A new mini-development diary from Ubisoft, narrated by lead PC engineer Paul Blessy, vaunts the unique technology used in enriching the world of Watch Dogs on PC.
Topping the list of graphical doodads is NVIDIA’s HBAO+, Horizon-Based Ambient Occlusion. “HBAO+ improves upon existing techniques to add richer, more detailed and realistic shadows around objects,” Blessy says. “[It] is faster, more efficient and significantly better compared to previous techniques.”
Next up is TXAA, a “cinematic-style antialiasing technique designed specifically to reduce temporal aliasing.” Ultimately, this amounts to smoother visuals and reduced noise with regards to effects and movement across disparate objects like fences and foliage.
Together, Ubisoft promises, these innovations create a Chicago unique to the PC version of the game—a Windy City “like we’ve never seen it before.” Funnily enough, we haven’t really seen it before, but we get the point: games are prettiest on PC.
