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Questions for DF Direct Weekly (Week 18, 2021) (Patreon)

Published:
2021-05-05 13:27:04
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Hello everyone! We are still catching up with stuff after the bank holiday on Monday, but tomorrow morning we'll be recording a new episode of DF Direct Weekly as usual. You know the drill by now, leave a question in the comments section below, and we'll answer what we can on air. And patrons get the episode early on Saturday afternoon!

Comments

Allan Lindqvist

How has the response been to the patreon changes? Were you suprised by the response?

Anonymous

How was the response to the patreon relaunch in your eyes? Did the breakdown between tiers surprise you at all?

xwurm

I just copied this from last time as I was to late: Hey Alex, I don't know if you can answer this or the question itself might be stupid: In your Metro Exodus Enhanced edition video you show the lighting differences in identical scenes between ray tracing and other illumination techniques and how it is a lot more work for developers to properly place lights. Wouldn't it be possible for a developer to create a ray traced scene and "translate" all the lighting into a static scene so it looks the same but ray tracing is kind of pre-rendered? This would obviously only work in scenes without a dynamic light source.

Luke

Hey team, how do you feel about Quality of the next gen version of Control UE? I've seen your video - great as always. But I was a bit disappointed because of the much lower settings that were used on consoles. Could they have done better? And what do you think about the future, will we see 4k (or 1440p) @ 60fps with RT for more games on console (in good quality) or will it - most likely - be either 4k/60Fps no RT or RT and 30fps? Thanks and keep up the good work!

Gabriel Ralls

One thing that was discussed on the Demon's Souls developer interview (when discussing the details included for the 60fps version vs. 4K) was that detail can be more important than resolution. This got me thinking about the difference between 2K Arri cinema cameras vs 8K RED cinema cameras: the Arri can arguably have a better image because it has "better pixels" rather than "more pixels". Do you feel this is an argument that can be made for games as well? I.e. higher quality textures, more polygons, ray-tracing would look better overall than just having the game run in 4K? Also, do you feel developers should display a "recommended" option when users are choosing how to play the game (like a "Director's vision")?

Anonymous

How will the console use of SSD’s affect future third party pc games. Will games require SSD’s or, will there be a some sort of workaround for physical hard drives?

Anonymous

What is the greatest Sega Saturn game ever made? (Perhaps a Western and a Japanese title.) Thanks! <3

Anonymous

What was the original E3 2012 Watch Dogs demo running on? I remember Rich saying there was a story surrounding that demo and that it would be shared one day.

shea

Why does Sony allow users to have both the native PS5 and PS4 apps of the same game installed side by side? What is the benefit? IMO this leads to confusion and excess storage being used up.

Sh4dow592

How hard is it for developers to implement high quality HDR into their games? There seems to be a large gap in visual quality between great executions (Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Gears 5) and poor ones (Outriders, the original release of RDR 2).

Christian Büschel

Do you feel that „bolted on“ Raytracing support in games hurts the original artistic vision of a game? The original version of Metro Exodus comes to mind where some scenes where so dark with raytracing on I had to turn up the gamma temporarily. Also some (cut)scenes look wildly different. How is this handled in the enhanced edition?

W K Snacks

Is there a way to conclusively see which mode a console game is running in using the system UI for XSX/PS5? I am aware of the File Information tab on the Xbox OS, showing Durango, Scarlett, Gen 9, Gen 9 Aware etc. and the separate apps for PS - but it would be interesting to be able to break this down further (One X Enhanced, PS4 Professional patch). I have found that the tags for this functionality in the respective stores are used inconsistently, Nier Replicant being a good recent example.

Ray

Alex, have you thought about talking with Jonathan Blow about his new game programming language, Jai (pronounced Jay, I believe)? It's currently in beta with a decent sized group of game devs using it. His company is using it for some up coming games as well. I know you're not a programmer, but it could be cool to talk with him about the benefits and drawbacks to game development he's experienced with this type of ground up approach.

1040STF

Would it be possible to have more HDR content ? Or would it take too much time in your workflow ?

Anonymous

Hi DF team ! I really like the technical and precise aspect of you videos, like de recent DF tech focus videos by Alex. But I think it might be too "complicated" for a non-educated audience. Did you think about an easy / low-level video format explaining basics of video game tech, like FPS optimization, rendering technics, API functioning... something like "DF Tech 101".

Somatyk

Any chance of a retro look at the evolution of graphic and audio techniques and qualities across platforms? Say, the C64/NES/Megadrive from launch games to some final releases to see how they'd progressed?

Simplex

Greetings from a long time Polish fan! 1) Loaded question: Don't you find it bizzare that the UI of the Xbox Series X is rendered in 1080p? I think it's bonkers. Can we hope for a "4K patch"? It looks surprisingly decent even on a 65 inch OLED, but PS5 interface is so sharp in comparison. 2) Riva Tuner Statistics Server has an excellent frame limiter that can often fix broken frame pacing in games and can also be used to force gsync at all times - yet if my memory servers you never mention it. Why? Does it have some kind of a hidden flaw that I am unaware of? (I hope not, Blurbusters site recommends it).

Anonymous

Did you guys noticed the horrible checkerboard used on the performance mode on Marvel's Avengers got a little bit better with the latest patches ? Still bad, and a ~1440p native resolution would be much better, but looks like they improved a little bit.

Anonymous

Naive question : Why do we never get games locked at 40 or 50 fps when the game can run above 30 but cant' sustain 60 fps ? since I've never seen in any game, I suppose that this is a bad idea, but have you ever encountered this type of fps lock ?

Stephen Thornhill

Hey guys. Really enjoy your content. What are your earliest gaming memories and what was the first computer or console that you owned?

Adam Bradford

I’m actually curious about DF as a business, how you pay the bills. Sure there’s views and Patreon, but I’m guessing that’s not enough revenue to cover salaries, equipment and benefits, and keep everything running. I think a quick look into the DF business model would be fascinating. Thanks all!

Simplex
>>59198813

I know guys' answer will be better, but in short, a lock not matched to refresh rate will cause frame judder (uneven frame cadence) which is an eye sore. Higher refresh rates will allow for more custom framerate locks for example 40 fps lock on 120hz screen would work well but on 60 Hz it would cause judder. 50 fps lock is possible but only if refresh rate is multiplication of 50, so 100, 150 or 200 Hz refresh rate would work. If you're on a PC and can withstand a regular judder, you can use Riva Tuner Statistics Server to limit framerate to 40 fps on a 60 Hz screen. In that case every third frame will be a copy of a previous frame. If my calculations are correct :) it would go like 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 9, etc up until 60 and you would have 40 unique frames spread over 60 "cycles". There would be judder but it would be regular, so you brain would hopefully adapt. It worked for me.

Anonymous

I’d love to see an engine comparison. What Frostbite does well, what Unreal 4 can’t do, etc.

tobz619

Very early but what would you expect out of a mid-gen refresh and when would you think it will come?

Anonymous

John, what are your thoughts on game save data preservation on consoles, given the increasing trend of cloud only backups? e.g. Switch & PS5

Kenneth Bergan

Have you ever thought of making the vast amount of HQ gameplay footage you possess, available for download, for patrons?

Anonymous

Thank you so much for the amazing content! Do you guys still look for video editors? Is there a process if someone were to help you on that front?

Iain Stannard

I’m avidly awaiting the arrival of a MiSTer FPGA which is winging its way across the globe as we speak. I’ve rather taken a liking to the Atari 800xl having owned a Commodore 64 in my youth. My question is for John: given that you are a relative whippersnapper, are these ancient systems something you’re likely to explore in greater depth at some point? Or are they too prehistoric for you?

Anonymous

Hi. I'm loving the new weekly show and the patreon seems to be going great. Congrats. This might conflict with things you know but can't say but when do you expect us to see games that are running on Unreal Engine 5? Thanks

Demstel

Do you think the 5nm slim ps5 will use liquid metal, or will it use traditional thermal paste for additional cost savings?

Deathpool707
>>59197573

Pretty sure it’s mainly because that’s their solution to save migration. If you sold your ps4, you still can access ps4 version of app and work to migrate you save over. For example, Avengers or Borderlands 3. Could also be to give players choice of which version they’d rather have as you could play CoD Cold War ps4 version off an external drive and make more space for PS5 apps.

Paul van der Linden

Question about VRR. What needs to be done (by Sony) to get the PS5 to support VRR? And when it's add via a System Software Update, do we still have to wait for games-patches in order to be able to use VRR?

Deathpool707

With the price drops as technology evolves, for example massive hard drive costs, how long do you think it’ll be before consoles have far more extensive raytracing support and massive ssds? Also, where do we go from here? We’ve gone from 2d to very real looking 3D. Then raytracing was next step to make lighting far more realistic. What’s next? Optimizations/Improvements to existing aspects of games or more features?

Fidler_2K

What are your thoughts on the looming shift of x86 CPU design from the traditional big cores with SMT to big.LITTLE? Alder-Lake is all but confirmed to have this configuration and Zen5 is rumored to. Will this shift allow AMD and Intel to temporarily outmaneuver ARM? Also, what implications will this have for Windows gaming performance (Windows 10's awful thread scheduler) and future console designs?

Dan

What do you guys think about the possibility of reducing input latency in cloud gaming with predictive rendering? There's a paper published by Microsoft back in 2014 titled "Outatime: Using Speculation to Enable Low-Latency Continuous Interaction for Cloud Gaming" that claims to be able to be able to mask up to 250ms of latency. The general idea is to have the server render several possibilities for the next frame and then send those to the client. When it comes time to render the next frame, the client checks the players input, shows them the matching frame, then discards the others. I believe that RetroArch does something similar to reduce latency with their runahead method. Thanks for reading. I’m a huge fan of the show and am excited to see where you guys take the channel in the future. Sources: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/outatime_techreport2014.pdf https://www.libretro.com/index.php/retroarch-1-7-2%E2%80%8A-%E2%80%8Aachieving-better-latency-than-original-hardware-through-new-runahead-method/

Magnus Berg

So I actually have a serious question for Weekly, since your prompt reminded me. After watching Alex's excellent Metro Exodus video, I realised there were moments during the comparison when I thought "The RTGI definitely looks *better* but the baked lighting looks more atmospheric". So my question is, to put it into a format that is more suited to a Q&A segment: **When games move further into being fully raytraced, will there still be games made with rasterized lighting solutions in order to achieve a certain artistic vision, similar to how games have art styles that aren't necessarily hyper realistic. Or will the much more practical workflow of the RTGI implementation be too convenient? Any speculations on the future?**

Pratik Borole

Any plans to have yearly subscriptions for all patreon tiers?

Anonymous

Why do so many games on PC neglect to support Checker-boarding and DRS? Also, why do so many TAA solutions on PC look so bad (ie cyberpunk)? Thanks!

1040STF

Not really a question but a theory I wanna share : OK some FPS Boost have resolution drops and I'm really glad the option exists - and to be honest I personally prefer some titles in 120fps even with the resolution drop. But I'm pretty sure Microsoft has already an on&off switch button ready for when the successor of the Series X and S will release, which would reactivate the original resolution with those FPS boosts. I'm willing to bet my arm they already prepared the ground for it.

Anonymous

Given the introduction of 120hz capable TVs and consoles, do you think a developer would ever make a 40 FPS game or a 40 FPS performance mode for their game. 40FPS divides evenly into 120hz the same way 30FPS and 60FPS do, but could provide a nice balance between smooth performance and good visuals.

Anonymous

If you have the brand new LG OLED TVs (G1/C1) with Gsync in your home theater, what do you see as the pros and cons of using a high-end PC for your main gaming machine (with an Xbox Series X controller on the couch) rather than an Xbox Series X? Can you expect to get the same audio quality running HDMI out of your video card to your AV received? Do PC games often support Dolby Atmos? I like the idea of having Steam be my main depository of games and saves, knowing I’ll likely have better AV quality vs a console that will be upgraded less over time. Thanks!

Oliver Mackenzie

Lumen in the Land of Nanite is an extremely impressive looking demo that debuted last year running on the Playstation 5. The new features of the demo depend entirely on the massive amounts of compute power available on the new consoles and modern PCs. Do you think this represents a more plausible path for the near future of AAA graphics rendering than one dominated by ray tracing?

Anonymous

If someone already owns a 4K HDR 60hz display, would you say it is worth it to upgrade now to a HDMI 2.1 120hz capable display? Or is it worth waiting a few more years?

Art Vandelay

VR has been gaining ground and I've been fascinated by some recent PC to Quest ports. It this kind of coverage something we could expect to see from DF in the near future?

Anonymous

With Microsoft adding FPS boost to so many backwards compatible titles lately, what are your dream games on the system to receive the FPS boost treatment? I would absolutely love to play Forza Horizon 2 and 3 at 60fps, along with Saints Row 2, and Sonic Generations. I know some of those games have higher FPS PC versions, but still!

Anonymous

Also, are there any other original Xbox or Xbox 360 games you wish were made backwards compatible on the Xbox Series consoles? I would love to play Burnout 3, Crazy Taxi 3, Jet Set Radio Future, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, Skate 2, and Tony Hawk's Underground 2.

J3llyS4ndw1ch

Hey John and Audi, you've inspired a lot of us to take up retro gaming. I think it'd be cool to do a series highlighting individual older consoles and their libraries for prospective retro gamers. Personally, I'm familiarizing myself with the Saturn, because of the stream you did awhile back.

Joe Esposito

Everybody pick a classic or personally beloved IP, and pick a completely different genre you'd like to see it in. For example, Mario in a survival game where he's stranded on the wreckage of one of the airships from SMB3 and has to scrounge and get back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Anonymous

How do you guys like the next generation port of The Sinking City?

New Moon

Each of you have your own personal passions which shine through & become rather obvious to those of us who share them ourselves. What is it like to work alongside equally passionate people at a professional level?

Alex's Retro PC

What are the audio setups of each of the team? I can see that Tom and John both have bookshelf speakers - can you walk us through them?

Sonicx9

Why has the 9th gen been so slow in terms of start?

SirCalalot

A question I often ask new recruits at our studio - “If pressed right now, what’s your favourite game ever made?” Don’t worry, your answer isn’t set in stone as mine often changes based on my mood. Thanks for an incredible channel!

Minion

Any plans for any of you who currently have an oled tv, to buy a new one when they can reach 1000 nits?

Paul van der Linden
>>59212709

I absolutely love my G1 x 3080 combo. Games run better on a PC, all games support VRR and various resolutions. Though they sometimes lack features like HDR and rumble (DualSense via BT). Audio quality will probably be the same, but just like HDR, it will be depend on the build/port. Most of the time the PC will have the upper hand though in terms of resolutions, RT, settings etc. Would love to hear how the DF team thinks about this.

Paul van der Linden
>>59216086

I guess they would argue that VRR is the main gain you get with these new TVs. But in the end the question if you would want an 120Hz display totally depends on the console/PC and games you want to play. There are currently only a handful of 120Hz games on the consoles.

McGrathite

If you had to choose one for under your tv for christmas this year, a 4k graphics card like a 3080, 3070. or a ps5? which would you choose? Imagine you had none of them :)

Perfect_Organism

A loaded one perhaps: how are you looking to progress diversity at Digital Foundry? Can be somewhat jarring that in this increasingly diverse landscape you guys have 7(?) white males presenting tech news. Not meant as a dig - work in tech myself and it’s tough, but feel it’s something we need to constantly challenge ourselves with.

Abhi

I've seen reports of Shadow of the Colossus remake running at a higher resolution on PS5...is this something you have seen?

xwurm
>>59202677

As far as I know the games themselves have nothing to do with VRR. It's just the console and TV syncing the fps to Hz.

Eric Hurst

There are rumors of the PS5 undergoing a “potential redesign” for its SOC to better meet manufacturing demand. What are your thoughts on this potential change? What does it mean for current PS5 consoles and games?

Dan Matte
>>59324407

6nm is purely going to help for cost. No performance or power benefits really. Would not hold out for that model. If they make a Slim eventually it will require 5nm, no question.

tehUser

Does anyone at DF use local network game streaming for playing games on the TV streamed from a gaming PC? Any plans for testing AMD Link 4 which brings 4K streaming to low powered AMD devices in the living room? I literally returned my 6900XT because at the time no streaming client could match GameStream. GameStream was legit for casual third person games on my 1080ti and Nvidia Shield Pro. Now I have a 3090 and the experience is even better.

Robert F
>>59324407

Any negatives to going 6nm? Are they switching purely as there are fewer fabricators for 5nm and supply constraints?

MGsubbie

When (if at all?) do you think we can see DirectStorage having full support, not just for games, but also windows in general? It would be amazing not seeing copying speed slow down to a crawl because it's copying a bunch of tiny files. If that doesn't happen, when do you think we will see games make use of it?

Bernardo Assis

We all know the lovely hand movement that Richard does when he' talking, my question is...does it bother you Richard?