2022 was a dire year for the quality of PC ports, from awful scalability to missing features to the inevitable #StutterStruggle. We’re looking to kick off 2023 by trying to make a difference! In this video, Alex Battaglia puts together a list of 13 best practise points, cherry-picking the best in PC gaming to deliver the best options, stutter-free gameplay, improved tweakability and much more.
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00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:00 – No shader compilation stutter
00:02:57 – Include visually responsive graphical options
00:04:52 – Include convention driven menu navigation
00:05:44 – Do not overly nest graphical menus
00:06:58 – Include refresh rate and resolution as separate options
00:08:10 – Include a field of view option
00:08:42 – Include a variable aspect ratio and variable framerate
00:09:43 – Include 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4 v-sync options
00:10:47 – Include multiple quality levels for heavy effects like ray tracing
00:12:26 – Include dynamic resolution if it is also used on console
00:13:15 – Include HDR and surround sound if consoles have it
00:13:38 – Include console settings
00:14:30 – Include all vendor variants of image reconstruction (DLSS, FSR, XESS)
00:15:15 – Conclusion
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Sony PC ports were all really great in my experience.
Incredible video, I LOVE the second point about visually responsive graphical options, as someone that can spend up to 30 minutes setting up a game before playing it for the best performance x visual quality, having this responsiveness would lower this time by an order of magnitude!
Also the FOV option should be in all games, I have a big screen and I always have to increase FOV by 10 or so.
Thank you for this Alex.
There is another little-known tip. That is to set the fps limit (in-game setting; setting it in the driver will increase input latency) to a value slightly lower than the display's refresh rate. If your display supports VRR, tearing will disappear, and even if not, input latency will be dramatically reduced.
I don't want half the bloat this guy is talking about. "Console settings" ? Get out.
Don't forget about toggling which window you want your game to be displayed. I play games on my tv at times and it's annoying to turn off my other displays to force the game onto the tv.
💯💯💯
If nobody got me, I know Alex’s optimized settings got me
Informative, Alex. Hope 2023 gets better
Uneven frame pacing and shader stutter drive me INSANE! Sometimes I just end up buying the console version of games like Calisto Protocol even though my PC is much more powerful than my PS5 just so I can play the game in peace. And this sucks because the message I'm sending via my wallet is PC gaming is not important. Developers, please please PLEASE heed Alex's advice here. I want to love my PC but you make this so hard to do!
Forspoken: "hold my beer."
Hope devs will see this and follow
Hlo bro i got into trouble. In window 10 the text below my desktop icons has turned into black. But the text except on my desktop is oky. Someone plz sort this out
Forspoken has left the comments section
F*** A points Alex! As you said there many more but I do feel these which you mentioned are very universal and would change the experience for basically any PC gamer.
It's time to end using the word lousy .
Your tele-prompter setup looks wrong. You look like you're focusing on something above the camera in the distance.
Whats there on top of the camera lens that you're constantly looking at? 🤣
did you pack your wound with horse hair?
why
Maybe you could do video about FOV and how to find the right one for your setup?
I get that this is also a personal preference but I think that it also depends on screensize, aspect ratio, distance to the screen and also a bit resolution.
ALEX! YES!
Amen.
Some of these are really nitpicky and you can't expect developers to do them.
I'm wondering why high end graphic cards don't bring their horse power on screen. Compared to consoles the performance and visual fidelity should be outstanding miles away.
Thank you for this. Hopefully devs take notes.
Also for gaming in general can we not have the UI function like Netflix
Forspoken developers seeing this….
Being able to see what changes and how it affects performance when you switch graphical settings is such a blessing. I would really love to see this in more games. That's maybe the most needed settings window feature for those people who interact with that window the most.
YES! YES! YEEESSS! As an interface designer since th '90s I fully agree with this list and the reasons behind it. I don't know why people feel the need to re-invent the wheel all the time – it makes navigating menus a pain in the ass. HOWEVER you missed one feature NOBODY has that I can't wait for: The ability to save your custom settings like a game save. Some times I want all the visual bells and whistles for screen shots or for a 'beauty walk' and other times I want the FPS of the game to match that of my monitor's top end. Please allow us to save our settings so we can go back and forth and do comparisons.
I can actually tell why menus are usually done with scrolling and not the Arma way – these menus often contain very technical terms that cannot be as easily localized. Arma type of menu just doesn't leave enough space for labels that are significantly longer than the English text
Why are we still getting bad PC ports? The new gen consoles have the same architecture as PC now, it should in theory be something easier.
Excellent video Alex, thank you!
5:17 ironically, a common convention for all keyboard demonstrations is to use the 104 key layout as its the most standard and accepted in the entire world.
5:57 – If they really want to have like “sub-types”, they could do “tabbed” pages at most. Meaning… well, tabs, between which you can toggle swiftly, rather than “opening” entire new pages with transitions or whatever. – Tabs are often quick to switch between and they’re definitely good when there are lots of settings as well. I mean, I don’t like pages loaded with settings that you have to scroll down either, which can just be the worst out of all scenarios.
Also, as for the large text or buttons: I think that’s probably a design-choice for console-games, as they’re probably tested by sitting from screens at greater distances than say a monitor at arm’s length or so. I can understand this, but they could still scale things differently and adapt for PC-versions of the same games.
I would be careful with the suggestion of examples and descriptions in the settings-menus, because often it’s the case that they’re not clear with either the example pictures or descriptions, or they’re just downright inaccurate. – I think you know this yourself, because there have been examples of this in videos that you made yourself, such as one being in the “AC: Valhalla” settings (I think it was the anti-aliasing or something, which after two years I still don’t see the differences or effects of. It’s either too subtle or just broken or a lie.)
I just want it to be visible while I’m tweaking, which is something I’ve wanted for like 15 years. And while I understand that it probably wasn’t always possible in every game or engine, it’s probably less complicated these days, at least for most modern engines and their settings. – Convenience is also important.
Anything else?. A coffee, little dessert?, maybe a feet massage?.
Ah, those crappy resolution options. Like when it automatically applies a resolution or refresh rate my monitor doesn't support so I have to hit alt+enter or even quit the game in order to see anything. Or having to hit spacebar then e or something to apply a setting then restart the game. And have a launcher so I can choose the API BEFORE LAUNCHING THE GAME to avoid issues.
PC is/was an acquired taste, and only makes up about 2% of the gaming community (maybe a little more). Millions own consoles, not gaming PC's, or if so, like myself, they rarely game on them. Mainly because NOW consoles are so close to PC in many regards. So developers quit caring. Hence the same goes for people using their phones, and Ipads/tablets, instead of laptops. The market is just dried up for these thing.. I still love my PC's, but 90% of the people I know, don't even OWN a PC. They do everything on a phone, or tablet. So you just have to change with the time and except the inevitable. Sorry to say. But yes PC gaming is pretty much dead.
Great video, we needed it.
A setting called "Console Settings" would be fantastic for using the PC on a TV especially if its older or midrange. That should be a new standard for sure
To this day I dont understand how pre-compiling shaders isnt an option. Like you said, Warzone / MW2 has a lot of problems, but shader isn't one, that should be the norm for PC games, I dont really care to wait 10 to 20 minutes for shaders to compile everytime I update my drivers if that means a stutter free gameplay
Only today I've noticed Alex's face scar. A true Jagger!
Probably the most important video you guys have uploaded in a while!
I have a couple of additions – more from the actual gameplay experience perspective.
14. Make frequently accessed UI controls responsive.
I've been seing this since forever and I can't exactly pinpoint where it started. But worst offenders – games that rely heavily on the use of things like Map, Crafting system panel, inventory, character panel, skills – do not put these behind busy and especially LONG animations. These need to be snappy ! I couldn't name all those open-world games where you access the map literally every half a minute, and the map animations go like:
M > Blur screen > Fade-in > whirly-swooshy-wiggy-wag > INTERACTABLE MAP > M > (potentially followed by what came before, in reverse). This one really gets on my nerves. I want to open that map, drop a pin and go within a second. Seing your fancy open/close animation is cool for the first 3 times.
You also don't need these panels to be full-screen, but that's my next point.
15. Design your UI for the platform you're doing it for. Don't port – design.
This sort of has become the norm, but mainly because a lot of people had forgotten what a PC game UI should be like.
More often than not – we sit up close with our monitors less than one meter away, meaning that we can see pretty damn clearly.
There's no need for your inventory screen occupy the entirety of it. We've got a mouse, we use Windows – and there lies your main principle: use panels(windows). The platform (OS) itself gives you a fairly clear idea of what your UI can be like. So yes – I can have my character sheet, my bags, my equipment – all open at once, maybe even movable.
Stop with the wheel-selection and "paging" (navigated via shoulder buttons on a gamepad) – that is a clunky way of navigating your UI on a PC.
You probably get the idea that I'm mainly aiming at RPG games here. If you'd like a great example of how to do PC UIs – take a look at Blizzard games or Divinity 1/2, or any of the older classic RPGs.
Still laughing, dear PC masterrace?