The Callisto Protocol turned out to be a harrowing experience for PC gamers on day one, and not because of any horror specific to the game. As we and several other publications reported, this game version was plagued by the well-known Unreal Engine shader compilation issue, which turned out the first run through any level a literal nightmare regardless of the PC configuration.
Following the negative reports, developer Striking Distance Studios quickly responded on Twitter promising a patch focused on the issue.
We’re aware that some users are experiencing stuttering issues on the PC. We’ve got a patch that will be available in a few hours to improve performance, with a number of additional updates on the way.
That patch was deployed a few hours ago, and we can confirm the shader compilation problem is alleviated, although other forms of stuttering and slowdowns are still present in The Callisto Protocol on PC. Indeed, the studio itself said there would be more optimization work on the way via future patches.
Thanks for your patience. A PC patch is now available to improve gameplay stuttering issues due to shader compilation. After updating, you may see temporary stuttering in the game menu the first time you launch the app. We are working on further optimizations in the days ahead.
One area that could definitely use improvement is the CPU optimization. According to Digital Foundry, the game might be badly optimized for multi-threading, and all about the highest end CPU will suffer. The Callisto Protocol on PC has several other shortcomings, such as badly implemented HDR display support (which is also only available in DX12 mode), the inability to change graphics settings after loading into the actual game, and unoptimized (not to mention rather unimpressive) ray tracing effects.
For our thoughts on the game, check out Kai’s review (7.2/10). Publisher KRAFTON’s stock went down considerably on Friday due to lower than expected average review scores.
Striking Distance Studios does have a plan to support The Callisto Protocol post-launch, though. New Game Plus mode is coming on February, while new story content via DLC is due next Summer.
