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Digital Foundry: Latest Assassin's Creed Unity patch boosts performance
- Thread starter chadskin
- Start date
Waylon Drums
Member
You are way too pissy about this.
Am I the only one that thinks this was a joke post? I think he's just saying the narrative that states poor performance is entirely due to CPU power (and more specifically, the PS4's reduced CPU clock relative to the One) rather than shit development work from Ubi has, perhaps, worn thin.
Playing a PC game at 30fps you're living the dream mate.
I really hate that if you aren't sitting here bashing Ubisoft to hell, you're an 'apologist'. All he said was that this has basically brought Unity in line with *most* other AC titles, which probably isn't completely untrue, although this one is probably one of the worst performing ones still.
Also, different people have different sensitivity. For him, this may have made the game cross that threshold of playability. Perhaps he was ok with performance in past AC games and feels this one is now at least around that area and thus doesn't bother him as much anymore. Doesn't mean he's 'happy' with the performance, either. I can technically consider 30fps a 'playable' framerate, but it doesn't mean I'm happy with it.
As for the *four* patches things, I think it was pretty obvious that no amount post-release patching was ever going to get this running at 28fps+ average or whatever. I don't even think a few months delay would have made a significant difference.
I don't remember ever hearing anybody call the XB1 CPU 'vastly superior'.
*magic sauce*
Anyway, at this rate I'll platinum the game before being able to experience the "finished" version.
Seriously, a guess? Both version enjoyed some optimization in the assets, with the PS4 also netting results from the alignment of its codebase with the X1's
ElodieTicotoune
Banned
It's a miracle Ubisoft hasn't got hacked or ddos'd to death with all of this happening.
Then again WTF was Ubisoft thinking of making crowds in the thousands and they say that the crowds are not affecting anything. HAH They are stupid fucks sorry.
Guess what Ubisoft my computer which is powerful MORE than these consoles RUNS a game like skyrim perfectly. Guess what happens when i use the SPAWN 1000 exploding chickens code in my game. Oh umm i don't know... hmm lets see..... OH YEAH!!!! MY GAME STARTS CHUGGING like hell!!!! What do you think happens when i actually make them friggin chickens explode, my computer nearly dies and crashes.
Get that npc count lower for fuck sake lol. I think everyone will gladly take a lower npc count to get better frames in the game.
Then again WTF was Ubisoft thinking of making crowds in the thousands and they say that the crowds are not affecting anything. HAH They are stupid fucks sorry.
Guess what Ubisoft my computer which is powerful MORE than these consoles RUNS a game like skyrim perfectly. Guess what happens when i use the SPAWN 1000 exploding chickens code in my game. Oh umm i don't know... hmm lets see..... OH YEAH!!!! MY GAME STARTS CHUGGING like hell!!!! What do you think happens when i actually make them friggin chickens explode, my computer nearly dies and crashes.
Get that npc count lower for fuck sake lol. I think everyone will gladly take a lower npc count to get better frames in the game.
Summer Haze
Banned
And I really hate it when people use improved visuals as an excuse for a game running like hot garbage and/or games that released on a last-gen console. Fuck "thresholds". We deserve better than this, and it saddens me when people use excuses to dismiss piss-poor performance.
That's not "all he said", at all. I asked if the fact that the performance runs in-line with last-gen games is considered to be a good thing, to which he replied by mentioning the that it looks better than said last-gen games, as if that excuses the fact they run like garbage. He wasn't simply mentioning it matter-of-factly, like you say.
Doc Morbid
Neo Member
There's no need, their online stuff already works so poorly that you wouldn't notice a difference.
Well, looking at the game, and seeing how much more it's doing than any other game I've played on this generation (both visually and in terms of scale), I personally can understand why the performance is patchy. Perhaps you would have preferred that they scale the game down and made cutbacks until it was closer to ACII in scope and scale, and then maybe they might have been able to push the graphics at 30fps.
The issue is, I think it's completely disingenuous to say that you don't understand why the performance is so bad and it must be incompetence and we shouldn't stand for it. The absolute pinnacle of this intellectual dishonesty is people insisting, with the kind of practiced sincerity that springs from people lying through their teeth, that the game doesn't look any better than Black Flag or, in fact, looks worse.
I've complained at length about ACU in several threads, so lettuce not go down the road of accusing people of being corporate apologists. Personally, the performance for me is among the least of ACU's problems.
FranXico
Member
Not by DF themselves, of course, but a lot of Xbox fans started entertaining that notion shortly after DF mentioned the CPU upclock in the X1 as a possible explanation for the framerate difference. I have seen such hyperbole in other forums.
Summer Haze
Banned
I would have preferred them to do anything that is necessary to make the game run well. Scale and visual flare mean fuck all to me if the performance is "patchy" (lol), and if a dev puts those things above performance, which, in my mind, is the number one most important aspect, then those devs don't get my money. It's as simple as that.
And I understand perfectly why it runs like it does, but there's a difference between understanding the reason for something and accepting it.
Lets not pretend that. The original analysis thread is a goldmine, for example
So... what about that Xbone CPU fanfict... er... speculation DF were pushing in the last Unity comparison?
Sounds like the game still runs like shit on consoles though, so all this patching has ultimately still been a failure imo. Better luck next game, Ubi?
Holy shit lol!
Sounds like the game still runs like shit on consoles though, so all this patching has ultimately still been a failure imo. Better luck next game, Ubi?
Holy shit lol!
Denton
Member
I would prefer 60, but playing with controller on a TV, 30 is acceptable with this game, since it does look the part. Not to mention my several years old hardware.
blastprocessor
The Amiga Brotherhood
So it sounds like it's still not worth buying. 50% GPU advantage yet the game looks the same as Xbox. You've lost me as a customer Ubisoft for a garbage quality product.
Then don't give them money, I don't really care. I personally would rather take the improvements to the city, visuals, and NPC count than yet another cross-gen game.
It's a shame they haven't bumped up the resolution, but the framerate seems to be CPU bound, which means performance would be a wash.
You need to actually explain this argument in detail because I do not even know how to respond to it. On the surface it seems dumb because if draw call overhead goes down (or any other overhead) it just frees up more time to run AI, Physics etc. If anything it makes it less CPU bound therefore reducing the gap from the best case scenario for CPU bound games.
Now as I stated quite clearly it does not discount the fact that there could be a larger discrepancy in frame rate but if there were it would be down to other factors than the CPU alone. Part of the reason I expect this patch did more for PS4 performance than Xbox One performance is that they have spent more time optimising for the Xbox One so have started to hit diminishing returns sooner.
I also believe that even as dumb as Ubisoft seem to be, not even they would be stupid enough to design a game from the ground up where the CPU budget is exceeded even a moderate amount of time. I can see a situation where they have not had opportunity to optimise fully leading to the CPU budget being exceeded a lot of the time but they are different scenarios.
Ultimately the only difference in CPU usage between this generation of consoles and a PC is that if the console needs 20 Gflops of performance to do a task within its time budget a PC with the same CPU is going to need a higher number due to the increased overhead of the API and the OS.
nelsonroyale
Member
Not even going to bother with this I think, but I will wait and see how Victory turns out. At the very least this prototype should ensure the next release irons out some of the issues.
At least i can play the game now. Even tho the frame rate is all over the place. The experience of playing it is a lot smoother. With not so many bugs either.
Still... shame the game is not better optimized. I think what i have played so far after the patch is a lot more fun. Too bad they won't release another patch, i think the game could use another couple of months of work to iron and optimize it.
Not being a conformist here. But i am glad i can at least enjoy the game a little more.
Also... i don't get the insane amounts of NPCs... i mean, its impressive, sure. But they get in the way most of the time.
Still... shame the game is not better optimized. I think what i have played so far after the patch is a lot more fun. Too bad they won't release another patch, i think the game could use another couple of months of work to iron and optimize it.
Not being a conformist here. But i am glad i can at least enjoy the game a little more.
Also... i don't get the insane amounts of NPCs... i mean, its impressive, sure. But they get in the way most of the time.
OK so, had 30 mins with the game (PS4). My thoughts on the tech side is this:
No i didn't have the game when making comments regarding it, i'd seen all the vids/images etc etc. Firstly the image quality is not bad at all. Quite a bit of shimmering but nothing too ....distracting? A 1080p image i'd imagine would clean up quite a bit of that but its no deal breaker. The pop up isnt as bad as i thought, given that when playing first hand, you are mainly watching your character, rather than looking at the surroundings/people objects etc etc. That aside, i was imagining my eyes would wander off to something that would just pop next to me, but no...again im pleasantly surprised.
The amount of detail is pretty stunning to be honest, be it the amount of people or the variety and amount of objects on display. Also, i like the lived in feel, kind of like GTAV in that its very rough and ready, lots of things that are run down or weathered. Buildings in particular look fabulous with titles out of place or uneven ledges etc etc. Same with the ground, lots of variety, bumps, dips troughs etc etc.
Lighting is very very good though! i've only seen around 10 mins of the first time you are let loose in that first village area, but yes, very well done. Easy to see why they couldn't do a day/night cycle with it.
Now, performance wise i think is actually not too bad. I can see framedrops in games so its not something new, but also i dont let such things stop my enjoyment. When walking around it's really good bar the odd hitch, bit more agressive when running. On rooftops its pretty much steady all the way. Now, after i tested the above, i turned on Motion Plus on my new Samsung TV (H6400) which of course gives that higher framerate feel. It smooths things out wonderfully well (yes, i know about artefacts that such a feature of a TV brings but the Samsung tech is really good. I can live with what artefacts i see), it really does make a huge difference.
So there we go, better than i was expecting for sure. IF they could of locked at 30fps (on console) and improved the pop up somewhat then i'd have no doubt it would be right up there with the very best tech showcases IMHO. Like i say, i can live with what i see
and its really great, just a shame they couldn't quite manage it.
No i didn't have the game when making comments regarding it, i'd seen all the vids/images etc etc. Firstly the image quality is not bad at all. Quite a bit of shimmering but nothing too ....distracting? A 1080p image i'd imagine would clean up quite a bit of that but its no deal breaker. The pop up isnt as bad as i thought, given that when playing first hand, you are mainly watching your character, rather than looking at the surroundings/people objects etc etc. That aside, i was imagining my eyes would wander off to something that would just pop next to me, but no...again im pleasantly surprised.
The amount of detail is pretty stunning to be honest, be it the amount of people or the variety and amount of objects on display. Also, i like the lived in feel, kind of like GTAV in that its very rough and ready, lots of things that are run down or weathered. Buildings in particular look fabulous with titles out of place or uneven ledges etc etc. Same with the ground, lots of variety, bumps, dips troughs etc etc.
Lighting is very very good though! i've only seen around 10 mins of the first time you are let loose in that first village area, but yes, very well done. Easy to see why they couldn't do a day/night cycle with it.
Now, performance wise i think is actually not too bad. I can see framedrops in games so its not something new, but also i dont let such things stop my enjoyment. When walking around it's really good bar the odd hitch, bit more agressive when running. On rooftops its pretty much steady all the way. Now, after i tested the above, i turned on Motion Plus on my new Samsung TV (H6400) which of course gives that higher framerate feel. It smooths things out wonderfully well (yes, i know about artefacts that such a feature of a TV brings but the Samsung tech is really good. I can live with what artefacts i see), it really does make a huge difference.
So there we go, better than i was expecting for sure. IF they could of locked at 30fps (on console) and improved the pop up somewhat then i'd have no doubt it would be right up there with the very best tech showcases IMHO. Like i say, i can live with what i see
and its really great, just a shame they couldn't quite manage it.
Wish frame-stability was priority with all other systems taking a hit with a solid 30fps (pref 60) with all other systems dropped back until optimisations bring them back up again... Everything else other than fps is a luxury.
Eyeballs funny enough, actually matter. Health/safety first.
Eyeballs funny enough, actually matter. Health/safety first.
JamesSteve
Banned
What a disgusting product, how can people even play this game in its current state? I dont mind some graphical issues with framerate but this is unacceptable from a developer that has hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and 800+ employees. But! They did give a free game for those with the season pass, so its not completely bad.
What about the people that didn't get the season pass. We get more of the game that is not running up to par. So in essence. More broken game.
Summer Haze
Banned
What on earth leads you to believe that the end result of certain cut-backs would be a game that resembles a cross-gen game? They could still have made a game that is impressive on both a visual level and a technical one, which is worthy of being called a true current-gen title, but at the same time performed a lot better than what it currently does after four patches. This game is a prime example of a developer's vision being much too ambitious for the hardware they're working with. And I think it's the responsibility of the developer to balance ambition with technical limitation, and scale it accordingly.
Because virtually every other game I've played so far this generation is either a cross-gen game or could have been one.
Aces&Eights
Member
Arg. Damnit Ubisoft, just swallow your pride and drop the NPC count. I mean, really. If I could have a locked 30 and half the NPC in the street I would take it in a second. They remind me of Bungie and them taking out the loot cave because they want players to, "play the game the right way" rather than, ya know, have fun.
Your logic here is as spotty as the performance of ACU. Way to ignore everything else about Lucas' post that made your followup unnecessary and disingenuous.
PetriP-TNT
Member
Turning on MotionPlus makes AssCreed run at the feel of 200fps, put that on the box
Summer Haze
Banned
So you're using other games from other developers as examples to why this game would become a cross-gen game if certain cut-backs were made to it?
That...doesn't really make sense to me considering that those games are most likely using last-gen engines and code, while ACU is supposedly using an entirely new "from the ground-up" engine designed specifically for current-gen. It makes sense than the former look like cross-gen games. So it doesn't really make sense for you to use them as examples of why ACU would suffer the same fate.
I still see no reason why they couldn't have made a few changes, scaled their ambition down a little, and made a game that ran well and was still worthy of being called a true current-gen title. As I said, eyes bigger than their stomachs.
I'm just fed up of being called a corporate apologist shitlord over framerates.
Hugh Swank
Member
It pained me deeply to open my wallet and purchase AC Unity, but it was on my son's Christmas list, so I caved.
Summer Haze
Banned
I apologise for saying your comment sounded like apologist bullshit. I got a little too heated.
I might have missed something, but he seems to be responding in a way that should reduce uncertainty. What I've seen from you are cherry picked quotes that allow you to restate opinions. Maybe you're not the victim and maybe he isn't the bad guy.
Edit: I did miss something, apparently. I think a bro fist is in order between you two.
I have too. I'll take occasional teen framerates over corrupted saves and freezing any day.
Of course, with a more powerful hardware how you can't ? But it's not my point. Blame the console hardware when this game it's a buggy mess until four patches,seems really unfair, considering it struggle even in a monster rig.
We shouldn't have to choose though. Releasing buggy, unfinished games to capitalize on the holiday shopping season makes sense for them only because we keep buying their broken products and then make excuses.
I love Inquisition, but I had to restart the game several times due to freezing during dialogue, it is loaded with messy clipping during cutscenes, animations freeze and leave my character floating around... The works. I have experienced nothing like this in Unity. Only the aforementioned frame drops every now and then, which have hardly been game breaking. It's up there with Black Flag and AC II as my favorites of the series.
I think the game itself (Unity) is pretty lacklustre, but yes, in terms of serious technical issues I've had more with DAI.
GifGafIsTheBestGaf
Member
i dont know if it was posted already but to complement the thread NX Gamer
http://youtu.be/Xdji6gQHp4I
http://youtu.be/Xdji6gQHp4I