Another case of bad optimization? I was planning to purchase either Silent hil f or BL4 for my base ps5 slim, but it looks like I will go for SH f.
I've seen some informed comments around their implementation of nanite. Basically, nanite's performance hit is only worth taking if you're using exceptionally high polygon counts in your static geometry - which we have seen in titles like Black Myth and Lords of the Fallen to great effect. Otherwise, nanite is just a really performance expensive replacement for environmental LOD systems. BL4 uses nanite, but it's static geometry just isn't complicated enough for players to see nanite's chief benefit:
exceptional geometric detail without pop-in. I've seen some chatter around their implementation of lumen as well, however that's still an open question. But, that this is being discussed at this level at all tells me that this isn't a question of optimisation any more, it's become a question of competency: why implement a hugely expensive system to handle complex geometry if you're art design just doesn't use complex geometry? Why implement a RT software ray-traced lighting solution when you're scenes just aren't realistic enough to warrant it?
UE5 is the go-to engine because it offers real-time solutions to complex issues, saving developers time, effort, and money. LOD systems are expensive to make, and baking assets can add literally years of overall development time. However, swapping to a fully real-time solution to both of these issues carries a performance hit. In some titles, like id tech's Doom: The Dark Ages, the visuals on show offer an answer to why the game has higher hardware requirements than prior entries. With UE5 titles like Lords of the Fallen, the answer is on the screen, present in it's incredibly detailed world that surpasses anything possible in prior generations. Basically: the reason it's heavy is self-evident. With Borderlands 4, the visual presentation just isn't good enough to answer the question of why the game runs so poorly. Ultimately, the answer for this question isn't in the game: Gearbox used UE5 because it sped up development, regardless of if it actually made the game better. They could've stuck with UE4, however, then they'd have to continue to bake their lighting assets and implement numerous LOD passes, taking up time and money. Randy saved money, and now his players are paying for it.
With Nvidia and Gearbox going on the defensive, trying desperately to justify BL4's utterly horrible performance, it's clear Gearbox are out of their depths. I imagine it won't be long before Tim Sweeny steps in and offers Epic's Engineer's considerable expertise to fix what Gearbox can't, even if not publicly.