The graphics team for Civilization: Beyond Earth announced early on that the game would be utilizing AMD's Mantle API, as opposed to the more traditional DirectX or OpenGL. One YouTuber decided to test how this new API worked when pushed into a display 5,000 pixels wide using an Oculus Rift DK2. What this means for us is that we can see how the game looks when run on a cinematic widescreen with the industry's first name in virtual reality.
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The footage comes from YouTuber THEGAMEVEDA, who runs the game using a 5120x1600 resolution. The wide screen doesn't do much while the game is still early and much of the planet is still under the fog of war. Once some exploration happens and the player's view of the world expands, though, the wide display seems to be useful for keeping track of many areas of the map at once.
Though the title of the YouTube video mentions "5K" resolution, probably because it's more than 5,000 pixels wide, the display is better compared to 4K resolution, just in terms of pixel count.
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The player in the video runs into some hang-ups while playing the game at such a wide resolution. All of the buttons in Civilization: Beyond Earth are in the corners of the screen, and they don't scale up to account for the larger display. This means that every time the player wants to advance a turn, he needs to turn his head over to the far end of the display and fiddle with the small interface. It's a fine example of how game developers might need to rethink traditional UI practices as VR becomes more popular.
You can check out the full video either below or over on YouTube. Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth is now available for PC, with Mac and Linux version due later this year.
