Support NeoGAF

[MagiusNecros]

Was that Developed by Nintendo?

Omega Force. So no. It was published by Tecmo Koei and Nintendo.

 

[muno]

Double-buffered vsync. It reduces input lag.

 

[existensmaximum]

So you're essentially saying OP is an idiot and there's no magic in ToTK. Well I'm not arguing with you there. I'm impressed by the draw distance in ToTK tho.

Eh, I'm not calling anybody an idiot. The game feels super smooth and I have no problems with the 30 fps framerate, to me it's very responsive and plays great.

And there is definitely very impressive stuff going on in the game programming-wise, but it's also running at a low resolution with Gamecube level graphics so anything concerning the framerate and visuals isn't impressive in any way, shape or form

 

[DevilMayFlyForAWhiteGuy]

I had to disable sages in TotK so that I only have 2 active at a time max, otherwise the game starts to chug. It does run better than BotW, but not by much. Also I’ve mentioned it before, and I’m blaming it on performance, but trying to aim the bow I experience regular stutters that fuck with the gyro aiming.

Metroid Prime Remastered is peak Switch performance. Metroid Dread is good too, but would look like a XBLA Game on any other system. At least us Metroid chads are blessed with 60 fps and good art direction that doesn’t rely on cell shading as a crutch.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

When nintendo maintains good frame rates on relatively good looking games for the switch, the reason is dynamic resolution, where the game drops to a lower res when there are lots of explosions or effects or something on screen, and then goes back to its original resolution when the action quiets down.

This is the case in breath of the wild, mario odyssey and xenoblade although how subtlely the res drops and how stable the framerate stays can vary

 

[KXVXII9X]

Let's take Zelda Botw and Totk.

Despite the framerate of both games running at 30fps and even dipping into the 20's the game feels silly smooth. I never notice input lag or stuttering I never notice choppy movement or that sluggish feel, both games are smooth as silk.

Idk if there is any other developer capable of putting games at the scale of Botw and Totk on switch hardware. When every other developer makes games at 30fps it's easy to tell. Most experience the symptoms I listed above.

I don't mean to keep stroking Nintendo off but you have to give credit where it is due. What is the secret sauce?

Outside of Kakiriko Village and using Ultrahand, the game felt as smooth, if not smoother than some 60 FPS games I play on PC.

In fact, I notice a big difference between each kind of game at the same framerate. I lt might just be my PC but a lot of games I play have poor frame pacing and lots of stuttering even at 60+ FPS.

It feels like the animations are smoother in Zelda TotK. I can't really put my finger on it. The response time feels immediate while something like Mario and Rabbids Sparks of Hope always feels like there is a sluggish delay. It may be due to all the subtle animations of M+R.

 

[lh032]

Check your eyes op

 

[Madserb2023]

I do think there is an element of delusion here. The majority of 30fps Nintendo games feel like 30 fps. Tried Kirby and that feels like 30, pikmin etc. No difference to the Series X and PS5. However, TOTK is an exception. I tried it back to back with Forbidden West and it feels much more like the 40fps mode in that game. The imput lag was perhaps even less.

 

[Skifi28]

Double-buffered vsync. It reduces input lag.

Probably this, though it has its own issues.

 

[Wildebeest]

Better latency due to messing around less with frame data. Classic K.I.S.S. methodology. Keep it simple, stupid!

 

[Hudo]

Double-buffered vsync. It reduces input lag.

My guess as well. Also dynamic resolution that's well implemented and clever usage of billboarding, at least in the Mario Odyssey/Breath of the Wild engine.

 

[Rykan]

Monolith are programming gods.
They've been the best acquisition Nintendo has ever made.

lol what?

Have you seen what XBC: DE looks like in handheld mode? That's a beefed up Wii port, and it looks like garbage in handheld mode. XBC2 also looks like trash in handheld mode.

 

[GymWolf]

fanboyism

And we are done.

 

[Tams]

Both Zelda games look pretty bad honestly.

 

[Alexios]

Hum nope, they really don't.

Metroid Prime Remastered is smooth and looks really good on top of it. But this is an exception. Both Zelda games look pretty bad honestly. Doesn't mean you cannot enjoy the game, but let's not pretend they look awesome and have a great framerate.

Nah, the (two most recent as previously they were also usually flawless 30 fps) Zelda games are the exception (though their scope and scale make up for it), almost everything else they do has flawless performance whether 30 or 60 (and they probably still put out more 60fps games than the others).

The thread was about BotW and TotK anyway.

Er, no it was/is not (those games are his - bad - examples for Nintendo in general) and neither was your post I responded to where you generalized and called Metroid Prime Remastered the exception which is what I disputed. What? But hey you can name drop Link's Awakening as having issues so you totally win, I guess, as if I implied there's no other Nintendo game ever with performance drops, or as if your own "exception", the Prime remake, is the only Nintendo/Switch game ever one can name that performs great. I think your brain is broken at the moment but whatever really, moving on.

 

[Crayon]

The Zelda games are actually pretty sluggish depending on your sensitivity.

More depending on how much you're worried about it though. The real magic is at the games are so good and fun that you don't give a fuck.

 

[squarealex]

Let's take Zelda Botw and Totk.

Despite the framerate of both games running at 30fps and even dipping into the 20's the game feels silly smooth. I never notice input lag or stuttering I never notice choppy movement or that sluggish feel, both games are smooth as silk.

Zelda BOTW and TOTK must have had many, many developers working exclusively on engine physics and capabilities, so more "back-end" engine.
The framerate can remain "stable" even if there is a big mess around. What another engine that wasn't originally designed for will drop violently.

What other games from other studios don't do or do a little, Other priority for example, to make the artistic part as best as possible or push the visual realism.

Generally games with pre-made engines (unreal engine) don't push the physics and interactivity so far.. The only one I know pushing physics and visual is Rage (Rockstar Engine) , Source Engine can also push both.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

Japanese games in general I think, at least in the past, always handled bad framerates way better than most western games. Instead of just skipping frames so your view is constantly shifting and impossible to follow, Japanese games would usually literally slow down, so it is running in slow motion instead. That is 100000x easier to handle because you can still control it properly and it still feels acceptable.

Now that I am thinking about it this is probably due to the fact that a lot of Japanese games tie physics and the passage of time to actual frames, so I guess the game literally can't skip frames or it would fuck everything up. Also explains why a lot of games break when you make them 60fps. Hell even the Resident Evil 2 remake, wasn't knife damage directly tied to your framerate?

 

[PonyStation4]

Pokemon Violet/Scarlet had the smoothest 6 fps I've ever seen in gaming. Made me wonder if my eyes were even real

 

[Shifty1897]

I never notice input lag

That's the Double Buffer V Sync my dude.

 

[cireza]

Nah, the (two most recent as previously they were also usually flawless 30 fps) Zelda games are the exception (though their scope and scale make up for it), almost everything else they do has flawless performance whether 30 or 60 (and they probably still put out more 60fps games than the others).

Pretty sure that Link's Awakening has issues. The thread was about BotW and TotK anyway.

 

[Robbinhood]

I was actually surprised by how little I was bothered by the 30fps in ToTK. It actually does look and feel pretty smooth.
I think at least part of it is that they don't bother with super detailed animations. Games from studios like Naughty Dog or Rockstar can often have very realistic and detailed animations but they also make the game feel less responsive, and when you pair that with 30fps it's even worse.

Don’t ever put naughty dog and rockstar in the same sentence for controls, nd games control amazingly mate.

Op: try turning the camera in totk, it’s molasses. That’s why you don’t feel the 30fps.

 

[Solarstrike]

Extra Hamsterbytes under the hood and no anti-aliasing. Ever. 100%

 

[Dacvak]

30fps is fine for certain games. It all comes down to frametimes and input latency. Nintendo is generally incredibly consistent with frametimes.

 

[BbMajor7th]

They don't - these games are impressive in their own rights, but there's nothing magical about 30FPS with drops. They're pushing the system hard and it shows.

 

[kiphalfton]

30fps is an artistic decision

Apparently so is sub 720p.

 

[Razvedka]

Once upon a time, gaming companies were run by people who were gamers. Now days games have 100+ million $ budgets and there are suits demanding that games are published as soon as possible. Optimizing for potatoes isn't cost-effective.

True. Gaming becoming "big business" drew in the usual money people and like always they basically ruin everything in the long term. Inept.

 

[Pimpbaa]

I play Horizon Forbidden West at 30fps and I feel like I”m going to have a seizure. Whereas TOTK (and BOTW) I had no problems whatsoever with their framerates. I thought maybe it’s due to high texture detail in HFW and not playing well displays with near instant pixel response times, but insomniac’s games look fine at 30 (even better at 40fps). Some devs do 30fps right, others do not. I dunno what it is, some having better motion blur maybe? I guess not feeling laggy at 30fps (like Bloodborne) helps.