Crysis 2 DirectX 11 Patch Released

[Rob Williams]

As expected, EA and Crytek today released a couple of patches for Crysis 2 that enables an 'Ultra' mode, DirectX 11 abilities, and the opening of an 'Advanced' graphics configuration menu. With these upgrades, the game becomes more like the original Crysis in terms of customization, and it's nice to see. Many gamers believe that this functionality should have been present in Crysis 2 from the get-go, but better late than never, right?

Read the rest of our post and then discuss it here!

 

[Rob Williams]

Here are a couple of quick comparison shots. 1920x1200, maxed details, DX9 vs. DX11:

DirectX 9







DirectX 11







I'd recommend saving the shots to your desktop and then using a photo viewer to flick between them to see the differences easier.

 

[Doomsday]

Crysis 2 = Call of Duty with Nanosuit!

 

[Kayden]

I just gave it a spin myself and I have to say I was impressed with the texture, tessellation and the smoke and fire improvements but that's about all.

I did notice other things that just annoyed me to, like when I first got out of the sub and your just swimming there for a few seconds I kept seeing shadows on the back of some of the guys heads, this was further proven by car windows having shadow problems as well. I did not get a SS with the guys heads I just didn't think at the time but the car I did and they were posted and were from 2 slightly different positions. The shadows on the driver and driver passenger windows flickered in and out while moving and got bigger or smaller at a distance, that's why I think they are shadow problems. This must be a DX11 issue with C2 because I didn't see any one this problems with DX9.

I also noticed the other console shortcuts still present such as no water reflections or reflections in the windows or mirrors that the player can interact with, this to me is very disappointing.

I will not say it is not welcome because it is, but does it change my score about C2? No, in the end it's the end it's still the same game with the same flaws just looks prettier but it wouldn't be a 7 for GFX for me it would have been a 9, even with the console influences. There are times business decisions do out weigh one platform I understand that. However with all the hype and promises Crytek especially the CEO had put into C2 about the PC and staying true to the their roots and etc we should been given better from them, DX11 should have been here day 1.

I wont change my review or my opinion about C2 it's still a terrible a game and a new coat of paint wont fix that, it is at this time a peace offering to get the PC community to quite down now and considering how heartless the effort has been to this point I'm sure many wont be quite but most will, cause something is better then nothing. I just want to know "will it run BF3?" (c;

I don't have comparison shots but I do have some of the things I have found broken. The broken water sliding is what I found in my first play through back in March, wondering if any one else playing it in DX11 could still confirm if it's still there or not.

Crysis 2 = Call of Duty with Nanosuit!

HAHA, That is so true.

EDIT: Here's a vid to showcase what DX11 does in C2 if any one is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLBTVFCi5_I&feature=player_embedded

 

[Optix]

Hey, here's a novel idea - have your shit together before you release a game!

 

[Rob Williams]

I'll respond to some of the posts here later, but I posted the video for those who haven't seen it:

http://techgage.com/news/crysis_2_directx_11_comparison_video_posted/

 

[Kayden]

A fact brought up in the video is Reflective Surfaces which means more then one, well more then one material or repeated material? I am lead to believe it is repeated material because no water, mirrors, glass, cars that are ultra shiny and anything else that should be reflective and they are reflective at all.

The skyscraper windows are still prerendered pics from ground level even though your 4+ stories up that the player can interact with, this to me is very disappointing as well and show how lazy Crytek was. The fact that reflective surfaces have been around for a good long while for water and etc, just shows how much little effort they put into this.

This is console trickery to save memory and for whatever reason they didn't feel the need to change any of these things, the PC gamers lose again. There is more to this engine we have seen it in your demos Crytek, but you put in a half ass effort into it to get the PC gamers off your back that's all there is too it.

Hey, here's a novel idea - have your shit together before you release a game!

Because then they wouldn't follow the tried and true "Why develop now, when we can release a beta now, to get paid now and patch later?" It keeps working, I've tried to vote with my wallet and others say they will but don't. Most people suck! Though not the one's I have meet here at TG!

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

Any difference in framerate?

 

[Kayden]

Any difference in framerate?

When I first ran C2 it was single GPU, that was running 60+ fps on 1 580gtx with everything set to Ultra with DX9 @ 1920x1080 for me, since then the Nvidia drivers have added SLI support which I am sure is now being used. I will disable SLI and find out for you today though.

EDIT: Well I did a run through on the first level with SLI enabled and disabled for Crysis 2 with Ultra Setting, Med Blur, High Res Textures Enabled, Vsync Enabled and resolution was 1920x1080. Nothing was changed between either mode.

SLI Enabled: 60+ FPS, until there was a lot of particles flying around. Then it would hit around 52 or so but no much lower, if I got really close to a wall and shot at it the FPS would drop to 22. That was the largest dip (the 52fps) but it never fell more than that. There were about 6 or 8 guys on the screen shoot a bunch of boxes so the custom physics were probably bringing it down, but it wasn't a burden.

Single GPU: The average FPS would be about 42 or there about, the max would 50, interior of course and min would be 17 when shooting the concrete wall. The combat is where it dipped down to average lowest around 32 to 37 staying around 35 or so. The battle I described above played out here as well not exactly but close enough to make the FPS drop to 32 and only a single GPU that isn't horrible when consider what it's doing, now if this were 560 or something dropping the resolution might have been needed because it might have dropped into the high 20's at that point.

All in all a single 580 held up a treat with DX11 for C2, but C2 is limited when compared to what BF3 can do. I know that is speculation but BF3 is a more open engine and that where a VC will really be tested. I hope this helps answer your question TCS.

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

Yeah that does, thanks. I just wanted to know if my 6870 could handle it in DX11, and it seems it might hold up pretty well. I play at 1440 x 900 so I would probably get better frames. I had tried running Metro 2033 in DX11 with max settings...I got 20fps max. lol.

 

[Kayden]

I did forget to mention that my video cards are OC btw 850Mhz GPU Clock Speed & 4196Mhz Memory Clock Speed, when the default is 772Mhz GPU Clock Speed & 4008Mhz Memory Clock Speed. I know it isn't much but that may skew the results for stock clock users by a few frames.

Yeah that does, thanks. I just wanted to know if my 6870 could handle it in DX11, and it seems it might hold up pretty well. I play at 1440 x 900 so I would probably get better frames. I had tried running Metro 2033 in DX11 with max settings...I got 20fps max. lol.

Metro 2033 was the first foray into DX11, I don't think it was really optimized that well to be honest. The drivers may have been issue at the time, you tried it recently? I hope it was only drivers, I would hate for you to have to turn things way down for BF3. /c:

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

Metro 2033 was the first foray into DX11, I don't think it was really optimized that well to be honest. The drivers may have been issue at the time, you tried it recently? I hope it was only drivers, I would hate for you to have to turn things way down for BF3. /c:

If I download the latest AMD drivers, my framerate drops. I'm still at catalyst 10.11.

 

[Kayden]

If I download the latest AMD drivers, my framerate drops. I'm still at catalyst 10.11.

This is why I dislike ATI.