After missing its initial window, the highly anticipated Dark Pictures: Switchback VR update is out. This patch for the PSVR2 title addresses many of the visual issues that were highly criticized at its launch.
The Switchback VR update patch notes describe many texture enhancements
The update patch notes are more detailed than the previous list of changes Supermassive Games revealed. It runs though the general improvements, the biggest of which is support for foveated rendering, which uses eye tracking to render the part of the screen the player is looking at at a higher resolution. Supermassive claims there is also better temporal anti-aliasing, textures, lighting, effects for wet objects, and overall effects, just to name a few. Most of these changes are visual in nature, but the studio has also added dynamic hit reactions to enemies.
These are just some of the alleged upgrades, as Supermassive detailed certain enhancements seen in each level. While quite massive, the studio explained that more support was on the way, but did not detail what was in store.
Players have been waiting for this update since its launch in March. Players and critics almost unanimously called out its muddy or blurry visuals to the point where Supermassive released a statement the following day.
After months of vague updates, the studio noted that it had missed its goal of releasing the update in late June and was aiming for the first two weeks of July. That window passed, which prompted Supermassive community manager Georgina Howlett to say that, despite it being 15 days later, the team meant two calendar weeks.
Here are the full Switchback VR update patch notes:
General
- Introduction of FSR (flexible scaled rasterization) and FR (foveated rendering) support to greatly improve visual quality.
- Enabled Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA) for a smoother image
- Optimisation pass throughout the game for improved performance and prevention of objects and textures ‘popping’ as the cart moves.
- Memory usage improvements
- Various crash fixes
- Reduction in loading times
- New and improved models and textures for environment objects
- New higher-quality textures for several enemies
- Improvements to visual effects throughout the game, including fire, headshots and more.
- Added dynamic hit reactions to several enemies.
- Improved lighting in several levels
- Improved the look of fog throughout the game.
- Various fixes and improvements to enemy animations
- Various fixes to clipping issues throughout the game.
- Improvements to headset vibration caused by obstacles.
- Fixes for cart / track audio and haptic feedback on the controllers Improved fading effects for destroyed materials.
- Adjusted position of various objects throughout the game so they are no longer floating.
- Added missing materials to various objects.
- Various improvements to collisions, making it easier to shoot objects.
- Various fixes to checkpoints and reloading levels
- Various adjustments to enemy pathing
- Added shadow casting from the cart light.
- Improved decals like blood and oil
- Added wet effect on hands and weapons when the player is under the rain.
- Loading icon brightens up when spinning faster.
- Turning down audio sound effects no longer turns off haptics.
- Added sound effects to non-damaging head impacts.
- Fixed an issue where the player’s vision got progressively darker in several levels.
- Fixed various streaming issues that cause the environment to ‘pop in’ throughout the game
UI Fixes
- Various fixes to subtitles in several languages
- Various fixes to voiceover and subtitles timings
- Fixed an issue where an incorrect score was displayed on the leaderboard screen after every chapter.
- Fixed an issue where some text was getting cut off at the ‘Journey So Far’ screen in several languages.
- Fixed an issue where subtitles were visible in the pause menu if the subtitle settings were adjusted whilst dialogue is playing.
Haunted Shipwreck
- General
- New and improved textures for the enemies in these levels
- Added dynamic hit reactions to zombies.
- Maiden Voyage
- New and improved fire effects
- Fixed multiple instances of enemies clipping into the cart.
- Fixed multiple instances of enemies floating off the ground.
- Adjusted floating objects throughout the level.
- Fixed issue with the chain-link fence in the first area changing opacity as you approached it.
- Adjusted collision on the puzzle assets so only the valves can be shot to trigger them.
- Fixed an issue with enemies not being close enough to the cart to cause damage.
- Adjusted the timings of the light flickering in the encounter after the ‘Meat Tunnel’.
- Adjusted the speeds of enemies in the boat encounter.
- Reworked the paths and tasks of enemies in the last fight for better timing.
- Adjusted curtain material to prevent seeing through them Fixed an issue regarding shooting the grenade launcher at the swarm of rats caused the game to crash.
- Fixed an issue with gaps in the water.
- Fixed an issue where an enemy left alive behind the cart and could be heard throughout the level, despite being far away.
- Fixed collisions so the swarm of rats no longer gets stuck on the track.
- Into the Ship’s Heart
- Fixed an issue where dying after the first branching track did not reset the level.
- Adjusted floating and clipping assets throughout the level.
- Fixed an issue with the blood rain visual where sound effects were not playing correctly in the ship’s kitchen.
- Fixed an issue with broken helicopter blades appearing before the helicopter crash at the end of the level.
- Adjusted timings on the last encounter with the boss’ attack to prevent the player being hurt too early.
- Improved the demon dog animations.
- Balance fixes to the demon dog fights.
- Added rain haptics on the last outdoor section.
- Fixed an issue where we could see an invisible barrel exploding when the boss dies.
Cursed Forest
- General
- Multiple adjustments and fixes to the fog throughout both levels for better visual quality
- New and improved tree and foliage throughout both levels
- New and improved fire effects throughout both levels
- Added more dynamic hit reactions to the enemies.
- Abandon All Hope
- Fixed an issue in the Black Cat bar where some objects were misaligned.
- Made the headset vibration more intense during the bus crash.
- Adjusted collisions on objects to allow for easier shooting.
- Adjusted the paths of the giant bats in the tunnel.
- Adjusted the fire visual effects so they no longer clip with the walls inside the burning house.
- Burning Trials
- Lighting improvements throughout the level
- Demon in the police station can now be properly interrupted during their attack.
- Improved the visual appearance of the UV decal.
- Fixed an issue that caused the dolls to sometimes crawl sideways on the ceiling or walls.
- Fixed an issue that caused the last demon to not attack during the final phase of the fight.
Forsaken Ruins
- General
- New and improved textures for the enemies
- Added more dynamic hit reactions to enemies.
- Ancient Temple
- Lighting improvements throughout the level
- Shortened the eclipse scene so that the fight starts sooner.
- Fixed an issue with Belial clipping into the cart.
- Fixes to several floating objects
- Added missing sound effects when the environment changes with the blinking mechanic.
- Added missing sound effects on the rock falls.
- Into the Abyss
- Lighting improvements throughout the level
- Environment improvements throughout the level
- Fixed an issue where the passenger could still be heard speaking despite being dead.
- Improvements on timings and other issues with the boss fight
Doomed Hotel
- Enjoy Your Stay
- Scythes now deal significantly more damage.
- Fixed several instances of enemies clipping through the floor when appearing.
- Fixed an issue where shooting the mirrors resulted in blood effects coming out of them.
- Panopticon
- Visual improvements to the acid traps
- Fixed an issue where repeatedly shooting one of the animatronics with the stun gun caused it to be pushed through walls.
- Fixed an issue where shooting through the mattress killed an animatronic on the other side.
- Significant improvements to the environment, particularly outdoor sections
- Lighting improvements throughout the level, particularly in the final section
Switchback Levels
- Welcome to Inferno’s Ride
- New and improved trees and foliage throughout the level
- Adjusted collisions on objects to allow for easier shooting.
- Frozen Hell
- Fixed various floating objects, duplicated objects and clipping issues in dolls and mannequins
- Fixed noticeable holes in icy objects
- Fixed an issue with voiceover and subtitles being out of sync at the end of the level.
