One of the biggest benefits of all the power in the Xbox Series X|S is giving developers the ability to make games that are Xbox Series X|S Optimized. This means that they’ve taken full advantage of the unique capabilities of Xbox Series X|S, both for new titles built natively using the Xbox Series X|S development environment as well as previously released titles that have been rebuilt specifically for the console. In our Inside Xbox Series X Optimized series, these creators will share the behind-the-scenes accounts of how they’re optimizing their titles for Xbox Series X|S and what that means for the future of gaming. Today, we’ll be chatting with Scott Lussier, Lead Designer, First Watch Games about optimizing Rogue Company for Xbox Series X|S.
Q: What excites you most about developing and bringing Rogue Company to life on next-generation hardware?
A: We are excited to bring 120 FPS gameplay, short loads, cross play and cross progression to Rogue Company players on Xbox Series X|S. The fast paced tactical-action combat of Rogue Company is best played on a lightning-fast next gen system like Xbox Series X|S.
Q: In addition to benefiting from the power and performance of Xbox Series X|S for quicker load times etc. what Xbox Series X|S features were you most excited to explore leveraging in the development of Rogue Company?
A: We love how Xbox Series X|S sets our players up to capture and share their top clips from Rogue Company.
Q: How will these enhancements impact a player’s experience with Rogue Company?
A: Our goal, as a company whose main focus is cross play and cross progression, is equaling the playing field. 120 FPS in a shooter gives the Xbox player equal footing against PC players in combat.
Q: Why did your development team choose to focus on improved graphics and frame rate modes as enhancement areas for Rogue Company?
A: In a fast-paced action game like Rogue Company being able to clearly spot the competition is crucial to success. The improved graphics and frame rate modes help our players have the crispest visual experience to flex their skills.
Q: How do you expect fans of Rogue Company will respond to playing it on Xbox Series X|S with these enhancements?
A: So far, we have seen an outpouring of enthusiasm from our fans when playing Rogue Company on Xbox Series X|S. In my personal experience the 120 FPS and enhanced graphics make my gameplay sessions buttery smooth. I’m certain that it’s me, not the hardware that is resulting in my losses.
Q: What is it like developing on Xbox Series X|S?
A: Developing Rogue Company natively for Xbox Series X|S has been a rewarding experience. Getting the opportunity to imagine Rogue Company at an even higher performance level and see it in action has been a real treat. The best part was taking the base code straight to the Xbox Series X|S dev kit and it is already running more performant without any code change. From there it was just a matter of tweaking the code base vs. a full rewrite.
Q: Which enhancement were you most excited about to explore leveraging for Rogue Company on Xbox Series X|S?
A: For an action-based shooter game being able to deliver an enhanced graphics experience AND 120FPS gameplay is an absolute dream. So often, shooter players have to choose between great looking games and high frame rates – we are excited to not have to compromise on the Xbox Series X|S.
Q: What does Smart Delivery mean for your game and how you’re bringing Rogue Company to fans?
A: We love the fact that Smart Delivery ensures consumer get the right product for their hardware so it runs performantly regardless of where you are playing.
Q: What does Xbox Series X|S development enable in current or future projects that you could not have achieved with the previous generation of consoles?”
A: Gaming is about community and bringing everyone together regardless of the hardware they are playing on. As a multiplayer focused company we are excited to ensure that our console audience feels like they can compete at the same level as the highest end PCs which is why we are excited that Rogue Company is running at 4k resolution and 120 FPS. As we explore additional features in 2021 and beyond we hope to also bring RTRT (real time ray tracing) and other high end features to Xbox so all our users can experience the same amazing visual as well.
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