Key takeaways:
- Dragon's Dogma 2 pushes the RE Engine to its limits with open-world design and high CPU/memory demands.
- Consoles struggle with inconsistent frame rates, especially in dense town areas due to CPU/bandwidth limitations.
- PC version offers better image quality via DLSS/FSR but also suffers from CPU/memory bottlenecks.
# RE Engine Pushed to the Limits
Capcom really upped its game with their RE Engine that debuted in 2017's Resident Evil 7. It has seen Capcom through 16 games and three console generations, but none were as demanding and out of that designed scope as Dragon's Dogma 2, which is probably why it's the first to make this versatile engine visibly bulge at the seams.
- Dragon's Dogma 2 relies heavily on advanced rendering techniques like physically based materials, photogrammetry textures, and realistic character models/animations.
- The open-world design with CPU-controlled enemies, vast environments, and dense towns significantly increases CPU, memory, and streaming demands compared to previous linear RE Engine titles.
# Console Performance Analysis
- All consoles use a single graphics mode with limited settings adjustments.
- PS5 and Xbox Series X offer the highest resolution (4K interleaved) and best overall image quality.
- Xbox Series S has significantly reduced textures, shadows, and ambient occlusion quality to reduce bandwidth demands.
# Frame Rate Struggles
- Maintaining 60fps is nearly impossible on consoles due to CPU/memory bottlenecks.
- Frame rates often drop below 30fps in dense town areas with many NPCs and streaming demands.
- Xbox Series X has a slight performance edge over PS5 in CPU-limited scenarios.
- Xbox Series S performs similarly to PS5 despite lower settings due to its weaker CPU/memory.
A variable refresh rate (VRR) screen will not help here as all of the consoles are often below the required range and can even stutter into 50-80ms frame times frequently during many areas, and that cannot be resolved by the technology.
# PC Version Analysis
- Offers DLSS and FSR upscaling options for improved image quality over consoles.
- An RTX 4090 can run at 4K with DLSS Quality for the best visuals, but still suffers occasional dips below 60fps.
- Even high-end CPUs like the 5800X3D struggle to maintain smooth frame rates in CPU-limited town areas.
- Memory demands can exceed 8GB system RAM and 13GB VRAM on PC.
# Optimization Outlook
If I was a betting man, I would suspect over the next two months or so, patches will come that will improve the consistency if not the overall performance across the board.
- The developers are aware of the high CPU demands from NPC state tracking and plan to investigate optimizations.
- Post-launch patches are expected to improve overall performance consistency, if not the lowest frame rate scenarios.
# Conclusion
While Dragon's Dogma 2 delivers an impressive visual experience, the ambitious open-world design severely taxes CPU and memory resources across all platforms. Optimizations are needed to provide a smoother gameplay experience, especially in densely populated areas. The PC version offers superior image quality options but is not immune to the same CPU/memory bottlenecks. )))
Summary for: Youtube