Rare"s upcoming pirate themed open world game, Sea of Thieves, looks quite magnificent graphically, with its full-rigged ships, open seas, and tropical islands. However, this may not mean that players with lower end PCs will be left out from experiencing the game. In an interview with PC Gamer, the developer revealed a couple of settings that should be helpful when trying to get the most out of the game on a computer with less than ideal horsepower.
According to the Sea of Thieves PC design lead Ted Timmins, the game"s resolution can go as low as 540p, with it even offering a 15 fps lock for those who can put up with a cinematic slideshow experience. The settings were apparently introduced following comments made by the players, with Timmins saying:
"When we were talking to the community some people were like: I"m actually happy playing 15 frames per second. We were like: that"s actually really cool, we should support that. And to them go to them and say, oh, we"ve added that mode for you—it"s below our Rare certified min spec, but if you"re enjoying the game, why should we as developers knock you for that?"
The game"s executive producer Joe Neat added that the minimum specifications are still being worked on, as the developer is trying to go "as low as possible" with it. The studio has even invited players with PCs below its internal current minimum specifications to the long ongoing technical alpha for further testing.
While playing at 540p resolution may sound quite horrible, to say the least, Neat stated that thanks to Sea of Thieves" art style, this may not be that big of an issue:
"This game looks so great regardless of the device you"re playing on. Of course it"s gonna look great in 4K, 60fps but it also looks great at minimum spec because the art style is purposefully timeless."
With Sea of Thieves" early 2018 release window steadily approaching, Rare will hopefully be able to optimize the game enough for players to enjoy it on PC without needing a high-end setup. Also, the developer recently confirmed that Windows 10 and Xbox One cross-play would be available at launch, as well as a new short ranged, bucked-based weapon.
Source: PC Gamer
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