Digital Foundry Article Technical Discussion [2019]

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@Shifty Geezer Unity is already doing a ground up re-write. Pretty much every single sub-system is being re-architected into a data-oriented design that drops GameObjects for some form of component system. I don't know if they'd call their end goal an ECS.

Edit: Actually seems they do call it an ECS, from re-reading this blog.

http://lucasmeijer.com/posts/whats_next_after_burst/

I'd also like to add that you can already use entities instead of game objects, but the whole engine is not converted, so there is a mixing in place. Unity ECS has been available but not production ready since some time in 2018.
https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/EntityComponentSystemSamples

Edit:
Another edit, Mike Acton (now a big fish at Unity) crapping on C++ at CppCon 2014
 
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https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-kingdom-hearts-3-plays-best-at-60fps

Kingdom Hearts 3 plays best at 60fps - but which console gets closest?
Every version tested.

We've been waiting for this one for quite some time. It's been just over 13 years since Kingdom Hearts 2 debuted on PlayStation 2, before continuing its journey via a range of handheld releases. But a full-blooded home console sequel? That only arrived yesterday, with Square-Enix deploying the strengths of Unreal Engine 4 to deliver a new series entry with a far wider scale and scope compared to the originals. Not only that, but the new title aims high with a peak 60fps frame-rate. The question is, which console is most successful at locking to it? The answer is surprising.

The truth is that alongside recent releases like Resident Evil 2 Remake, Just Cause 4 and Ace Combat 7, there's another firm divide in the quality of the experience depending on the console you play. If you're gaming on an enhanced machine, you're in for a good time, while the base machines can't really compete - a situation that's exaggerated owing to a key limitation in the game: its inability to deliver a capped 30 frames per second with consistent frame-pacing.

The main dividing factor though is, of course, resolution. Perhaps inevitably, sitting at the top of the pile is Xbox One X, delivering a native, locked 2560x1440. PlayStation 4 Pro follows up, with a 2304x1296 pixel-count, around 81 per cent of the X's output. There's a big gap that follows, with the vanilla PS4 dropping down to 1600x900, while Xbox One S languishes at a disappointing 720p. Image clarity drops according as we descend the console power ladder, with the drop in resolution also impacting the quality of both texture filtering and anti-aliasing. The standard PS4 just about holds up, but it's not a great turnout, while Xbox One definitely suffers. Beyond that, the only difference in terms of cross-platform comparisons comes down to ambient occlusion - the base consoles look rather dithered here, while the enhanced machines deliver this aspect in a more attractive manner.


On all systems then, our recommendation would be to leave the game at its default performance setting. On the base machines, you essentially get frame-rates between 30fps to 60fps, depending on the load. It's not ideal, but it's definitely preferable to the borked stable mode. Curiously, while the standard PS4 and Xbox One have similar outputs here, it seems to be the Microsoft machine that has a small advantage in testing like-for-like scenes. Also surprising is the fact that the PS4 Pro actually runs slower than both of them, and noticeably so. At the top of the pile sits Xbox One X, handing in its native 1440p presentation mostly in 50-60fps territory.
 

if this cutscene is realtime it's really impressive, of course technically we are far from the movie, but at glance the result is damn close.
her clothes are very well animated
 
And once again UE game with rather low pixel count, even on the X. This time around it's especially strange because its game with rather "low footprint" assets(aside cutscens) one would say. One size fits all solutions are not so good if you are dev not wanting to deal with tech and choosing such technology in first place? , that's almost oxymoronish. No one even noticed terrible 30fps lock.
 
*if real time !
We need confirmation, i think there are some prerendered cutscenes in the game.
reflections and hair are slightly toned down by comparison, but don't Disney movies take a day to render a frame in their render farms?
 
yeah not real time as i suspected

warning spoilers, but you can clearly see the difference in quality between realtime cutscenes and that prerendered one.
 
yeah not real time as i suspected

warning spoilers, but you can clearly see the difference in quality between realtime cutscenes and that prerendered one.
To me it looks like the part where she is singing is rendered offline
 
Is that the same guy that decided that 60 fps does not matter for sales by excluding the COD and sport games?
A decade ago, when 60fps wasn't ubiquitous on the internet and most console gamers indeed didn't give a damn about that feature.
 
Is that the same guy that decided that 60 fps does not matter for sales by excluding the COD and sport games?


Insomniac switch to 30fps at one point. How is that relevant to anything? Everything in this talk is still applicable at 30fps. Everything Unity is doing is still applicable at 30fps. To clarify, the reason I linked this talk is because it is directly related to the switch to an ECS at Unity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entity–component–system
 
Last edited:
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-kingdom-hearts-3-plays-best-at-60fps

Kingdom Hearts 3 plays best at 60fps - but which console gets closest?
Every version tested.

We've been waiting for this one for quite some time. It's been just over 13 years since Kingdom Hearts 2 debuted on PlayStation 2, before continuing its journey via a range of handheld releases. But a full-blooded home console sequel? That only arrived yesterday, with Square-Enix deploying the strengths of Unreal Engine 4 to deliver a new series entry with a far wider scale and scope compared to the originals. Not only that, but the new title aims high with a peak 60fps frame-rate. The question is, which console is most successful at locking to it? The answer is surprising.

The truth is that alongside recent releases like Resident Evil 2 Remake, Just Cause 4 and Ace Combat 7, there's another firm divide in the quality of the experience depending on the console you play. If you're gaming on an enhanced machine, you're in for a good time, while the base machines can't really compete - a situation that's exaggerated owing to a key limitation in the game: its inability to deliver a capped 30 frames per second with consistent frame-pacing.

The main dividing factor though is, of course, resolution. Perhaps inevitably, sitting at the top of the pile is Xbox One X, delivering a native, locked 2560x1440. PlayStation 4 Pro follows up, with a 2304x1296 pixel-count, around 81 per cent of the X's output. There's a big gap that follows, with the vanilla PS4 dropping down to 1600x900, while Xbox One S languishes at a disappointing 720p. Image clarity drops according as we descend the console power ladder, with the drop in resolution also impacting the quality of both texture filtering and anti-aliasing. The standard PS4 just about holds up, but it's not a great turnout, while Xbox One definitely suffers. Beyond that, the only difference in terms of cross-platform comparisons comes down to ambient occlusion - the base consoles look rather dithered here, while the enhanced machines deliver this aspect in a more attractive manner.


On all systems then, our recommendation would be to leave the game at its default performance setting. On the base machines, you essentially get frame-rates between 30fps to 60fps, depending on the load. It's not ideal, but it's definitely preferable to the borked stable mode. Curiously, while the standard PS4 and Xbox One have similar outputs here, it seems to be the Microsoft machine that has a small advantage in testing like-for-like scenes. Also surprising is the fact that the PS4 Pro actually runs slower than both of them, and noticeably so. At the top of the pile sits Xbox One X, handing in its native 1440p presentation mostly in 50-60fps territory.
the results are not surprising, typical of a Unreal Engine game that is minimally decent in size and quality, sigh
 
yeah not real time as i suspected

warning spoilers, but you can clearly see the difference in quality between realtime cutscenes and that prerendered one.
a guy made a comparison and the difference between real time and pre-rendered scenes in the game are obvious, not to mention compared to the film. But imho, Toy Story graphics have been surpassed in videogames --real time.
2qFKr8y.jpg


gdrVotA.jpg


39mpxHf.jpg


ULWKxeA.jpg
 
a guy made a comparison and the difference between real time and pre-rendered scenes in the game are obvious, not to mention compared to the film. But imho, Toy Story graphics have been surpassed in videogames --real time.
2qFKr8y.jpg

AwplFP.jpg


a real time one from KH3 to add to the comparison
 
@Shifty Geezer Unity is already doing a ground up re-write. Pretty much every single sub-system is being re-architected into a data-oriented design that drops GameObjects for some form of component system. I don't know if they'd call their end goal an ECS.

Edit: Actually seems they do call it an ECS, from re-reading this blog.

http://lucasmeijer.com/posts/whats_next_after_burst/

I'd also like to add that you can already use entities instead of game objects, but the whole engine is not converted, so there is a mixing in place. Unity ECS has been available but not production ready since some time in 2018.
https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/EntityComponentSystemSamples

Edit:
Another edit, Mike Acton (now a big fish at Unity) crapping on C++ at CppCon 2014
Actons talks have always been amazing as are Q&A sections.
 
Insomniac switch to 30fps at one point. How is that relevant to anything? Everything in this talk is still applicable at 30fps. Everything Unity is doing is still applicable at 30fps. To clarify, the reason I linked this talk is because it is directly related to the switch to an ECS at Unity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entity–component–system


It seems it would be more efficient to implement an ECS system with ref-counting than by garbage collection, does Acton discuss that in his talk?
 
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