FEEDBACK: 2.2.03 Update #4 New VR feature - Enabled dithering for VR to reduce banding.

SirNotAppearing · Dec 20, 2016

Hello fellow VR users, please leave your feedback to the newly implemented feature here! It's always good to have a singular point of discussion for a change like this, especially since it could benefit ALL HMD makes/models. I will certainly provide my feedback when I am able to try it as well.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/316393-2-2-03-Update-4

Verlaine · Dec 20, 2016

Sounds like a great feature. But what would the side effect, if any, be?

SirNotAppearing · Dec 20, 2016

I can only make assumptions at this point, as I have not had the opportunity to test it yet (at work), though I can assume that it may potentially cause some blurring under certain circumstances. I can't wait to give it a try!

CptXabaras · Dec 20, 2016

I will check it right away on my CV1

Verlaine · Dec 20, 2016

SirNotAppearing said:
I can only make assumptions at this point, as I have not had the opportunity to test it yet (at work), though I can assume that it may potentially cause some blurring under certain circumstances. I can't wait to give it a try!

Blurring might be welcome if it were to dminish the screen door effect.

SirNotAppearing · Dec 20, 2016

More concerning to me than the SDE are the super jaggy/flashing edges and corners that can strobe brightly due to how the engine handles reflections and shaders. I think that is what this update is supposed to address.

CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE · Dec 20, 2016

SirNotAppearing said:
More concerning to me than the SDE are the super jaggy/flashing edges and corners that can strobe brightly due to how the engine handles reflections and shaders. I think that is what this update is supposed to address.

It's not, banding is referring to colour banding and won't address the jaggies and the shimmering. Recent discussion on that here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/316354-Graphics-Can-someone-explain-what-this-is

TorTorden_VR · Dec 20, 2016

Looks good so far, it's a small thing but that's one pet peeve less while playing.

As screen door, that's not going to be sorted with software.
You can blur an image to being pretty much just a solid colour and you would still see it.

[HJ]-RedRaven · Dec 21, 2016

Dithering on the banding will certainly help. Its pretty cheap, performance-wise too. Good stuff, look forward to seeing it in the live client.

Can someone take a screenshot from the beta once this feature is live?
The dithering should be visible on the monitor screen too.

It won't help the shimmering or screen-door effect.

horizone · Dec 21, 2016

This is no small thing. Just checked it out. Now there are no hard edges in faint gas clouds in VR any more. An Coronas look absolutely stepless. Space has gone from cartoon to photo quality. I am so happy now that I could cry! Frontier, I love you forever!!

Raptoyd · Dec 21, 2016

horizone said:
This is no small thing. Just checked it out. Now there are no hard edges in faint gas clouds in VR any more. An Coronas look absolutely stepless. Space has gone from cartoon to photo quality. I am so happy now that I could cry! Frontier, I love you forever!!

Please don't lie to me, this is fantastic if they got it to that point as that is all we have been asking for is get me out of cartoon world. If true that would make a great christmas present ala FD. Now do us a favor take a screenshot and what does that look like please. Thanks

horizone · Dec 21, 2016

Okey, managed to take some screenshots. Now remember, you are watching these on a monitor so you will not see the same difference as in the Rift.

Now let's adjust brightness and contrast to reveal the immense difference.

Many other elements are better too, like overheat-smoke against black background. Before you could see it vanish in steps but now it's fade out seamlessly.

Well, that's all the effort I can manage for now.

EDIT: Also remember these are stills and its better in motion.

[HJ]-RedRaven · Dec 21, 2016

Awesome, thanks for the screenshots horizone - repped!

The dithering is clearly visible, and visibly making a big difference! Great stuff FD! [up][up]
Should improve image quality even further for the Vive crowd too!

I wonder what the performance cost is (should be small), and is it being applied across the whole image? Will be interesting to take some comparison shots and have a look at full scenes.

nUt_rAt · Dec 21, 2016

+1 FD
+1 Horizone

Looking forward to the update.

drkaii · Dec 21, 2016

horizone said:
This is no small thing. Just checked it out. Now there are no hard edges in faint gas clouds in VR any more. An Coronas look absolutely stepless. Space has gone from cartoon to photo quality. I am so happy now that I could cry! Frontier, I love you forever!!

I'm crying too!!! BRO HUGGGGG

Now all we need is a brightness and contrast slider and we can get rid of black smear and VR is PERFECT!

We can finally close this forum

TomT · Dec 21, 2016

Is this a new setting, or baked into the game?

horizone · Dec 21, 2016

I have not looked for a setting but looking at the patch notes...

VR
- Enabled dithering for VR to reduce banding

..it seems it's hardcoded for VR.

govny · Dec 21, 2016

for me banding is worse than before.

vic · Dec 21, 2016

Can't wait to see if color banding will be actually resolved in live non-beta(as I dont have beta access)!
I have been waiting months for a fix on banding becuase I had lost desire for exploring due to the awful cartoon looking space!

SirNotAppearing · Dec 21, 2016

Now that I have an understanding of what this feature will give, I am interested in seeing how much of a difference this may make for Vive users, like myself. Sadly I was hoping to try it last night, but did not have the time to.