Digital Foundry Article Technical Discussion Archive [2014]

[Arwin]

I reckon they hada lot of content to make, multiplayer to test, distance to draw etc.

I've updated the game in the database: http://www.techingames.net/Games/Details/48

 

[iroboto]

Looks really sharp. Probably the most impressive looking X1 game I have seen yet. Youtube comments are hilarious, people trashing it for the locked 30fps and 900p resolution, and saying how it looks like a PS2 game. These clowns are funny, but the sad part is, I think they have themselves convinced their BS is actually true. Anyway, the rock steady 30fps, no screen tearing, and crisp 900p res all make for a technically sound game.

sadly the experience of a game can now be summed up with 3 figures:
0-60 time
horse power
and torque

I really like it, it does look great in a very stylized way. I hope we see more stylized games like this in the future.

 

[Arwin]

I thought only the metacritic rating counted? I think the game can stand on its own. And being fairly unique early in the generation, it can have a long lifespan. Early exclusives tend to end up selling quite well over time regardless of their first month.

But this topic is about the technical aspects of games primarily, so ...

 

[shredenvain]

Looks really sharp. Probably the most impressive looking X1 game I have seen yet. Youtube comments are hilarious, people trashing it for the locked 30fps and 900p resolution, and saying how it looks like a PS2 game. These clowns are funny, but the sad part is, I think they have themselves convinced their BS is actually true. Anyway, the rock steady 30fps, no screen tearing, and crisp 900p res all make for a technically sound game.

Oh it isnt only on youtube that they have that mindset.
It is also in the comment section of the SSoD faceoff as well.
It is really sad that alot of people will miss out on a great game soley because of the resolution and framerate. I picked it up at 10:00am this morning and it really is a beautiful game. In my 2hrs+ time with it I havent seen a single torn frame nor have I noticed any framejudder or drops. The controls are very responsive despite it's 30 fps frame rate.

 

[AlNom]

Resolution Debate #792 http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=65767

 

[warb]

Oh it isnt only on youtube that they have that mindset.
It is also in the comment section of the SSoD faceoff as well.
It is really sad that alot of people will miss out on a great game soley because of the resolution and framerate. I picked it up at 10:00am this morning and it really is a beautiful game. In my 2hrs+ time with it I havent seen a single torn frame nor have I noticed any framejudder or drops. The controls are very responsive despite it's 30 fps frame rate.

Most of those complaining on such things aren't missing out because of resolution and framerate. It's just good old fashioned console wars hyperbole and misrepresentation.

 

[Alucardx23]

Face-Off: Lords of the Fallen

Face-Off: Lords of the Fallen
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-lords-of-the-fallen-face-off

 

[function]

Horrendous.

So basically, ps4 should be 900 with more restriction on tearing, and Xbox should be 792 (or something).

Yet more 1080p chasing madness.

 

[nightshade]

Horrendous.

So basically, ps4 should be 900 with more restriction on tearing, and Xbox should be 792 (or something).

Yet more 1080p chasing madness.

Your are making blind assumptions here. The game is already using lower resolution textures, LOD compared to high PC settings, if they picked 900P they probably would have notched atleast something up from there instead.

Beside this game has low budget written all over it, you find visual bugs everywhere. Have a look at these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqc189PAPmQ
Pay attention to the mountains here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4OuML0_ZSo


Stuff like these are prominent in the game and they are not one off, it's permanent as in that clipping issue with mountains would happen for everyone playing the game, same for that issue with shadows and issues similar to these are everywhere. I don't think the consoles are to be blamed here but rather the developer/budget/QA.

 

[function]

While it's true that I'm making an assumption, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that lowering the resolution would increase frame rate, thereby resolving at least somewhat the game's biggest shortcoming: its performance.

 

[Arwin]

Hmm, never mind, I was late.

Well, convenience summary still here. http://www.techingames.net/Games/Details/50

Does anyone have the patch notes for this game for me? (Options - Update History on PS4).

 

[Shortbread]

Horrendous.

So basically, ps4 should be 900 with more restriction on tearing, and Xbox should be 792 (or something).

Yet more 1080p chasing madness.

I think this is more so poor porting / shoehorning of PC code than native resolution. The very nature (writeup) of Eurogamer/DigitalFoundry article makes it sound like the PC version (more than likely lead platform) is finely tuned, specifically for Nvidia based hardware. But blaming 1080p for everything sounds ridiculous... I don't think 900p would even help out in this situation.

 

[joker454]

Maybe they are cpu limited on the consoles? I came across this benchmark image:

...seems like it works normally clocked Amd cpu's pretty hard and the console cpu's are underclocked a fair amount compared to the ones in the benchmark above.

 

[Shortbread]

I probably pick up the PC version soon, and see how it performs.

 

[zed]

I've noticed this before in other games but will mention it now
but you can see the HUD in the xbone version is 900p
I thought with the xbone they had some special display plane buffer for when the game was X resolution still the HUD would be 1080p but from all the games I've check the HUD is the same resolution as the scene, so whats up?

 

[BRiT]

I've noticed this before in other games but will mention it now
but you can see the HUD in the xbone version is 900p
I thought with the xbone they had some special display plane buffer for when the game was X resolution still the HUD would be 1080p but from all the games I've check the HUD is the same resolution as the scene, so whats up?

Perhaps the development for PS4 and its lower quantity of display planes is limiting their desire to make the most for the XBox One by not having that section be xbox specific?

 

[Michellstar]

Maybe nobody is using it... Or is tied (the display plane) to the hardware scaling wich is bypassed by many devs... Or the displayplanes are there probably just for so notifications and for the snap funtion.

 

[Arwin]

Personally I've always thought that the extra displayplane was for TV-in. But yeah, for many PC ports, devs may just not bother.

 

[chris1515]

Maybe they are cpu limited on the consoles? I came across this benchmark image:

...seems like it works normally clocked Amd cpu's pretty hard and the console cpu's are underclocked a fair amount compared to the ones in the benchmark above.

Many people forget framerate can be CPU limited, it is maybe like Alien Isolation where on PC a 7850 can run the game at 1080p 60 fps but with a much better CPU than the jaguar in the PS4 and Xbone...

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Digital Foundry: Hands-on with Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Article up on Eurogamer. Summary, which confirms reports elsewhere:

The campaigns are final, the Multiplayer still being worked on - 20Gb day patch imminent.

Halo CE (port by Saber)

• Game can’t sustain 60fps - looks close most of the time.
• Internal game mechanics are 30hz, “such as vehicles in the opening cut-scene, for instance - updating at a different rate to the renderer, resulting in obvious judder.”

Halo 2 (Port by Saber)

• Journalists are only allowed to report on ‘The Gravemind’ stage.
• 1328x1080 frame buffer but two (old and new) age engines running all the time.
• New CG rendered for cutscenes.
• 30hz issues fixed.

Halo 3 and Halo 4 (ports by Ruffian Games)

• 1080p 60fps port - little “remastering”

Great value, I'll definitely be grabbing this when I get a One