Ray tracing is irrelevant here

[Damien]

In some games ray tracing is really nice, but here I don't see any difference between normal and ray tracing! Or can someone explain it to me?

However, DLSS is really nice. Just look at the grass, it doesn't flicker and it's really pretty. The whole graphic looks really nicer with DLSS (quality).

I just recommend everything on epic without ray tracing but with DLSS quality :)

[Terra Ware]

I haven't really dove into it but yeah not much stands out as being ray traced here, especially coming from Callisto Protocol where the ray tracing is extremely well done in that game. I've left it on though with all the other settings maxed out and at 120fps cap. Only thing I despise and am getting sick of is the Unreal Engine 4 stutters. Come on can we compile the shaders before the game starts?

[Damien]

You are absolutely right and that is also a problem of the Unreal Engine 4 that it is possible to compile the shader in runtime..

Hopefully that will be turned off in Engine 5... Even an old Elite Dabgerous can do that better. This recognizes when there is a new driver and then recompiles all shaders!

[Damien]

I'm just wondering why is there ray tracing in the game if you can't see it anywhere?

So and with ray tracing turned off, it runs twice as fast :)

[Damien]

What is actually just so unimaginable is that DLSS really makes a better picture :)

But it is so; the game looks really better with DLSS. This can be seen particularly in fine structures such as the grass, etc.

[Damien]

I also play with capped 138 FPS with DLSS because it's just nicer. And that's rare because I often like ray tracing and 60 FPS is already difficult to achieve :)

[Damien]

My graphics card is still my amazing Geforce RTX 3090 with 24 GB graphics memory :)

Let's see if AMD can even match the ray tracing performance with the new 7900 XTX :)

[Brummbær]

Originally posted by SumTingWong:

I haven't really dove into it but yeah not much stands out as being ray traced here, especially coming from Callisto Protocol where the ray tracing is extremely well done in that game. I've left it on though with all the other settings maxed out and at 120fps cap. Only thing I despise and am getting sick of is the Unreal Engine 4 stutters. Come on can we compile the shaders before the game starts?

The stutters are caused by the Firaxis launcher... you can disable it following these steps [DON'T use the paths in the examples below until your games are installed in the exact same location:
- Right-click on the game name in Steam and click properties.
- Head over to the “Local Files” tab and pick the Browse option.
- You need to find the main executable file for the game which is named ‘MidnightSuns-Win64-Shipping.exe’.
- Head to MidnightSuns folder -> Binaries folder -> Win64 folder
- Copy The Path To The File for the main executable e.g “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Marvel’s Midnight Suns\MidnightSuns\Binaries\Win64\MidnightSuns-Win64-Shipping.exe”.
- Go back to Steam and Rick-click on the game name and select properties again.
- Head to the General tab this time and find the Launch Options section.
- Paste the file path that you copied earlier there and make sure you add it in quotes e.g
“C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Marvel’s Midnight Suns\MidnightSuns\Binaries\Win64\MidnightSuns-Win64-Shipping.exe”
- At the end, add a space and add %command% e.g “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Marvel’s Midnight Suns\MidnightSuns\Binaries\Win64\MidnightSuns-Win64-Shipping.exe” %command%
- Close the properties menu and you will be done.

[Captain Worthy]

Originally posted by Damien:

My graphics card is still my amazing Geforce RTX 3090 with 24 GB graphics memory :)

Let's see if AMD can even match the ray tracing performance with the new 7900 XTX :)

It can't match it because it doesn't use machine learning, it's a budget ray tracing option instead where you can still have high RT at 1080p or low to medium RT at high resolutions if aiming at 60fps, at a much cheaper cost.

But you are right in this game not being much different with RT on. The biggest effect would be seeing your character's reflection properly in their room if you upgrade the room with a mirror.

I run the game with native 3200*1800p and don't use FSR, looks very nice at epic settings on my OC RX 6800.

[RedPanzer]

Originally posted by Brummbær:

Originally posted by SumTingWong:

I haven't really dove into it but yeah not much stands out as being ray traced here, especially coming from Callisto Protocol where the ray tracing is extremely well done in that game. I've left it on though with all the other settings maxed out and at 120fps cap. Only thing I despise and am getting sick of is the Unreal Engine 4 stutters. Come on can we compile the shaders before the game starts?

The stutters are caused by the Firaxis launcher... you can disable it following these steps [DON'T use the paths in the examples below until your games are installed in the exact same location:
- Right-click on the game name in Steam and click properties.
- Head over to the “Local Files” tab and pick the Browse option.
- You need to find the main executable file for the game which is named ‘MidnightSuns-Win64-Shipping.exe’.
- Head to MidnightSuns folder -> Binaries folder -> Win64 folder
- Copy The Path To The File for the main executable e.g “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Marvel’s Midnight Suns\MidnightSuns\Binaries\Win64\MidnightSuns-Win64-Shipping.exe”.
- Go back to Steam and Rick-click on the game name and select properties again.
- Head to the General tab this time and find the Launch Options section.
- Paste the file path that you copied earlier there and make sure you add it in quotes e.g
“C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Marvel’s Midnight Suns\MidnightSuns\Binaries\Win64\MidnightSuns-Win64-Shipping.exe”
- At the end, add a space and add %command% e.g “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Marvel’s Midnight Suns\MidnightSuns\Binaries\Win64\MidnightSuns-Win64-Shipping.exe” %command%
- Close the properties menu and you will be done.

Did that long time ago and after that i got a new setup entirely superior, now instead of crashes i get stutter and still did not find the sweet spot.

[Adam Beckett]

I will break the Steam Community Rules and revive this necro-thread, because I just started to play this game for the first time and the one - and only - question I have was asked in this thread:

"Why is there Ray Tracing in this game?"

Ray Traced AO and Reflexions. I do not get it.

I have two theories, so far:

One is = marketing.

Every new "AAA" game seems to provoke the marketing and publisher suits to demand from their developers to 'add ray tracing' to their title. It becomes a selling point. It's only purpose to stand out and being talked about "Oh look! RAY TRACING" ... as if that is 'cool' in a 1990s 'Nu-Metal' MTV kind of way.

My second theory is: Firaxis developers.

It might sound surprising to some, but the Firaxis devs and particularly programmers are always among the 'first' to hop from one "DirectX" version to the next. While many other developers dread the jump. Civ in DX12 was quite demanding, because the devs used the API for advanced Game AI computation.

Maybe, they just wanted their rendering programmers to have something 'new' to do and to learn?

For the players, I see no real benefit. But, I also am on the RT-skeptic train. I am of the gamedev mind of 'cost vs benefit'. Why render a frame costing 400 Watts (or xxxx Joules), when you can do the same for 10 Watts, by using the 'good old', known (less precise) rendering techniques and algorithms? Looks just as good.

I keep quoting Peter Molyneux from decades ago: "After 10 minutes nobody cares about the graphics" - you are by then either immersed in the gameplay or not. If you have brain-time to still look at 'Ambient Occlusion' soft shadows, you are not really playing a video game? You are trying to work for "Digital Foundry" and their YT channel?

Titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Control without RT are just as good (or bad). My RTX 4060 has no problem in 2024 to render RT and keep up the framerate (... and also stay cool, btw). I can turn it 'on' or 'off' either way.

The question still remains ... why does it exist?

[Captain Worthy]

Some of the characters do look significantly better with RT on in this game. Those characters are massive brands, or at least used to be. So having the options to make them look as great as possible does sell some extra copies.

[Adam Beckett]

Originally posted by Captain Worthy:

Some of the characters do look significantly better with RT on in this game. Those characters are massive brands, or at least used to be. So having the options to make them look as great as possible does sell some extra copies.

Ah. Thank you! This is the "third reason" - which was never on my radar.

"Superhero fans" (of which I am not) love to look at the character models.

Having some shiny, glossy, cosplay costumes to goggle at and salivate over is a reasonable justification for using said visual effects. It is a selling point.

Those reflection effects could have been done without RT, though, not as precise - especially 'in motion' (RT vs SSR = Screen Space Reflection).