Quick test: Graphics performance in Fallout 76 Beta

Fallout is back on the agenda with the soon-to-be-titled Fallout 76, which takes place 25 years after the atomic bombs went off. The player is given the task of wandering out and colonizing the so-called Wasteland, in an attempt to get people back on the ground again – a place taken over by mutants and new creations.

Under the hood spins again Creation Engine which is used in Skyrim and Fallout 4, among others, and which for this title has been further polished to match today’s wishes around the level of detail. The game usually lacks a performance tool, so it is hiking on its own that applies.

► Bethesda Releases Fallout 76 System Requirements

Test system

SweClockers Vinterdator 2017 is used as the base, but since the test is limited in time and only up at night Swedish time, only the Intel-based system is used. The graphics card Asus Geforce GTX 1070 ROG Strix OC can go through all the detail levels in all resolutions, supplemented by another ten graphics cards in the detail level “Ultra”.

The systems run with the memory profiles XMP and DOCP activated, which means that the Intel-based computer also runs all cores in the highest possible turbo mode. The drivers used are latest from both parties at the time of testing – 416.34 WHQL for Nvidia and Adrenalin Edition 18.10.2 Optional for AMD. The frame rate is captured with the OCAT software.

Tests with Asus Geforce GTX 1070 ROG Strix OC

With the results in hand, it is clear that the Geforce GTX 1070 has to fight much more the more pixels that are thrown in, rather than when the level of detail is increased. The model is a borderline case for being able to run the game in 4K UHD also in Low, but the title flows well in other resolutions.

With more cards in the game, there is not too much difference in the top, where the Geforce GTX 1080 Ti squeezes into a second place between two fresh RTX variants. Here, the processor simply dictates the frame rate and squeezes the field. It is noteworthy that all cards are over 60 FPS.

With the resolution one step up, there is starting to be a little more distance between the cards, where the list is not completely unexpectedly topped by the flagship Geforce RTX 2080 Ti. Just behind this are Geforce RTX 2080 and GTX 1080 Ti which are just a few frames apart. At the bottom, the Radeon R9 390, Geforce GTX 1060 and Radeon RX 580 are dangerously close to the 60 FPS limit with the risk of jerky experience.

As previously noted, the graphics card has to fight much more the higher the resolution, which is visible when only the four cards at the top stay above the 60 FPS limit. For the rest of the cards, it’s hard to justify burning through the game in 4K UHD resolution, especially for the last three, where it’s starting to look more like a slide show than anything else.

Summarized thoughts

When the undersigned went out in West Vrigina in search of a test loop, everything immediately felt very familiar. Not the area, but rather the mechanics and textures. Much is recognizable from the previous title Fallout 4, although Fallout 76 has been given a little brushing to stay more in the game.

However, it feels obvious that the Creation Engine is anything but modern in today’s situation. Previous Bethesda titles, whether The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, have always had a locked frame rate as it is tightly tied to the entire engine. Thus, the higher the FPS produced, the faster the player runs.

The same goes for Fallout 76, even though the game can only be played online. This means that some with a lower frame rate will go slower, while others may run circles around their teammates. That this is in an online game is completely inconceivable to me and I really wonder how Bethesda reasoned.

Not only do others run faster, the engine itself starts doing weird things as the frame rate increases. Whether it will affect others is still unclear, but there is a risk that a single player can put a larger part of the gaming world in some form of chaos where things fly all the way around the world.

During the testing, some bugs were discovered in the game, which is not really that surprising when it comes to a beta version, and that the game studio has literally announced that even the sharp version will have problems at launch. Among other things, it is possible to build your own base, which in the case of the editorial staff, on the other hand, disappeared at irregular intervals – something that takes away the point of the whole thing. However, we may have missed some vital information in the heat of finding a test loop.

When it comes to performance itself, no monster computer is needed to run the game at 60 FPS, a level that for Fallout 76 is more recommended than usual. At the same time, it is expected when not much has happened with either the game engine or the textures since 2015.

How the game will stand on the podium against the other launches this autumn remains to be seen, but initially the undersigned feels that it is Fallout 4 in multiplayer mode. Then, of course, the plot is excluded, and the focus is on the mechanics and general mood in the world – something that has been very attractive in previous titles. Now it is up to evidence if it is possible to keep the illusion even with more players involved.

► Talk about Fallout 76 in SweClockers forum

Have you tried Fallout 76 Beta? What do you think? Write in the comments and share your thoughts on the game so far!