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Please Note: The benchmarks were re-done here, as Feral had an OpenGL performance regression which caused Vulkan to look at lot better than it was.

Mad Max [Feral Store, Steam] from Feral Interactive has been updated with a public beta as the Linux version is now able to use Vulkan and it brings some mighty performance changes.

Note: The beta does not support SteamOS currently, only normal desktop Linux distributions. Vulkan is only available in the Linux version, it is not in the Windows version.

To access the Beta, you need the password "livelongandprosper". Enter that into the games Betas tab on Steam to get in on the action. Once done, select "vulkan_beta." to update to it. See more info on this post from Feral.

First up, here’s a small comparison video that shows the very clear difference (Very High preset):
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This is one of the few areas in the game where you can basically guarantee all affects (weather, AI) being the same. So it’s a good point to compare for a video.

I’ve tested it out myself privately before release and I’m really impressed with the difference it makes. It’s night and day in some areas the performance jump is quite impressive! Every part of the game feels massively smoother. I didn’t notice it before, but in the OpenGL version even moving the camera is slower than in the Vulkan version.

Places that previously dropped to 60FPS and below have been sailing at over 100FPS for me, keeping the action amazingly smooth. This is especially important for all the car chases and general combat on foot, previously some of the battles were a real struggle, but now it’s effortless.

You can turn Vulkan off to go back to OpenGL using the "Use Vulkan" tickbox in the Advanced section of the Feral launcher. I'm impressed by how solid the switching is after going back and forth too many times to count I haven't had an issue.

Note: If you turned off the Feral launcher, you can bring it back by holding down CTRL while it loads.

Here’s a few random screenshots showing again how the performance really is different (OpenGL left, Vulkan right - noted in each picture).
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As you can see, no matter the area, weather, lighting and so on Vulkan destroys OpenGL in Mad Max.

Driver support: It works across NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, but there are some specific bits to be aware of. You can read about them on this post from Feral.

I should note, that the amount of difference you see will of course depend on what CPU and GPU combination you have. Lower-end CPU/GPU combinations will still see an improvement, but it likely won’t be as drastic as what I see here.

New benchmark mode
Feral have also put in a benchmark mode for the Linux version, which you can access by doing “--feral-benchmark” in their advanced launcher options. It will take whatever your in-game settings are for the benchmark. This is a unique feature for the Linux version, as the Windows version does not have a proper benchmark mode.

Warning: If you plan to play it through, you should be aware the benchmark uses cut-scenes from late in the game and may spoil a scene or two for you.

You will find the benchmark output in time and dated folders inside ”.local/share/feral-interactive/Mad Max/VFS/User/AppData/Roaming/WB Games/Mad Max/FeralBenchmark”.

Each single run of the benchmark takes about five minutes, so you might want to go make a coffee while it runs.

Benchmarks
These benchmarks show how some of the worst performing parts of the game perform differently on Vulkan. Not all of the game will see such an increase.
OpenGL Vulkan Mad Max: Camp - Hollow PointAntergos Linux, 1080p, i7 5960x, 980ti NormalHighVery High Vulkan 239OpenGL 113Vulkan 162OpenGL 65Vulkan 145OpenGL 47 2391131626514547 04896144192240 Average FPS

OpenGL Vulkan Mad Max: Stronghold – Tyrant’s LashAntergos Linux, 1080p, i7 5960x, 980ti NormalHighVery High Vulkan 79OpenGL 50Vulkan 68OpenGL 35Vulkan 59OpenGL 34 795068355934 01632486480 Average FPS

OpenGL Vulkan Mad Max: Cutscene - Hope, Glory, and Dog is DeadAntergos Linux, 1080p, i7 5960x, 980ti NormalHighVery High Vulkan 254OpenGL 74Vulkan 153OpenGL 57Vulkan 130OpenGL 50 254741535713050 051102153204255 Average FPS

OpenGL Vulkan Cutscene - LandmoverAntergos Linux, 1080p, i7 5960x, 980ti NormalHighVery High Vulkan 271OpenGL 89Vulkan 168OpenGL 65Vulkan 146OpenGL 58 271891686514658 055110165220275 Average FPS


This isn’t just showing the power of Vulkan, this is also showing the level of commitment Feral Interactive have for their Linux ports overall. I continue to respect the work they do in bringing games to Linux, supporting and sending in patches to Mesa and giving me fantastic games to play. Not only that, but updating their games to use the Vulkan API is obviously extremely welcome. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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190 comments
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bingus Mar 31, 2017
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Amazing. Hats off to you Feral!
jqke Mar 31, 2017
The difference is quite impressive on my machine:
i5 2500k @4.2GHz + RX480 (mesa git) + 16Go ram @1920*1080 all maxed out...
(left opengl, right vulkan)
Camp - Hollow Point
- avg 11.76 / 62.21
- min 2.44 / 13.65
- max 17.27 / 101.85

Stronghold - Tyrant's Lash
- avg 3.36 / 29.99
- min 2.34 / 7.34
- max 4.12 / 33.87

Cutscene - Hope, Glory, and Dog is Dead
- avg 21.63 / 66.84
- min 5.2 / 7.6
- max 85.41 / 204.29

Cutscene - Landmover
- avg 23.36 / 70.39
- min 5.7 / 9.37
- max 114.95 / 181.72

I bought the game just to see how vulkan performed. Now my graphic cards makes so much noise ! #ThxFeral


Last edited by jqke on 31 March 2017 at 8:48 am UTC
Doc Angelo Mar 31, 2017
Sadly, it segfaults on me. :( Normal version works fine, though.

I'm on Debian Stretch, using Nvidia driver 375.39 from the Debian repository. "vulkaninfo" seems to report that Vulkan works. I sent a mail with logs to Feral support.
burnall Mar 31, 2017
Very impressive, but still though, why developers are still using DX 11/12? Someone should put some test with Windows version on You Tube, just for comparison.
Ardje Mar 31, 2017
Ok, did anyone get vulkan to work on steamos_beta?
I have the "right" drivers (the vulkan branch, but one release short of the one needed for VR, so just what's in steamos_beta), but none of the vulkan versions work...
mad max of course does not work.
But The talos principle also doesn't work.
The talos principle bails out after trying and failing to set the resolution.
Mad max just has mdmp files.
Ardje Mar 31, 2017
Quoting: Doc AngeloSadly, it segfaults on me. :( Normal version works fine, though.
I'm on Debian Stretch, using Nvidia driver 375.39 from the Debian repository. "vulkaninfo" seems to report that Vulkan works. I sent a mail with logs to Feral support.
I think you need the 375.27 branch, as that seems to be the version for vulkan and vr development.
kokoko3k Mar 31, 2017
Unfortunately, on my rig the experience is not the best.
Didn't try the benchmarks, but on a gtx750 + i5-4590 CPU @ 3.30GHz the games stutters, badly.
leaving max still and camera NOT moving, the fps goes from 70fps to 18fps, then 70 again.
driver version is the latest, 378.13
cpu is at 60% and gpu at 100%


Last edited by kokoko3k on 31 March 2017 at 11:09 am UTC
MayeulC Mar 31, 2017
Quoting: kokoko3kUnfortunately, on my rig the experience is not the best.
Didn't try the benchmarks, but on a gtx750 + i5-4590 CPU @ 3.30GHz the games stutters, badly.
leaving max still and camera NOT moving, the fps goes from 70fps to 18fps, then 70 again.
driver version is the latest, 378.13
cpu is at 60% and gpu at 100%
Don't forget to report to Feral, they specifically requested it.
inlinuxdude Mar 31, 2017
This is awesome! Mr. Duck, any idea when Feral might get this on SteamOS? I bought this to play on the couch on my homemade steam machine. I put a couple hours into it and performance wasn't horrible, but I'd love to give it another go with this boost!
Eike Mar 31, 2017
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Quoting: Ardje
Quoting: Doc AngeloSadly, it segfaults on me. :( Normal version works fine, though.
I'm on Debian Stretch, using Nvidia driver 375.39 from the Debian repository. "vulkaninfo" seems to report that Vulkan works. I sent a mail with logs to Feral support.
I think you need the 375.27 branch, as that seems to be the version for vulkan and vr development.

According to https://developer.nvidia.com/vulkan-driver, "Full Vulkan support is available for Windows and Linux in our general release drivers", like 375.39, which is contained in Debian stretch. 375.27 "provide new features for Vulkan developers to test their upcoming Vulkan applications" is not packaged in Debian (non-free), it seems. The post from feral says "Requires NVIDIA driver version 375.26 or later.", though, wich is even in jessie-backports.
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