It is safe to say that Dishonored 2 is one of the most anticipated titles in 2016, but as review copies got tested by the tech world, serious performance issues begin to emerge.
Low Game Frame Rate
One of the most critical complaints from early players involves the inability of the game to maintain a decent frame rate. A player has revealed, for instance, in the NeoGAF forum that it is barely able to sustain 60 fps and that the game plummets to as low as 18 fps.
What is particularly astounding about the problem is that despite graphics adjustments, it seems to persist. The NeoGAF user who called himself Dmax3901 was able to take screenshots while playing the game to prove his claim. In one image that registered the 18 fps rate, the lighting and textures have been drastically toned down.
"What I settled on was 1080p with mostly High settings and some of the more demanding on/off settings switched to Off (volumetric lighting, depth of field)," Dmax3901 said. "I was playing with my compromised settings, putting up with the occasional frame rate dip, when I leaned around a corner and saw the FPS counter drop to 18. I turned down all the settings to Very Low and all the on/off settings to off and the frame rate didn't change."
The impact of frame rate dip has been meticulously chronicled, but Dmax3901 still managed to put in some good words. For instance, he stated that the storyline is immersive and engaging like how one instant his hero was mourning her mother only to find herself getting arrested as a traitor the next second. He also noted the level of the game's difficulty, which should increase its appeal further.
Similar Skyrim Problem
Presently, Bethesda is still yet to comment on the issue. Unfortunately, it could be symptomatic of a wider development problem since the Skyrim Special Edition, which the studio recently released, also drew flak for the same frame rate issue.
If not immediately addressed, the frame rate problem could affect Dishonored 2's chances in the market. Frame rate is crucial in actual gameplays because it can make a difference in dying and attacking enemies. Competitive players cannot simply settle for any glitch because it is frustrating especially to think that you are consistently dying not because of your playing chops but because of system error.
Unfortunately, the problem only emerged at this point because of a new policy at Bethesda, which maintains that review copies only get sent out a day before a game's launch date. Because of this, spotted flaws will not get fixed in time for its release.
It is not yet clear whether the upcoming 9 GB patch for consoles will solve the frame rate issue or whether the complaint is just an isolated incident.
