Why is it a resource hog? why is it a resource hog?
Don't ask us. Monolith needs to figure out why and fix it.
High poly models
The models are not that high poly from what I see. The character models look like Tron 2.0 or NOLF 2 models from a geometry standpoint, and I bet each character model is well under 3000 polys. That is the whole point of using normal maps on the models anyway, i.e. to keep the poly count low while still providing high detail.
high res textures
While the textures look decent, I doubt they are more than 512x512 especially given that this is a demo version and developers including Monolith usually use reduced size textures in demos. The game is much more playable for me using the lowest texture setting, but the textures also look like crap compared to the medium setting.
Normal maps
Doom 3 makes extensive use of these. It need not be so resource intensive.
multiple shaders
Even using the v1.X shaders doesn't improve performance much. NEXT!
Volumetric lighting with soft shadows.
Turning off soft shadows still doesn't make the game playable. Only the highest end rigs could handle those anyway. Using the lowest light and shadow detail does significantly improve performance.
The bottom line is that the game performs poorly for what it delivers visually (even when details and effects are turned off or reduced).
This comment was edited on Aug 6, 06:07.