The Ascent’s Latest Patch Enables Ray Tracing in Xbox Game Pass Version, Adds Performance, Stability, and Gameplay Improvements

The latest patch for The Ascent, the Xbox Game Pass version of the popular space exploration game, is out now. The update adds support for ray tracing, improves performance and stability, and fixes a few bugs. The ray tracing feature, which provides improved realism and better lighting, is enabled by default. It can be disabled in the in-game options.

This week, The Ascent released an update for XBox Game Pass to feature Ray Tracing for Xbox One. This is one of the most requested features for games on the platform, thanks to the growing popularity of PC titles like ARK: Survival Evolved, Metro Exodus, and other first person shooters. Ray tracing was first showcased by Microsoft at their E3 conference in June, and has since been the subject of all sorts of speculation about how it will work, how well it’ll perform, and whether or not it’s even possible.

The Ascent is an Xbox game console emulator. The program is for PC and Mac, but the newly released Xbox version is the first console version of the program.

Neon Giant is an image by Neon Giant.

Subscribers to Xbox Game Pass with current graphics cards were not pleased when Neon Giant’s latest cyberpunk action-shooter RPG was released. The Ascent was launched without important technologies like ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS on Microsoft’s game subscription service, but a new patch issued by the developer today has rectified one of those oversights.

The Ascent’s August 6th update, according to the patch notes on Steam, enables ray tracing in the Xbox Game Pass version of the game, which means that owners of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series and AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series graphics cards will be able to enjoy even better visuals in the game thanks to ray-traced reflections and shadows.

The Ascent’s latest patch from Neon Giant also includes a number of performance, stability, and gameplay improvements. Better performance in DX12 mode, as well as improved NPC loading and a CPU performance option for slower PCs, are among them.

Patch Notes for August 6th in The Ascent

Performance (PC Steam & Win10 only)

Fixes to enhance DX12 performance, including Ray Tracing.
Players should be aware that when the update initially runs, there will be a 20-25 second ‘stall’ on loading to the Main Menu to enable some caching to take place before you start. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Ray Tracing is now available on the Windows Store for players.
NPC loading has been improved.
For low-end PCs, there’s a CPU performance mode.

Continuity (all platforms)

Numerous instances of ‘one time’ crashes have been fixed in both Single Player & Coop on ALL Platforms. (some other instances remain, we are working hard to resolve these for the next update).
On some menus, Local Coop resolves controller focus problems between Player 1 and Player 2.
Improvements for disconnected controllers, problems when 3 Players start a new game, and fixes when the internet connection becomes shaky have all been addressed to enhance the reliability of both local and online Coop.
Fixed an issue where a black screen might occur at the conclusion of Mission 12 in some situations.
Fixed an issue where returning to the Main Menu after gaming took too long at times.
Fixed an issue where the Client entering the game after the Host has used the Taxi takes longer to load the area.
In Online Coop, we’ve fixed several weapon replication problems.
Clients were having difficulty connecting to the Host due to cross-platform hotjoining concerns.

Save your progress (all platforms)

A new mechanism was introduced to avoid instances where save files might get corrupted.
Fixes a bug in Coop that caused the Client to lose progress if the Host left the game.
Fixes for instances in Coop where players may encounter advancement stumbling blocks.
After a Host disconnects, a Client’s items will no longer be unequipped.
Fixed an issue where a client’s connection may be lost while hotjoining a game that was already in progress.

Playing the game (all platforms)

Fixed a bug where you may unlock Main Mission and Side Mission under the wrong circumstances.
Fixed an issue where the mission goal in Mission 2’s ‘Go To Grinder’ didn’t update.
The problem with numerous bosses spawning has been resolved. Papa Feral, Megarachnoid (Spider Boss), and Gun-Dolph, for example.
Fixed an issue with the Casino Courier Side Missions 1–5 where you were unable to progress owing to missing NPCs.
The unique camera for the ‘Dark Horse’ side mission has been fixed.
In Stimtown, the custom camera for Bartender has been fixed.
Fixed an issue where ‘Dark Horse’ would sometimes fail to finish owing to the NPC staying scared.
Fixed an issue where the Volatile Augmentation had no impact when used on neutrals.
The Siege Mech in the Prison could no longer despawn once a Player died.
The Snooze Dealer’s Journal map symbol was a white square due to a bug.
Damage scaling on the Pocket Mech minigun has been fixed, allowing it to become more powerful as you level up.
Allows certain augmentations to be used while rolling.
Life Transfer, Neutron Beam, and Overclock have a balanced cost/cooldown/efficiency.
Issues with PLUG Cyberdeck not breaking ICE 1 have been resolved.

Adaptation (all platforms)

There have been a number of updates to address situations when English was shown instead of the proper language.
More effort is being done to enhance the quality of the translations and to address general bugs.
In the Japanese opening cut-scene, there was a problem with text overlapping.

Various other fixes (all platforms)

Fixed an issue in Dreamworld where gunshot SFX could be heard even when no opponents were present.
Fixed an issue where the death-screen replaced the SFX & VO after defeating the Megarachnoid.
In the Journal, you may see the Cyberdeck.
In the Taxi, the news is currently playing.
The Graphics menu now has a Film Grain toggle.
Clients may now get access to the Dismemberer firing SFX that was previously unavailable.
In Vendors, the Auto Turret and Pocket Mech previews have been fixed.
The collision box for Cluster 13’s Metrolink entrances has been fixed.
Fixes to the user interface.

Welcome to The Ascent Group arcology, a corporate-run city soaring into the sky and teeming with species from around the cosmos. You take on the role of a worker who is enslaved by the corporation that owns you and everyone else in your area. One day, you find yourself trapped in a tornado of disaster: the Ascent Group shuts down for unexplained reasons, and your district’s existence is jeopardized. To discover out what began it all, you’ll have to pick up weapons and go on a new quest.

Steam is the source of this information.