First up, the basics. From a technical perspective, developer Daybreak Game Company (previously Sony Online Entertainment) is targeting a native 1920x1080 framebuffer and a capped 30fps update for the final PS4 release. An initial look at the beta right now confirms this full HD presentation is in effect, giving us the sharpest base image we could hope for. However, it uses a similar post-process AA method to the PC version; an effect that blurs over its artwork to a degree, while sub-pixel coverage is at times spotty on fine details. Even PC struggles in this area, with no alternative methods offered directly via its display menu - meaning overall image quality is extremely close between the two in practice.
It's a solid start for the console rendition in any case, but PlanetSide 2's scale is the real selling point. Powered by the Forgelight engine, the PS4 version boasts a huge online landscape that supports thousands of players in a continuous, large-scale conflict. Content-wise, the beta opens up all four of PlanetSide 2's continents for players to explore, in addition to providing an extra fifth designed to ease newcomers into the initially daunting online experience. PC-grade environmental quality is upheld across each of these, with players able to explore the terrain via different aircraft, tanks, and upgrades such as jet packs that add a real sense of verticality to battles.
However, moving into more intense combat situations, we see frame-rates that frequently go south of 30fps. Leaping across several rooftops to join a small skirmish in a nearby outbuilding, the range is often between 27-30fps, resulting in heavy judder and weighty controls that makes aiming less precise. The ebb and flow of the action comes across as jerky and distinctly uneven, with tearing artefacts only accentuating the loss in smoothness caused by the variable refresh. Even in fairly small, concentrated skirmishes between half a dozen players, performance is prone to drop down to the mid-twenties. The scale of battle here is limited of course, and at launch there's the potential for the engine to be much more heavily taxed in conflicts featuring hundreds of players. However, it's clear why the studio is backing away from its originally intended 60fps target for the game, in favour of a half-refresh.
The regularity at which frame-rates drops below 30fps is a concern too, and at its current level of optimisation such a 30fps cap will struggle to disguise the lowest readings on our graph. Fortunately shootouts in other spots fare a little better, and frame-rates hover anywhere from 30-45fps during a string of smaller fire-fights across Indar. In these scenes the appearance of multiple vehicles, illuminated projectile effects and volumetric smoke has the engine struggling. Judder is still noticeable and controller response remains an issue - but on the plus side, the action holds up better overall when compared to the worst, sub-30fps sections.
Ultimately there's a chasm between scenes operating near 60fps and those closer to (and below) 30fps in Planetside 2. At higher fame-rates, the uncapped refresh works well from a gameplay perspective; controls are more stable despite the heavy tearing, but the situation just isn't satisfactory when the engine is under load. In this case, an adaptive 30fps makes sense for the final product, to give players more consistency. With this in place, we can expect a less noticeable switch in performance between PlanetSide 2's barren landscapes and its tightly knit, hectic stretches of combat.
On a more positive note, the experience translates well to the DualShock 4 controller when compared to the PC's mouse and keyboard. There's a lot to learn in Planetside 2, but the process of choosing spawn locations, changing load-outs, and generally navigating the console UI is easily handled by tapping the shoulder buttons. The front-end is often less busy than the PC's too, though the console menus are slow to respond in its current state - something we hope is also improved by launch.
Overall, while there are still bugs that need eliminating, at this stage our main sticking point with the PS4 version of Planetside 2 is performance. The level of tearing is at times unsightly, while its variable frame-rates result in an experience that lacks consistency, jumping from near 60fps in desolate areas to below 30fps during combat. Daybreak Game Company is targeting a 30fps cap, and hopefully we'll see a more balanced approach to managing its screen tearing. If these performance and stability issues are addressed, there's definitely potential for Planetside 2 to deliver a fresh take on the online shooting scene occupied by the likes of Destiny and Battlefield.
Read Much much more at the original source
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-planetside-2-performance-analysis
