Zitat
Most of the work is focused on gameplay, but changes to the underlying technology have been made too, resulting in a more polished experience. While still rough around the edges, this Luminous Studio 1.5-powered experience is shaping up as one of the most ambitious titles we've seen so far this generation. Combining a massive open world with full global illumination, advanced animation capabilities, a realistic physically-based materials system, and GPU accelerated particles is no small task. However, with the poor performance observed previously, the question is to what extent the developer's vision is achievable while still handing in an acceptably smooth gameplay experience.
Initial impressions are mostly positive thanks to a much faster, more responsive camera system and controls. Battles play out much more smoothly thanks to an improved lock-on system, faster blocking abilities, and a dodge roll. Unlike the original release, the camera now properly tracks locked-on enemies while simultaneously zooming out, making it much easier to keep track of your targets while surveying the battle at large. These simple tweaks make a tremendous difference in terms of playability, even when the frame-rate falters.
And falter it will. For all that the game is doing right, its frame-rate remains a real point of concern. The PS4 version at least sees some genuine signs of improvements across a run of play. On average, we're looking at a 2-3fps boost with version 2.0 - just enough of an improvement to bring a number of areas closer to hitting a stable 30fps. Frame-times are still rather inconsistent though, preventing the game from totally consistent fluidity, but the good news here is that there's clear progress here. Curiously, cut-scene performance remains identical to the original release.
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