Launched first on the PlayStation 3 and as a launch title for the PlayStation 4, Murderer’s Creed IV: Black Flag has remained a defining entry within the sequence for greater than a decade. After we first explored the concept of bringing Edward Kenway’s journey to trendy {hardware}, it rapidly grew to become clear {that a} conventional remaster wouldn’t be sufficient to do it justice.
As a substitute, we rebuilt the sport from the bottom up on the newest model of the Anvil engine, modernizing practically each system whereas preserving the spirit and id of the unique recreation. The result’s an expertise tailor-made for contemporary PlayStation {hardware}, with 60 FPS choices, HDR assist, Dolby Atmos, DualSense haptic suggestions, and loads of different enhancements. You’ll find the record of graphics modes obtainable at launch for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Professional under.
With all these new options and graphics choices, we’ve been capable of take full benefit of the PlayStation 5 {hardware} and ship the very best expertise attainable for gamers when the sport launches on July 9.
On this article, we’d wish to take a more in-depth take a look at a number of the applied sciences that convey this new model of the Caribbean to life.
A extra reactive Caribbean with ray tracing
In Resynced, our objective was to make the world really feel extra alive, extra dynamic, and extra conscious of the participant’s journey.
A significant a part of that comes from our up to date lighting system, now totally dynamic and powered by hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
As a substitute of counting on precomputed lighting, the world reacts in actual time to adjustments in time of day, climate, and surroundings. Interiors reply extra precisely to out of doors mild sources, and climate situations dramatically reshape the temper of the world.
Ray-traced diffuse lighting permits mild to bounce throughout surfaces, creating pure colour bleeding and extra constant shading all through environments. In the meantime, Ray-Traced Specular Reflections improve surfaces like moist wooden, steel, and ocean spray, serving to the Caribbean really feel extra bodily grounded and reactive.
To make sure a constant expertise, Ray-Traced International Illumination is enabled in all graphics modes on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Professional. Ray-Traced Specular Reflections can be found in Balanced and Constancy modes on PS5, and throughout all graphics modes on PS5 Professional.
Steady element with micropolygon geometry
One of many key visible enhancements in Black Flag Resynced comes from how we deal with geometry at scale.
Conventional rendering pipelines depend on discrete ranges of element, switching between simplified fashions because the participant strikes by way of the world. Whereas efficient, this strategy can typically introduce noticeable visible popping.
With our Micropolygon geometry pipeline, we take a special strategy. As a substitute of switching between mounted fashions, geometry is repeatedly refined primarily based on distance, visibility, and digital camera perspective. This steady degree of element is enabled by the PlayStation 5’s ultra-high-speed SSD, which permits Anvil to immediately stream, virtualize, and render tiny geometric clusters.
This lets environments and belongings scale easily from close-up element to distant silhouettes with out noticeable transitions.
PlayStation 5 Professional enhancements
The PlayStation 5 Professional contains all of the options of the bottom PlayStation 5 however provides considerably extra GPU energy and enhanced ray‑tracing efficiency, giving extra headroom for increased constancy and extra secure efficiency.
Throughout all graphics modes, gamers on PS5 Professional profit from prolonged ray tracing assist, together with each Ray-Traced International Illumination and Ray-Traced Specular Reflections.
This allows richer lighting and reflection high quality whereas sustaining increased efficiency targets throughout Efficiency, Balanced, and Constancy modes.
We’ve additionally expanded our strand-based hair on PS5 Professional. Reasonably than relying solely on conventional hair playing cards, the engine can simulate and render particular person strands for extra pure movement and response to wind. All of this permits us to get a really reasonable hair render for our characters.
On PS5 Professional, strand-based hair is obtainable for Edward in all modes. In Constancy mode, close by crowd characters additionally profit from strand simulation throughout gameplay, whereas cinematics use strand-based hair for all characters no matter mode.
As well as, Black Flag Resynced helps the newest model of PlayStation Spectral Tremendous Decision (PSSR), serving to ship higher picture high quality and improved reconstruction, lowering the visible hole between efficiency and constancy modes.
A residing world pushed by Anvil’s Atmos
Black Flag Resynced simulates climate in actual time by way of Atmos, the systemic climate simulation framework in our Anvil engine.
Reasonably than treating climate as a set of remoted results, Atmos repeatedly simulates variables comparable to temperature, humidity, wind, and vapor density. These techniques evolve over time and affect each other, producing extra coherent and dynamic climate.
This identical simulation extends into gameplay and environmental interplay. Wind impacts not solely cloud motion and storms at sea, but additionally vegetation, fabric, particles, sails, and character hair.
The result’s a world that doesn’t simply look alive however feels bodily linked as properly.
A richer ocean
The ocean has all the time been on the coronary heart of Black Flag, and modernizing its rendering was a key focus for this undertaking.
Black Flag Resynced introduces a completely modernized water system, primarily based on a bodily primarily based rendering pipeline. New tessellation approach, volumetric foam era, and dynamic bubble techniques add extra particulars to the water floor. These updates enable the ocean to reply extra naturally to wind situations, climate, and ship motion.
The ocean now performs an excellent better function in shaping each the temper and moment-to-moment expertise of navigation and fight.
Put together for a extra immersive expertise
When rebuilding Murderer’s Creed Black Flag on the newest model of Anvil, our objective wasn’t solely to modernize expertise. We wished to strengthen the sense of immersion, journey, and discovery that made Edward Kenway’s journey so memorable within the first place. PlayStation 5 {hardware} has given us the chance to push that have additional than ever earlier than, from the best way the world seems to be and sounds, to the way it feels.
Whether or not you’re returning to relive a favourite journey, or setting sail with Edward for the primary time, we’re excited to welcome you to the Caribbean when Murderer’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Professional.
