Crytek releases Hunt Showdown's first major performance patch
Expect better CPU utilisation and decreased memory usage
Published: 13th April 2018 | Source: Crytek - Hunt Showdown |
Crytek releases Hunt Showdown's first major performance patch
Since launch Crytek has been working to get the game running better on modern PCs, first focusing on CPU utilisation and decreasing the frequency of in-game stutters. Now the company has released their first major performance patch for the title, weighing in at 170MB while offering CPU and memory optimisations which will allow Hunt to run better on both lower-end and higher-end hardware configurations.
Crytek has reiterated that this will be the first of many performance patches for Hunt Showdown, with hopes to increase framerates across the board while maintaining the same levels of graphical fidelity.
Below is a detailed list of the performance impacting changes that Crytek has made to HUnt Showdown, the company's combined PVP/PVE battle sandbox title.
CPU optimization and utilization
Optimized a number of CPU heavy processes within the game that would lead to Hunt being CPU bound (especially on lower end hardware)
Optimized rendering cost when particle effects are filling the screen space
Optimized off-screen particle updates in most cases
Optimized interior lighting volumes significantly
Optimized a number of expensive engine calls (e.g GetWaterLevel)
Reduced particle overdraw when many large particles in view
First round of optimizations on CPU job manager (improves efficiency of thread queues)Memory optimization
Reduced Hunt’s overall memory footprint
Enabled animation DB streaming to reduce memory usage
Improved object streaming to reduce memory usage
Fixed a memory leak in the AI proximity grid
Reduced memory usage in various Hunt subsystemsServer/Backend
Improved dedicated server allocation manager to be more reliable, especially if back end slows down
Upgraded backend technology to pave the way for further improvements to debugging user reported issues (slow response times etc)
During GDC, Crytek released this video (below), which showcases Hunt Showdown and says that CryEngine V has a Vulkan renderer. At this time, Hunt Showdown uses DirectX 11, though the video below suggests that Crytek wants to transition the game over to Vulkan, or at a minimum focus their engine development efforts on the low-level API.
Since the launch of Hunt Showdown on Steam Early Access, Crytek has made it clear that they want to lower the game's PC system requirements over time. This patch is the developer's first step towards achieving that goal, making Hunt's gameplay experience a lot smoother and responsive in the process.
The hardware requirements specified on the store page reflect our current work-in-progress minimum and recommended specifications. We are currently testing against these requirements and optimizing the experience over time. Our long-term goal is to make sure Hunt is accessible to a wide range of available hardware and to continue to adjust our suggested required specs as the game evolves.
Crytek released Hunt: Showdown onto Steam Early Access in February with plans to stay on the program for around 12 months, releasing additional gear, monster, hunters and maps over time.
You can join the discussion on Hunt Showdown's first PC performance patch on the OC3D Forums.