After a weekend of testing The Witcher 3 on Xbox One, it's fair to say installing its day one patch (version 1.01) is something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the 588MB file improves frame-rates slightly during play, while fixing minor bugs scattered across the game. In many ways it's a more polished experience with the patch - notably we have less geometry pop-in during cut-scenes, fewer instances of flickering shadows, and a great many more tweaks elsewhere.
But the downsides pack a punch too. It's apparent after switching between the game's default and patched states that these improvements come at a cost. Chief among these is the aggressive stuttering during pre-rendered cut-scenes. Essentially, encoded video files are used to portray the game's bigger plot points - such as the opening scene, re-caps after loading a save, and the dramatic end to the tutorial - while the game's engine is used for smaller beats in the story.
These videos weave in seamlessly amongst in-engine scenes, and do a great job of hiding loading screens. The catch: it's very easy to tell which type of scene is in play based on the frame-rate. Encoded video files stutter horribly after patch 1.01 is installed, with drops to as low as 22fps causing the playback to lurch in a manner that's impossible to ignore during any action. We've tested this several times with and without the update, and in every case an unpatched build of The Witcher 3 delivers a much smoother return, even if it's not perfectly locked at the intended 30fps.
Shadows also take a minor hit. Even accounting for variances in cloud positions (causing lighting to shift across plains), a perfect match in the time of day shows shadows are missing in spots on patch 1.01. This is likely related to optimising draw distances on Xbox One, as most patches of shade eventually fade in on approach - it's simply the case that the rendering range isn't as far-reaching as The Witcher 3's vanilla state. As a result, dithering is easier to catch on the patched release, at points where shadows make a transition to a fully filled-out state as you walk forward.
On balance, this downgrade only stands out when placing both versions side-by-side, especially given that the switch occurs at quite a distance. The only exception to this is around the Witcher's castle training ground - where foliage produces heavier shade across castle walls. Matching woodland shots also show a slight tail-off in the shadow density the further we look into the thickets, though quality up-close is the same. Besides these cases, it's clear CD Projekt makes an effort to improve Xbox One's performance during play, while not detracting too much from the visuals.
The big positive point for patch 1.01 is in performance, though it's not entirely ideal. What we get on Xbox One is an uncapped frame-rate that varies between 30-40fps, with v-sync engaged to avoid tearing. The unfortunate side-effect of not capping this at a straight 30fps is that frame-pacing wanders up and down the graph, causing the perception of stutter. Many of the frame-rate issues reported in The Witcher 3's early reviews are perhaps attributable to the game going over 30fps, rather than dipping beneath. It's something we'll check out once we are hands-on with the PS4 version - as that's the format used for most of the reviews highlighting the issue.
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