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Digital Foundry Performance Analysis: The Order: 1886

S

Savantcore

Unconfirmed Member
The Order: 1886 may well prove to be a highly divisive title - but for all its controversies, we're equally confident that it represents something very special, a sneak-peek at the future direction of real-time graphics on console hardware. Ready at Dawn's visual technology is simply immense: so good, so precise, so realistic that at times it's like you're playing a game that looks as good as a pre-rendered movie. This is a milestone in the development of next-gen visuals.
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Implementing the very latest rendering technologies and integrating them with a superb level of consistency throughout the rendering pipeline, this is clearly a stunning visual showcase. Every element of the scene, from environmental materials to clothing, hair and skin is exceptionally rendered, beautifully lit according to how light interacts with their physical properties. There's little - if anything - in the way of hard geometric edges to give this game an old-school gaming aesthetic, while the more traditional high detail texture work found in most games gives way to a softer, more filmic look.
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Performance is the icing on the cake, and an area where we had some concerns. Initial game footage we saw revealed some clear frame-rate issues - and even the 2014 Gamescom demo exhibited noticeable performance hiccups, despite the letterboxed 1920x800 rendering resolution. The final game is a world apart: Ready at Dawn aims for a locked 30fps and for the vast majority of the experience it doesn't deviate from the target, with most of the dropped frames occurring on cuts, making them totally unnoticeable. There are very rare performance dips during the most intense of combat scenes, but these are mild judged by the standard of the majority of 30fps titles.
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However, it's fair to say that Ready at Dawn has different objectives in mind. The Order: 1886 is a profoundly linear, dare we say it "cinematic" experience, where the developer revels in its immense technology, bombarding you with beautiful visuals, often to the detriment of the gameplay. To illustrate, the first hour of gameplay sees almost 50 per cent of the duration dedicated to cut-scenes, with exploration and combat equally divided at around 15 minutes a pop. For those that like to play games, not watch them - regardless of the visual magnificence - The Order: 1886 can be initially very offputting, but it puts the priorities of the developer into perspective.
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Fundamentally, it all comes back to the point we made in our 2014 gaming round-up - graphics are evolving at a breakneck pace, but gameplay remains rooted very much in the last generation. And perhaps what disappoints the most with The Order: 1886 is that this imbalance is actively tipping in the wrong direction - where the emphasis on the graphical glory actively seems to come at the expense of the quality of the gameplay.
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Framerate test video (YouTube). | Full playthrough timelapse.

More at the link, although more than half of the article is concerned with the length of the game and not the technical specifics.
 
P

Paskil

Member
Can't wait to play this. At some point in the future. If this was anything other than a shooter game, I'd probably be there to get it tomorrow.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
longdi said:
It is a performance analysis yet they needed to harp on the 'cinematic' gameplay?
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Well, with this game specifically, there has been a lot a lot about the games length and, as such, he measured the actual length of a single playthrough using a time lapse video. Same thing was done for Vanquish when similar complaints were leveled. It's analyzing a different metric, basically (the length) based the current controversies.
 
E

EGM1966

Member
Gotta say this would be a lovely engine for multiple genres and I'd love to see a slower paced adventure or RPG if the engine could adapt to the mechanics suitably.

We'll see how sales go and what RAD learn from the gameplay criticism but I really hope we see more of the underlying tech going forward.
 
C

CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls

Banned
It'll be interesting to see if this engine can enlarge the environments without taking a hit in performance. Seems to me that the engine, while spectacular, only works well in tight and confined environments.

Are the black bars reducing negative performance a la Evil Within? I know it was a "design decision", but so was the black bars in Mikami's game.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
META said:
It'll be interesting to see if this engine can enlarge the environments without taking a hit in performance. Seems to me that the engine, while spectacular, only works well in tight and confined environments.

Are the black bars reducing negative performance a la Evil Within? I know it was a "design decision", but so was the black bars in Mikami's game.
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There's a big difference...the FOV is MUCH wider in The Order. It was usually constrictive in The Evil Within.
 
K

kitch9

Banned
dark10x said:
Well, with this game specifically, there has been a lot a lot about the games length and, as such, he measured the actual length of a single playthrough using a time lapse video. Same thing was done for Vanquish when similar complaints were leveled. It's analyzing a different metric, basically (the length) based the current controversies.
Click to expand...

I'm confused, are the performance analysis supposed to be quasi reviews where the author just states their opinion or a performance review? There seems to be more and more "opinion" being asserted than there used to be.
 
S

Skittles

Member
I really wish DF would stop focusing on anything not related to tech when it comes to games. Just link your eurogamer article on it and be done with it.
 
S

Seanspeed

Banned
maxcriden said:
Locked 30 with those visuals is pretty impressive.
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Yes, it is. Though its worth remembering that this game isn't rendering a full 1920x1080. They no doubt save a fair chunk of performance by doing this.

dark10x said:
There's a big difference...the FOV is MUCH wider in The Order. It was usually constrictive in The Evil Within.
Click to expand...
Although that probably does balance things back out a bit, true.
 
M

Majanew

Banned
For those that like to play games, not watch them - regardless of the visual magnificence - The Order: 1886 can be initially very offputting, but it puts the priorities of the developer into perspective.
Click to expand...

Why does an objective performance analysis need this? Are they trying to write a review?
 
M

maxcriden

Member
Seanspeed said:
Yes, it is. Though its worth remembering that this game isn't rendering a full 1920x1080. They no doubt save a fair chunk of performance by doing this.
Click to expand...

Oh, yes. Good point, Sean, thank you. I think if the gameplay experience itself was up to par, 30 fps would be plenty good for a game like this. I don't think it would benefit much from 60. All depends on the game.
 
D

dofry

That's "Dr." dofry to you.
Sounds like DF is really impressed with the technical achievement of the game. So many superlatives used.
 
GavinUK86

GavinUK86

Member
Eurogamer have been shitting on this game from the get go so half of the "analysis" focusing on the gameplay and how rubbish it is isn't surprising.

Back on topic, it's no doubt a technical marvel that's for sure. PS4 has it's Ryse.
 
K

Kinthalis

Banned
Given that there is so little going on in this game other than pure rendering of narrow levels, I'm not that impressed in performance at 1920x800.

However, the overall lighting (minus shadows) and materials quality in this game is pure gold. Hope to see actual, you know, GAMES, featuring these high quality level of graphics in the future.
 
F

FF Seraphim

Member
longdi said:
It is a performance analysis yet they needed to harp on the 'cinematic' gameplay?
Click to expand...

They seem to be doing that more and more with their analysis which to me makes it seem they have become comfortable in their setting since no one has made an efficient challenge to their analysis. Maybe if we get a suitable contender who can make as detailed performance analysis without the gameplay commentary then DF will go back to their roots so to speak... maybe...
 
N

nelsonroyale

Member
Pretty ringing endorsement of the visuals. The may be the first game to really go the full hog visually this gen.

Seanspeed said:
Yes, it is. Though its worth remembering that this game isn't rendering a full 1920x1080. They no doubt save a fair chunk of performance by doing this.


Although that probably does balance things back out a bit, true.
Click to expand...

Well it is rendering higher than Ryse for instance, with better performance and more expensive AA. I think they have benefited from it, but they could have taken a hit in AA and got it at 1080p. I think this is the least of the games problems to be honest.
 
Cornbread78

Cornbread78

Member
Skittles said:
I really wish DF would stop focusing on anything not related to tech when it comes to games. Just link your eurogamer article on it and be done with it.
Click to expand...

kitch9 said:
I'm confused, are the performance analysis supposed to be quasi reviews where the author just states their opinion or a performance review? There seems to be more and more "opinion" being asserted than there used to be.
Click to expand...


Yeah, there have been some very interesting comments made lately and is it me, or does it always seen to be about the Sony version...
 
C

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Kinthalis said:
Given that there is so little going on in this game other than pure rendering of narrow levels, I'm not that impressed in performance at 1920x800.

However, the overall lighting (minus shadows) and materials quality in this game is pure gold.
Click to expand...
This is pretty much my opinion as well. It's the same reason why David Cage's games look so good, they certainly didn't use up a lot of memory for the AI.
 
R

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
Performance is really impressive with these visuals. The motion blur also does serious work in making it seem far smoother than that.
 
eso76

eso76

Member
Savantcore said:
More at the link, although more than half of the article is concerned with the length of the game and not the technical specifics.
Click to expand...

I was just thinking that Eurogamer's identities are starting to overlap, when DF complains about the game's lenght and Eurogamer's review gives the game a pass because it's a technical masterpiece.

(wrong, I was thinking of a quote from a different outlet nvm)
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
Yeah, it seems they really focused on hitting it out of the ballpark with that visual engine.

Now you got the engine in place RAD, focus on gameplay next. Not 'next-gen' gameplay, just good gameplay.
 
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