Techland decided to lower Dying Light’s frame rate to 30fps on PS4 and Xbox One to ensure it could deliver a “perfectly smooth, gameplay-tailored performance”, senior game producer Adrian Ciszewski has explained.
“As you’re probably well aware, one of Dying Light’s highlight features is the Natural Movement system,” Ciszewski explained in an update on Facebook. “It lets you swiftly traverse the vast open world by jumping between rooftops, climbing buildings, and using impressive parkour skills on the go. In such a fast-paced game, a stable frame rate is paramount.
“When you’re desperately trying to escape from a horde of pursuing Volatiles, even the smallest drop can lead to a mistimed jump and consequently your death. That’s why we made the choice to lock the frame rate at a rock-solid 30fps on consoles, at the same time reducing the input lag to the minimum. The result is a perfectly smooth, gameplay-tailored performance.”
The lowered frame rate helped Techland in “delivering native 1080p graphics”, Ciszweski continued, on both PS4 and Xbox One.
The game releases on PS4, Xbox One, and PC in January.