Praise for Star Wars Outlaws Graphics
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora set the bar for graphics in 2023, according to Digital Foundry. So, when Ubisoft Massive released Star Wars Outlaws, excitement was high. The Snowdrop Engine once again delivers stunning visuals, with key features like RT global illumination, volumetric fog, and extreme texture work. PC users can enhance the visuals further with RTX Direct Illumination, taking lighting and shadows to the next level. While there are some flaws to address, Star Wars Outlaws remains a standout title for PC gaming.
Improved Ray-Traced Lighting
A significant improvement in the execution of the Snowdrop Engine is the ray-traced lighting, which shines in diverse worlds with man-made interiors and industrial surfaces. Unlike Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Star Wars Outlaws excels in rendering high-tech interiors with dynamic lighting, creating immersive gameplay environments. The game’s innovative use of ray-traced global illumination and reflections enhances the architectural realism, setting a new standard for lighting techniques in games.
City settings like Mirogana, with minimal direct sunlight, benefit from the ray-traced lighting technology, creating hyper-realistic visuals. RTX Direct Illumination, a path-tracing technique, replaces traditional lighting methods, offering a more comprehensive solution for realistic lighting effects. This next level of realism is best showcased in the game’s visuals, providing a glimpse into the future of gaming graphics.
Advanced Ray Reconstruction Technology
Denoising ray-traced lighting is essential for optimal visual quality, and DLSS Ray Reconstruction in Star Wars Outlaws leverages machine learning for upscaling and denoising. While this technology enhances lighting quality and stability, there are some issues to address, such as object smearing and edge cases. Despite its drawbacks, Ray Reconstruction offers improved details in shadows and reflections, enhancing the overall visual fidelity.
Challenges and Room for Improvement
While Star Wars Outlaws excels in many areas, there are some aspects that require refinement. Issues with character animations in cinematics, aliasing, post-processing effects, and image quality detract from the overall visual experience. Addressing these polish issues, along with optimizing performance for RTXDI, will elevate the game to one of the best PC titles of the year.
With a forward-looking approach to graphics technology and a commitment to visual excellence, Star Wars Outlaws stands out as a visually stunning game. As Ubisoft Massive continues to address polish issues and optimize performance, the game has the potential to be a standout title for PC gamers, showcasing the future of gaming graphics.