DOOM Eternal is undeniably one of the Switch's more impressive ports. Brought across by port specialists Panic Button, gameplay successfully runs at a solid 30 frames per seconds. When compared to the PS4 and Xbox One editions, however, it took a significant visual hit.
As part of this performance trade-off, cutscenes were also affected, capped on Switch at 20 frames per second. Speaking with Digital Foundry, Panic Button lead engineer Travis Archer discussed why these compromises were made, confirming:
As is typical of most games, the cutscenes are sometimes the most graphically intensive scenes in the game – lots of dynamic lights, lots of shadows, lots of animated complex geometry on screen, and so in this case, the importance to us was not losing that detail for the cutscenes. It’s kind of like a big payoff moment. It’s supposed to look really cool, and we decided it was better to run at a higher resolution in this case because it didn’t affect the gameplay – it doesn’t impact your ability to fluidly move around the game when you’re in the middle of a cutscene. It was less critical.
Now, in terms of the end result, I think there are still improvements we can make towards those cutscenes, and we do intend to make some improvements to the cutscenes to improve the performance of those. But that was the decision mostly based on how high the quality bar is for those scenes.
You can watch the full hour-long video interview above, which offers some intriguing insights on how Panic Button got DOOM Eternal's "impossible" port. Digital Foundry previously released a breakdown of Eternal's tech last month, confirming an improved performance over Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
If you're curious to know more, you can always check out our own review, where we awarded the Switch port 8/10 stars.
Did you buy DOOM Eternal on Switch? Want Panic Button to tackle other games? Share your thoughts down below.
[source nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 61
60Fps AnD 1080p oN sWitCh oR iT'S uNplaYABLe
I get loving 60 fps.
If I bought this game it would be with the understanding that it's good even at 30.
I don't expect most AAA games to be 60fps unless made by Nintendo.
With cut scenes, isn't it possible to render the video in-engine on a PC and then just record it and play it back as video file in game on the Switch?
The biggest improvement they could make would be to do a physical release!
Well its an achievement to be able to run this game on Switch but also it brings Switch to its limits. Time for a Switch Pro that can play all these games at 900p/1080p.60fps...
@dimi I don't think a Switch Pro would do that, a lot of people forget that Nintendo would probably clock the chip higher in a Pro model (aka it's original speed, Switch runs the Tegra at much lower clocks)
And that would make the framerate, in this case 30fps more stable and more often higher resolution with Eternal.
But 60fps? No we can forget that unless we get a whole new Switch, which would go against the whole "Pro" model idea.
I enjoyed the game. Didn’t have any problem with the graphics or frame rate personally. Of course I don’t have another system besides the Switch. It would definitely be better to get this for PS4/XBOX/PC is you have one of those, but it is definitely adequate for those of us who only have a Switch
Never mind that where the hell is the physical copy?
Regarding the issue of the physical copy (or lack thereof), is there difference with the bandwidth of the cart compared to the internal memory or internal SD card? Just wondered if there was a hardware issue that was preventing it running from a cart; a bit like how the XBox Series consoles will only run Next Gen games from the internal SSD, or if it was a purely business decision.
@BionicDodo I have often wondered about that. There is a pretty good answer here: https://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/111177/why-not-pre-render-story-parts-in-a-game
maybe it could of run better if the game itself was on a cartridge which im hoping they do that quite soon but like i said i blame bethesda for making that dumb decision making just digital only while screwing gamers who prefer physical.
@matdub @BionicDodo Good point. It worked for Hellblade!
Doom Eternal has cutscenes? I somehow didn't even notice. The whole game plays like the old 90's Sega ads. And that's a good thing.
@BionicDodo I'm absolutely not a tech head so I don't understand the details, but Hugo Martin himself mentioned that the team is very proud of the fact that all cutscenes are made in-engine, allowing for seamless transitions and character customization.
If any of you are interested, he explained it during his playthrough of Eternal on Twitch and the Bethesda YT channel every Thursday. I recommend it, it's an amazing watch!
This game is such a gift from the video game gods, I'm in disbelief at how good everything about it is 😃
@clvr Ah, customisation of the character's appearance makes sense I guess. Although, like @NEStalgia I don't actually remember there even being cut scenes and I'm quite a way in on Xbox!
I bit the bullet and downloaded it. Have to say, I think it is the most impressive conversion yet. The action does not hitch and it still looks amazing. Have played it on Xbox via GamePass, and found that the changes are negligible. It would be nice if the cut-scenes ran about smoother, though. It is the most jarring part.
@BionicDodo yeah I gotta say they are really seamless and well directed, the fact that people don't notice them is proof of just that!
It's weird now to remember all the complaints that there were around cutscenes in a Doom game pre-release lol
I really want to support them (loved Doom 2016 on Switch!!) but I gotta have it in physical form. I know its a beating of a dead horse on here. Unless there's a real tempting sale that happens I'll hold out for a physical release as long as I can. Won't be too hard though once I get Rise cause I'll be buried in that for the foreseeable future.
Sounds totally fine to me. Most movies run at 24 fps, so a few frames lower for non-interactive cutscenes will be imperceptible to most people. And many of the animations we watch on TV run at 12 fps and no one complains, or really notices, so all is good.
I really want to support them (loved Doom 2016 on Switch!!) but I gotta have it in physical form.
@Ganner I support you in this, fellow patient gamer.
Of course, in my case, this determination means that my original GameCube controller and I have been left pining for Grid Autosport...
@BionicDodo I think Video files take up a lotnmore space than in-engine cutsceens. While this didn't come out on cart in the end, they probably developed it assuming that it would.
@TeamRocket47
Gee I wonder why I can’t find any completed ultra nightmare runs for Switch on YouTube..
@BionicDodo uh maybe, but there could be all sorts of issues also with triggering the file to hit correctly in the video player every time - unless the game was designed that way from the drop.
MK11 on the Switch does a fairly realistic job of managing an engine based performance slide from cutscenes to the fights - the seams are very visible and the hair goes through some blocky THPS level atrocities, and a fighting game is the most ideal scenario for such a system you’re suggesting.
Maybe in the future, but AFAIK nothing like that is standard for our time
@Ganner same! I paid full $60 for Doom ‘16 no regerts but I need that digital to be $25-$30 - luckily Bethesda is (was?) pretty good about doing Switch sales.
I just wish they’d get us Fallout and/or Dishonored
@judaspete I totally get that for heavily story driven games, but I barely remember seeing cutscenes in this game so assumed they were short enough to have been done as video.
@GannonBanned @COVIDberry
My hope is they release a deluxe or complete edition in physical form when the Switch version of the DLC is released. I don't expect all of the content to be on cart (would be nice though) but at least most of it. A mild download would be expected nowadays. I mean mild as in not 94% of the game needing to be downloaded which would make the cartridge pretty much pointless.
@Ganner I like the way Bioshock and The Outer Worlds were handled - with the game’s developmental skeleton being on the cartridge and the textures and animations being on the patch - it reminds me of when I tried to play Perfect Dark on my 64 Christmas Morning and was informed that without an expansion pack, I could play about 20% of the game.
The downside is everyone that played TOW before the Day 1 patch was like “holy cow this is the fugliest game I’ve ever seen”
@TeamRocket47 lol so you say even though what your saying is wrong and your opinion
@BionicDodo Yes, hellblade did this and blended it into the gameplay with no load times, not sure why panic button didn't opt for this method.
Panic button is amazing.
@Darkyoshi98 Heck, I can't even get in the debate because I don't own the game; however, I was getting tired of random trolls on the Interweb complain about it not hitting 1080p when half the games on Switch don't hit 1080p. The Switch is not the most powerful console ever, and that's ok.
@Ganner Once it's downloaded to your SD card, it's the same as a physical release--digital code on a storage device. That's all a video game is, whatever the medium.
OK thanks for explaining. Now can you explain why there's no physical?
@impurekind I'm pretty sure that the animation industry standard for frame rate is 24 frames per second, it's just there's 12 unique frames in a second with duplicates of each making up the other half.
@JimmySpades You make a valid point in that perspective. However the reason for wanting a physical release is different for each person. My reasoning is managing storage space but most importantly the ability to trade in towards something else. Over the years I've done a great job of cutting down the video game graveyard and physical releases allows me to keep that up. Especially with games I know once I play through them they won't really be touched ever again. I like traded them in towards the purchase of a new game. Rinse and repeat.
@GannonBanned I was thinking of getting The Bioshock Collection. How is it? Also, I didn't make that mistake when I first got Perfect Dark for the N64 as I had already bought the expansion pack for another game
@GamerGrandpa i have an xbox and i still got this on the switch, because i support Panic Button all the way.
@TeamRocket47 you're playing it with a controller, that already makes it a sub-par experience compared to pc
Have fun using your weapon wheel though
@Doktor-Mandrake you have gyro on Switch, which already makes it superior to the PC version, gameplay wise.
20 fps on cutscenes on portable mode is a small price to pay in order to have this beauty of a game on the go. DOOM Eternal might be the best shooter on the Switch, and one of the best games in the system. For those of you, that have not got the game on the Switch, the wait for a physical release is no longer an excuse to not get this gem.
Low frame rate in a cutscene is different than low frame rate in gameplay. I am fine with this decision.
@Doktor-Mandrake
Like @Edu23XWiiU said, controllers have the option of using gyro controls, which are evolving to become pretty much on-par with a mouse & keyboard. You simply flick the stick to turn, and the precision comes in with motion controls. Once you've mastered them, you'll barely notice the difference between that and mouse & keyboard.
Reason being : switch is a powerhouse !!
Played through the whole game on Switch and never noticed a single bothersome moment related to the "downgraded" port. Looked awesome and played well.
@Edu23XWiiU Superior? 😂😂😂
Yeah cus you can switch to any weapon on the fly, right? Oh nope, still have to use weapon wheel, and no gyro is not as accurate as a mouse when u have ur arm floating around in the air
I'll get a kick out of this comment next time I play at native 1440p and at 120fps, maxed out setting.. "superior" 😂
All you've done is proven my point, always the same with people on here whether it be framerate, resolution or even input settings.
@ModdedInkling I have used gyro in FPS like turok and NO, it's nowhere near as accurate, being able to turn around quickly is not "accuracy"
Further more, theres no bindings, you cant hot-swap weapons very well when you're reliant on a weapon wheel
Saying doom eternal on switch is superior to PC is just delusional
@Doktor-Mandrake Then that's an indication that you don't know how to use motion controls properly. This ain't the Wii era. You don't need to exaggerated your movements nor does it take that long to change weapons through a weapon wheel. You are bad at modern motion controls.
No one said that flicking the control stick is accuracy. Reread my comment again. The accuracy comes from the motion controls, but clearly what you said indicates that you don't know how to use them properly, so I can't really take your opinion on that if you don't even know.
And for crying out loud, stop with the snobby performance crap. No one is talking about performance differences, because it's already true that the PC version runs better. That doesn't make it superior to the Switch version if you have versatility with the Switch. The sacrifice of power to bring the game around anywhere you want balances out.
@ModdedInkling Ah yes, it's all me, meanwhile switch version is "superior" to pc version
Could of just said you liked switch version, all these comments like "theres no difference between 4k and 1080p" .. "30fps and 60fps? No difference" and now apparently motion controls and kbm, no different?
Its delusional fanboyism
@Elvie Yes, correct. But the same could be said of any game running at 30 fps too for example, where the TV or screen is actually refreshing at 60 Hz but the game is only showing one image every two frames (either with duplicates or blanks in between). And all of the various mediums are similarly displaying in such a way that the devices are typically running on TVs/screens with 60 Hz refresh rates (if we ignore TVs and PC with even higher refresh rates for a second) but fitting whatever the source frame rate is into that via the same duplication or blanking method, be the original source a video game or an animation or a movie or a home made video or whatever. Or at least that's how I would think it would work based on the little I know of such things. So, for all intents and purposes, it's still fine to say that many animations are running at 12 fps.
@Urbanhispanic Bioshock trilogy played and handled extremely well across all three games - it was super fun to revisit those adventures - definitely recommend
@Doktor-Mandrake I can play it while I crap hahaha, and gyro is 10000 times than playing with a mouse. I'm pretty sure yours have the little lights, isn't it? Hehehe I'm sure that makes you happy, as your "performance" settings. Maybe you should improve your performance in bed instead. Your girlfriend told me last night you last 3 seconds.
@ModdedInkling exactly. Way faster and way more comfortable, aiming with gyro is.
@GannonBanned good to know. I will be picking it up in the near future.
@Edu23XWiiU Well, you're very childish so I'm going to assume you are a child with comments like "I can have a crap and play video games"
Where as I am an adult with a full time job, means I dont have to play exclusively on Switch unlike you
I dont care if you can have a crap while playing doom, it's still the least favoured version of the game
@Doktor-Mandrake you say you're an adult, but you've been nothing but incendiary from the jump. I'm almost entirely a computer gamer (nothing against the consoles, PC gaming is more affordable in the long haul), but there's no such thing as objectively superior versions of games. while you may prefer better performance/visual fidelity and a control system you're familiar with (not to mention the option to plug in other controllers), others may opt for portability and gyro if they're more used to that.
@TheRealMW Yet it was the other person that said the switch version is superior, due to motion controls, so why arent you directing this comment to them?
I have literally nothing against the switch port, it's a fantastic port, but people saying its superior to pc? And then insulting others for saying that's not true? That IS childish
You can re-read my comments, I think you'll find I never called the pc version superior
@Doktor-Mandrake You basically did though. Your comments are straight from the whole "pc master race" playbook.
How does it effects you if someone you don't know thinks something is superior? Who are you to decide what's superior for someone else?
@lordzand I pointed out the pc version I prefer as I can hot-swap weapons, I never, not once, called anything superior.
Someone then got upset and said switch is """"superior"""" (THEIR words) because of motion controls.
It doesnt effect me, but its certainly affecting you.
@Doktor-Mandrake
You need to actually READ my comment. In no way did I ever say that the Switch version has better performance than the PC version. As a matter of fact, I actually ACKNOWLEDGED that the PC version has better specs. What I specifically mentioned was the Switch's portability, which is what makes up for the loss of performance. Does the portability mean absolutely nothing to you for a console marketed SPECIFICALLY for portability being a thing?
Also, when you mentioned hot-swapping weapons, I'm not sure you're even familiar with the console versions. You can quickly swap between two weapons by pressing X, rather than holding it down to open the weapon wheel.
@ModdedInkling hot-swapping does not mean switching between simply two weapons, it's not a hard concept to grasp that a keyboard has many buttons meaning can switch to any weapon in an instant
Maybe you need to read because I called the DE port fantastic, and the only time I mentioned performance was when someone called switch version "superior"
The pc version IS the best way to experience the game, theres nothing wrong with the switch version and never said there was
Stop trying to prolong some dumb argument just because I'm not some delusional ninty boy
@Doktor-Mandrake
The problem is that you're saying it's the best way to experience it. That is such a subjective matter if you seriously can't consider how Doom Eternal can be played on handheld as well.
Tap here to load 61 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...