Asteroids and Ring Systems. Is there any hope?
- Thread starter Obsidian Ant
- Start date
- Status
I wouldn't go as far as saying OA is a fanboy, but rather one of ED's better known supporters, for obvious reasons (hope that's ok m8).
When he makes a video like this, that pretty much shames the game publicly, it speaks volumes. And, I agree.
When he makes a video like this, that pretty much shames the game publicly, it speaks volumes. And, I agree.
It does make me feel sad that this will not be changed back to what it once was... The visuals was more or less the main reason that I bought Elite.
Agreed. I'm glad Obsidian is willing to be vocal and objective, yet again, regarding this. I took a short hiatus from the game when 1.2 was released. I came back just before 1.4 came out, and I honestly thought something was wrong with my hardware when I flew into the rings; to the point I made a thread asking for folks to post pics of their ring fields to troubleshoot it. Turns out it was an intentional change. You can fool yourself into thinking they look somewhat ok, by making sure the parent star in that system is behind the dark silhouettes of the roids. The bloom from the star almost makes it look dusty. But...if you turn left, right, around...you get a face full of ugly.
Last edited:
I think you might have had a premonition. Either the last two planets I visited after todays update were very boring and quite frankly ugly (shadow pops ect), no more rocks showing up until I've driven my buggy around and then It got some what better until I flew up again. What ever I do with my Graphics settings on Horizon Part of Graphics have no or very little effect...... I really hope I'm wrong, but I think that it looks like the downgrades might have become including lower textures ect... If that is the case and next few planets look like the garbage (mass effect one look) I just experienced with no decent shadows (regardless if I was flying near the terminator) I will literally give up on Frontier. Each update seems to make the game uglier and uglier. I didn't splash out on a decent graphics card to not use it... This game should look amazing on my rig and instead it looks like I have a PC from 2010 even though all the settings are maxed out.... I know you fly around a lot, so please tell me I'm wrong and I just landed on terrible planets with 0 fog or decent shadowing........
Last edited:
I really hope this isn't the case, although as I mentioned previously it won't surprise me if it does happen.
I haven't had a chance yet to play since the patch update, I will take a look tomorrow.
- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -
It's all good.
The station interiors were absolutely great in the early days. Especially the ones that were darker than usual, the steam and deep shadows everywhere gave them a on of atmosphere. That too was a real shame to see removed.
Some people say they prefer the new brighter stations, but the real problem is that now we don't really have the variation. No longer do we drop into those wonderful dark stations. It would be nice to have the choice and the variation - just like the ring systems.
I will post this one image - but beyond that, I'd like to keep the post on the asteroids rather than the general graphic changes:
http://i.imgur.com/dxoAtgD.jpg
All screenshots taken in the same station. Admittedly the bottom one is dark, but look at all the variations is shadows and the changing in light throughout the image. In the newer version the lighting and shadow is the same right across the image.
- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -
This is actually my concern too. The posts about 'unplayable fps on planets' that are currently around, are an exact mirror of the 'unplayable fps in ring systems' that we had over a year ago.
omfg
If we're not happy with the graphic quality now, just wait until we get atmospheric landings. Imagine clouds, weather, cities, rivers, people....shudder! It's only going to get worse. The graphics and sound WERE the wow factor of this game, certainly not the placeholder gameplay. The latest planetary landing video of SC looked pretty awesome. Time to step up ED.
I don't think that I'll be playing Elite for that long with Frontiers current approach to it. Here is a longer video from Beta - Stations have atmosphere, smog, lovely lighting and shadows. I can't see many if any pop ins. The textures of the Cobra inside look sooooo much better then now. I mean it isn't even funny. When they announced that the game will offer 64 bit I was hoping for some nice improvements and options in Graphics settings, but instead after the recent update I feel that things are again getting worse and not better. I will try to visit more planets tomorrow if I get the chance to play the game, but comparing the Beta Look to today's version I would think that the current version is run on some mid ranged laptop on low/medium settings. Elite has little to do in the game, but had amazing atmosphere, now it still has little to do in the game and a few new buggy missions, but with no atmosphere. Space sim is all about the atmosphere and there is less and less of it in the game. I'm not even tempted to run it in VR with the current looks, so I didn't even consider picking up Oculus (even if it worked with Elite, which it doesn't with the newest drivers as far as I know)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfquYtYmbEY
<Ahem> even the supercruise - normal speed drop transition had much better graphical effects back then! This is no longer just a downgrade, this is a backstab to the backers and pc gamers!
Last edited by a moderator:
Pretty much agree with the general consensus in this thread, i mean how can you not.
With each major patch comes a downgrade in visual quality. This has been an ongoing issue over several patches yet FD continue along their merry way. Who's cares about what we think right, after all we have already paid for the product.
I use to spend hours on end flying through rings system during alpha/beta just to admire their beauty and damn were they beautiful. Those early days were glorious and just what i had hoped elite would be from a graphical standpoint.
Fast forward to today and those same systems amongst other things are a shadow of their former selves. Fog, roids, density, lod, draw distance ect. have all all butchered in pursuit of performance (cough xbone). Funny thing is i never had any performance issues whatsoever in ring systems although i believe others did.
Elite's beauty was always in it's surroundings but sadly it's diminishing right before our very eyes.
I dread the day Horizons comes to console cause with it we'll likely see a whole new number of downgrades.
With each major patch comes a downgrade in visual quality. This has been an ongoing issue over several patches yet FD continue along their merry way. Who's cares about what we think right, after all we have already paid for the product.
I use to spend hours on end flying through rings system during alpha/beta just to admire their beauty and damn were they beautiful. Those early days were glorious and just what i had hoped elite would be from a graphical standpoint.
Fast forward to today and those same systems amongst other things are a shadow of their former selves. Fog, roids, density, lod, draw distance ect. have all all butchered in pursuit of performance (cough xbone). Funny thing is i never had any performance issues whatsoever in ring systems although i believe others did.
Elite's beauty was always in it's surroundings but sadly it's diminishing right before our very eyes.
I dread the day Horizons comes to console cause with it we'll likely see a whole new number of downgrades.
I had a couple of sessions recently after long absence from ED'verse. Had to go back to my screenshot folder, which ended up being quite extensive actually, to make sure I wasn't imagining anything. Yep, Granite and the rest of you are spot on. Have to say, I didn't expect overall graphics (rings included) to take such a big hit. Anyway, the only reason I played the game for a long while is because it was an absolute eye-candy on QHD monitor, and with the rest of the "game" in a funny state I don't see much reason to keep playing now that the last bit of my interest faded due to cost optimisation of FD PLC.
So, what's left of the game when the paint fades? Ask yourselves. And it will keep fading, that's the nature of the approach. Perhaps you guys and girls will be enjoying solid game design, power-play and all, missions, the feel of one-against-the-universe, not stare at the shiny graphics for hours, that's what matters for us gamers, right?
So, what's left of the game when the paint fades? Ask yourselves. And it will keep fading, that's the nature of the approach. Perhaps you guys and girls will be enjoying solid game design, power-play and all, missions, the feel of one-against-the-universe, not stare at the shiny graphics for hours, that's what matters for us gamers, right?
I have to agree. Station interior lighting was better. I don't think cockpit and station textures have been downgraded but lighting just made them look better. The galaxy was much less detailed but its colour balance looked better (less brown!), the black of the star field looked better for being less mottled, and the 'mini comets' of other ships in supercruise had a much better size and appearance (i.e. very small).
To be fair, some improvements made since the beta are also evident. Frontier really needs to pay some attention to the aesthetics that they're incrementally losing in their attempts at optimisation. They are over-tweaking the game and losing its feel. Just bring back the rings,
, and when it looks good stop messing with it!
Last edited:
I'm with most of the comments here and agree, things need to be looked at and its former glory restored.
The graphics settings should be tweaked so that when a player is able to set it to Ultra it really does go fully Ultra with all the bells and whistles visible.
The graphics settings should be tweaked so that when a player is able to set it to Ultra it really does go fully Ultra with all the bells and whistles visible.
I think the graphics look nice (despite being simplistic), but they were never a selling point of E
to me. The engine is inferior to CryEngine (stutter etc.) and it doesn't put much load on any of the subsystems. The game could look much more amazing if it were to use a significant portion of the available hardware, but Frontier choose to distinguish themselves from CIG and not do so.That's where the money comes it. I backed SC well into conscierge level, I'm willing to do the same for E
, if the devs would decide to go above and beyond and make the game use current tech. It is, of course, also their decision to not take the money and sit back on the 120 quid beta premium w. lifetime pass, but it isn't very economical. After all, earning money should lie in the interest of the company.
Last edited:
Excellent post Mr Ant.
As always you have hit the nail on the head, again... And that's the problem as I see it. We've had a developer promise us that it's not them well I call him out.
The game I was shown in adverts is no longer the game I am playing, this is about as close to false advertising as I can imagine to be honest. I feel like I and the rest of you have been conned over this graphics downgrade - lets call it what it is - this is not optimization or not what any other games developer would call it. If any of the folks I work under asked me to do this to a game I was working, well they'd be looking for a new PM.
When I started playing in June I used to love going to the various ring systems and I could just sit back, listen to some classical music and marvel at what i saw. Now I can't even be bothered to go near them. They have become bland and uninteresting places.
I'm out exploring at the moment and last night I came across a large purple gas giant, I thought about dropping into the rings for a photo shoot but just remembering that rings look like a pile of cows used grass put me off and I ended up on a moon instead for a smoke break.
I wonder what excuse FD will come up with if any. We're calling you out on this one Mr Braben.
As always you have hit the nail on the head, again... And that's the problem as I see it. We've had a developer promise us that it's not them well I call him out.
The game I was shown in adverts is no longer the game I am playing, this is about as close to false advertising as I can imagine to be honest. I feel like I and the rest of you have been conned over this graphics downgrade - lets call it what it is - this is not optimization or not what any other games developer would call it. If any of the folks I work under asked me to do this to a game I was working, well they'd be looking for a new PM.
When I started playing in June I used to love going to the various ring systems and I could just sit back, listen to some classical music and marvel at what i saw. Now I can't even be bothered to go near them. They have become bland and uninteresting places.
I'm out exploring at the moment and last night I came across a large purple gas giant, I thought about dropping into the rings for a photo shoot but just remembering that rings look like a pile of cows used grass put me off and I ended up on a moon instead for a smoke break.
I wonder what excuse FD will come up with if any. We're calling you out on this one Mr Braben.
I think not. In any event, one cannot even begin to compare SC and Elite. Space is about the ONLY thing they have in common.
Nobody in their right mind would intentionally take a beautiful painting and take a blowtorch to it, turning it into a dog's breakfast, intentionally, in order to distinguish themselves from other developers.
There is a very good reason for them borking the visual fidelity, repeatedly.
And the kicker?
I'd actually be prepared to accept it for what it is and get on with it had FD just come clean at the outset and explained the intent and reasoning behind the changes before they happen. Instead, we get hit by stealth-borks every so often.
Unacceptable.
What's even more worrying is that, despite numerous threads covering this topic, not a word by Frontier Devs. Admittedly I have absolutely no right to any type of explanation from FD. Said explanation would however go a very long way to rebuilding the inevitable deterioration of Goodwill.
Last edited:
If you mean by 'Devs' the programmers and game asset creators then I would not expect a word from them; it's not their job. It's the upper tiers of people who direct the former who you should be asking.
We the customers do have legal customer rights (I reside in the UK) but regarding computer games they seem not to apply - maybe the UK case law needs a class action precedent.
Please stop drooling you lawyers!
However, I do think we the customers of this game have a moral right to an explanation from FD on aspects of the game where there is obviously a manifest legitimate concern voiced by us customers and players on these forums and elsewhere.
A large section of the customer base, the PC players, have seen a significant reduction in the graphic quality of the game they have purchased: they cannot even play an old version; they're screwed.
[]
I for one do not accept this 'visual consistency' theory. I see visual differences in ED between my laptop and on my main PC.
As a software developer I would go with the case of 'attempting to get a single code base for all platforms'.
No #if XBONE_PLATFORM directives etc.
The devs have no interest in fixing this otherwise they would have responded in the year long downgrade path.
I think it's absolutely stupid to downgrade graphics, just make a higher setting in the options if needed with a warning message, but no we're forced to slowly get a uglier and uglier game.
I think it's absolutely stupid to downgrade graphics, just make a higher setting in the options if needed with a warning message, but no we're forced to slowly get a uglier and uglier game.
I watched the video last night and have just read your post, I think they sum it up perfectly. There is no doubt about it, the evidence is there to prove that these areas of the game have taken a serious hit in terms of quality and I doubt even the most die hard fan could claim this is entirely subjective. I appreciate that the game has to run on all sorts of PC's but I was enjoying those early renditions of asteroid fields on a GTX570 2Gb and they ran very well indeed. Some clarity from the developers as to the reasons for these retrograde changes would be very much welcomed by many I think.
- Status