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- Doom: The Dark Ages makes extensive use of ray-tracing for its lighting and reflections.
- id Software states that the game would not be possible to make without the use of this technology.
- Ray-tracing sped up development and allowed the team to enhance destruction, gore, and other elements of the Doom experience.
Doom: The Dark Ages is one of the most well-optimized titles in recent years, but it can also be quite taxing on modern systems. This is largely due to its heavy reliance on ray-tracing, which has upset some fans with lower-end hardware.
Discussing why ray-tracing is so essential to its latest game, id Software recently highlighted the benefits of the technology. As per the developers, the game, as it exists today, would not be possible without the technology.
Why it matters: Ray-tracing adoption has grown significantly in recent years, and games like Doom: The Dark Ages are unplayable without ray-tracing-supported hardware.
Digital Foundry recently interviewed id Software’s Director of Engine Technology and discussed various elements of the team’s latest game, including the focus on ray-tracing.
Developer Billy Khan explained that id Software would have required several additional years of development to produce Doom: The Dark Ages without ray-tracing. He also elaborated that the content currently available in the game would be close to impossible without the technology.
Without this feature, we would have had to elongate development time by a magnitude of years. We wouldn’t have been able to create the same type of content.
As per Billy Khan, the team brought the game’s world to life with more nuance and details thanks to ray-tracing, and the accurate lighting helped add to the power fantasy of the Doom Slayer.
id Software hoped to make the Doom Slayer more powerful than ever in the latest entry, which required better gore and world destruction. The developer explained that nailing this would be impossible in certain cases had the team relied on baked lighting.
Ray-tracing’s benefits also extended to the gigantic battle sections of Doom: The Dark Ages, bringing the larger-scale segments to life with a homogenized look.
Perhaps the most interesting element of the discussion is that ray-tracing sped up the game’s development. Because AAA titles take years upon years to produce today, ray-tracing could help alleviate some of the challenges associated with modern AAA titles.
What are your thoughts on the developer’s statement? Let’s discuss in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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