Driveclub runs at 1080p 30fps

[SvennoJ]

Alby_da_Wolf said:

About the physics, never claimed anything else, even the 16yrs old GPL's physics engine runs at 288Hz.

About cars not suddenly appearing, that's true, but if they force you to abandon the ideal line, either because they commit an error when you're too close to perform a smoother anticipation, or just because they occupy the ideal line and you're faster, but they won't give you way, or if they suddenly have to slow down, making you reach them before when you predicted, then you are forced to perform less planned and quicker and dirtier corrections. In these cases, even if it's still true, as it always is, that human lag is overwhelming compared to the other lags, they still add up, although it's true that from a given frame rate on, even doubling it you'll have smaller and smaller benefits. From 60 to 120fps could cost you a fortune just to give you just a 8ms gain, and so on.
Anyhow, all this should be really noticeable only on the most hardcore racing sims, but Driveclub, like Burnout and NFS, is a sim-arcade hybrid, albeit not a toyish one, but one of the now quite common "simcades" with as high accuracy as it's possible without crossing the border with a real sim, so I can agree with you that in this case 30fps should be enough.
While I still think that in purer sim racers higher framerate is important, I can agree that in EVERY case it also gives better visuals, being smoother particularly in motion and I also agree that having a smooth 30fps without judder, jitter or other irregularities is in most cases the most significant improvement, that should be pursued and achieved before anything else.
Also, since the beginning, I made my comparison considering all the other variables and parameters unchanged: fans of a well known simcade always bragged about its 60fps, but it was achieved halving the maximum number of car in a race compared to its most renowned competitor, and the increased accuracy its higher framerate could in theory allow was wasted in more than one way, as the tracks were modeled too large, and that already made it easier, and the grip was unnaturally high, further easing it and making that higher framerate unnecessary, if not to just better visuals in motion.
About eliminating visual artifacts in motion, interesting that trick of the variable frame rate (always keeping a good minimum one), I didn't know it, or maybe if I heard about it I didn't pay attention (CG is not my field, I only followed an introductory computer graphics course many years ago, when M$ mole Rick Belluzzo still hadn't helped sinking Silicon Graphics).

Using a variable framerate to get rid of the wagon wheel effect is just something that may be possible now with g-sync. It is possible already, but it creates screen tear. G-sync allows a frame to be drawn as soon as it's ready so you can adjust your timing scheme to eliminate certain unwanted effects. Yet it all depends on how accurate you can predict your frame render time.  G-Sync sounds like a great solution, but it doesn't fix judder. Normally you start to render a frame and expect to show it exactly 16 or 33ms later. If it's done sooner, you wait for v-sync, done later you end up with screen tear (and judder). With g-sync you end up showing it a bit too soon or too late, both adding judder.

I stand by my opinion that higher res gives you a better advantage than 60fps, and that 60fps does more for fast arcade racers. I don't know where the obsession of 60fps comes from for sim racers. Those move at a glacial pace compared to twitchy nature of burnout, nfs, wipeout. Sure you drive fast, but all cars adhere to real physics, no sudden surprises. Well maybe the Red bull X1 excluded, twitchy car. I have a hard time controlling that with display lag from my projector. It feels like I need to already have completed my steering input before I see the car respond.
Btw most people online prefer the slower cars for precision driving. 60 vs 30 doesn't do anything for that.

For a simcade like Driveclub 30fps is fine, but I would say for GT and Forza 30fps is also fine, while Mario kart might benefit a tiny bit from 60fps. It's eye candy, easier on the eyes, feels smoother, doesn't help your timing. Ofcourse I still expect 1080p60 for GT7, I like that kind of eye candy as well. However when the choice is 720p60, or 1080p30, 1080p30 wins for me.