2K Games are a strong third party supporter of the Nintendo Switch bringing collections like BioShock: The Collection, XCOM 2 Collection, and Borderlands Legendary Collection.
Virtuos, the team which handled all of the ports, spoke with Automaton Media about how they handled the port but also the difficulties they encountered while working on the titles.
How did you optimize both BioShock: The Collection and XCOM 2 Collection?
Fong: We started off by playing the game on the actual console to identify performance hotspots where the frame rate would dip. We then analyzed both the CPU and GPU to determine the source of the problems. After compiling and analyzing all the hotspots, we then created a plan to optimize everything.
We laid out the tasks and evaluated the efficiency of each one, such as working hours, the right people for the tasks, and the potential benefits or impacts on the overall quality.
The CPU’s performance can be changed rather quickly by reducing the resolution and graphics settings, so CPU optimization is usually the priority. It requires a detailed understanding of both how certain features are implemented, and a strategy to change or utilize the CPU’s resources as much as possible – it’s a very time-consuming process.
We always try to use the Switch’s inherent features with the Maxwell GPU first before reducing the resolution and image quality. Maintaining a stable frame-rate is more important than retaining graphical features from versions of the game on more powerful hardware.
With that in mind, we arrange graphical features in order of priority and might simplify or remove some of the lowest priority features, depending.
About BioShock: The Collection
Experience the unforgettable worlds and monumental stories of the award-winning BioShock series with BioShock: The Collection. Journey to the cities of Rapture and Columbia across BioShock Remastered, BioShock 2 Remastered, and BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition, including all single-player add-on content. Fight for your life and outsmart your enemies, be it deep beneath the waves or high above the clouds.
Includes:
- BioShock Remastered: Explore the undersea city of Rapture, a haven for society’s greatest minds that has devolved into a dystopian nightmare wrought by one man’s hubris.
- BioShock 2 Remastered: See Rapture through the eyes of Subject Delta, a fearsome Big Daddy prototype on a life-or-death mission to rescue his missing Little Sister.
- BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition: Indebted to the wrong people, private investigator Booker DeWitt must take on an impossible task: travel to a flying city above the clouds, and rescue a woman named Elizabeth.
About XCOM Collection
The XCOM® 2 Collection includes the award-winning strategy game XCOM 2, four DLC packs (Resistance Warrior Pack, Anarchy’s Children, Alien Hunters, Shen’s Last Gift) and the War of the Chosen expansion all in one package. Activate any of the additional content (DLCs and the Expansion) or just play the base game.
XCOM® 2:
Aliens rule Earth, promising a brilliant future for mankind while secretly hiding a sinister agenda. As the leader of a guerrilla force facing impossible odds, you must ignite a global resistance to eliminate the alien threat and save the human race from extinction.
XCOM® 2: War of the Chosen:
This expansion adds extensive new content in the fight against ADVENT including new Hero classes, powerful new enemies, as well as new missions, environments and increased depth in strategic gameplay.
FOUR DLC PACKS:
- Resistance Warrior Pack: Customize your squad of resistance fighters with a set of bonus outfits and head gear, as well as custom armor and face camo.
- Anarchy’s Children: This rebellion-themed content pack introduces more than 100 new exotic customizations for the entire arsenal of armors available to your XCOM soldiers. These options are purely cosmetic and do not alter the stats of a soldier.
- Alien Hunters: Transform the soldiers of XCOM into an elite alien hunting squad with impressive new weapons and armor to face off against new alien Rulers that will pursue your squad across an entire campaign. Additional cosmetic upgrades to soldiers and the Avenger are included, as well as a new epic mission where Central Officer Bradford leads a squad with the guidance of an old friend.
- Shen’s Last Gift: Investigate ADVENT’s “Lost Towers” facility where Chief Engineer Lily Shen accompanies your squad in search of her late father’s secretive final project. Discover a unique new soldier class complete with powerful new combat abilities, strategy mechanics, and customization options.
