War Thunder Introduces Path Traced Global Illumination, Frame Generation, and OMM/SER Support Features

Major Enhancements in War Thunder’s Leviathan Update

Gaijin Games has recently announced a significant array of technical upgrades set to arrive with the much-anticipated Leviathan update for War Thunder. At the forefront of these enhancements is the introduction of Path Traced Global Illumination (PTGI), an advanced version of the ray tracing technology that was initially integrated into the game a few years back.

Insights from Gaijin Games

In a recent blog post, the studio elaborated on the significance of continuous visual improvements:

It’s important to keep the game visuals improving. Ray tracing already improves shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion. But now it is time to improve global illumination. There’s a new option now, which when enabled, replaces ambient occlusion. We call it Path Traced Global Illumination or PTGI. Back in 2018 (time flies), when we introduced Global Illumination (GI) to War Thunder, it was a big visual leap, but technology keeps improving, and now we can do it even better.

The Benefits of PTGI

Path Traced Global Illumination represents a leap forward in simulating light within the game. Unlike the previous GI model, which operated on a more simplistic level, PTGI provides enhanced realism by accurately calculating how light interacts with various surfaces, including those in shadowy environments, indoor settings, or intricate valleys.

The earlier global illumination method was prone to light leaks, where light would appear in areas it logically shouldn’t, leading to inconsistencies in indoor lighting. PTGI effectively eliminates these anomalies, resulting in a more uniform illumination that aligns seamlessly with the surrounding environment. Furthermore, PTGI can better represent the multiple bounces of light, thereby enhancing the visual depth of scenes.

Another notable improvement concerns the color balance in indirectly lit areas. Prior to PTGI, the former GI often misrepresented surface lighting—occasionally casting a blue tint due to assumptions about sky light. PTGI rectifies this by delivering a more accurate portrayal of shadowed regions.

Performance Enhancements and New Features

While PTGI is anticipated to demand more processing power compared to its predecessor, players of War Thunder can also look forward to frame generation support from major GPU manufacturers:

NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation: Available for GeForce RTX 40 Series and later when DLSS is activated.
AMD FSR Frame Generation: Compatible with Radeon RX 5000 Series and newer, as well as GeForce RTX 20 Series and Intel Arc, provided FSR is enabled.
Intel XeSS Frame Generation: Works with Intel Arc GPUs when XeSS is activated.

Beyond these exciting new features, Gaijin Games is focused on further optimizing gameplay for both CPU and GPU performance, particularly when ray tracing or path tracing is in use. The studio has also revealed intentions to integrate Opacity Micro-Maps (OMM) and Shader Execution Reordering (SER), both of which were included in a recent DirectX Preview released last month. However, users will need compatible hardware to take full advantage of these improvements; support for these features has been available on NVIDIA graphics cards since the RTX 40 Series.

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