Digital Foundry: Hands-on with Uncharted 4 multiplayer
The Uncharted series' excellent multiplayer is back, but not the way we left it. For the first time, Uncharted 4 ramps its online play up to 60 frames per second (up from solo mode's 30fps) and having played it extensively at this week's Paris Games Show, the upgrade is tangible. The code on the showfloor was pre-alpha, but even this early on, the 60fps target clearly makes a difference for a mode with a competitive slant - an important part of giving us the tightest controller response possible. It's also fair to say a doubling in refresh means visual priorities are re-ordered here, particularly compared to what we've seen of its gorgeous solo adventure. But from what we've played, is that really a problem?
The Paris build throws us into a detail-rich jungle level, fronted by a sharp cliff edge. It's a staple Uncharted setting, a sprawl of trees, flooded recesses, and twisting pathways - with an ancient ruin at its centre. Each portion is already memorable, but in terms of its core tech, Naughty Dog's choice to move to 1600x900 for multiplayer doesn't hamper its presentation. Paired with the studio's post-process anti-aliasing, it's fair to say the image isn't as sharp as what we've seen of the single-player so far, built from the ground up with a native 1080p. But in attaining its target 60fps, a drop to 900p makes sense as a trade-off in multiplaye
Thankfully, the Uncharted 4 build we played on the show floor at Paris Games Week actually turns in a more consistent 60 frames per second. There are still dips below 50fps in the playable build but it's nowhere near as inconsistent as the pre-release media implies. As a milestone in development, it's interesting to see this video, perhaps showing this multiplayer mode at a much earlier stage. However, already we've seen much smoother results in person - and from the show floor, 60fps is hit most of the time, with occasional dips lower.
Backed by a great use of object motion blur, the results are perceptibly smooth in this jungle level, and give us nothing close to the stuttering play of the video. That said, we experienced one case of a similar drop - an anomaly we couldn't repeat again - giving a sensation of play closer to 45fps. This occurred in a central jungle spot where previously we saw no drops whatsoever, and yet out of the blue it began to stutter quite heavily for a long stretch. It's a symptom of an early build, and otherwise gameplay proved very smooth. The ability to run, roll, and adjust the aiming reticle at a 60Hz refresh makes a world of difference compared to previous Uncharted multiplayer modes. Even in this early form, the promise of sharper, more responsive movement makes sense, especially given this mode's rapid pace.
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