The release of Doom Eternal on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Google Stadia is imminent. According to developers, even 1000 FPS are possible on PC – if the hardware is available.
What is Doom Eternal? Doom Eternal is now the 5th installment of the first-person shooter series Doom. The new game in the Doom series is expected to be released on March 20, 2020. And Doom offers more than enough long-term motivation for players.
What’s behind the 1000 FPS? Developers id Software have revamped their engine for Doom Eternal.
According to id Software, the jump from id Tech 6 to id Tech 7 represents a huge step forward. Billy Kahn, the lead engine programmer at id, explains in a Youtube video:
“With id Tech 6, we achieved a maximum of up to 250 FPS. In this game (Doom Eternal) – if you have the hardware – you could reach 1000 FPS. That’s the maximum we have.”
Billy Kahn, Lead Engine Programmer at id Software, source: Youtube.
In a testing environment, Kahn further states, the PC achieved even 400 FPS in some scenes.
Can you even achieve 1000 FPS? Theoretically, it is possible to achieve very high FPS in games, but the limiting factor is at the latest the monitor: With a modern 240Hz monitor, no more than 240 FPS can be displayed. Furthermore, these screens are still very expensive at the moment.
Additionally, the graphics card must also provide the performance: If the GPU, for example, only delivers 50 FPS, then you have no advantages from a 144Hz screen.
Kahn also explains that even a modern 144Hz monitor couldn’t display that many FPS. However, this could be interesting for screens that may achieve more in the future.
What is the best FPS rate for gamers?
For regular gaming, you do not need 1000 FPS to play well. Streamer Shroud tested if players with a 144Hz screen are the better gamers.
Therefore, here are a few hints on how many FPS should be present for gaming:
- 30 FPS is the absolute minimum that should be achieved in a single-player game.
- 60 FPS is the optimum for most players. The games run smoothly and offer good reactions. With a 60Hz monitor, no more than 60 FPS is possible.
- 120 FPS offer an extremely smooth gaming experience – provided you have a screen that requires the corresponding refresh rate. 120 FPS is especially important for players who play competitively – every FPS counts here.
- 144 FPS is the best choice for ambitious players who play exclusively competitively or in ranked matches. In competitive play, every frame plays an important role. For very high frame rates, one must also be willing to accept small sacrifices in terms of image quality and color depth.
What does a game engine do? A game engine is a so-called framework that allows for the representation of game processes and, for example, visual effects. Additionally, further tools can be embedded into a framework, making it easier for developers to design a game.
Game engines are usually tailored to specific games and cannot be applied arbitrarily. For example, an insider explained how terrible the Frostbite engine was for Anthem. The game Star Wars – Fallen Order, for example, relied on Unreal Engine 4 instead of Frostbite.
