Info "The Witcher 3" Next-Gen update announced, will have RTGI, RTAO and Ultra+ Settings on PC

Hey guys,

I guess by now everyone might have played 'Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' game at some point. If not, then this would be a great chance for newcomers to grab this title. It's time relive the memories, and replay the game if you wish, since a new next-gen update is coming. I never completed all the main and side quests in Witcher 3 though, so I might play this new Witcher 3 Complete Edition soon.

I'm not sure whether the previously released game MODs (texture/graphics/gameplay) are going to work on this new version as well. But the chances are slim IMO.

The free next-gen long-awaited update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming to PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X on December 14th, 2022! It packs a lot of graphic improvements so it would be a suitable game title once again to benchmark in 4K, with full RT settings (ray tracing) maxed out. It would be interesting to know how the RTX 4090 behemoth of a GPU performs at 4K resolution.

Anyway, as far as technical improvements go, CD Projekt positively whistled through them during its first-look livestream, but PC players can expect to see support for the likes of raytracing, DLSS, and FSR, alongside a selection of new Ultra Plus graphics options, boosting background characters, level of detail, and more.

CD Projekt RED has detailed the Ray Tracing effects for PC. The game will have RTGI and RTAO. Furthermore, CDPR has added some new Ultra+ settings that will push/stress a lot of GPUs, and has improved the game’s SSR. Not only that but there will be support for both NVIDIA DLSS 2 and AMD FSR 2.0.


W3-Updae-Banner-1200x471.jpg


Indeed, there are visual touch-ups across the board, including a rework for grass and foliage, enhanced and more varied weather conditions, plus higher resolution textures and meshes throughout environments. Novigrad's cobblestones are no longer normal maps, for instance, and instead now fully 3D. Keen-eyed players will also see the likes of smoke drifting from chimneys in distant villages.

Console players will, of course, also get to take advantage of CD Projekt's various improvements, with new Performance and Quality modes providing a choice between better visuals at 30fps or a prioritised 60fps. Expect full console specifics in the run-up to release.

The Witcher 3's next-gen update incorporates more than just visual enhancements, however, and CD Projekt has also taken the opportunity to introduce a number of new features and quality of life improvements. There's a new Photo Mode, for instance, giving players control over the likes of FOV, tilt, depth of field, aperture, focus distances, exposure, and contrast for more beatific snaps.

Additionally, there's an optional new in-game camera, bringing the viewpoint much closer to the action while on-foot, on horseback, or both.

There are also new map filters - enabling explorers to hide the likes of question-mark icons - and the mini-map can be hidden specifically during exploration too. Using this latter option, the mini-map can be temporarily restored at the press of a button, and it'll auto-appear in combat.


Witcher-3-update.jpg


Elsewhere, there are improvements to controls - by holding down a button in combat it's possible to instantly trigger a SIGN of your choice without having to bring up the radial map - and there's a new tap to sprint option for Geralt.

Other notable additions include a range of accessibility improvements - such as larger HUD and subtitle options - plus enhanced language support including Chinese dubbing and subtitles. There are also numerous polishing tweaks, including a new pause option for cutscenes, plus fixes for the likes of cutscenes stuttering and previously broken quest lines - with CD Projekt saying the patch should retroactively fix broken quests on saves.

Finally, there's cross-progression and cross-save support across PC, Xbox, and Playstation.

We do know, however, that all platforms will be getting a small slice of DLC themed around Netflix's The Witcher TV series. These will include new armour and weapon options for Geralt, plus a new outfit for Jaskier, based on those seen in the show - and there's even a bit of a new quest tied to their acquisition, with Doug Cockle making a return in the lead role.

The Witcher 3's free next-gen update and its last-gen counterpart arrives on 14th December. Source:
thewitcher.com | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Next-Gen Update Trailer and REDstreams summary

View: https://youtu.be/nBT2SP21f3Q

View: https://youtu.be/Eqvcbfsk8IU

WITCHER-3-4.jpg


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Some update.

ElAnalistaDeBits and Cycu1 have released comparison videos between the Next-Gen Update and the Original versions of The Witcher 3. These videos a glimpse at the graphical enhancements that the Next-Gen Update brings to the table. But looks kind of weird. There is flickering on some of the scenes/locations.

As reported, The Witcher 3 Next-Gen will feature dozens of visual, performance, and technical enhancements over the original. Alongside RT, the game will include a variety of mods from the get-go. CDPR should include the HD Rework Project. But there is no official word on this.

View: https://youtu.be/x-vpz6C9_Sg


View: https://youtu.be/R-PgKQVLtrw
 
The so-called HYPED next-gen update is now out. And from the looks of it, the game is a BUGGY mess right now. The Witcher 3 Next-Gen is really rough, and needs a lot of polish as well as optimization improvements!

The Witcher 3 Next-Gen is another “Cyberpunk 2077” buggy mess at launch

As reported by DSOG: (though, I'm also waiting for other news/gaming outlets to post their own review/feedback as well, to check whether this is a widespread issue or not, before jumping on any conclusion).

"Right now, this Update is a buggy mess as it has numerous bugs and optimization issues.

The first game-breaking bug we encountered was when starting a new game. If you select to simulate a Witcher 2 save, the game will prevent you from manually saving. Not only that, but it will prompt you with the following error when attempting to resume your progress.

sadsadsadasdsadsadsa.jpg


Then there are the crashes. With or without Ray Tracing, the game was really unstable. For unknown reasons, the game would randomly crash. We haven’t figured out why the game is crashing but even with the latest NVIDIA drivers, the game has stability issues. For what it’s worth, all other games are stable on our PC system (so that’s not a hardware issue). Furthermore, a lot of Steam users are also experiencing crashes with The Witcher 3 Next-Gen.

There are also numerous graphical issues with the Ray Tracing effects. For instance, the lighting can change right in front of you. Moreover, shadows can pop in/change two meters away from you. Don’t get me wrong, the game can look great with its Ray Tracing. However, it’s really hard to appreciate these effects when shadows, reflections and lighting change right in front of you.

Let’s also not forget the stuttering issues that currently plague this game.


Lastly, almost none of the performance overlay programs are currently working with The Witcher 3 Next-Gen (not even Steam overlay). The only overlay program that works is GeForce Now’s Performance Tool, which we’ll be using for our GPU benchmarks."
 

mjbn1977

Distinguished
Well, its a free upgrade. So, not to concerned with the bugs. they going to fix it....pretty sure of it.

But I tested it last night with the 4080. Wow....I am kinda blown away and sold on DLSS 3.0 frame generation. Besides one bug that I experienced (has to do with scrolling through savegames), I had no issues in 2 hours just running around in Novigrad. This looks absolutely stunning. I set everything on Raytracing Ultra with DLSS on Quality and frame generation activated. I have consistent 110 fps in 1440p with smooth frametimes. No spikes. Very nice showcase for the technology....

If someone else wants to try it out...go to Novigard and set time at sunset or sunrise.....stunning....
 
You can share how you got MSI Afterburner working properly in this update.

BTW, CD Projekt RED has just shared the list of The Witcher 3 Next-Gen problems that it is currently investigating. And, things are not looking particularly well for everyone that has performance issues with it.

Looks like rolling back to the previous PC version of the game is all we can do for now, if the game runs poorly on any system. Not everyone is experiencing these issues though.

There are more issues with an AMD/Intel GPU though, rather than NVIDIA.

CDPR has not listed the CPU optimization issues or the ridiculously enormous Ray Tracing requirements. Not only that, but the team has not listed the game’s annoying stuttering issues, the RT pop-in issues, or its RT graphical glitches.

Instead, the team is currently looking into fixing the following issues.

  • Game crashes on PC
  • Players who own the game on Origin are unable to update the game
  • Low Ray Tracing performance on Intel GPUs.
  • PlayStation 5 version of the expansions are unavailable in some regions
In short, I don't expect any major performance improvements.
 

mjbn1977

Distinguished
You can share how you got MSI Afterburner working properly in this update.

BTW, CD Projekt RED has just shared the list of The Witcher 3 Next-Gen problems that it is currently investigating. And, things are not looking particularly well for everyone that has performance issues with it.

Looks like rolling back to the previous PC version of the game is all we can do for now, if the game runs poorly on any system. Not everyone is experiencing these issues though.

There are more issues with an AMD/Intel GPU though, rather than NVIDIA.

CDPR has not listed the CPU optimization issues or the ridiculously enormous Ray Tracing requirements. Not only that, but the team has not listed the game’s annoying stuttering issues, the RT pop-in issues, or its RT graphical glitches.

Instead, the team is currently looking into fixing the following issues.

  • Game crashes on PC
  • Players who own the game on Origin are unable to update the game
  • Low Ray Tracing performance on Intel GPUs.
  • PlayStation 5 version of the expansions are unavailable in some regions
In short, I don't expect any major performance improvements.

Some of it might have to do with graphics drivers as well. I played again last night and besides that weird save game scrolling bug I had no issues at all. Nvidia came out with a driver update last week that specifically had optimization's for the next gen Witcher update. I don't have any performance issues at all. As noted about.....1440p on highest settings with raytracing, DLSS quality and frame generation I get average of 110fps with smooth frame times. This game can be played in DX11 without all the raytracing stuff if the hardware is not up to the task. And AMD and Intel might have to optimize their drivers. I play on GOG game of the year edition by the way.

By the way, I do not experience any stutters. Frame times are smooth. But even on the 4080 I can't run in smoothly without DLSS. That is a must....

For the fix to make Riva Statisitcs work you have to remove a file from one of the installation folders (something). I am not on my gaming computer right now, I look the loaction and filename up later and post it here.
 

mjbn1977

Distinguished
For Riva to work, do this: look for this file in the installation folder and remove it (I just create a backup folder in that location and throw it in there, in case I have to put it back): "d3d11on12.dll"
Its located in the "bin" folder.

That's it. Riva tuner works after removing that file (or change name or location).
 
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