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Digital Foundry: Daemon X Machina Demo Analysis

Irminsul

Irminsul

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,039
Our very own Dark1x with another Switch Demo analysis video:



Rundown:

- Producer from the PS2-era Armored Core series involved
- Game is using UE4
- Dynamic resolution up to 1080p docked / 720p undocked, but very rarely / basically never reached (in undocked mode)
- Docked resolution often around 1664*936, portable 896*504, down to 480p
- No AA whatsoever
- Presentation very well liked by John (except for no AA and performance), uses UE4 features such as Global Illumination; Mechs stand "properly" on inclines, likely using inverse kinematics.
- Performance has serious frame-pacing issues, the worst John has seen; additionally, framerate often sub-30fps in battles, down to ~19-20fps in heavy scenes

Very nice video confirming my suspicion that while no AA makes it look really pixelated, the actual resolution (at least in docked mode) isn't all that low (even above a "typical" 900p).

Also, I was convinced "daemon" was just the British spelling of "demon" and thus pronounced the same way, not "daymon"... But maybe I'm wrong there 😉
 
Jaded Alyx

Jaded Alyx

Member
Oct 25, 2017
35,376
Yeh..first thing I did upon starting the game in handheld mode, was put the Switch in the Dock.
 

Deleted member 1413

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,617
This was clearly marked as a prototype/work in progress so hopefully it improves when it launches but I liked how it looked.
Didn't notice much in the terms of frame rate issues, but it did feel off.
Feels like sound mixing is a mess and guns lack impact.

Not sure if the game is fixable, but they did ask for feedback and I'm sure they got a ton, but probably more negative than expected, lol
 
OP
OP
Irminsul

Irminsul

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,039
Dark1x said:
Well, I listened to a Japanese interview with the producer and simply said it as he did!
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Just after I wrote that I thought that maybe they were going for a more "original" pronunciation of the Latin phrase, which would indeed be closer to "daymon" (or the German version, "Dämon", which is even spelt the same, just with an umlaut). Pronouncing "ae" as "ee" never made any sense to me anyway, so all's well 😉
Jaded Alyx said:
And no the British don't spell 'demon' that way.
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You're right, must've confused it with some other words spelt with "ae" in British and "e" in American English.
Cartridge Games said:
Not sure if the game is fixable, but they did ask for feedback and I'm sure they got a ton, but probably more negative than expected, lol
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I mean, it was marked as Version "0.1", but who knows what that actually means. The last case of "Well the demo is just a very old build, everything will be fixed for release... or at least the second (actual?) release!" didn't particularly go well for a certain, well-promoted game, but I guess we'll see. I just have a hunch that while framerate might be a bit better in the final game, the same won't be true for frame-pacing...
 

Deleted member 37917

Banned
Jan 10, 2018
7,207
Tokyo
I felt it ran like shit when playing the demo, but seeing the actual numbers, I really doubt that within the next 6 months, they will be able to increase the framerate by 50%.
 
Rolodzeo

Rolodzeo

Member
Nov 10, 2017
3,484
Spain, EU
I loved the giant enemy crab reference there. That being said, the performace is terrible, they should drop the resolution in docked mode and adjust whatever they need in order to make the game a smooth 30fps experience.
 
KINGOFSHIBUYA Ltd.

KINGOFSHIBUYA Ltd.

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,960
Osaka, Osaka
I'd have faith that they could improve this by launch, if it wasn't on Unreal. Hopefully the final product is still good, and they focus on keeping the framerate steady if anything.
 

Deleted member 10737

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
49,774
the way the put out the demo and asked for feedback, really makes me feel like the final product is going to be good and they're not in a rush. they may even delay it even more.
 
Wispmetas

Wispmetas

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
6,546
This might be the 1st time I played a game/demo where the performance really made me not be able to enjoy the game.
 
Corporal

Corporal

Member
Oct 27, 2017
807
Ooof, those fps and framepacing issues.... the performance in the demo was pretty bad, unfortunately - to the point of diminishing my entertainment, and I have an iron hide in that regard, just like many who barely survived the PAL slowdown wars back in the day. Liked it otherwise. Let's hope for a day one Jesus patch. Those are all the rage nowadays.
 
.exe

.exe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,230
Looked and felt awful in handheld, so no surprises here. Nice to see the numbers to support it. Was surprised to see it had frame pacing issues on top of everything else; I genuinely thought it was just in the mid 20s constantly. Really hope they tighten it up. If not, I bet it will eventually look and play great in Yuzu.
 
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EatChildren

EatChildren

Wonder from Down Under
Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,029
Didn't like the demo at first, got a better feel for the controls, and now I'm sold on it.

Aesthetically I adore the game. I feel they're using very good use of Unreal Engine 4. The shading work on explosions, vehicles, characters, and the terrain are excellent. The game oozes a gorgeous style. I'd look incredible in higher resolutions with AA.

Framerate is the biggest issue. It's fucking shit.
 
cowbanana

cowbanana

Member
Feb 2, 2018
13,693
a Socialist Utopia
I liked the demo quite a bit. Hopefully they can polish performance before release as it is rough, particularly in portable mode. I'll definitely buy the game unless the full game reviews catastrophically.
 
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