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One of the most technologically impressive games of the year, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of the few games that requires hardware accelerated ray tracing in order to function. Looking good on everything from Xbox Series S to the maxed-out, path-traced RTX 4090 experience, RT takes centrestage. Alex talks with Machine Games about the technology behind the game.


00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:18 What does the Full RT addition entail?
00:02:41 How does the game's base RTGI function?
00:04:05 What paths are being traced?
00:05:20 How many bounces of light are traced?
00:06:00 What areas in game does one notice the Full RT the most?
00:07:48 Why are there still some shadow maps and SSR?
00:10:28 Does the Ray Tracing utilise Opacity Micromaps?
00:11:31 How is the BVH updated, culled and managed?
00:14:13 How was it being one of the first games to require Hardware Ray Tracing?
00:16:09 Where does it go from here for the industry and Machine Games?
00:17:22 When and how did the development for Full RT begin?
00:19:22 How and why integrate image upscaling like DLSS?
00:20:31 Is image reconstruction technology used as a crutch?
00:21:38 Where is DLSS Ray Reconstruction?
00:22:35 What areas of the game are particularly challenging to denoise?
00:23:35 What are things missing from the game's technology base that might be added in the future?
00:24:06 What is one of your favourite parts/aspects of your work on this Game that you are most proud of?

 

[rofif]

Another indiana RT video?!
I mean... I like the game and bought it... but cmon

 

[Lootlord]

Another indiana RT video?!
I mean... I like the game and bought it... but cmon

Buy it again!

 

[Xdrive05]

Good discussion. Hope they get DLSS Ray Reconstruction patched in soon.

PC folks who are picking a GPU specifically for this game, a note on VRAM usage with full path tracing: My 4060ti 16GB uses well over 14.5GB of VRAM at 1440p DLSS Balanced (so only 835p internal res!). This is with the Ultra preset and "Full RT", so not even the highest settings possible to configure.

This game is an absolute devourer of VRAM when you use Full RT and frame gen. I wouldn't even want 12GB even for lower resolutions like this because that wouldn't be enough to cut it. Nvidia makes a lot of way faster GPUs than mine, but with less VRAM, so that's something to watch out for if you're wanting to "future proof" with your pick of GPU.

 

[Mr Moose]

I thought they did this already a few days ago.
Edit:

Milking it.

 

[adamsapple]

Another indiana RT video?!
I mean... I like the game and bought it... but cmon

This is more of a developer interview.

 

[onQ123]

I thought they did this already a few days ago.
Edit:

Milking it.

And they will have to do it all over again in a few months when the PS5 version comes out

 

[Kenpachii]

V-ram consumption if out of control with this game, they should have spend some time on that to improve it.

 

[willothedog]

V-ram consumption if out of control with this game, they should have spend some time on that to improve it.

Is 24GB not enough?

 

[adamsapple]

Is 24GB not enough?

The max settings ask for 32 IIRC.

 

[Darsxx82]

I thought they did this already a few days ago.
Edit:

Milking it.

This new is an interview with the developers....

 

[willothedog]

The max settings ask for 32 IIRC.

5090 to the rescue then.

 

[intbal]

Another indiana RT video?!
I mean... I like the game and bought it... but cmon

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[Gaiff]

The max settings ask for 32 IIRC.

32GB of regular RAM. Max settings requires a 4090.

5090 to the rescue then.

4090 is enough if you use DLSS.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Apparently path tracing does not appear as a selectable option if your GPU's VRAM is under 12gb.

I played Indy on Game Pass with an RTX 3080 10gb. There is a mod to bypass the 12gb VRAM restriction for the Steam version but not for the GP version. Too bad, because folks were saying PT is playable on a 3080 so long as you drop your texture setting way down. I would've liked to have played it that way.

 

[kevboard]

V-ram consumption if out of control with this game, they should have spend some time on that to improve it.

you should spend some time setting the texture pool to medium.

which will result in normal VRam usage with almost zero perceptible visual difference unless you play at 4k and look at every little distant detail

 

[Physiognomonics]

This is the first big XBox exclusive game with any kind of RT.

Of course they were going to PR it for years and showcase it like if this wasn't been done since 2020 on PS5.

How was it being one of the first games to require Hardware Ray Tracing?

That's ridiculous. Like if it wasn't been done since 4 years on numerous PS5 games.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Incredible game with unbelievable tech. One of the best games in the last ten years for originality and risk etc for the ip.

Machine games are absolutely bad asses!

 

[Filben]

Hair quality for some reason have little to no visual impact yet it increases VRAM usage... I find texture pool size at high high enough. See no difference beyond that.

Currently been playing with DLSS quality and full tracing at 3440x1440. It's pure joy, especially with the slower pace you can really take it all in. Distant LoD is a bit low (r_lodscale 3 helps a bit), but lighting, shadows, reflections... impeccable.

 

[Zathalus]

This is the first big XBox exclusive game with any kind of RT.

Of course they were going to PR it for years and showcase it like if this wasn't been done since 2020 on PS5.


That's ridiculous. Like if it wasn't been done since 4 years on numerous PS5 games.

Do you also get annoyed when they do similar developer interviews with Sony studios? They have done quite a bit of those.

 

[intbal]

I wonder if this interview was conducted prior to the patch a few days ago for Xbox that fixed the RT. There was no mention of it. That one shot of Series X they showed in the video looked like the pre-patch version.

 

[rofif]

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Different releases and updates

 

[Fess]

That was great. The game already looks amazing but the video got me activating RT, apparently they’ve patched FG now, it runs smoothly, framerate was galopping around pre-patch. Looks spectacular!

 

[Gaiff]

This is the first big XBox exclusive game with any kind of RT.

Forza has RT.

Of course they were going to PR it for years and showcase it like if this wasn't been done since 2020 on PS5.

It’s the full RT deep dive of the PC version. Why do you think they have an NVIDIA employee there? There are no games with full RT on PS5 or Xbox. You’d know this if you came into this thread to learn instead of console warring like an angry little fanboy.

That's ridiculous. Like if it wasn't been done since 4 years on numerous PS5 games.

Jesus Christ, do you actually think before posting? No Sony game REQUIRES hardware ray tracing. They all have a non-RT mode. You cannot play this game without hardware-acceleration for ray tracing because there is no software fallback for the lighting system. Even Alan Wake 2 has software ray tracing for non-RT enabled GPUs, so yes, it's one of the first games. The others are Metro Exodus, Quake RTX, Minecraft RTX, and Portal RTX, however, all of those games have a non-ray-traced version.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Microsoft should use ID tech way more. Finished Indiana Jones last night, very impressive.

 

[Orbital2060]

Its just nice to see a triple A game at this level that is not Unreal based.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Jesus Christ, do you actually think before posting? No Sony game REQUIRES hardware ray tracing.

Spider-man 2 has no non-RT mode on console… so well, at least a (not sure if more) Sony made game does require HW RT .

 

[rofif]

Its just nice to see a triple A game at this level that is not Unreal based.

good point. It certainly does look and feel very unique

 

[skyfinch]

And they will have to do it all over again in a few months when the PS5 version comes out

Plus 2 more videos about the Pro version. One on how they added PSSR support. Then another video about how the PSSR implementation in this game sucks.

 

[intbal]

Plus 2 more videos about the Pro version. One on how they added PSSR support. Then another video about how the PSSR implementation in this game sucks.

 

[Captn]

The max settings ask for 32 IIRC.

I'm at max settings and using 22gb out of my 4090

 

[adamsapple]

I'm at max settings and using 22gb out of my 4090

Yes, I think I confused total system RAM with VRAM.

 

[Captn]

Yes, I think I confused total system RAM with VRAM.

Ok yeah...it uses around 14gb of ram on my system. I have 32.

 

[Stuart360]

you should spend some time setting the texture pool to medium.

which will result in normal VRam usage with almost zero perceptible visual difference unless you play at 4k and look at every little distant detail

Yep the game uses around 6.5-7gb vram usage on my 8gb 3070 after the patch (medium texture pool,, no path tracing obviously, everything else max). Funny thing is pre-patch the game used around 7.5gb vram on 'low' texture pool setting, so they def have done some optimization with the vram requirements.

 

[Darsxx82]

I wonder if this interview was conducted prior to the patch a few days ago for Xbox that fixed the RT. There was no mention of it. That one shot of Series X they showed in the video looked like the pre-patch version.

It's clearly pre-patch material extracted of Alex previous video. Eigthet the interview Is pre-patch or when Alex edited the video he used material from his previous video and didn't worry about putting something updated.

 

[metareferential]

Are you guys seriously bitching because it's the second RT-related Indiana Jones video in a couple of days?

Do you even read the OP or watch at least a few seconds of the video? It's an interview with developers.

And of course: if you don't care about something, just move on.

Back IT: I wish they would ask more tough questions (even though in this case the devs did a great job).

 

[Fess]

Oh my gawd! Just reached the best looking area in the game (so far). No spoilers ! I haven’t seen any footage of this in any trailer. Keep on playing people! I’m playing it with full RT and this is now seriously one of the best looking games I’ve seen

 

[DenchDeckard]

Guys we have just been offered the possibility of interviewing machine games about their RT implementation on indiana jones....we gotta do it right....?


What, no way! Gaf says we have done enough videos on that game already and they think we are shilling if we do anymore..

 

[Fafalada]

I gotta say - the initial impression of this was - not great - the jungle level ran quite poorly on a 4080 if I enabled any of the path-tracing features (basically - forcing me to drop below 1080p to keep 60), and visually I struggled to see the benefits of any of it either.

It gets a lot better from the University/Museum onwards though - that actually hits 60 reasonably well with all PT features turned on, even up to 1440p, and at least the benefits are tangible - reflections the most, especially since you get a really wide range of reflective materials, not just mirror stuff.
GI is too noisy for me to care (but then the noise is still there if I turn PT option off :/ ), and sun-shadows are - well sometimes a clear improvement over shadowmaps, other times not so much (noise/aliasing).

But it's a nice test to predict what (if any) RT features Pro might get. Based on the first 2 chapters - I think we'll be lucky if we get the reflections.

 

[adamsapple]

Oh my gawd! Just reached the best looking area in the game (so far). No spoilers ! I haven’t seen any footage of this in any trailer. Keep on playing people! I’m playing it with full RT and this is now seriously one of the best looking games I’ve seen

Interested which area you consider that.

Is it the mountain? or a rainy night?

Feel free to post in spoiler tags, please.

 

[Fess]

Interested which area you consider that.

Is it the mountain? or a rainy night?

Feel free to post in spoiler tags, please.

Now it’s two areas! Game just keep on delivering

Spoiler

Shanghai, because of the war zone life and debris everywhere and general design and RT shadows. Absolute top class!
And also Sukhothai, because of the jungle and water and lived in fisher man village and soft look with RT. Just superb!

 

[viveks86]

I gotta say - the initial impression of this was - not great - the jungle level ran quite poorly on a 4080 if I enabled any of the path-tracing features (basically - forcing me to drop below 1080p to keep 60), and visually I struggled to see the benefits of any of it either.

It gets a lot better from the University/Museum onwards though - that actually hits 60 reasonably well with all PT features turned on, even up to 1440p, and at least the benefits are tangible - reflections the most, especially since you get a really wide range of reflective materials, not just mirror stuff.
GI is too noisy for me to care (but then the noise is still there if I turn PT option off :/ ), and sun-shadows are - well sometimes a clear improvement over shadowmaps, other times not so much (noise/aliasing).

But it's a nice test to predict what (if any) RT features Pro might get. Based on the first 2 chapters - I think we'll be lucky if we get the reflections.

That's a bummer. Based on the dev comments, it appears the path tracing portion of the code was bolted on to the ID tech's original engine. I wonder if it's brute forcing RT compared to the default ray tracing, which clearly is heavily optimized by the magicians at ID. The fact that even 1 of the 3 features causes fps to tank even when RT is already enabled is a sign of that. They seem to have worked on the path tracing only during the last 1.5 years of development, so it could simply not be adequately optimized.

I guess all we can hope for is higher quality GI on the Pro, but not much else. If they can improve non-RT shadow maps for the forest, that would be a nice bonus, I guess.