idol]

Hm...PC might be well optimized for GPUs...but in my opinion not CPUs.

I wonder if this changes this gen?

 

[PeterAce]

Hm...PC might be well optimized for GPUs...but in my opinion not CPUs.

I wonder if this changes this gen?

From what we know so far of DX12 is that it is a low level API is all about reducing CPU overhead + multithreading. As this console gen is just as likely as long as the last, I think in several years time PC gamers will be enjoying much higher res (4k) and smooth 60fps + (when the consoles will be stuck at <= 1080p and 30fps).

 

[pjbliverpool]

I assume you're talking Xbox One parity there with the 7870. Watch Dogs runs pretty well on slower hardware. I've run it on my 1GB 560 Ti at 1080p.
.

Nope PS4 level is achievable with ease on a 7870. We're only talking about 900p at high settings and 30fps. That's well within the reach of a 7870:

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/05/watch-dogs-benchmarked-how-does-your-pc-stack-up/

 

[orangpelupa]

^^ good news for my HD 7770. I'm fine playing the majority of games in 720p or 1440x900 or 1600x900 @ 20-30 fps. Multiplayer games can run in lowest setting for fastest FPS

btw AMD Mantle optimization for GCN 1 GPU is still broken last time i played BF4. It seems AMD more focused on newer GCN gpu...

about CPU, although there's mantle and DX12.. some things like PhysX sure still run very heavy due to Nvidia

 

[Malo]

That's really up to the game developers now. With much better access to GPGPU, Direct Compute etc and that it's becoming much wider utilized on the new consoles, there should be no reason they can't do the same on the PC side. Though I'm not sure about rigid body physics on the new consoles, I guess they have more cores available on the CPU side to cater for that?

 

[homerdog]

Well what's better, 6 slow cores or 4 very fast ones? I think devs would choose an i5 or i7 any day over the Jaguar stuff any day. Even an i3 for that matter.

A Haswell i7 sans IGP would be right tiny with a very manageable TDP. Too bad Intel would never consider console margins in a million years.

 

[Mobius1aic]

There are even badly optimized PC games.

Example: Ghost Recon: Phantoms. It's a F2P and you wouldn't expect it but it taxes my Phenom II x4 (yes it's old) quite a bit but I didn't think it would have all 4 cores around 50%-75% utilization all the time. I can barely reach 60FPS at times. It's ****ing ridiculous. I know it's not a GPU issue either because I can be staring straight at the ground and the FPS will still hover at the same value.

My GF's computer (i3-2120 + 7750) has no qualms, it's 60 FPS all the time.