The video compares Star Citizen 4.5’s graphics performance between DirectX 11 and Vulkan, finding that Vulkan offers superior visual quality and greater stability, while DirectX 11 delivers higher frame rates but with less consistency. Despite issues with enabling the Nvidia Smooth Motion feature on both APIs, the creator recommends using Vulkan for a better overall experience and hopes for future updates to restore advanced features.
In this video, the creator explores the graphics performance and features of Star Citizen 4.5 by comparing DirectX 11 and Vulkan APIs side-by-side. The main focus is on the Nvidia Smooth Motion feature, which many users, including the creator, cannot enable when using Vulkan due to crashes and black screens. To test this, the creator switches the game to DirectX 11, attempts to enable Smooth Motion, but still encounters crashes, indicating that the feature is currently not functional for them on either API.
After disabling Smooth Motion, the creator proceeds to play the game using DirectX 11 to observe any differences in graphics quality and performance compared to Vulkan. During gameplay, various in-game elements such as docking and heat management are shown, providing context for the visual comparison. The creator notes their experience and observations while recording, aiming to give viewers an honest assessment of the two graphics options.
The first key observation is that Vulkan delivers noticeably better graphical quality. The creator highlights the lighting effects, especially when Polaris ships exit the hangar, describing the Vulkan visuals as “phenomenal.” This suggests that Vulkan enhances the game’s visual fidelity, making environments and effects appear more vivid and immersive compared to DirectX 11.
On the other hand, DirectX 11 consistently provides higher frame rates (FPS), which is important for smoother gameplay. However, despite the higher FPS, the creator felt that Vulkan offered a more stable experience overall, with fewer performance hiccups. This stability made Vulkan feel like it was giving better FPS, even though the numbers were technically lower than DirectX 11.
In conclusion, the creator recommends using Vulkan for Star Citizen 4.5 due to its superior graphics quality and stability, despite the current lack of Smooth Motion support. They express hope that the developers will reintroduce features like frame generation and Smooth Motion in future updates to enhance the gaming experience further. The video ends with an invitation for viewers to share their experiences and preferences in the comments, encouraging community discussion about the best graphics API to use.