Stalker 2 has made me look again and notice that perhaps it was a mistake to make Epic Video games’ Unreal Engine 5 turn out to be an trade customary for the following decade.
Certain, GSC Sport World’s large comeback FPS/survival sport is a ‘worst case state of affairs’ of an UE5-powered sport being damaged as s**t at launch, however I’ve performed my fair proportion of UE5 video games 4 years into this gen, and mayhap Epic’s powerhouse of an engine is not nearly as good for everybody because it was made out to be after these early demos and The Matrix Awakens.
Some context forward of my rant: I do not know a lot concerning the ins and outs of sport engines, programming, 3D modelling, or no matter. I did dabble in Bethesda’s Creation Engine again within the day, and that was it. I’ve by no means proven a lot curiosity in tinkering with software program {and professional} instruments past an ‘superior consumer’ degree. I am, nonetheless (and for apparent causes), very interested in all these processes and the work that goes into making all types of video video games and interactive experiences.
In fact, I am additionally somebody who performs way more video games than he ought to over the course of a yr, which is an efficient strategy to begin selecting up on issues, good and unhealthy. Mix that with self-taught {hardware} information and OS tinkering, and as a client, you begin to make sense of efficiency points past saying ‘this runs like moist ass’ and asking for a refund (which I encourage everybody to do extra typically).
Anyway, do you do not forget that late-2022 large Fortnite replace which ported all the factor over to UE5.1 to make good use of Nanite, Lumen, and all that stuff? After a few years of hyping up its new engine and attempting to get builders to maneuver previous PS4 and Xbox One’s limitations, it type of felt like Epic’s large triumphant second with the brand new tech. Getting everybody and their respective moms to expertise without charge all of the shiny, wonderful new visuals that got here with UE5, carried out in a completely purposeful AAA on-line sport.
Unsurprisingly, issues did not go precisely as deliberate. Your common Fortnite professional had been utilizing the bottom potential settings for years to maximise their Okay/D ratio, and people of us packing {hardware} beefy sufficient made the leap solely to seek out much more stuttering than in UE4’s later variations and an general efficiency hit that wasn’t well worth the trouble. Two years later, the state of affairs hasn’t modified a lot. Leaping right into a Fortnite match proper after updating drivers or the sport itself means you will not do nice, as shaders are being absolutely reloaded yet again, and all that heavy lifting is being performed on the go. Not excellent.
For individuals who do not know: The entire take care of shaders is that every {hardware} configuration should (or ought to) put together them for fast loading forward of standard play, which is why consoles aren’t as affected by these woes and why trendy gaming on PC may be type of tough as of late, a minimum of till your PC has ‘acquainted’ itself with the newest AA/AAA beast. Completely different engines (and builders) deal with this in several methods. Within the case of UE5, ‘stutter battle‘ is a really actual factor, particularly when traversing big ranges/worlds, and the dearth of fine, correct shader compilation upon launch in some titles solely makes issues worse.
Even when UE5 has been used moderately nicely (see Remnant 2), with Lumen and Nanite including lighting and a degree of granular element to scenes that appeared not possible only a few years in the past, the accompanying efficiency hit, even on costly PC {hardware}, is not value it for the typical gamer, who’s simply in search of easy, painless experiences, particularly when taking part in significantly irritating and demanding video games.
The answer that is taken over the trade even faster than UE5? Aggressive AI-powered upscaling and body era. Each AMD and Nvidia are throughout this, with the latter locking the (admittedly extra strong than the competitors’s) tech behind the 40 collection and above. Since devs can now conjure frames out of skinny air, it seems like graphical constancy is shifting quicker than the precise {hardware} getting used to run all that jazz, with ray tracing main the cost. The ultimate outcome? Most large studios try to be Crytek in 2007, pushing for ridiculous visible high quality that may solely be carried by the present {hardware} at excessive framerates because of crutches resembling DLSS, FSR, and whatnot.
And what? I believe that tech works fairly nicely and is exhibiting much more promise with every passing yr. I really like how my 4070Ti can poof frames into existence. However even once you’re getting all these candy boosts… some video games stay a stuttery, uneven mess, and I am not blissful to say that UE5 continues to be the worst offender. A superb latest instance was 2023’s ill-fated Immortals of Aveum, a sport that, even after a number of patches, is essentially damaged on a technical degree to this present day. Regardless of the FSR3 and DLSS 3 help it enjoys, it is a wobbly mess susceptible to crashing. This additionally applies to a number of different 2023 video games, such because the surprisingly okay Lords of the Fallen reboot, which has gained fairly the cult following, however will get second-long freezing out of nowhere irrespective of your settings and stays tough on consoles.
These are just a few examples, however you may see the sample right here. In the event you do not imagine me, let the nice people at Digital Foundry persuade you with extra knowledge and deep analysis than I might ever fake to offer. Additionally, for those who’re an avid gamer, verify this checklist for latest video games you have performed and complained about relating to efficiency. The large exception, a minimum of in my expertise, appears to be Hellblade 2 (unsurprising, contemplating how a lot time Ninja Idea put into the audiovisual presentation versus every part else), which was shockingly easy and stutter-free bar the uncommon crash associated to PC woes I used to be struggling across the time it launched. However Hellblade 2 additionally occurs to be a really linear sport, so make of that what you’ll.
As we glance to the long run, with UE5-powered behemoths like the following Witcher, Mass Impact, and Star Wars Jedi entries looming nearer and nearer with every passing day, I can not assist however be fearful about all the most important studios which have ditched their very own tech to depend on Epic Video games’ engine, which up to now feels fairly underwhelming in actual use outdoors of untamed tech demos and initiatives the place tons of time and assets have been allotted to work out its kinks.
Stalker 2 would possibly’ve been the straw that broke the camel’s again, and whereas we might place a great quantity of the blame on GSC Sport World not taking further time with it, I can not assist however consider how tremendous easy Dragon Age: The Veilguard is throughout a really wide selection of {hardware}, all whereas operating on an engine (Frostbite) that was deemed unfit for something however FPS not too way back. Have been all of us deceived by Tim Sweeney once more? Uh-oh…
