Early on in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End‘s development it aimed to deliver the first ever 60 FPS Uncharted experience. However, that objective has begun to melt away as reality has set in at Naughty Dog.
Speaking to EDGE, game director Bruce Straley shared:
We’re actually above 30, but we locked it [for the demo]. We’re going to do whatever it takes to make the game we want to make. If it means we could go for 60 but lose something that would really impact the player’s experience, then it’s our choice as developers to say, ‘Well, we’re going to go for the experience over the 60 frames.’
Apparently the demo run at PlayStation Experience last month averaged around 37 FPS. While there is nearly a year of development left, pushing optimization to a point where it can consistently remain at 60 FPS is a lot to ask for.
One big factor to take into consideration is Naughty Dog’s goal of expanding the level size in Uncharted 4 when compared to previous installments. The series is known for having small playgrounds to play in, and Naughty Dog wants to change that with expansive areas (as seen in the gameplay debut) that let the player decide how to tackle scenarios. Larger areas have a significant impact on performance, as there are more objects and textures to process.
Related: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Gets 1080p Gameplay Premier
Gamers and developers have hotly debated the importance of 60 FPS during the past year. While some are a-okay with a 30 FPS lock in order to save performance for higher quality effects and improved anti-aliasing, 60 FPS experiences are known for being wonderfully smooth.
Below you can watch the Uncharted 4 gameplay premier from PlayStation Experience.
