MachineGames has released the first patch for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle enabling full path RT and adding numerous fixes and improvements. The developers specifically mention that a supported GPU must have at least 12 GB of memory to support the game’s full path ray tracing feature. Patch notes also reveal that MachineGames is working to resolve issues regarding performance issues when DLSS gets enabled, but does provide a workaround in the meantime, and that support for AMD FSR will get added at a later date. PC-only fixes include fixes for various graphical anomalies, improved gameplay for users whose GPU may only have 8 GB of VRAM and some game fixes.
This first patch for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also fixes a rare crash issue when saving, enemy AI tweaks, camera issues, UI fixes and tweaks, graphical fixes, and mission/quest-related fixes. MachineGames has indicated that there are some small spoilers listed in the missions and quests section of the patch notes.
Full Patch 1 Notes (via the official game page):
New Features
- Added Full Ray Tracing (Path Tracing) feature on supported NVIDIA video cards. A minimum of 12GB VRAM is required to make use of this feature. Please note that we’re also working to support AMD FSR in a future game update.
General
- Fix for a rare crash that could occur while saving the game.
- Fix for an issue where you could temporarily lose Pre-Order/Deluxe outfit entitlements.
- Fix to ensure your photographs appear more quickly when inspecting them from the journal.
Gameplay
- Fix for a broken animation that could occur if you equip the rebreather immediately upon jumping into water.
- Fix for a situation where you may not be able to interact with objects temporarily if you tried to push an enemy with your revolver while stamina is exhausted.
- Fix for an issue that could prevent you from being able to block punches while looking at a nearby pickup object.
- Fix for issue where you may not be able to change your disguise after leaving the Sukhothai village via a fast-travel signpost.
- Fix for several places where the whip may detach unexpectedly when swinging.
- Fix for an issue where Indy’s legs may unexpectedly snap into place when swinging across the gap in the bridge in Nepal.
- Fix to prevent enemies from being unaware of Indy when reloading a checkpoint made very close to soldiers that are guarding the entrance to a restricted location.
- Fix for an issue that may result in Gina not appearing near your docked boat when expected.
- Fix for camera shaking unexpectedly when dying to scorpions near the end of the Gizeh level.
- Fix for an issue where first shot made from a temporary gun would be silent.
- Fix for an issue where enemies may have a delayed response after you have stolen valuables from them.
- Fix for an issue that might make you appear in a broken animation state if restarting a checkpoint after using a zipline while the game is saving.
- Fix for an issue that might result in being unable to use your whip if you were performing a whip crack while saving the game, and then reloaded that save.
- Fix for an issue where you may become stuck in the “Lucky Hat” recovery state.
UI
- Added “Reset to Default” selection in the Options menu.
- Fix for a situation where rapid cycling of the Quick Equip menu might result in the wrong item being shown in the menu.
- Added explanation of the Blue Suitcase revisit icon on maps to the in-game manual.
- Prevent map location titles from overlapping with photo opportunity names.
- Fix for intermittent text flicker during the credits.
- Ensure the player’s Adventure Book list is updated immediately after unlocking a new book.
Graphics
- Fix for bottles appearing overly blurred when moving around with an equipped bottle.
- Fix for an issue where Indy’s right arm might look pinched above the wrist when in a bare-armed costume.
- Fix for occasional stuttering that might be seen in cutscenes.
- Fix to make Indy’s whip behave more naturally when attached to his belt.
Missions and quests – Please note this section contains some small spoilers
- Ensure several photo opportunities are still available when revisiting levels or after completing sections of the game.
- Ensure several journal notes are still available to be collected when revisiting levels or after completing sections of the game.
- Ensure several Adventure Books are shown correctly on the map after purchasing map information booklets.
- Fix to prevent player from getting stuck when dropping Giuseppe’s Key, rather than stashing it, in A Savage Predicament.
- Fix to prevent rare issue where Gina may not path to the open door after the fire trap in the Chamber of Fire – Silver Trial mission in the Vatican.
- Fix to prevent rare issue where Gina may not use the levers or may get stuck when pathing to an elevator in Wat Si Sawai in Sukhothai.
- Fix for an issue where Gina may not help open the Game Room door at the Sukhothai Ziggurat.
- Fix for an issue where Gina may not enter a co-op vault or climb when she has recently been in combat.
- Fix for an issue where pieces of the Vatican fountain puzzle may keep moving slowly, that could prevent its completion if left for a very long time.
- Fix for an issue that could prevent the “Finish Forging the Gold Key” quest objective from ever being cleared in your journal in the Vatican.
- Fix for an issue where dying shortly after opening the safe in the Sukhothai HQ may result in player being unable to pick up all of the gold.
- Fix for an issue where gates may be locked inside the caves if restarting a checkpoint while sneaking into the Nazi Compound in Gizeh.
- Fix for an issue that prevent player from picking up an important book in Voss’ office inside the Nazi Compound in Gizeh.
- Fix for an issue that might result in Antonio or Ventura being stuck in a “cower” state while you are in Antonio’s office in the Vatican.
PC Specific fixes
- Improved performance on larger game levels if using an 8GB VRAM video-card.
- Fix an issue where Alt-Tabbing might prevent you from being able to open your inventory.
- Fix to make sure that the “Revert” option works correctly when you change video modes.
- Fix for torch or lighter flames flickering when playing the game at a high refresh rate.
- Fix for Sand Pouring and Torch flame effects not rendering correctly in Peru level on AMD video-cards.
- Fix for issue where enabling HDR and DLSS simultaneously might result in a moiré effect on plain white walls.
- Fix for an issue where black artifacts may appear in Indy’s eye during cutscenes inside the cave in Peru.
- Fix for issue where black squares may appear intermittently on screen if renderscale is used at certain resolutions on AMD video-cards.
- Fix to ensure that your Photos can be exported correctly from Steam cloud saves if you decide to switch to using Xbox cloud saves.
- Please note that AMD FSR support will be added in a future game update.
Known Issues
- We are aware some players may experience reduced performance if launching the game with DLSS enabled and we are looking into it. Players encountering this issue can try:
- Navigate to the Options Menu after loading the game
- Select Graphics Options
- Switch from DLSS to TAA
- Switch back to DLSS and exit the menu. Performance should return to normal shortly after
Discussion (8 replies)
Join Discussion →I admit I'm kind of interested in this. Has anyone given it a shot? Paid reviews have all pretty much said it's fantastic, which is nice, but more interested in what other folks have to say about it.
...most of the noise has been around it only supporting Nvidia upscaling/framegen, and needing at least 12GB of VRAM for PT - so you're pretty limited to higher-end 4000-series GPUs. And most of that noise has been from the AMD camp.
Meanwhile, folks are saying that it runs quite well on AMD 7000-series cards with lower RT settings, so there's that.
As far as playing the game I can't really say. It's not the kind of game that would pique my interest on the outset and too expensive just for a benchmark, lol.
A big concern of mine. I just don't know if this is something I'd stay interested in for long enough to justify the price.
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-tech-review[/URL]
So I had no idea MachineGames was the developer on this project. I've liked all their work so far except Wolfenstein: The New Colossus. Oh, well I guess I haven't played their 10-level campaign for Quake 1, Dimension of the Past. Never played Cyberpilot either, which I believe is a VR game. I just recently returned to and finished Doom 2, Legacy of Rust. So yeah, this new IJ game is their first big game since TNC. And it appears that once again they are using an idTech engine, this time 7 (at least according to Wikipedia), so we know this is a native Vulkan game. This is actually a fork of idTech 7 called "Motor", apparently. And this is also the first major game since Doom Eternal to use some version of idTech 7. This game wasn't on my radar before, but I guess I'll be paying a bit more attention to it now.
From the DF article:
"First and foremost, unlike prior MachineGames titles, all cutscenes featured in this game are rendered in real-time, which is a positive step."
"Speaking of camera work, The Great Circle offers users two aspect ratio options: a full 16:9 option, the default, and a ultra-wide cinematic option. Using the cinematic option gives you a wider aspect ratio that more closely matches the film - the 16:9 option crops the left and right of each shot."
"I also wanted to highlight the quality of the voice work - Troy Baker steps into the role of Indiana Jones and, listening to them side by side, I was kinda floored by how closely it resembles young Harrison Ford. Of course, it's not just Indy. The entire cast is brilliant and, like prior Machine Games titles, original languages are often included. Sections in a European city feature that area's language, while the villain speaks German and accented English - and his performance is honestly striking."
So the game natively uses RTGI, which is part of the reason the game requires hardware ray-tracing, very interesting. And this is just for the console version. Even on XBSS! "It's a marked leap from previous games based on id Tech..."
"Beyond the more linear opening, most of the game takes place in huge open-ended maps. This isn't an open world game by any means, but the levels are still larger than what we've seen from MachineGames in the past - something more like a large Hitman map, with realistically spaced points of interest."
"Thankfully, the frame-rate is virtually unwavering at 60fps during actual gameplay on both Series X and Series S. Combining large levels, RTGI and a 60fps update rate is no mean feat! Loading times are also amazingly quick - there's virtually zero visible loading in the game at all, making it feel completely seamless."
"Beyond that, I think this is one of the best licensed games I've ever played. It's rare that a developer so perfectly understands the source material on which it is building a game, but it feels like the folks behind Indy truly love and respect the property. The storytelling is, quite frankly, significantly better than the last two films, and it's much more grounded too."
"The big takeaway for me here is that, after spending so much time with the game, it really hit home just how much I had wanted such a game to exist in the first place. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is one of the first video games I ever purchased with my own money and I cherished it. I enjoy other Indy games as well, but The Great Circle honestly outdoes every one of them - it truly channels the spirit of Indiana Jones in game form and it's well worth your time."
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-pc-impressive-performance-but-care-is-needed-with-8gb-graphics-cards[/URL]
Related video: [embedded media]
"...what you get is still an excellent PC release, not so much limited by graphics power but rather the VRAM allocation of your GPU."
"...the game runs fast enough already, even on hardware of RTX 4060 class. Yes, even though it's using RTGI in excess of console quality."
"...the VRAM allocation of your GPU is crucially important as the game looks built around a 12GB baseline. Users with 8GB or 10GB cards may run into issues with the texture cache setting. So, for example, at 1440p, a 10GB RTX 3080 can't use the ultra texture cache option without massively degraded performance. Therefore it stands to reason that 8GB users will have an even worse time of it. However, context is king. You need to understand how the texture cache works but dropping from, say, high to medium doesn't uniformly degrade texture quality - it simply adjusts the size of the cache. The lower the cache size, the more aggressively the game shunts texture data in and out of RAM."
"There's a basic rule of thumb here: the game prioritises textures close to the player, and the more VRAM you have, the higher the texture cache setting you can feasibly use. The higher the setting, the further out the higher detail art presents within any given scene. I've put together a nice table on this page that gives realistic texture cache settings for the VRAM your card has - but 8GB really is the minimum and you also need to be careful of the shadow setting."
"...8GB GPU users are also advised to use medium shadow quality and low hair quality to maintain optimal performance."
"...an RTX 4060 only has 8GB of VRAM but I can run the game at 1440p resolution using DLSS in balanced mode and with the texture cache, shadow and hair quality settings suitably adjusted, I can the game locked to 60 frames per second very easily."
"This is a great PC release, but there are some issues and suggestions I'd like to talk about. The game's level of detail is somewhat low out of the box, even on max settings, so perhaps it is no wonder that the game runs so fast, but the pop-in is noticeable. The developer console lets you change this, so typing in 'r_lodscale 5' removes pop-in and LOD changes pretty much altogether. It comes with a GPU cost in terms of performance and memory but I think it's a good option to add to the game for higher end users."
A couple reviews I skimmed:
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle/[/URL]
- "The story of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set in the year 1937, between the events of the original Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the third film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."
- "Look, I’ll say it, this may be the best Indiana Jones story yet."
- "At its core, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a stealth-focused game."
- "Oddly enough, the gunplay in The Great Circle feels very tight and well-designed." Well I mean look what engine it's based on. Of course the gunplay is well-done.
- "I have to hand it to MachineGames, every puzzle was unique and assuming I missed out on some through the optional content, there are a ton of puzzles in The Great Circle. For the most part, they get more and more creative as well, as you progress further through the game. There are a couple that were tricky to solve, but using a Camera item you get early on, you can take pictures of key parts of the puzzles, and Indy will essentially think out loud, which provides you with clues on how to proceed through the puzzle."
- "Aside from the early pacing issues, I did encounter a handful of bugs. Nothing game-breaking, thankfully, but they often ranged from silly to annoying."
- "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an incredibly authentic Indiana Jones experience, and MachineGames really makes you feel like you are Indiana Jones. If you’re looking for an epic journey of exploration with a fun and mysterious story, that’s exactly what you’ll get with The Great Circle, and with a high level of polish to boot."
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.eurogamer.net/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-review[/URL]
- "At long last, there's an Indy game that nails both the puzzles and the kind of action we know so well from the films, and it does so with wit, charm and a real eye for spectacle. There are moments here that feel so inherently Indy that you almost can't believe they haven't been lifted straight from the cinema screen itself, and everywhere you look is a constant surprise and delight. I'd be hard-pressed to name a more entertaining game I've played this year..."
- "For those left disappointed by The Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny, this is Indy as you remember him."
- "The next Tomb Raider and Uncharted games certainly have their work cut out for them after this, as will whatever MachineGames ends up tackling next. But one thing is certain. Indy's legacy feels well and truly restored with The Great Circle, and that's the kind of mileage we can all enjoy for years to come."
Heard the game is about 20-25 hours.
So yeah, the game wasn't on my radar at all, until I found out it was made by MachineGames, and that they are using a fork of idTech 7. So color me curious about the game now. I'll check it out eventually, but I'm not in any real hurry to get around to it. I just hope it turned out better than Wolfenstein: TNC. I liked all their Wolfenstein games except that one. Yes, even Youngblood I found to be more enjoyable!
I have one friend playing this game, so we'll see how he ends up feeling about it.
You mean since Wolfenstein Youngblood their less then stellar co-op game.
I said first big game. I mentioned Youngblood near the end of my post. I don't count that one as a main game in the MachineGames Wolfenstein series, but a spin-off more like The Old Blood and Cyberpilot. Their last major game before this new Indy game, at least as far I am concerned, was TNC.
I've got several of the Wolfenstein games (not sure which ones) from Epic but haven't played any yet. Lol though, I still remember playing the very first one on my Atari 400 back in the 80s.
https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-indiana-jones-and-the-great-circles-full-ray-tracing-upgrade-is-spectacular
Related video: [embedded media]
(Haven't read or watched yet)