Examples: diablo 4 on blizzard client will let you play it before the full game is installed. The ps5 also let’s you do this when installing a new game. But I’ve never seen this option on steam games.
Examples: diablo 4 on blizzard client will let you play it before the full game is installed. The ps5 also let’s you do this when installing a new game. But I’ve never seen this option on steam games.
About 75% of a games file size are the optional higher res textures for higher graphics settings.(25% for “high” and 50% for “ultra” generally) You can start playing with only the lowest couple of resolution textures to start with in games that use texture streaming. Texture streaming also serves as a LOD system. As in textures further away from you only load the lowest level of detail version until you get closer anyway, then they swap on the fly one by one up to whichever highest degree of fidelity you picked in settings as it gets closer and closer.
The way they stream in sort of hides the transition, at least if the game was well designed. Similar to how a good LOD system for geometry works. It should ideally be imperceptible. The models should look almost identical at the distance they are being swapped at. Same thing with textures, if you notice them change, they likely tried to be too aggressive with it to lower performance cost more than a comfortable/seamless amount.
good breakdown of the system but it has been a while since textures were the issue at large. You can cut ~1/3 the filesize of starfield by uninstalling language packs you aren’t using because lossless audio is HUGE. Most LoD effects are just rendering a distant model with reduced detail and update rate. Even if you look at “good” lod models they often move in a jerky way in practice because they aren’t at the same framerate as things within the “detail” draw distance (easy to observe in every souls title).
Oh OK that makes sense. So I would guess that feature caters more towards ppl who have lower end gpus who aren’t going to use the higher res textures anyway.