Arc Survival Ascended: A UI5 Remake Overview

General Overview

• Game: Arc Survival Ascended
• Original: Arc Survival Evolved (2015)
• Engine Transition: UE4 to UE5
• Developers: Studio Wildcard
• Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC
• Features missing: Last-gen consoles

Visual and Technical Features

Improvements and Features in UE5:

• Nanite Technology: Enhances geometric details
• Lumen Technology: Global illumination and reflections
• Volumetric Clouds: Enhanced dynamic weather
• Interactive Plant Life: Reacts to player movement
• Dynamic Water and Physics: More realistic water effects
• Improved Third-Person Camera: Enhanced player perspective
• Overall Detail: More foliage, rocks, and interactive environment

Visual Comparisons with Original Game:

• Default Island Map: Significant visual enhancement from the original
• Comparison: Shows rich details in foliage and environment
• High PC Settings: RTX 480 supports max settings but struggles with 4K 60FPS
• Performance Mode: Requires DLSS performance mode

Console Performance

General Performance:

• Visual Quality: Lower than PC's maximum settings
• Frame Rate Target: Aim for 60FPS but commonly falls short
• Screen Tearing: Issue with initial vsync disabled
• Dynamic Resolution Scaling: PS5 and Series X target 1440p but frequently drop to 720p
• Series S Performance: Targets 900p but often drops to 450p with various feature cuts

Specific Console Insights:

PS5 and Series X:

• Target: 1440p, dynamically scales down for performance
• Actual Play: Often lower resolution and fluctuates FPS between 30 to 50
• Graphical Downgrades: Lower texture quality, shadows, ambient occlusion, fewer physics effects in foliage, water ripple, and reflection quality
• Feature Comparison: PS5 and Series X closer to PC but still significant cuts

Series S:

• Resolution: Targets 900p, drops to 450p
• Graphics Settings: Lower quality textures, shadows, and removed interactive plant life
• Volumetric Clouds and GI: Minimum or absent
• Performance: Substantial visual sacrifices, even struggles to maintain 30 FPS

Performance Testing and Optimization

Key Features:

• Command Console on Consoles: Allows tweaking of UE5 settings, resolution, vsync, and frame rate caps
• User Tweaks Necessary: DIY tweaks to improve performance
• Results: Manual adjustments mitigate some performance issues but not ideal

Optimization Strategies:

Resolution Adjustments Test:

• Series S:
  • 600p: Most viable to hit 60 FPS
  • Higher Targets (900p, 1080p): Not achievable at 60FPS
• Series X and PS5: Resolution adjustments between 900p to 1080p help maintain closer to 60 FPS, but significant visual quality reduction needed

Feature Adjustments:

• Volumetric Clouds: Removing can increase FPS by ~10
• Dynamic GI and Shadows (PS5): Removing both significant performance gains

Conclusion and Recommendations

• Performance Issues: Underlying issue is lack of optimization for current-gen consoles
• Developer Action Required: Need for official optimizations rather than user adjustments
• Future Outlook: Awaiting better hardware or updates for smoother gameplay

Additional Notes

• Video Recommendations: Like, subscribe, and follow for updates, join Patron for high-quality versions and early access.