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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Anyone else feel resolution is overrated?

 

I prefer...

Resolution over detail/effects 23 26.14%
 
Detail/effects over resolution 65 73.86%
 
Total:88

The reason that Alan Wake looks fine is because 960x540 is exactly half of 1920 x 1080, meaning your screen is able to perfectly scale to that resolution.



Mr Puggsly said:
curl-6 said:

All Rage ever has to stream at once is the next section of corridor, that's not open world.

And that's my whole point; some developers, like Remedy, chose to prioritize effects and other aspects of graphics over pixel count. Which in my opinion generally results in better results than pushing for raw pixel count.

Uh huh, Im not gonna Rage has the most complex open world. But again, there are 60 fps open world games on last gen. I really dont wamt to take the discussion beyond those facts. Game design and optimization matters. MGSV is a notable 60 fps open world game this gen, a game just need to be built around those targets.

One of my best examples of why I do like a focus on resolution, while not a priority for me, is a game like Halo:MCC. I like the crisp presentation that its able to achieve with 60 fps because the graphics and assets arent incredibly demanding. I kinda prefer the presentation of Halo 4 on MCC over Halo 5 on a base X1 because Halo 5 can look kinda bad at times, especially large MP modes. As you might know Halo 5's resolution can dip down to 800p, pop in can be jarring, animation reduction on distant models, etc. Halo:MCC can actually look more polished/better than Halo 5 because the lower quality graphics. However, if you have a X1X Halo 5's visual upgrade is massive even if some issues remain.

Now if you want an example of the focus on resolution being a nuisance, Battlefield V. The X1 and X1X appear to run the same graphics settings. The graphics settings on a base X1 are fine, exceptional visuals for the platform even if suffers from aggressive pop in. On X1X though, they appear to use all the extra power for dynamic 4K. I would much rather have X1X crank the graphics settings to highest possible while targetting 1080p/60 fps.

 

60fps does indeed require some pretty substantial tradeoffs, especially in a game like Halo with lots of NPCs, alpha effects, large areas, and just generally a lot going on at once. You see the same thing on Switch where 60fps is no problem in simpler games like Smash, ARMS, or Splatoon 2, but in Odyssey with its larger and more detailed levels a lot of the same trims as Halo 5 are in effect.

It is definitely something to be taken on a game-by-game basis.

If we're talking Switch and Xbox One though, I'd say most games probably shouldn't shoot for 1080p; not because they can't do it, but because they'd probably look overall better adopting a slightly lower resolution with higher quality effects/assets/settings.

RaptorChrist said:
The reason that Alan Wake looks fine is because 960x540 is exactly half of 1920 x 1080, meaning your screen is able to perfectly scale to that resolution.

There is that, though I think a lot of its also has to do with its chosen art style, (not a lot of high contrast edges, earthy colour palette, takes place mostly at night) x4 MSAA, and that the extra rendering budget freed up by the drop in resolution is spent on some really nice lighting and effects work.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 06 December 2018

curl-6 said:
Mr Puggsly said:

Uh huh, Im not gonna Rage has the most complex open world. But again, there are 60 fps open world games on last gen. I really dont wamt to take the discussion beyond those facts. Game design and optimization matters. MGSV is a notable 60 fps open world game this gen, a game just need to be built around those targets.

One of my best examples of why I do like a focus on resolution, while not a priority for me, is a game like Halo:MCC. I like the crisp presentation that its able to achieve with 60 fps because the graphics and assets arent incredibly demanding. I kinda prefer the presentation of Halo 4 on MCC over Halo 5 on a base X1 because Halo 5 can look kinda bad at times, especially large MP modes. As you might know Halo 5's resolution can dip down to 800p, pop in can be jarring, animation reduction on distant models, etc. Halo:MCC can actually look more polished/better than Halo 5 because the lower quality graphics. However, if you have a X1X Halo 5's visual upgrade is massive even if some issues remain.

Now if you want an example of the focus on resolution being a nuisance, Battlefield V. The X1 and X1X appear to run the same graphics settings. The graphics settings on a base X1 are fine, exceptional visuals for the platform even if suffers from aggressive pop in. On X1X though, they appear to use all the extra power for dynamic 4K. I would much rather have X1X crank the graphics settings to highest possible while targetting 1080p/60 fps.

 

60fps does indeed require some pretty substantial tradeoffs, especially in a game like Halo with lots of NPCs, alpha effects, large areas, and just generally a lot going on at once. You see the same thing on Switch where 60fps is no problem in simpler games like Smash, ARMS, or Splatoon 2, but in Odyssey with its larger and more detailed levels a lot of the same trims as Halo 5 are in effect.

It is definitely something to be taken on a game-by-game basis.

If we're talking Switch and Xbox One though, I'd say most games probably shouldn't shoot for 1080p; not because they can't do it, but because they'd probably look overall better adopting a slightly lower resolution with higher quality effects/assets/settings.

RaptorChrist said:
The reason that Alan Wake looks fine is because 960x540 is exactly half of 1920 x 1080, meaning your screen is able to perfectly scale to that resolution.

There is that, though I think a lot of its also has to do with its chosen art style, (not a lot of high contrast edges, earthy colour palette, takes place mostly at night) x4 MSAA, and that the extra rendering budget freed up by the drop in resolution is spent on some really nice lighting and effects work.

Depends, games like Forza, Sea of Thieves and Gears 4 (almost always 1080p in 30 fps modes according to DF) do quality visuals at 1080p. I bet Halo 5 would look fantastic in 1080p/30 fps, there would even extra headroom for higher graphics settings. Its just pushing the limits on the engine, effects and 60 fps.

If you wanna see a game with impressive lighting and effects on 7th gen, look at Destiny. It makes Halo 4 look kinda dull in comparison. Also a virtually locked 30 fps, which is unique for a game of that scale on 7th gen.



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Mr Puggsly said:
exclusive_console said:
4K is the worst thing TV manufacture came up with. 1080P is fine. At most 2K or 1440P. More detailed gfx/affects is more important. This is the advantage that PC gamers have as they can scale gfx setting/resolution according to their preference.

I feel the jump to 4K is justified even if not absolutely necessary. It does create a noticeably more sharper image even if not exactly day and night difference. I also like games push higher native resolutions for super sampling on lower res displays.

Ideally though I don't like to jump above 1080p if its compromising graphics potential. The amount of pop in BFV on X1X can be jarring because the settings seem to be at par with base consoles.

Sadly I think 4K is going to be standard or most game devs are going to target it so I am not sure how much the gfx detail will improve next gen.



 

Mr Puggsly said:
curl-6 said:

60fps does indeed require some pretty substantial tradeoffs, especially in a game like Halo with lots of NPCs, alpha effects, large areas, and just generally a lot going on at once. You see the same thing on Switch where 60fps is no problem in simpler games like Smash, ARMS, or Splatoon 2, but in Odyssey with its larger and more detailed levels a lot of the same trims as Halo 5 are in effect.

It is definitely something to be taken on a game-by-game basis.

If we're talking Switch and Xbox One though, I'd say most games probably shouldn't shoot for 1080p; not because they can't do it, but because they'd probably look overall better adopting a slightly lower resolution with higher quality effects/assets/settings.

There is that, though I think a lot of its also has to do with its chosen art style, (not a lot of high contrast edges, earthy colour palette, takes place mostly at night) x4 MSAA, and that the extra rendering budget freed up by the drop in resolution is spent on some really nice lighting and effects work.

Depends, games like Forza, Sea of Thieves and Gears 4 (almost always 1080p in 30 fps modes according to DF) do quality visuals at 1080p. I bet Halo 5 would look fantastic in 1080p/30 fps, there would even extra headroom for higher graphics settings. Its just pushing the limits on the engine, effects and 60 fps.

If you wanna see a game with impressive lighting and effects on 7th gen, look at Destiny. It makes Halo 4 look kinda dull in comparison. Also a virtually locked 30 fps, which is unique for a game of that scale on 7th gen.

Personally I think games like Battlefront 1 & 2, RDR2, and Ryse look better than Gears/Forza/Sea of Thieves. Again, it's not that 1080p isn't doable, or even that it can't look good, (Forza Horizon 3 for instance is a stunner) just that I think the very best results from more from games in the 900p ballpark. Ultimately though I guess "looks best" just comes down to personal preference anyway.

As for Destiny, while I agree it is quite impressive as a crossgen title I definitely disagree with it looking better than Halo 4, the latter has much richer shaders and crisper alpha as a result of being built entirely around 360's hardware instead of having to accomodate four different platforms across two generations.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 07 December 2018

curl-6 said:
Mr Puggsly said:

Depends, games like Forza, Sea of Thieves and Gears 4 (almost always 1080p in 30 fps modes according to DF) do quality visuals at 1080p. I bet Halo 5 would look fantastic in 1080p/30 fps, there would even extra headroom for higher graphics settings. Its just pushing the limits on the engine, effects and 60 fps.

If you wanna see a game with impressive lighting and effects on 7th gen, look at Destiny. It makes Halo 4 look kinda dull in comparison. Also a virtually locked 30 fps, which is unique for a game of that scale on 7th gen.

Personally I think games like Battlefront 1 & 2, RDR2, and Ryse look better than Gears/Forza/Sea of Thieves. Again, it's not that 1080p isn't doable, or even that it can't look good, (Forza Horizon 3 for instance is a stunner) just that I think the very best results from more from games in the 900p ballpark. Ultimately though I guess "looks best" just comes down to personal preference anyway.

As for Destiny, while I agree it is quite impressive as a crossgen title I definitely disagree with it looking better than Halo 4, the latter has much richer shaders and crisper alpha as a result of being built entirely around 360's hardware instead of having to accomodate four different platforms across two generations.

Ryse was a launch game, so with better optimization it should be able to run at 1080p on X1 with its current visuals.

BF2 looks great, BF1 was less impressive. Both games could be 1080p at 30 fps though. Targeting 1080p is easier if 60 fps is off the table.

RDR2 was built for PS4 to run at 1080p, not the X1. I feel they did a underwhelming job optimizing it for a base X1 though, maybe a dynamic resolution would have been better.



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Mr Puggsly said:
curl-6 said:

Personally I think games like Battlefront 1 & 2, RDR2, and Ryse look better than Gears/Forza/Sea of Thieves. Again, it's not that 1080p isn't doable, or even that it can't look good, (Forza Horizon 3 for instance is a stunner) just that I think the very best results from more from games in the 900p ballpark. Ultimately though I guess "looks best" just comes down to personal preference anyway.

As for Destiny, while I agree it is quite impressive as a crossgen title I definitely disagree with it looking better than Halo 4, the latter has much richer shaders and crisper alpha as a result of being built entirely around 360's hardware instead of having to accomodate four different platforms across two generations.

Ryse was a launch game, so with better optimization it should be able to run at 1080p on X1 with its current visuals.

BF2 looks great, BF1 was less impressive. Both games could be 1080p at 30 fps though. Targeting 1080p is easier if 60 fps is off the table.

RDR2 was built for PS4 to run at 1080p, not the X1. I feel they did a underwhelming job optimizing it for a base X1 though, maybe a dynamic resolution would have been better.

60fps was part of why the Battlefront games looked so good though, for me anyway, seeing visuals that impressive running so smoothly was really impactful, and I don't think it would've had quite the same wow factor at 30fps. It was a similar feeling to how a lot of the best looking games on the Gamecube, Wii and Wii U often blazed along at 60fps, thanks in part to EAD's commitment to high framerates in most of their first party games. (Though also thanks to devs like Shin'en, Factor 5, Retro, and Rare) 

As for RDR2, the base Xbox One version runs slightly smoother than the base PS4 framerate wise.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 09 December 2018

curl-6 said:
Mr Puggsly said:

Ryse was a launch game, so with better optimization it should be able to run at 1080p on X1 with its current visuals.

BF2 looks great, BF1 was less impressive. Both games could be 1080p at 30 fps though. Targeting 1080p is easier if 60 fps is off the table.

RDR2 was built for PS4 to run at 1080p, not the X1. I feel they did a underwhelming job optimizing it for a base X1 though, maybe a dynamic resolution would have been better.

60fps was part of why the Battlefront games looked so good though, for me anyway, seeing visuals that impressive running so smoothly was really impactful, and I don't think it would've had quite the same wow factor at 30fps. It was a similar feeling to how a lot of the best looking games on the Gamecube, Wii and Wii U often blazed along at 60fps, thanks in part to EAD's commitment to high framerates in most of their first party games. (Though also thanks to devs like Shin'en, Factor 5, Retro, and Rare) 

As for RDR2, Digital Foundry actually say the base Xbox One version runs slightly smoother than the base PS4 framerate wise.

But if you saw these games running at 1080p/30 with higher quality visuals, it might be hard to imagine it scaled back for 60 fps. I honestly don't feel the first BF1 is great looking compared to the second.

The X1 version of RDR2 runs a little better at an unusually big resolution reduction.



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Mr Puggsly said:
curl-6 said:

60fps was part of why the Battlefront games looked so good though, for me anyway, seeing visuals that impressive running so smoothly was really impactful, and I don't think it would've had quite the same wow factor at 30fps. It was a similar feeling to how a lot of the best looking games on the Gamecube, Wii and Wii U often blazed along at 60fps, thanks in part to EAD's commitment to high framerates in most of their first party games. (Though also thanks to devs like Shin'en, Factor 5, Retro, and Rare) 

As for RDR2, Digital Foundry actually say the base Xbox One version runs slightly smoother than the base PS4 framerate wise.

But if you saw these games running at 1080p/30 with higher quality visuals, it might be hard to imagine it scaled back for 60 fps. I honestly don't feel the first BF1 is great looking compared to the second.

The X1 version of RDR2 runs a little better at an unusually big resolution reduction.

Possibly, but I can only judge by the games that actually exist for me to see.

And 864p vs 1080p isn't that big a difference as PS4 vs Xbox One goes, it's only slightly over the very common 1080p vs 900p divide. There are plenty of Xbox One games that run lower than 864p.



curl-6 said:
Mr Puggsly said:

But if you saw these games running at 1080p/30 with higher quality visuals, it might be hard to imagine it scaled back for 60 fps. I honestly don't feel the first BF1 is great looking compared to the second.

The X1 version of RDR2 runs a little better at an unusually big resolution reduction.

Possibly, but I can only go by the games that actually exist for me to see.

And 864p vs 1080p isn't that big a difference as PS4 vs Xbox One goes, it's only slightly over the very common 1080p vs 900p divide. There are tons of Xbox One games that run lower than 864p.

Tons? Maybe if they're aiming for 60 fps. I even anticipate a ball park of 720p to become more common with advanced visuals coming.

But tons is a bit of an overstatement.



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