The fast traversal in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 made it a technical hurdle for the development team at Insomniac Games to consider using Ray Traced Global Illumination (RTGI) in the game.
During an interview with Digital Foundry, Mike Fitzgerald, Director of the Core Technology at Insomniac Games, talked about the possibility of implementing RTGI in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as well as the visual upgrades the game received over its pre-release trailer. As seen in the screenshot below, the pre-release footage did not include particle effects in the BVH for Ray Traced Reflections. The final game, however, does include them.
In response to a question regarding the feasibility of Ray Traced Global Illumination in addition to Ray Traced Reflections in a game like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on a console like PS5 with limited capabilities, Fitzgerald stated that every game has its own trade-offs and environment and style of play. He mentioned that for a setting like New York City, the reflections are hugely important for creating the look of that space. He added that him and his team at Insomniac Games didn’t want to sacrifice any of that for something else.
Additionally, he stated that Spider-Man’s movement and traversal through the city is so fast that it couldn’t afford much time for such rendering techniques to resolve in a stable manner. He mentioned that a compromise of Ray Traced GI is that it needs time to settle, though he clarified that his statement is a broad generalization, and that some other developers are doing some great things with it. However, the focus for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was to have RT Reflections and make sure that fast traversals looked stable and correct as you move through the city. That said, he expressed his excitement for RTGI and said that it’s possible to create some gorgeous looking games with the technique. He added that him and the development team at Insomniac won’t be ignoring it, possibly hinting at its use in a future Insomniac Games title.
