This has been demonstrated so many times now, it's the same with where humbug keeps going on about how ray tracing will remove lighting artists etc. jobs etc. No, it simply provides far more options and tools/controls to them to be able to do an even better job. Just because a game may use RT does not automatically mean that it will be pitch black and if anything, it will force artists to keep this in mind i.e. a cave with no light sources at all should be pitch black, ok, how do we solve this? Maybe added some bioluminescence, provide the player with a flashlight or torch or maybe have cracks etc. in the cave to allow light from outside to leak through.
I have yet to see a game where RT has been used and caused this blacked out area, ok except maybe in cp 2077 with ray tracing overdrive in street alleys/corners but again this comes down to the design and can be solved i.e. add more light sources.
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And in a good few areas, RT in fact helps lighten areas up:
That's just RT reflections and maybe shadows though, there is much more to RT to drastically improve a game's lighting system, like RTGI, ok Cyberpunk isn't a great example of that because they did the baked lighting system so well, but look at other games like Witcher Next Gen, the RTGI vs screen space GI in that is essentially night and day. Of course a huge fps penalty for the most part, but the visual difference is massive.
RT reflections and shadows are arguably the easiest things to apply RT to without having a massive fps cost applied to them. YOu can try it in Cyberpunk, max out RT and look at the fps, then turn off RT reflections and shadows and note the fps difference.
I did a quick test just now actualy and noticed something completely quirky, leaving RT reflections + RT shadows + RT sun shadows ON actually gets your more fps than leaving them off. Makes no sense but the numbers speak for themselves:
Ultra - Psycho RT + Psycho SSR // RT Shadows + RT Sun shadows + RT Reflections = ON
Ultra - Psycho RT + Psycho SSR // RT Shadows + RT Sun shadows + RT Reflections = OFF
Ultra - Path Traced + Psycho SSR
Not sure if this would apply to AMD too, but it seems on Nvidia at least, when just using all the normal RT settings (not PT), then you get more fps leaving all the RT options on
RT shadows and reflections can be extremely impactful on performance, it all comes down to where RT is being applied e.g. are rt shadows just being cast by the sun? Then hardly any hit but what about when you add rt shadows being cast from every light source i.e. street lamps, car headlights, overhead neon lighting and so on, then fps will start to crumble. RT GI is probably the toughest though but there are so many ways these RT effects can be held back.
AMDs main issue with RT performance is when there is too much happening, if settings are somewhat reduced then they are pretty good, which is why in amd sponsored titles, the RT effects are considerably held back e.g. fc 6 shadows only cast by sun and reflections on puddles with some metal surfaces.
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Some of the scenes there are basically photo realistic lol.
