Yes there is, you said it yourself, graphics are subjectively worse.
That's correct:
subjective. And I agree that there have been noticeable changes. I agree that most people can argue certain things looked better before. But I'll also point out that I'm seeing fewer instances late draw-in, sudden frame-drops when entering certain areas, and a more cohesive visual
balance across the board. (YES -- many elements of the game draw in closer, but I'm not really noticing this drastically overwhelming, immersion-shattering, visual mess with game assets popping in 5 feet from me. Actually, if I had to make a comparison, I'd say things are now drawing in at about the same distance as equivalent assets would have appeared in TW3. Occasionally, especially if driving quickly, I'll see a billboard or details for a building materialize in way that's, like, "Erm...dorf!" But it's hardly a game-breaking issue. It simply needs a little more tweaking here and there.)
This type of pop in can really bug people, I get that. But it may be what's necessary to get things situated in a completely stable way.
OK, fair enough, the engine breaks (or may break) due to .. unoptimized .. handling of events with enough bling. I can buy that explanation but I don't have to be happy about the solution. The proper way to fix this would be to update the game engine to make sure the scripts execute properly.
What do you think the devs are doing? How do you think it works? That a few people spend a couple of hours saying, "Oh, make the FPS better. No that looks bad, make it look better. Now make it look better and make the FPS better. Good! Let's do Pacifica next."
It's a
process. A looong, complicated, extremely difficult process of managing various elements of how the engine is working under the hood to handle (literally) tens of thousands of individual functions that render and draw every single frame of every single scene. The optimization is not done yet. As the studio said, they've finally got it to a place where everything is working smoothly and correctly. This does not mean, "Everything is 100% perfect now, and we're completely done optimizing and improving the engine." It means, "A balance has been struck, and now, we can work from a foundation that should perform better for most players."
Players are still going to encounter issues if there's something with their system config the game doesn't like. This is true of all games. Players that used mods at some point may still run into exclusive issues that require them to completely wipe their game, reinstall, and start over. This is true of all games. (Anyone that may want to argue that is clearly unfamiliar with how modding works for games that are still undergoing developmental changes.) Players are still going to subjectively not like the fact that they can't have every last fire escape or window frame draw in a minimum of 1000 meters from the camera. (And here's where modders can go ahead and push the engine past its limits for hardware that can handle that -- but that doesn't mean that it's a universally stable approach, nor that it's possible to do that on the official minimum / recommended specs.)
See, it's not possible for a game to cater specifically to players that have ultra-high-end PC hardware, with dual RTX 3090s, liquid cooled, and capable of 100+ FPS at true 4K. Not until that level of hardware is industry and market standard. This game is made and will continue to be optimized primarily for:
When the Next-Gen Update is ready, new specs will be released, and that build of the game will certainly push the engine further.
Also, something that probably should be included on modern specification charts is the Frames Per Second -- as most games are specced at 30, 60, and 72 FPS nowadays. Standard vsync for 60Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz monitors, respectively, at standard resolutions. Not unlimited FPS with overclocking using unsupported resolutions and aspect ratios [like ultra-widescreen.] Very often, especially for games that rely on specific frame-timing for things like physics modeling or script triggers, using unlimited FPS can and will introduce issues for many players. This is true of
most complex RPGs, Simulations, or Strategy games. It's best to save that sort of Power-User stuff for Action, Shooters, Racing, Platformers, etc. Not games that are doing thousands of different things per millisecond under the hood.
One thing has always been true: if you try to make a game do something it doesn't really want to do, you're almost guaranteed to have issues. Put your system in the proper configuration, and you'll have smooth sailing.
For console users, keep in mind that consoles are not 100% identical. They all have equivalent
specs, but the make and model of many internal components as well as the software/firmware being used is different based on the geographical region where the unit was assembled. So, yes, it's very possible for this XBX to have massive issues, while that XBX has no issues at all. If you're seeing something really wonky, send in a ticket. Additionally, it's very important even for consoles to be in good shape to run games, silly as that may sound in words. Having lots of apps, like marketplaces, friends and chat features, updates, etc. active in the background can interfere with game functions and performance. They will limit the RAM available or create issues if a game suddenly needs to tax the system during a busy scene, for example. Another critical issue with many consoles is that there isn't enough free space on the HDD / SSD for the operating system to function properly. A good rule of thumb is to ensure you always leave 20% of your max storage space free. It's necessary for paging file usage during normal operations. Having a function like that run out of space will definitely cause slowdowns, glitches, and/or instability. Even on consoles, smartphones, handhelds, etc.
And another reminder that these are not official statements from CDPR about how Cyberpunk 2077 works or what it is or is not capable of. These are my thoughts based on my experience with hardware and gaming since the early 1980s. Members are welcome to take or leave it, but this is what has worked for me over the years, whether building my own systems or dealing with off-the-shelf models.
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