Suggestion - Mantle Api Integration?

[Mathematicus]

The following paragraph are for those who do not know what Mantle API is:

 

Mantle API is basically a rival for DirectX. The thing is, Mantle is currently being developed by AMD and used for AMD cards (specifically, the RXs, HD 8000s, and HD 7000s). The first game to be integrated with Mantle is Battlefield 4, which is AMD optimized as DICE has worked with AMD when developing the game. Although AMD did not show a screen by screen comparison of Mantle and DirectX side-by-side with two equivalent computer rigs, they teased (and I emphasize "teased") that it'll give Battlefield 4 up to a 45% increase in performance. Another tease from Mantle (teased being emphasized again) that in an RTS game, 5000 units (Static, AI, and Physics-Driven Entities) can be shown in one screen.

 

Knowing how the hardware world is very complex and competitive, there may be obstacles when integrating Mantle for Warframe. From what I can assume, I think you need to have some form of permission from AMD (as well as possibly even brandishing Warframe for AMD) before implementing Mantle on any video game, existing and incoming. Seeing how Warframe is already coded, Mantle is a low-level API and works directly to the hardware. Recoding Warframe might take a lot of simplification for this API. And even if we go on and integrate Mantle right away, we're currently unsure of any performance increase or benchmarking, so doing so early may result in loss of profit if Mantle turns out to be a failure (Battlefield 4 was supposedly to have Mantle by December 2013, but due to EA and DICE's decision to halt any improvement (and that includes their Mantle patch) to fix bugs, the patch for Mantle has been delayed to "mid-January," thus delaying the Mantle API (it'll still be developed and worked on, but they're going to release it for Battlefield 4 first)).

 

I will finalize by suggesting this - if Mantle reports successful, hopefully Warframe may make a separate version (like enabling Mantle instead of DirectX in the launcher for Warframe). It'll make things easier for AMD cards (seeing how my own HD 7970 and i7 3770k sometimes struggle on T3 Defense near the end with powers going off like crazy). I also feel that since NVIDIA card owners have the PhysX option, Mantle can give AMD their own version of physics.

 

(Goodness gracious... I sound and feel like Alad V.)

 

P.S. Let's try out best not to make this a NVIDIA vs. AMD war. Also, if I'm wrong on any of the information I've explained here, feel free to correct me.

[r00r1]

+1 on this, especially because the PS4 (AMD hardware)...as I heard porting from PS4 to PC with mantle is easier than with DX.

[ALEKS_D_RAVEN]

Some Bf4 benchmark show us a greater performance increase in mulitplayer than in sp. Sometimes its more than +40%. Also i benchmarked my pc(fx8350, 16 G RAM, HD7970Ghz, Win 7) using RTS test with Motion blur enabled and for Directx11 average score was 6,2 fps, for mantle 24 fps.

[Killerdude8]

I'd say No, Mantle is still in its Infancy, I'd wait some time for to it Mature before making any decisions to use it.

[win32.exe]

Would you explain how is Mantle API giving AMD version of physics?
From my understanding, Mantle is an alternative low-level graphic API (lower level = more direct control = faster on specific hardware) but that's for graphic not physic.

Nvidia's Physx run on CUDA API while TressFX use OpenCL (which is why nvidia cards can run it).

If they want a GPU-based physic engine that can run on all cards, they will have to create/use other physic engine (like Bullet) supporting OCL or other API for GPGPU.