When the rendering time exceeds the budget, we have broken frames at the top of the image. Crystal Dynamics is looking for 30 frames per second and overall performance is close to that, but there are areas where the frame-rate drops, revealing tearing and an adaptable solution in v-sync. In addition, computer shaders and weaving are used to render deformable snow, which plays an important role in icy levels like this.Īs for the frame-rate, it is an area that needs work. It is used for beams of light or places with fog. Rise of the Tomb Raider also makes use of asynchronous computing to produce impressive volumetric effects. The quality of the shadows is excellent without noticeable artifacts. An internal SSAO implementation, called expanded temporal environmental obscuration, provides quality on par with or better than HBAO at a low cost in performance. On the other hand, environmental occlusion and shadows are very well in the new game. Physics rendering can transform the simplest of objects, adding realism to the way light travels through their surfaces – Rise of the Tomb Raider goes further with the Definitive Edition here. Although specular effects help to produce attractive surfaces in the sunlight, shaded regions appear flattened. We are not sure of the origin of the goods but there does not seem to be a physical approach to the materials. In Definitive Edition the effect was not so used so the fluidity of the experience feels superior. It even accentuates some of Lara’s animations and puts fluidity at a level we don’t normally have at 30fps. It encompasses camera and objects, the effect adds a beautiful visual touch to the experience. In your favor we can say that we like the implementation of motion blur. The icy landscape is a challenge, due to the simulation of ice on the branches of the trees that shine in the demo. This is combined with a post-processing anti-aliasing solution that does not fully appeal, producing a lot of glare and sub-pixel breaks. Normal readers know that this is common in many games of the current generation.
The problem arises mainly when we explore interiors of buildings with many flat surfaces. A low-level anisotropic filter is used, leaving many surfaces smeared at normal angles. There is also a texture filter that we hope to see improved in the final game.
Perhaps a post-processing artifact?Īnd while we are unable to include cut scene scenes here, we have to say that they appear to run below 1080p – unlike Tomb Raider Definitive Edition on Xbox One. It doesn’t look like the resolution has been reduced as single pixel width edges are still visible but the problem is strange. They appear as pixelated edges next to a variety of surfaces, such as boxes or cement structures. In the most recent demo there are visible edges that appear to be of lower resolution than the rest.
The image quality is based on a full 1080p presentation – confirmed by the game director, Brian Horton, at least on the E3 demo – but there are points that compromise the quality of the presentation. Even your tools move realistically when running – an effect seen for the first time in Tomb Raider Definitive Edition. Depending on the wind blowing through the valley, we see an updated version of TressFX that moves your hair. The great highlight are their expressions, their eyes travel the distance in a realistic way and a beautiful parallax effect helps to give real depth.
Fur shaders are more natural, snowflakes accumulate on your clothing. Lara herself is a particular point of renewed focus, the greater detail in the model is evident. The demo starts with Lara at the top of a cliff, where the engine gives us a beautiful view of the landscape, with little pop-in when we go down the line. Here Lara enters a military base surrounded by mountains, land with trees, covered with snow and ice. The central area, the Soviet Installation, which appears in the first two hours of the game – where it was possible to capture game sequences. However, some technical aspects of this version are still below the objectives. From the glaciers in Siberia at the beginning (as seen in E3) to a war-torn border area in search of the prophet’s tomb, each location is detailed with great artistic precision. The new game from Crystal Dynamics is impressive Lara has never been generated so convincingly and this preview takes us to varied and lived places. Digital Foundry: We played Rise of the Tomb Raiderĭirect access to Rise of the Tomb Raider has been limited so the opportunity to play the exclusive Microsoft at an event in London was something not to be missed.