Date:
Monday , June 01, 2009
Author:
Mark Warner
Editor:
Brent Justice
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Cryostasis Gameplay Performance and IQ

Cryostasis arrived from Russia this spring, mostly to hushed anonymity. NVIDIA seems to want it to be a PhysX showcase, but is it really up to the job? Come with us as we find out, using seven of today's best video cards.

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Graphics Options in Cryostasis

Cryostasis’ graphics options are respectable, but somewhat slim. There are 16 graphics options total, about 10 of which are actually interesting.

Article Image

The first four options are pretty standard stuff: Resolution, Aspect Ratio, Vertical Sync, and Gamma correction. After that, it gets more interesting.

Shader model

The Shader model option allows the gamer to toggle between shader models 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. Shader Model 4, of course, is specific to DirectX 10. Shader Model 2.0 is for DirectX 9.0, while Shader Model 3.0 is for DirectX 9.0c. So, if you have an older DX9-era video card, you should be covered for Shader Model options.

Hardware physics

Next is the Hardware physics option. Toggling this option enablesNVIDIA’s PhysX technology to be rendered on any PhysX capable device in the system, whether it be a GeForce 8+ series GPU or an AGEIA PhysX standalone PCI card. If you do not have a PhysX capable device in your PC, this option does nothing.

Texture resolution

The first option in the next section is the Texture resolution option. This option allows you to select the size of textures that the game will use. Our testing showed us that the texture resolution setting had the single-most noticeable impact in image quality. Selecting High will create sharper details, but will use more video memory. Select Medium or Low if your video card has a smaller framebuffer.

Normal maps

The Normal maps option allows you to determine the detail and depth of bump-mapped surfaces, such as the ever-present frost, in Cryostasis. This is a shader-intensive task, so lower this option if your video card has limited shader power.

Specular maps

The Specular maps option adjusts the detail and realism of reflective surfaces, such as on the surface of water, ice, and other reflective surfaces. This is also a shader-intensive task, so gamers with less powerful video cards may need to lower this option.

Shadows

The Shadows option allows the adjustment of the quality of shadows in Cryostasis. Shadows can also be disabled entirely. Close-up shadows are the most visible in the game, such as those cast by the player’s flashlight and other direct lighting sources like lamps. In our testing, this option did not have a significant effect on graphics performance.

Motion blur and Camera motion blur

The Motion blur option toggles the motion blurring of objects in motion. When you open a door, you will see a visible motion blur on the door as it swings. Similarly, when enemies are moving around, they will be slightly blurred. It is most noticeable on doors, where the player is not concentrating on shooting a moving enemy.

The Camera motion blur option toggles the use of motion blur on the entire scene when the player looks around the environment.

These options did not present a serious challenge to our video cards in testing.

Water reflections and Water caustic

The Water reflection option toggles reflective water surfaces. This is a shader-sensitive option, so readers with older video cards may consider disabling it. Caustics is the term used to describe the reflective and refractive effect that water has on light. The Water caustic option is therefore able to disable the calculation of water caustics. This is also a shader-intensive feature.

Anisotropic Filtering and Antialiasing

The Anisotropic Filtering option toggles AF, and the Antialiasing option toggles AA. No indication is given as to what level of AF and AA are enabled. To our eyes, it appears to be at least 8X, and maybe 16X AF. The AA option looks to use something similar to 2X MSAA.

Attempting to force AF and AA from both the NVIDIA Control Panel and ATI Catalyst Control Center failed.

Shader Model and Hardware Physics

We’d like to talk a little more about the Shader model and Hardware physics options.

In our testing, we found that enabling Shader Model 4.0 gave us the best performance on every video card. The SM3.0 and SM2.0 options degraded performance significantly on every video card in this evaluation, from the dual-GPU GTX 295 and Radeon HD 4870 X2 behemoths, to the significantly less expensive GTX 260 and HD 4870 1GB. So, for every test in this evaluation, the Shader model option was left at 4.0, even for tests which indicate that Minimum In-Game Settings are used. DX10 is faster in this game, simple as that.

As for Hardware physics, we had mixed results. For every NVIDIA-based video card in this evaluation, we experienced better performance with the Hardware physics option turned on, in every situation. Even when we saw really horrible performance, turning Hardware physics off only made it worse. Thus, for every test (unless specifically noted [see Apples-to-Apples]), hardware physics was turned on, even for tests which indicate that Minimum In-Game Settings are used.

Our Gameplay Test Scenario

For our evaluation scenario, we chose the level called “Escape.” Our test run consists of about the middle third of the level. During this section, the protagonist goes outside and inside, experiences a Mental Echo, fights several ice zombies, and experiences a number of different kinds of internal environments. The test lasts about 10 minutes and is typical of most levels in the game.