Digital Foundry: Bloodborne Performance Analysis
- Thread starter DieH@rd
- Start date
45 seconds of loading really is a stupid amount, especially for a game where you are constantly dying. On Demon's it was 15 seconds of loading per death, and that game was reading entirely from a slow-ass BD drive.
Milestoned
Member
Except for the pacing issues, this runs way better than expected, I really hope they can fix the former though.
Dictator93
Member
This is something that should not be played down. Framepacing is a massive disadvantage gameplay-wise in a game about... well, combat pace and timing.
Likewise, it is visually quite distressing.
Likewise, it is visually quite distressing.
Seems comparable to Demon's Souls minus major problem areas with sustained low framerates. A completely locked 30 would be better of course, but this doesn't seem too bad.
That said, I really hope From Software fixes the frame pacing because that bugged the hell out of me in the Destiny beta. Anyone want to email them this article and see if we can draw their attention to the issue?
EDIT: Just tweeted at the official Bloodborne account, we'll see if they reply.
That said, I really hope From Software fixes the frame pacing because that bugged the hell out of me in the Destiny beta. Anyone want to email them this article and see if we can draw their attention to the issue?
EDIT: Just tweeted at the official Bloodborne account, we'll see if they reply.
Why should they?
OldAsUrSock
Banned
Rolling into barrels and the game going into a sildeshow has never happened to me in Dark Souls 1 or 2.
JoduanER2
Member
Well after watching the analysis no way. They did a poor job IMO, the game is not that good looking and it cant even do a stable 30fps
psychotron
Member
wtf is with the frame-pacing issues this gen??? I can't stand stutter in games, and so many of the new games have it. I can deal with slowdown but not a constant stutter...shit just makes my ocd go nuts.
D
Deleted member 125677
Unconfirmed Member
I hope they patch the frame-pacing issue. It wouldn't be a Frame console game without the occasional frame drops though, so I'll forgive that.
Seems like a good game judging by word of mouthnobodyshero
Banned
Sounds like another problem I would never notice unless it was specifically pointed out to me.
For some people, such as myself, it's a thing they ALWAYS notice but don't necessarily know how to describe with much detail.
I played on PC, Blighttown was 60fps for me. This will be rough. =/We managed to survive Blightown's insane frame-rate dips in the original Dark Souls, i think this will not be an issue. Overall performance is very stable!
CypherSignal
Member
Without tools like what DF has, it can be really hard to pick out casually, especially if you don't know to look for it specifically. During ~95% of development, the framerate will be all over the place, and there could be a hundred other wonky things going on contributing to the subtle uneasiness that poor frame-pacing brings to bear. There are very few people who would be able to recognize what's going on and that it is an issue.
Veritigo_X
Member
You must've played them on PC because it for sure happens on PS3 and 360.
I always found physics-related slowdowns tended to happen more often in Demon's than Dark.
I'm skeptical of this. It's extremely noticeable to my eye without the need for tools to reveal the issue and I'm not the only one. There has to be SOMEONE on the dev team that would notice this issue.
THAT simply isn't true. It's extremely noticeable. Pointing it out is a very good thing as it helps increase the chances of it getting fixed.
qa_engineer
Member
Anyone know if Bloodborne is built on an in-house game engine or if they're utilizing a 3rd party engine and middleware as well? From has always had great art direction but I feel like their games are a little lacking in the graphical bell and whistle dept.
Veritigo_X
Member
Definitely, but I still noticed them often in Dark Souls. In Demon's it slowed down after literally any group of barrels I rolled into.
I don't remember if this has been confirmed or not, but there's a 99% chance it's some variant of Phyre. That's what all the previous Souls games have used and SCE Japan Studio is extremely well versed in it as well.
This game is their most ambitious in graphical terms and for the most part that density is impressive. It is just that the engine chokes on that stuff. From isn't exactly known for their hardware mastery.
Orniletter
Banned
I'm sure they'll patch the frame pacing stuff.
Doesn't sound that bad tbh.
Doesn't sound that bad tbh.
wrong, it is. the constant stuttering is super distracting and noticable.
I would guess not based on their PS3 history and how they tightened up their USB peripheral security on PS4.
CypherSignal
Member
And you know exactly, precisely, what to look for. You're probably one out of a hundred people (if that) that do. Trust me, this kind of subtlety can blindside a team of a thousand people. Seriously, if your game regularly has frametimes in excess of 40-45 ms on 90% of the machines, noticing subtle frame-pacing issues that only show up when your frametime is 25-30ms makes it even harder to catch. The only reason I managed to catch it on a recent project was because I had read previous analysis on NFS Rivals, and the frame-pacing issues brought to fore there, so I knew specifically what to look for, and where, so that I was able to understand what a little "wait what was /that/ framedrop...?" was.
Yep, and it happens everywhere. People shouldn't downplay this. It's nasty and it's constant.
If they have eyes, they couldn't miss this. It was noticeable from the very start of the game.
Depends if you notice it, I never saw it in the alpha for Destiny. Although I was hoping From software working with Japan studio would result in a better technical product.
Icyflamez96
Member
So what is this like in comparison to Dark Souls? I don't like the sound of this stuff, but it I got over the technical problems pretty easily in Dark Souls. The real thing that bothers me here are the load times which will I feel like will get to me.
Performance is still head and shoulders above previous console iterations of the Souls series, and people played those fine. From has already said the next patch will include some performance optimizations. Will be great if they can iron some of the issues out, but the game in its current state is more than playable.
RipperGrim
Member
24fps? It's more cinematic than the Order!
Was there a day one patch and was this analysis done with it or before it?
Was there a day one patch and was this analysis done with it or before it?
Sanctuary
Member
Yeah, I don't get this. Dark Souls on the PS3 had framerate issues, and they were especially bad in specific areas, but the entire game didn't chug like this the entire time.
Had to have been with the patch.
I remember in Demon's, probably only in earlier versions, if you had too many of those slug things explode in 2-2 it created so much debris Havoc would bring the poor PS3 to its knees and you'd get single digit frame rates.
Doctor Hades
Member
Why did the developers not fix both of those issues prior to release? It is not uncommon for a game to be delayed these days after all for various reasons.
Releasing a game with frame pacing issues (which IMO are unacceptable...why does it take a tech article from Digital Foundry to point out these issues?) and intrusive loading times, in a game where is not uncommon to die a lot, just means that many people will end up playing an inferior version of the game for a significant chunk of their game time and get a soured impression of it even if those issues are fixed later. I personally am getting fed up of this "release now, patch later" mentality that publishers seem to have adopted over the last few years.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
Ack, I really hope they fix the frame pacing. I think I dislike that more than the regular framerate drops which are at least predictable usually. Dark1x, how often does the frame pacing stutter happens? Other than that, and the load times, the game looks visually awesome, even though I've been severely spoiled by TO1886.
I'm pretty sure major developers will be using some sort of performance analysis tools. Isn't that a part of many game engine suites?
You can see it in the video. Its very regular.
Zombie James
Banned
Frame pacing was noticible to me and incredibly annoying when I played the Destiny alpha and beta, so hopefully this gets fixed asap.
I watched a stream of Bloodborne and what was even more annoying than the loading times upon entering an area were the loading times after you die. I might be spoiled by playing Dark Souls on PC, but around half a minute of loading each time you die would have driven me insane. Shouldn't the large amount of RAM help to keep loading times down?
geordiemp
Member
If you actually watch the video its pretty steady 30 for combat, it seemed to drop when smashing up scenery, which is no big deal.
Also the odd skip when streaming stuff is also not an issue if main combat sticks at 30, so all they have to do is sort out the frame pacing like most sensible comments on here suggest...
Yes and with. It's a 2.69GB day one patch (1.01).
SquiddyCracker
Banned
Isn't 24FPS the speed movies use?
Wouldn't that in theory create a more cinematic experience, like you're watching a blockbuster movie?
Wouldn't that in theory create a more cinematic experience, like you're watching a blockbuster movie?
Mr. Giggles
Member
shadowsdarknes
Member
Almost every game that pushes the hardware and targets 30 fps will have some drops.
The drops to 24 fps seem rather infrequent. So long as the game does not chug at that frame rate (it doesn't), it should be a rather minor issue.
Even games where people claim has a relatively stable frame rate (Far Cry 4) has drops that low. But they are very brief and are atypical.
The drops to 24 fps seem rather infrequent. So long as the game does not chug at that frame rate (it doesn't), it should be a rather minor issue.
Even games where people claim has a relatively stable frame rate (Far Cry 4) has drops that low. But they are very brief and are atypical.
The Destiny beta was a pretty nice in terms of demonstrating the difference between a game with judder and a game without it. The patch they dropped in the middle of testing that eliminated the judder was a night and day difference.
Sucks that this game has judder, but hopefully they can get it hammered out alongside the inevitable load time fix.
StoppedInTracks
Member
No problem with the framerate - it is a From Software game after all (Valley of Defilement, Blighttown etc.) I knew what to expect and it NEVER bothered me in the past From Software games.
The loading times after you die need to be reduced, tho. STAT. Loading between areas is ok but not after you die and you will die a fucking lot in this game.
The loading times after you die need to be reduced, tho. STAT. Loading between areas is ok but not after you die and you will die a fucking lot in this game.
CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls
Banned
Aside from the aliasing, the stuttering and FPS drops are things that could be easily remedied in a patch, right?
Also, if Havok has been such a performance hog for the series, why continue to use it? Would something like the Euphoria engine be too much as well?
Also, if Havok has been such a performance hog for the series, why continue to use it? Would something like the Euphoria engine be too much as well?
Sanctuary
Member
Wait until the game starts throwing more particle effects at you; which are just part of the level design and don't require any interaction by the player.
Old Yarnham