Crysis 2 DX11 Tessellation & High-Res Texture Pack @ [H]

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Crysis 2 DX11 Tessellation & High-Res Texture Pack - Attempting to install the new Crysis 2 1.9 update and added DX11 Tessellation & High-Res Texture Pack felt like anything but a "gift." We give you our first hand experience and a treasure trove of screen shots for good measure. Crysis 2 is a little closer to what it should have been at launch, but certainly the gameplay is still meh.
 
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So wait, you're telling me you've never had issues installing an update before? One person having problems does not mean that the update was "fail". I had it installed in under 10 minutes (after downloading of course) and the Steam version auto-patched to 1.9 without a hiccup. While I'm not saying you're the only person that experienced these problems, I haven't heard of any other major complaints (with the installation at least) across several game forums.

As for the complaints with Crytek, again, is this the first time you've had problems with a game at launch that weren't fixed immediately? The first time a feature was delayed? I take it you've never bought a Valve game before or tried to play a DICE game's multiplayer at release... And hell, even the (PC exclusive) Total War Shogun 2's DX 11 patch was delayed for a while after launch!

Finally, in terms of having only minor graphical improvements, let's face it, advanced graphics are experiencing diminishing returns as technology advances. The improvements Crytek made to the game aren't trivial, they're just the kind of thing that if you don't stop and look for them, you won't consciously notice. They add to the experience in more subtle ways now by building the atmosphere of the world, instead of being the centerpiece like they were when 3D first became popular, or the last generation of consoles came out.

Anyways, sorry for the rant, I just have felt that way too many of the 'hardcore' PC gamers have been taking this whole situation way too personally. As I've said before, it's just a game; don't like, you don't have to buy it and you can move on.
 
I don't think any of the people that didn't cry about the non-DX11 release and bought it on Steam anyway had any real problems with the patch or the update packages. All of the whining about how difficult it was to get set up seems like an exception to the rule. Sure, it was promised that it would ship that way (and that was a huge let down), but its pretty funny to watch all of the people that bitched that it didn't ship with DX11 and higher-res textures now bitch and moan that their systems can't even max it out at the resolution they want to play at with a framerate that they find acceptable.

I knew that [H]'s review of this was going to be a bad one, but I was also hoping for some VRAM usage measurements and framerates. You know, now that you actually have a game beside Metro 2033 that will push your bench systems.
 
I didn't have any issues installing the DX11 Patch or High Res Textures (STEAM Version, 1.9 Patch updated via STEAM) so I can't comment on that.

I will agree however that the wait, Crytek's attitude and all the other bullshit that's surrounded this game just isn't worth it
 
I don't think any of the people that didn't cry about the non-DX11 release and bought it on Steam anyway had any real problems with the patch or the update packages. All of the whining about how difficult it was to get set up seems like an exception to the rule. Sure, it was promised that it would ship that way (and that was a huge let down), but its pretty funny to watch all of the people that bitched that it didn't ship with DX11 and higher-res textures now bitch and moan that their systems can't even max it out at the resolution they want to play at with a framerate that they find acceptable.

I knew that [H]'s review of this was going to be a bad one, but I was also hoping for some VRAM usage measurements and framerates. You know, now that you actually have a game beside Metro 2033 that will push your bench systems.

It just doesn't though, it still doesn't look all that great and it's still a shitty game. Having slightly better graphics doesn't fix that.

And it doesn't really push bench systems, there are far better games to bench stuff on on (off the top of my head The Witcher 2 stands out because that's the first game in a while to actually push my computer)
 
Before the patch:
Average modern fps gameplay(which is sadly pretty bad, linearity and bad ai)
Above Average Graphics(with a lot of variance, extremely good along the "beaten" path, some poor textures off)

After the patch:
same gameplay
better graphics with less variance
not worth replaying the entire game for

if this game had been released with a different title, and yerli had stfu it would have been better received.

I don't regret paying $30 for it, but I'm not jumping for joy either.
 
The update worked perfectly for me first time... all I did was launch the game from the shortcut which prompted the downloading of patch v1.9, which took around a minutes. The installer then ran and patched the game. After that it was just a simple matter of installing the DX11 Ultra and the hi-res texture packs which I'd downloaded before. I'm using the retail disc version by the way. Until I read this article I wasn't aware that anyone else had had problems installing it as the forums I've been on was full of people discussing the game itself! I guess we were all just lucky then...? ; )

Anyway, a very nice update but it comes a little late IMO as the game should have been delayed to include it out of the box when it would have had more impact amongst the PC gaming community. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised though at the delay in implementing DX11 as it took Crytek two months just to add Advanced Graphics options to the game and those should have been there from Day One as well. Crysis and Warhead had them after all.

I enjoyed my first playthrough of the game for the most part and I'm playing it a second time to check out the DX11 effects but this game falls short of the magnificent Crysis and decent Warhead. It feels like a game designed for consoles, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there's a generic feel to the level design here and a sense that it was made to fit into the console's limited memory footprint. It lacks the grand, wide open spaces of the first game, the beauty of the setting and the sense of wonder that came with it. Crysis 2 at times looks and plays like the hundreds of other identikit console FPSs and that's a real shame. The DX11 update at least makes the game look more like a 2011 PC game though and less like a up-ressed Xbox 360 game!
 
There's not much of a difference in the beginning with the update. The difference is noticeable from the "Seat of Power" section in the game, and every level after.
It looks better when you encounter the aliens.

I installed it without issues, but the FAQ was up the same day, with the same errors Kyle was getting.
I still think this should have been a Day 1 patch and Crytek has awful PR.

I hope every game from this point on receive the same scrutiny as Crysis 2, when they release a polished up console game for PC, with an average DX11 patch.
 
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Anyways, sorry for the rant, I just have felt that way too many of the 'hardcore' PC gamers have been taking this whole situation way too personally. As I've said before, it's just a game; don't like, you don't have to buy it and you can move on.

I do not own or play this game. But having said that, it's rather difficult on us when you have a great game like Crysis follow up with broken promises and a broken game in Crysis 2.

What's worse, this pattern for me just continues. DA to DA2. DS1 and DS2 to DS3. DNF. Sadly, PC gaming is really fucked up.

I just hope BF3 and Diablo 3 work in our favor. I'm ready to buy BF3 just on principal alone in that it was designed with PC in mind first even if it turns out to be a horrible piece of crap (which I can't fathom).

It's not personal, but it's shitty.
 
Also I noticed that despite Crytek redoing the textures for the Fire Escape door sign so it looks less blurry that many doors still have those mirrored textures on them! :?

Why on earth does the game use mirrored textures for door signs with words on anyway? It can't be to save memory since the texture would still use the same memory whether it was mirrored or not!!! I can understand having mirrored text on ambulances but not on fire escape doors...
 
So wait, you're telling me you've never had issues installing an update before? One person having problems does not mean that the update was "fail".


You didn't read the article then, did you?

I am glad you didn't have any issues, but if you reread the article you will see that the aforementioned problems are widespread and the company has even update the FAQ with information (but no fixes) on the various show stopping issues.
 
I do not own or play this game. But having said that, it's rather difficult on us when you have a great game like Crysis follow up with broken promises and a broken game in Crysis 2.

What's worse, this pattern for me just continues. DA to DA2. DS1 and DS2 to DS3. DNF. Sadly, PC gaming is really fucked up.

I just hope BF3 and Diablo 3 work in our favor. I'm ready to buy BF3 just on principal alone in that it was designed with PC in mind first even if it turns out to be a horrible piece of crap (which I can't fathom).

It's not personal, but it's shitty.

Agreed, this year in PC gaming has been subpar at best. A lot of consolized games hitting PC and not living up to expectations.
People are hoping BF3 signals change, but with excessive hype comes disappointment. I'm buying BF3 too and hopefully DICE delivers.
 
So wait, you're telling me you've never had issues installing an update before?

Well we know why you don't have a review site.....I personally have always felt that our experience with a product was paramount and what our opinions should be based on.

To the point, had we been the only ones having the issue, which obviously we are not, then maybe we would have been of a different attitude, but the fact is that it is an issue.

You can go fanboy for Crytek all you want and whine about all those that do not have a good opinion of the game, or the company for that matter. But whining and baseless claims are not winning anyone over here.
 
Another point is that Crytek claim the DX11 patch adds real-time reflections yet I saw plenty of places where the game still uses lazy cubemapping which shows totally different buildings, objects and trees to where you are (which itself is disturbing). Granted, I possibly wouldn't have noticed it during gameplay but the update encouraged me to look closely to check out all the DX11 features. As far I could tell the game only has a few real-time reflections where you'd least expect to look and the obvious places such as puddles and stuff still cheat by using cubemapping.

I guess that kind of this is always going to happen when you add enhancements to a game later rather than design it from the ground up with those in mind. It's a little disappointing though and would have been more so if we'd have had to fork out extra for the DX11 upgrade.
 
Another point is that Crytek claim the DX11 patch adds real-time reflections yet I saw plenty of places where the game still uses lazy cubemapping which shows totally different buildings, objects and trees. Granted, I possibly wouldn't have noticed it during gameplay but the update encouraged me to look closely to check out all the DX11 features. As far I could tell the game only has a few real-time reflections where you'd least expect to look and the obvious places such as puddles and stuff use cubemapping.

I guess that kind of this is always going to happen when you add enhancements to a game later rather than design it from the ground up with those in mind. It's a little disappointing though and would have been more so if we'd have had to fork out extra for the DX11 upgrade.


Actually the reflections in the game was one of the first turn-offs for me. :( Total shit.
 
Thanks for the writeup. What a pain in the ass to get it up and running though. I think I'll eventually get it, but I'll wait till it's on sale for five bucks or so. Maybe by then I'll be able to patch without a problem. :D
 
Shit in a box, give it to customers who paid for it, and call it a gift!

It's the 21st century folks, welcome to our new business model!
 
Yeah, the reflections are crap for a 2011 PC game but understandable for six year old console hardware I guess. I suppose it would have been asking too much for Alcatraz to have been reflected in windows and puddles too seeing as the developers went through all the effort to ensure he has a physical body in the game world?

Oh well, the new Xbox is rumoured to be arriving in the next few years so maybe we'll start seeing more games that take advantage of the more powerful PC hardware? Personally, I think it can't arrive soon enough because the consoles are definitely holding back the PC technically. I'm trying to recall the last time I played a game that wasn't a console port...
 
Since I paid money for this game I decided to wait for this DX11 content before finishing it. I know many people don't care for 3D, but I hate their implementation of it. Sure, it doesn't impact performance like normal 3D Vision does but it doesn't come close to looking as good as other games with it do.

I am going to finish the game over the long weekend and finally remove it from my hard drive.
 
Yeah, the reflections are crap for a 2011 PC game but understandable for six year old console hardware I guess. I suppose it would have been asking too much for Alcatraz to have been reflected in windows and puddles too seeing as the developers went through all the effort to ensure he has a physical body in the game world?

Oh well, the new Xbox is rumoured to be arriving in the next few years so maybe we'll start seeing more games that take advantage of the more powerful PC hardware? Personally, I think it can't arrive soon enough because the consoles are definitely holding back the PC technically. I'm trying to recall the last time I played a game that wasn't a console port...

From everything I have read, the next generation of Xbox and Playstation won't be out until 2015. In fact, I saw a link to an article earlier that stated the Xbox 360 was in the middle of its cycle now. Bleh....
 
What a mess.

Gaming history is littered with good examples of how releasing an unfinished product early, then patching later results in disaster no matter how good the patches are. This is just another example to add to the pile so future developers can carry on the trend of ignoring it and make the same mistakes all over again, weeee.
 
did the fact that the guy had issues installing the DX11 and Hi-Res packages contribute to the 'Fail'?...and the guy goes on to say that there is 'little benefit of installing the High-Res Texture pack'?...are you serious?...the textures are MUCH improved with the package...yes there are still low-res textures in the game even after installing the patch but cmon

the game definitely looks better (in some cases dramatically better) with these updates...the upgrades are mostly subtle but if you look for it you can definitely see the differences...yes the gameplay still sucks and it's a console port but talking about just the visuals alone the improvements are well worth it...how can any objective person not see that?
 
@Arioch - Yes, the Xbox 360 might be in the middle of its life but that shouldn't stop Microsoft releasing its successor in late 2012/early 2013 and marketing the older console as a budget and family friendly Kinect device. After all Sony have always carried on selling older hardware when new ones are released.

Rumours are that Microsoft will unveil the new Xbox at next year's E3 ahead of Nintendo's Wii U launch, which makes sense as it will turn attention away from the machine. I'd be very surprised if Microsoft didn't take that opportunity and expect Sony will make some announcement too about the next PlayStation even if the hardware isn't finalised.
 
I got burned by Bioshock 2 and consequently don't buy new games anymore. I just wait until they are 30 bucks, then I feel I get what I pay for.
 
Yeah, the reflections are crap for a 2011 PC game but understandable for six year old console hardware I guess. I suppose it would have been asking too much for Alcatraz to have been reflected in windows and puddles too seeing as the developers went through all the effort to ensure he has a physical body in the game world?

Oh well, the new Xbox is rumoured to be arriving in the next few years so maybe we'll start seeing more games that take advantage of the more powerful PC hardware? Personally, I think it can't arrive soon enough because the consoles are definitely holding back the PC technically. I'm trying to recall the last time I played a game that wasn't a console port...


the last non console port for me was ET:QW almost 3 maybe 4 years ago.. its quite depressing..
 
...yes the gameplay still sucks and it's a console port but talking about just the visuals alone the improvements are well worth it...how can any objective person not see that?

I didn't play for the Crysis or this one so I'm about as objective as you can get, and when I look at these screenshots side-by-side, I just don't see much of an improvement. A slightly less blurry texture here or there is about it. If I didn't have the luxury of staring at static images from the exact same POV you I may not have been able to pick out any differences at all. Definitely doesn't do ANYTHING to sell me on "DX11 Visuals" if that's what I'm actually even looking at.
 
post your bench results.

1920x1200 maxed out, first bench is in DX9, second in DX11.
crysis2_SLI.png
 
You didn't read the article then, did you?

I am glad you didn't have any issues, but if you reread the article you will see that the aforementioned problems are widespread and the company has even update the FAQ with information (but no fixes) on the various show stopping issues.

Also its not the like HardOCP guys are new to this or anything. I'm going to say if they [H] staff had repeated problems, there's something wrong. I'm sure there are systems that don't have problems, but clearly more than one computer does and it clearly isn't a "Dumbass noobs that can't follow directions," issue.
 
I have the Steam version of Crysis 2. Steam did the the 1.9 patch update on both my gaming rigs. Downloaded the DX 11 and Texture packs from nVidia's site. I installed the texture pack first and the DX 11 patch second on both machines. Got an odd error screen on both machines for both updates for some reason, just clicked OK and the updates worked prefectly. A grand total of five minutes actual work outside of the time to download and the install process which was only on couple of minutes on both machines. No need to reboot.

I do wonder considering how much [H] hates this game if you're just trying to sabotage it further as your update experience was so radically different from mine on two machines that's there no comparison, Of course I have the Steam version and perhaps the install process is different but I can say that on two different the process is FAR easier than what you've described in your "article".
 
Agree, no DX 11 on launch and DX11 been out while now is just money grubbing making fast buck on the cheep, is all most game designers can do any more.

The 1st one had choices play sneak mode or go all out run and gun mode, this one cant do both effectively its a combo miss matched parts and places of forced use zone spots.

Game definitely doesn't look better then original did, running through those lush forrests any place you wanted with mobs always out to get you was great, this zone scripted small areas is pathetic in comparison. The tell you what to do points of interest is really noobish and totally worthless most of the time none of them worked and were not needed to even get to for completing an area,outside of the few forced scripted points of interest had to get to for moving the story, most could and did skip and never needed to do.

I tried the 3D demo at local store display set up, was horrible as well couldn't wear those glasses stare at screen very long was blurry and 3D games sucks as AA is non existent in those so it looks even worse just a jaggy mess.
 
That poster on the brick wall on the very first set of screenshots is kind of neat; it shows that "just flipping a switch to turn on tessellation" isn't going to work because of traditional "shortcuts" that have been put into these games. The posters are an example - they're not discrete "objects" in the game because it would be dumb to go to all that trouble; they're just different textures painted onto the wall object. They look like "posters" because the brick texture (which is actually flat in the DX9 game) fools you into thinking it's 3D because of the shading between the bricks. The poster textures don't have that shading, hence they stand out as "flat" because they're painted on a flat surface, and happily, posters in the "real world" would be flat as well - so it looks good.

Switch to the DX11 Tessellated version; now the engine "knows" the brick wall has texture and adds polygons accordingly to represent the concave areas between the bricks. However, that poster isn't a discrete object, hence the engine doesn't "know" it's supposed to stay flat - it's just the texture that's supposed to be rendered on the brick wall object. As a result, now it looks less like a poster and more like a stencil that got painted onto the brick wall - so it looks weird. You're going to get that result any time you've got texture tricks like that used by the artists.

The upshot? It means adding DX11 effects to a DX9 game isn't going to be as simple as "flipping a switch" and giving guides as to where those extra polygons are supposed to be created; in this case, a proper way of doing it would have been in the DX11 version to make those posters actually be "0 depth" polygon objects that are adjacent to the brick wall object they're attached to. That would be a ton of work to go back and do that sort of thing.

It's also a catch-22 - the "right" way to do it would be to design the game with the extra polygons in mind from the get go - but then that means people running the DX9 version of the game are going to be slowed down due to not being able to take advantage of the "texture tricks" and requiring extra polygons be there that aren't necessary in the DX9 version.
 
I didn't play for the Crysis or this one so I'm about as objective as you can get, and when I look at these screenshots side-by-side, I just don't see much of an improvement. A slightly less blurry texture here or there is about it. If I didn't have the luxury of staring at static images from the exact same POV you I may not have been able to pick out any differences at all. Definitely doesn't do ANYTHING to sell me on "DX11 Visuals" if that's what I'm actually even looking at.

this article and release of the DX11 patch and High-Res texture update should be focused on the graphics alone yet people are once again using it to vent their frustations on the game itself, why Crytek didn't release this patch sooner etc...I wish people would just look at the DX11 upgrade without any preconceived notions, biases etc...the graphics are improved...look at the water, reflections, close-up textures on walls, fences etc...just look at the recommended specs for people using both the DX11 and High-Res texture pack:

quad core, DX11 card with 1.5GB VRAM, 8GB system memory, 64-bit OS

those are the most high end system requirements for any PC game ever...and people with 2GB cards are reporting almost max VRAM usage...yes you might have to stop and look around to really notice and appreciate the updated graphics...but is that such a bad thing?...I like to take my time and explore games normally so maybe those people can appreciate the upgrade better then those who are rushing through the game for the sake of finishing it
 
I suspect that the only reason this DX11 patch exists in the first place is that Crytek are experimenting with what will be possible on the next generation Xbox with CryEngine 3.

In fact, the rumours of the new Microsoft console started because someone claimed Crytek already had development kits and are working on TimeSplitters 4 (previously coded by Free Radical), which will use CryEngine 3. In one of the PR quotes I read from Crytek they even said that if you want to sample a taste of next-gen console gaming then check out Crysis 2 with the DX11 patch.
 
I have the Steam version of Crysis 2. Steam did the the 1.9 patch update on both my gaming rigs. Downloaded the DX 11 and Texture packs from nVidia's site. I installed the texture pack first and the DX 11 patch second on both machines. Got an odd error screen on both machines for both updates for some reason, just clicked OK and the updates worked prefectly. A grand total of five minutes actual work outside of the time to download and the install process which was only on couple of minutes on both machines. No need to reboot.

I do wonder considering how much [H] hates this game if you're just trying to sabotage it further as your update experience was so radically different from mine on two machines that's there no comparison, Of course I have the Steam version and perhaps the install process is different but I can say that on two different the process is FAR easier than what you've described in your "article".

I think you are missing the point here, They are saying they paid the $60 for the game and the claimed before it came out it would have DX11support, but when it shipped it was DX9 only. And the fact they they said it was going to happen and it didn't was a broken promise for which people actually expected. The company is responsible for delivering what they are promising and then they have the balls to tell everyone they are going to be generous to everyone and give this patch THAT HAS ERRORS, its poor business.
 
This game seems to be very clever with what looks like dynamic texture management. Has anyone else noticed (well those of you with NVIDIA cards since AMD ones have no way to check) how the game uses all of your video card memory yet never ever exceeds it?

I have a 1.5 GB GTX 580. I'm playing Crysis 2 at 1920x1200 on DX11 Ultra settings with the hi-res textures and triple buffering forced via D3DOverrider. The maximum memory used has been 1,507 MB according to MSI Afterburner's overlay, which is just 29 MB short of the full 1.5 GB. I've never seen it go over and if it did then I suspect the game would stutter, which is something I've been fortunate not to experience.

This dynamic texture management, if that's what it is, leads me to wonder if I would see more texture detail if I was using a 2 or 3 GB card. Can anyone confirm this?
 
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