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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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pete910 Mar 30, 2017
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DX12 eat ya heart out :D
nijiwar Mar 30, 2017
Hail to the Feral , next Middle-Earth :)
edddeduck_feral Mar 30, 2017
Quoting: aldyHow is the performance near Gastown? This was the most demanding area in the OpenGL version.
Quoting: BeamboomOk, wow. I am blown away by the difference. And this is no demo but a real world example. Utterly promising.

Please Feral dude, stop by and explain to us why exactly the difference is this major, even on a ported title?

For the most part Mad Max on GL is CPU bound - ie. limited by the single threaded CPU performance on the GL thread. We already use a separate thread for GL dispatch but this doesn’t mean GL itself is multithreaded.

Vulkan helps us massively here, as you can see in the graphs, and is almost always GPU bound now. If you've got the time to spec this out you could look into average GPU utilisation (using nvidia-smi) with GL and with Vulkan, and you'll see the difference.

To be clear the benchmark areas are some of the absolute *worst* cases for the CPU, designed that way so we could target the issue directly. That obviously produces some skewed results towards the best case for Vulkan, but I'd hope the jump in performance across the board proves it's not just a one off.

Other games might not get as large a boost, the exact benefits very much depend on if the game is CPU or GPU bound and why.

Quoting: elmapulwait, this is a linux only feature or windows is supported?

Linux only.
pete910 Mar 30, 2017
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Quoting: edddeduck_feralLinux only.

So ironic, lol.

Now, DeusEX ????<3
Spyker Mar 30, 2017
Quoting: edddeduck_feral
Quoting: aldyHow is the performance near Gastown? This was the most demanding area in the OpenGL version.
Quoting: BeamboomOk, wow. I am blown away by the difference. And this is no demo but a real world example. Utterly promising.

Please Feral dude, stop by and explain to us why exactly the difference is this major, even on a ported title?

For the most part Mad Max on GL is CPU bound - ie. limited by the single threaded CPU performance on the GL thread. We already use a separate thread for GL dispatch but this doesn’t mean GL itself is multithreaded.

Vulkan helps us massively here, as you can see in the graphs, and is almost always GPU bound now. If you've got the time to spec this out you could look into average GPU utilisation (using nvidia-smi) with GL and with Vulkan, and you'll see the difference.

To be clear the benchmark areas are some of the absolute *worst* cases for the CPU, designed that way so we could target the issue directly. That obviously produces some skewed results towards the best case for Vulkan, but I'd hope the jump in performance across the board proves it's not just a one off.

Other games might not get as large a boost, the exact benefits very much depend on if the game is CPU or GPU bound and why.

Quoting: elmapulwait, this is a linux only feature or windows is supported?

Linux only.

I'm wondering if such a gain could be obtained from Deus Ex. It seems the most demanding game you ever ported on Linux so far. As it already has a DX12 renderer, I believe the port to Vulkan should be easier.
Eike Mar 30, 2017
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Quoting: SkiskiI just tried the game last week and my CPU (i5-2400 3.1GHz) can't handle the game. It was between 10 and 30 FPS. Could vulkan help the CPU and use more the GPU? Because my GTX 960 is more than enough for this game.

Should be optimal for your case.
nadrolinux Mar 30, 2017
Thanks for this, I'll run benchmarks on my R9 380 at the weekend. At next I would like to see a Vulkan support for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, because this game is really CPU bound at now.
ziabice Mar 30, 2017
Thanks Feral! <3
STiAT Mar 30, 2017
Quoting: SkiskiI just tried the game last week and my CPU (i5-2400 3.1GHz) can't handle the game. It was between 10 and 30 FPS. Could vulkan help the CPU and use more the GPU? Because my GTX 960 is more than enough for this game.

Since you run a considerably slower CPU/Core and a pretty good graphics card, you'll be one of those profiting most from the Vulkan port.
Try it, I bet you double your FPS on your setup.
PlutonMaster Mar 30, 2017
NICE!

I have to start game all over because I have no idea what I'm doing now.
Is Vulkan only update for Linux users?

And I hope that Deus Ex will get Vulkan support as well.
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