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Digital Foundry: Star Wars Battlefront Face Off

J

Javin98

Banned
Some videos from the article:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV71X0H0jn0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L-jVhZg0G8

The i3/750 Ti combo doesn't really keep up with the PS4 in this game.

Some quotes from the article:
First and foremost, there's the native rendering resolution. PlayStation 4 runs the game at 1600x900 while the Xbox One uses 1280x720. This is consistent with the two previous Battlefield titles but this time around, the results are moderately improved. Anti-aliasing on both consoles is handled by 'FXAA high' as it is labeled on the PC.
Click to expand...
 
Textures play a huge role in Battlefront and in general, consoles appear to match the PC version's high setting. The PC's ultra setting basically provides even higher resolution textures in select circumstances though the two are fairly comparable during normal gameplay. Without comparing directly, it's difficult to find fault with the setting used on consoles but if you have the hardware, the extra clarity in select instances is a nice bonus.

As for texture filtering, it's clear from comparisons that the console versions of the game use the high setting, corresponding to 8x anisotropic filtering. As a high-end 60fps title, we were surprised to find that DICE took this into account but it really makes a tremendous difference here. Of course, the PC version can go up to 16x anisotropic filtering without issue.

Shadow quality is always one of the more demanding settings in a game like this but the console versions manage to perform reasonably well here. However, neither system seems to line up with one of the PC preset options, leading us to suggest that it falls somewhere around medium, but it can also match low and high in different circumstances.
Click to expand...
Then we have effects. The effects setting on PC determines both the volume and quality of elements such as smoke plumes and explosions, so the higher settings ultimately result in a much higher density of alpha effects. On consoles, we see this setting adjusted to fit each level. In some cases, we see results on par with the high setting on PC while, in other spots, we found it to be closer to the low setting instead. In all cases, however, we appreciate the existence of shadows for many particle effects. The smoke from an exploded grenade wafts smoothly over the terrain with soft shadows projected realistically against the ground. It adds a lot to the realism.

For post-processing effects, we once again see consoles operating with some variability. The highest quality ultra setting on the PC enables a beautiful bokeh depth of field effect used in both cut-scenes and menus. Consoles typically stick with the high setting, producing a soft Gaussian blur instead, but there are instances where the ultra setting pops up as well. This supports the theory that settings are adjusted on a per-map basis.
Click to expand...
On consoles, based on our testing, we see a LOD distance that is not consistent with any of the PC presets. We noted instances where specific instances of distant geometry were consistent with the ultra setting on PC while other nearby formations would be consistent with high instead.

There is also an adaptive tessellation feature in play on all platforms that more gradually adjusts terrain quality as players approach. Rather than simply cycling between individual LODs, we actually see the terrain warp and skew as we move back and forth. It works well and isn't something we found distracting in the least, unlike the aforementioned LOD pop-in.
Click to expand...

P.S. Please, no more discussions on subjective matters in the article this time. It was beyond ridiculous in the last DF thread I made.

Much more here: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-star-wars-battlefront-face-off
 
J

Javin98

Banned
Renekton said:
That might mean it's not CPU-heavy?

Intel's CPU is the one usually carrying the i3/750Ti setup.
Click to expand...
Could be, our very own darkx10 thinks that the combo is ahead of the PS4 in many games mainly because of the CPU. It would make sense, actually. As the gen progresses, devs will likely make games which are less CPU intensive and that's where I think the PS4 will pull ahead of this combo.

seph1roth said:
PS4 is 900p

I3+750Ti is 1080p

Even knowing that, PC maintains 60fps almost all the time, with rare drops to 56fps.
Click to expand...
Watch the video again. The combo is set to 83% resolution scale, basically 900p, same as PS4.
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
This is the first game to take advantage of DICE's optimization efforts for PS4 they've been talking about at GDC for the last few years.

The rendering, graphics and performance improvements really shine.
 
S

seph1roth

Member
Javin98 said:
Could be, our very own darkx10 thinks that the combo is ahead of the PS4 in many games mainly because of the CPU. It would make sense, actually. As the gen progresses, devs will likely make games which are less CPU intensive and that's where I think the PS4 will pull ahead of this combo.


Watch the video again. The combo is set to 83% resolution scale, basically 900p, same as PS4.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's true.

Anyway, the 750Ti maintains 60fps without difficulty so, good job DIce.
 
V

VGA222

Banned
Great article and video, dark. Though, I would like to know what fov value consoles use normally and during splitscreen.
 
D

dragonelite

Member
Javin98 said:
Could be, our very own darkx10 thinks that the combo is ahead of the PS4 in many games mainly because of the CPU. It would make sense, actually. As the gen progresses, devs will likely make games which are less CPU intensive and that's where I think the PS4 will pull ahead of this combo.


Watch the video again. The combo is set to 83% resolution scale, basically 900p, same as PS4.
Click to expand...

Downscaled? doesn't that still mean the game is rendered at 1080, but downsampled to
900p
 
H

heringer

Member
Kind of baffled by how 1080p still isn't a thing this generation. 60 fps I get it, it's super demanding. But not even 1080p?
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
NICE! Man, those PS4 commercials for this game really had me wanting it on PS4, but I knew in my heart that after just having built a new PC I would be cheating myself. Still it's great to hear how fantastic the console versions are.
 
J

Javin98

Banned
seph1roth said:
Yep, that's true.

Anyway, the 750Ti maintains 60fps without difficulty so, good job DIce.
Click to expand...
I don't have the game, so I'm just going by the article and the commentary in the video, but the i3/750 Ti combo does not keep up with the PS4 at equivalent settings and does not hold a locked 60FPS in most areas, although the AT ST part of the video shows the frame rate on PS4 dropping more frequently. One important thing to note is that the PS4 settings are not the same on all maps, though.

dragonelite said:
Downscaled? doesn't that still mean the game is rendered at 1080, but downsampled to
900p
Click to expand...
Put it simply, 83% resolution scale means the PC is rendering at a resolution very close to 1600×900.
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
heringer said:
Kind of baffled by how 1080p still isn't a thing this generation. 60 fps I get it, it's super demanding. But not even 1080p?
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? 95% of all games are 1080p on PS4. What does it take to "be a thing"?

They enhanced quite a bit considering the previous battlefield games were also 900p from launch. Its not as if they are going to get to 1080p just from optimization if they didn't start from that point.
 
D

Durante

Member
Not really much more interesting than the recent CoD comparison.
We've arrived at a pretty standard result and ranking across all 3 platforms.

What's curious is that they point out multiple settings which apparently vary all the way from "low" to "high" PC settings on consoles depending on circumstances (expensive stuff too, like particle density). Goes to show how much effort went into maintaining the framerate on consoles at all times. I'm happy that they didn't cheap out too much on AF on consoles.

heringer said:
Kind of baffled by how 1080p still isn't a thing this generation. 60 fps I get it, it's super demanding. But not even 1080p?
Click to expand...
It's always a tradeoff on fixed hardware.
 
N

Nzyme32

Member
seph1roth said:
PS4 is 900p

I3+750Ti is 1080p

Even knowing that, PC maintains 60fps almost all the time, with rare drops to 56fps.
Click to expand...

They set it to 83% resolution scale to match the PS4, so you're wrong there.

That being said, the i3/750ti combo still does very well here. There are only rare drops to mid 50s, which is bearable, and the combo does better in other areas where the console drops below 60.
 
Alex

Alex

Member
Game runs remarkably well regardless of hardware. Have a friend comfortably essentially maxing it out on a 6 year old first-gen i7, 6GB of very dated RAM and a cheap 760.
 
K

Kezen

Banned
PC version is truly a sight to behold. This game shines at higher resolutions, although it's a very well optimized game on consoles as well. DICE can only do with what they have.
 
D

dEvAnGeL

Member
For a game like this it all comes down to ecosystem preference, i have a beefy PC but ended up getting this on ps4 and don't regret it one bit, game looks and plays outstanding on ps4
 
cyberheater

cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
Dice are wizards. They did a fantastic job on this game.

This is the best looking game I've got on PS4 and it's 60fps. Incredible.
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
Durante said:
Not really much more interesting than the recent CoD comparison.
We've arrived at a pretty standard result and ranking across all 3 platforms.

What's curious is that the point out multiple settings which apparently vary all the way from "low" to "high" PC settings on consoles depending on circumstances (expensive stuff too, like particle density). Goes to show how much effort went into maintaining the framerate on consoles at all times. I'm happy that they didn't cheap out too much on AF on consoles.

It's always a tradeoff on fixed hardware.
Click to expand...

That's what should be the priority i think, regardless of whether the game is 60 or 30. Maintaining a smooth and consistent experience should be paramount, so i hope other devs follow DICE's example more. They also hit a good kind of AA for maintaining 900p with decent IQ.

But i would disagree with you about COD and this being about the same comparison wise. For Black Ops in particular, it was more controversial just because of how bad performance got compared to the previous console titles, even if the disparity between consoles was still evident.

This is in the opposite direction with Battlefront handing in way better numbers and visuals than Battlefield, even with the structural design being different
 
J

Joey Ravn

Banned
Serenity said:
PC version is always the best version if you have a powerful rig. He was obviously referring to the option between the ps4 and x1.
Click to expand...

Well, that's the thing: even a very budget combo (the classic 750Ti/i3), the game performs remarkably well, at a better resolution than consoles. And since this article is pitting all three platforms against each other, saying that "you should buy the PS4 version if you can" is just plain wrong.

Pjsprojects said:
Well that's what I got from it. Sure pc can look better with the right hardware.
Click to expand...

Again, re-read the article.
 
D

dragonelite

Member
Nzyme32 said:
They set it to 83% resolution scale to match the PS4, so you're wrong there.

That being said, the i3/750ti combo still does very well here. There are only rare drops to mid 50s, which is bearable, and the combo does better in other areas where the console drops below 60.
Click to expand...

Is that a frostbyte engine thing?
To set resolution scale instead of 1600x900?
 
J

Javin98

Banned
Joey Ravn said:
Well, that's the thing: even a very budget combo (the classic 750Ti/i3), the game performs remarkably well, at a better resolution than consoles. And since this article is pitting all three platforms against each other, saying that "you should buy the PS4 version if you can" is just plain wrong.



Again, re-read the article.
Click to expand...
Where is this statement that the i3/750 Ti combo is rendering at a higher resolution than consoles coming from? It is rendering at the same resolution as the PS4 and according to DF, at worse frame rates. Better resolution than the XB1, maybe.
 
M

Majanew

Banned
Javin98 said:
Where is this statement that the i3/750 Ti combo is rendering at a higher resolution than consoles coming from? It is rendering at the same resolution as the PS4 and according to DF, at worse frame rates. Better resolution than the XB1, maybe.
Click to expand...

Guess they didn't bother watching the video.

Game looks amazing. Has me very excited to see upcoming games using this engine (Mass Effect, Mirror's Edge, Battlefield 5)
 
D

Dictator93

Member
I get the slight feeling that their "equivalent" pc settings are not the exact console settings as the consoles use in between quality settings that are not perfectly reflected among the preset PC settings. SUch as shadows and LOD distances for shadows.

edit:they make mention of it, good
 
G

gogogow

Member
Javin98 said:
Where is this statement that the i3/750 Ti combo is rendering at a higher resolution than consoles coming from? It is rendering at the same resolution as the PS4 and according to DF, at worse frame rates. Better resolution than the XB1, maybe.
Click to expand...

What do you mean with "maybe" in comparison to XBO?! XBO is rendering at 720p, of course the PC version, scaled to 900p, is running at a higher resolution.

Also your "i3/750ti combo doesn't really keep up with the PS4" is false, since the console versions have per map tweaks and the PC version don't, so the PC version is running the game at a consistent level graphically. Some console settings are even at lower than low compared to the PC version.
 
J

Javin98

Banned
Majanew said:
Guess they didn't bother watching the video.

Game looks amazing. Has me very excited to see upcoming games using this engine (Mass Effect, Mirror's Edge, Battlefield 5)
Click to expand...
Yep, just decided to jump to conclusions because it's more fun!

Dictator93 said:
I get the slight feeling that their "equivalent" pc settings are not the exact console settings as the consoles use in between quality settings that are not perfectly reflected among the preset PC settings. SUch as shadows and LOD distances for shadows.
Click to expand...
From the article, LOD distances are somewhere between high and ultra in some areas. To be fair, it's kinda hard to pinpoint the exact settings. The game seems to have different settings based on the map. Even effects can sometimes come close to high on consoles apparently.

gogogow said:
What do you mean with "maybe" in comparison to XBO?! XBO is rendering at 720p, of course the PC version, scaled to 900p, is running at a higher resolution.

Also your "i3/750ti combo doesn't really keep up with the PS4" is false, since the console versions have per map tweaks and the PC version don't, so the PC version is running the game at a consistent level graphically. Some console settings are even at lower than low compared to the PC version.
Click to expand...
LOL, why so defensive over that "maybe"? It's just to imply that it's only one console, not consoles. Also, I'm not the one who said the combo can't keep up with the PS4, DF did. It's not their exact words, but it's close enough. The PS4 version can sometimes also run effects on high and terrain quality is somewhere between high and ultra. So what's your point?
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
When it comes to performance, we feel DICE has made all the right moves. Star Wars: Battlefront operates at a very steady 60fps on both platforms. It is not locked, but it comes very close to delivering this top-end experience. To put it into perspective, Battlefront runs more consistently than most Call of Duty titles and comes reasonably close to matching the likes of Halo 5 or Metal Gear Solid 5.
Click to expand...

While this is excellent, and DICE should be commended, which COD are they referring to here? The normal perceptual 60fps titles or Black Ops 3? Cause there's a pretty big difference between the two

*EDIT*

I'm a dumbass, just ignore me. They said "most call of duty titles"
 
G

gogogow

Member
Javin98 said:
LOL, why so defensive over that "maybe"? It's just to imply that it's only one console, not consoles. Also, I'm not the one who said the combo can't keep up with the PS4, DF did. It's not their exact words, but it's close enough. The PS4 version can sometimes also run effects on high and terrain quality is somewhere between high and ultra. So what's your point?
Click to expand...

I'm not defensive at all. Because there's nothing "maybe" about it. I'm stating a fact.
And my point is pretty clear, no need to repeat it.
 
O

omonimo

Banned
gogogow said:
What do you mean with "maybe" in comparison to XBO?! XBO is rendering at 720p, of course the PC version, scaled to 900p, is running at a higher resolution.

Also your "i3/750ti combo doesn't really keep up with the PS4" is false, since the console versions have per map tweaks and the PC version don't, so the PC version is running the game at a consistent level graphically. Some console settings are even at lower than low compared to the PC version.
Click to expand...
As always. So what's wrong to say that now? Because it runs better on ps4?
 
J

Javin98

Banned
gogogow said:
I'm not defensive at all. Because there's nothing "maybe" about it. I'm stating a fact.
And my point is pretty clear, no need to repeat it.
Click to expand...
Yep, your point is pretty clear. Looks like DF needs to bump the effects to high on the PC set up's too to match the settings on PS4 in some areas. /s

You don't see the problem? Yes, a few may be lower than the settings for the low end PC's, but a few others could also be higher, so you might as well just keep it at one point. When a game does not keep the settings consistently on consoles, you cannot match it perfectly and some may end up higher or lower than what the consoles use.
 
O

omonimo

Banned
Javin98 said:
Yep, your point is pretty clear. Looks like DF needs to bump the effects to high on the PC set up's too to match the settings on PS4 in some areas. /s

You don't see the problem? Yes, a few may be lower than the settings for the low end PC's, but a few others could also be higher, so you might as well just keep it at one point.
Click to expand...
It is always like this, on console. I don't understand why just now we can't say ps4 port 'overtake' the i3/750 performance. Console setting are a mixed bag in multiplat.
In any case that's really an impressive achievement.
 
B

BigDug13

Member
This game relies very heavily on maintaining a healthy population of players. So while the PC has the technical edge here with PS4 in second place, due to the population numbers skewed heavily into PS4's favor on a game that is basically a coaster when the population dies down. It seems like that makes the PS4 the top choice and this article proves that the graphical trade off in making that choice isn't so bad.

Xbox One may gain the population advantage if the game should ever become free on EA Access.
 
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