Digital Foundry Article Technical Discussion Archive [2015]

[Clukos]

Looking forward to some extended footage to see if I can spot when the resolution drops.

On youtube? Highly unlikely

 

[AlNom]

That thumb has been places.

 

[Starx]

Lighting and materials are a bit of a mixed bag. We're not certain how the game's assets were authored, but it does not appear as if a physically-based approach to materials is in place. While specular effects help to produce some attractive surfaces in sunlight, shadowy regions appear flat by comparison. Physically-based rendering can transform the simplest of objects, adding a great deal of realism in how light plays across their surfaces - but Rise of the Tomb Raider falls more into line with the Definitive Edition here.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-hands-on-with-rise-of-the-tomb-raider

Not only is the game using PBR but Horton explained that they are actually using a souped up version of the tech. “We are using PBR with a new image based probe system for indirect lighting and reflections.” He said in response to the question.

Read more at http://gamingbolt.com/rise-of-the-t...ndering-for-extra-realism#7WFGyCC8sM42wdf2.99

 

[I.S.T.]

That thumb has been places.

I don't get it.

 

[AlNom]

I don't get it.

Chief's hands look really bizarre in the opening bits. Can't tell if the shadowmap underneath is part of the problem (it's flickering a lot too), but the actual geometry of the hands are weird if you go frame-by-frame (I'd use the xbox press site version of the intro for max quality). #polycounting

If they wanted to have Chief's hands shake intentionally, they ought to have introduced the dreaded temporal frame blend there.

 

[zed]

Theres no way that tomb raider is 1080p with all passes, theres lowerres pass in their somewhere, looks like somethings wrong with the depthpass as well, like 12 bit depth

 

[Alucardx23]

Halo 5 Guardians Xbox One Hands-On Tech Analysis/Frame-Rate Test [Work-In-Progress]

Dynamic resolution should be the standard for Xbox games.

 

[cheapchips]

Guess you could argue it could be standard for all games, regardless of platform. Constant frame rate is a lovely thing. Being a layman, I have no idea how hard it is to implement or what the trade offs aside from res are?

 

[Alucardx23]

Guess you could argue it could be standard for all games, regardless of platform. Constant frame rate is a lovely thing. Being a layman, I have no idea how hard it is to implement or what the trade offs aside from res are?

I agree with that. Personally I'm a lot more sensible to unstable framerate than a momentary reduction in resolution.

 

[Rikimaru]

I agree with that. Personally I'm a lot more sensible to unstable framerate than a momentary reduction in resolution.

I assume that reduction in resolution is not momentary. And it goes lower than 720p.

 

[Alucardx23]

I assume that reduction in resolution is not momentary. And it goes lower than 720p.

If it's anything like Rage, the resolution will go up or down dynamically as needed. According to DF on the Road to E3 video the lowest seen resolution was 832x810, but on the b-roll distributed during E3, the minimum resolution was 1152x810.

"The current dynamic frame resolution system can actually be observed in more detail within the 'Road to E3' video published on the Halo Channel a few weeks back, and embedded below. It provides a closer look at the game in a debug state, complete with important performance statistics visible on-screen, as the camera is flown in and around the environment. We can see the horizontal resolution apparently shift dynamically between a full 1920 all the way down to 832 pixels. With 810 vertical lines in play we're looking at a resolution ranging from 1920x810 to 832x810. However, in b-roll distributed during E3, minimum resolution observed comes in at 1152x810 - not exactly wonderful but presumably more indicative of where the system is right now during gameplay."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-can-halo-5-deliver-on-its-60fps-promise

 

[Rikimaru]

If it's anything like Rage, the resolution will go up or down dynamically as needed. According to DF on the Road to E3 video the lowest seen resolution was 832x810, but on the b-roll distributed during E3, the minimum resolution was 1152x810.

1152x810 is a 1.25% increase in resolution from 720p.

 

[AlNom]

From what I've seen it's not that bad in SP. Warzone though....

 

[Clukos]

The good thing is that any improvements that can be made throughout its lifetime can be focused on getting the resolution to stick to 1080p more often or increasing the lowest res that H5 can reach. If they hit a solid 60 in mp in big maps their decision to go 60 is justified imo.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Digital Foundry: Hands-on with Uncharted: the Nathan Drake Collection
Great expectations.

In fact, the quality threshold here is quite extraordinary. In a world where many remasters simply bump up resolution and frame-rate and leave it at that, Bluepoint has pushed further, almost blurring the line between remaster and remake. At a basic level, performance and image quality are absolutely on point, but the developer's enhancements go way beyond just that.​

 

[Clukos]

Image quality is also well taken care of. All three titles operate at full 1080p with excellent anti-aliasing coverage and what looks like at least 8x anisotropic filtering. Aliasing is kept to a minimum and surface textures remain sharp even at oblique angles. Along with increased resolution, we also see LODs pushed out further along with higher resolution shadowmaps. So we're not just looking at more detailed art here - but more objects visible further into the scene, producing a richer presentation.

Nice

Bluepoint = Quality!

 

[rapso]

I agree with that. Personally I'm a lot more sensible to unstable framerate than a momentary reduction in resolution.

the problem is that the reduction applies for the nect frame, once the current frame is over budget. hence it's not smoothing out all possible issues, although its better than not having it.

tho, one sad point is that those moments that should look best and put most lots on the hardware, you reduce the resolution.
that situation might increase further in the future.

another site effect is that those temporal anti-aliasing techs will use varying resolutions, it's like having a low quality trail bwhind your full res image once it's back.

 

[Shortbread]

Digital Foundry: Hands-on with Uncharted: the Nathan Drake Collection
Great expectations.

In fact, the quality threshold here is quite extraordinary. In a world where many remasters simply bump up resolution and frame-rate and leave it at that, Bluepoint has pushed further, almost blurring the line between remaster and remake. At a basic level, performance and image quality are absolutely on point, but the developer's enhancements go way beyond just that.​

​

It's clear that this project was a labour of love for those involved, and it's equally evident that Sony spared no expense in bringing this remarkable collection to life. We have so much more to share, but in the here and now, the initial takeaway is this: our expectations for this release were sky-high (perhaps unfeasibly so) but everything we've played to date suggests that Bluepoint has delivered - in spades.

Glad to hear...

 

[Devious]

Digital Foundry: Hands-on with Halo 5: Guardians

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-hands-on-with-halo-5-guardians

 

[Clukos]

Glad to hear that despite the res drops the game holds 60 fps even in warzone. Moba-like Halo 5 MP? I wanna try that