Graphics and Audio Thread

[Sardukhar]

It's a suggestions and modding thread for graphics.

It's not a complaint forum or a place to start up on non-constructive ranting and/or Platform Wars.

That'll get you Ponied and then gone.

So talk graphics - what you'd like, what you hope for, what you are doing to make it happen. Even compare with other games, in terms of what you'd like to see.

Don't turn it into Vent Central.

 

[IrregularJohn]

Is suggesting CDPR at least bring back that 37 min gameplay vid quality and features back into the game considered "non-constuctive ranting and/or Platform Wars"?

[Sard Edit: Yes, yes it is. Mostly.

Feel -free- to use images from said video to illustrate what you want. Even said video itself! Modders like direction.

The issue is when it's not a suggestion or a hope, but a thinly-disguised and fairly pointless disgruntlement. Is that a word? Sure it is!

You can be -assured- CDPR knows how you feel about what you want in video quality in terms of what you have. They picked a different path. Thus why it's non-constructive. Also a giant flame-target.

So saying, "I'd like to see this!" is fine. Also been said a million times and people are out there RIGHT NOW trying to do it.

Saying it again and again is non-constructive ranting.]

[Also, you know we "never go easy on anyone."]

---------- Updated at 09:44 AM ----------

On that note I think modders too know what we want (basically everything from the Sword of Destiny trailer) and I see no point in reiterating it for the 100th time.

I personally want the following:

1. Tesselation.
2. Lighting.
3. Particle effects.
4. Volumetric fog and smoke.
5. Draw distance (!!!!).
6. Better foliage.
7. Character models.
8. Better water (not looking like oil).

OK, tried my best at playing by the rules. Hate these ponies, man.

 

[Sardukhar]

I personally want the following:

1. Tesselation.
2. Lighting.
3. Particle effects.
4. Volumetric fog and smoke.
5. Draw distance (!!!!).
6. Better foliage.
7. Character models.
8. Better water (not looking like oil).

OK, tried my best at playing by the rules. Hate these ponies, man.

So do I. So do I.

It's HORRIBLY ironic that what I started a few months ago on the Cpunk forums to annoy one guy has become this double edged sword that as soon as I use it, I wince.

I mean, I laugh with evil joy...but first I have to look at an ENTIRE PAGE of those cursed Pony gifs. A whole page. You guys just get one at a time. It's mind-yelking.

I want draw distance...and more reliable close-in textures. I check this thread and the Nexus pretty often, hoping for these things.

I mean, my draw distance is great...but as we all know, it does weird things at a certain range.

Oh and better foliage. SO NICE.

Water's okay. Not amazing, but fine. Watch Dogs...like to see this.

 

[IrregularJohn]

So do I. So do I.

I want draw distance...and more reliable close-in textures. I check this thread and the Nexus pretty often, hoping for these things.

I mean, my draw distance is great...but as we all know, it does weird things at a certain range.

Oh and better foliage. SO NICE.

Water's okay. Not amazing, but fine. Watch Dogs...like to see this.

I wholeheartedly agree in terms of water. This looks great and natural.

The draw distance though... It desperately needs to be increased - imagine how much better these screenshots would have looked.

There also an alternative camera angle - the one that was on present on this screenshot and there is still in the game when you're encumbered. There is already a camera angle mod but it has some bad side-effects. It should be toggleable as well. They had a different camera in The Witcher 1, that up-close one, I've played that whole game with that camera angle and it felt more close and personal.

P.S. Among other things from that 37 min gameplay, I would like the following to make it back into the game:

1) The color palette that was way more realistic and down-to-earth.
2) Geralt turning his head was such a nice little touch I too desperately want it back.
3) Skyboxes were also better I think.
4) Particle effect from Aard and Igni signs:
- the ripple effects that forward Aard strike leaves was twice as long and was more detailed.
- there were so many sparks flying around and they were kind of twirling around or something.

---------- Updated at 11:57 AM ----------

Signs:

1. Igni's stream was longer and look how it deflects from the wooden shield.

2. Aard also leaves that sort of aerial cloud after the impact on the shield and also around Geralt.

P.S. The ripples on water after Geralt jumped/dodged away from the bandit.

 

[Sardukhar]

I'm okay with the draw distance....I mean, it doesn't bother me. Those screenshots look great to me, honestly. An option to increase draw would also be fine, though.

I did run a variety of SweetFX to get the gritty palette and sharpness back - looked very Trailer-ish..but I swapped out around level 17. Just got too grim and, I dunno..not uncomfortable but, hm. Less than optimally pleasant to look at? Almost too sharp?

Looked more medieval, though. Hmmm..might switch back later tonight.

Head turn would be nice.

I'm already too close to Geralt, he gets in my way all the time as is. Kind of want a First Person View Option. Wouldn't mind a camera perspective slider though.

More options, lots more options would be nice.

And jacked up even higher-res texture and foliage packs. Oh yes.

 

[IrregularJohn]

I'm okay with the draw distance....I mean, it doesn't bother me. Those screenshots look great to me, honestly. An option to increase draw would also be fine, though.

I did run a variety of SweetFX to get the gritty palette and sharpness back - looked very Trailer-ish..but I swapped out around level 17. Just got too grim and, I dunno..not uncomfortable but, hm. Less than optimally pleasant to look at? Almost too sharp?

Looked more medieval, though. Hmmm..might switch back later tonight.

Head turn would be nice.

I'm already too close to Geralt, he gets in my way all the time as is. Kind of want a First Person View Option. Wouldn't mind a camera perspective slider though.

As far as the draw distance I would like to see the mountains that far back and that tower on the 1st screenshot.

More options, lots more options would be nice.

And jacked up even higher-res texture and foliage packs. Oh yes.

Of all my screenshots only the one with Geralt following Triss is the one with SweetFX coupled with Sharpening on Full. Others from Skellige and Velen are without SweetFX and with Sharpening on Low.

Sharpening is a tricky tool - it looks great on screenshots but in motion and for large amount of time you get "too many details" fatigue. So yeah I turned it down.

Yes options would indeed be nice. PCs after all are scalable.

 

[kilyan82]

i want environmental physx back ...

 

[insomnia_jt]

I for one don't care about more options.
What I'd love to have is an unlocked engine, a developers debug console with access to all graphical parameters, more Physx particles, reinstated assets, HD texture packs (my 2gb VRAM is more than enough, it shouldn't be) and ofc RedKit.

There's a lot to be said about the downgrades (yes there was more than one). But I think it's been told enough. It's up to the developers to prove themselves now...

 

[insomnia_jt]

You can be -assured- CDPR knows how you feel about what you want in video quality in terms of what you have. They picked a different path. Thus why it's non-constructive. Also a giant flame-target.

[DB: Was there any part of Sard's post that was unclear?]

 

[kilyan82]

[DB: See above]

 

[dragonbird]

It's a suggestions and modding thread for graphics.

It's not a complaint forum or a place to start up on non-constructive ranting and/or Platform Wars.

That'll get you Ponied and then gone.

So talk graphics - what you'd like, what you hope for, what you are doing to make it happen. Even compare with other games, in terms of what you'd like to see.

Don't turn it into Vent Central.

Just a reminder, everyone.

 

[Me_HD_i]

At some point before the release, I posted in one of the forums that in no way the game would look anywhere near what you see in the image below. The gif. version shows unbelievable fog/dust particle effects. Dynamic clouds in the far distant etc, so much going on. Some users were, for some reason, a tad bit offended as to the final game was indeed going to look far more better. Don't get me wrong, the game does look splendid but not quite the eye candy I was hoping for. The difference between minimum graphics settings and the ultra is very minimal. Excluding the Gameworks effects, the only perceivable difference is in the texture quality. The rest can barely be noticed in a moving capture.

Anyway, enough with my ranting. I'd like to ask the almighty moderators to let that slide, I just had to let it out. Don't want to be in a Pyres of CDP forums scenario.

What I would love to see :
1- Dynamic fog/smoke/dust effects.
2- Better draw distance, like the one shown in the 35 minute gameplay.
3- Better lightnings.......seriously the lightnings look like something shown in an arcade 90's video game.
4- A less "colorful" look.

 

[kissybyc]

My greatest desire at the moment is to have the option to turn sharpening off on foliage/trees only but on everything else.

Sharpening on character models and building walls looks great, but on grass and trees looks too cartoonish and is an eye sore. I just want this... shouldn't be hard, right?

 

[HumAnimaL9000]

4- A less "colorful" look.

Totally agree here, in some of the early videos shown the colors were less intrusive & had a nice earthy tone to them. But to get that washed out look now you have to turn down the color on your tv. They really made some of the colors far too colorful..especially on some npc's clothing. Its a minor gripe, but a gripe none the less

 

[Sgt-Hartman]

Hi there,

this is my first post, by advance forgive my pitiful english, i'll do my best to make myself understood.

I agree with the majority, the game graphics are pretty honourable but a global improvement
would be great, especially with some effects that as highlighted "Me_HD_i" and the draw distance, etc.

However, i'm here to talk about the musics, not about the quality of it (in fact i love it generally)
but about how it is arranged and triggered.

I'm thinking especially about Skellige main island, Ard Skellig, and, to a lesser extent, the swamps of Velen.

So, back in Ard Skellige, the problem i had in game at this point is that this music, as beautiful as she is,
is looping really damn too quickly, and the problem is that this music has really distinctive instruments and moments that
are easily recognizable, and yes i'm talking above all of this intro you have in the wild open spaces with these violins "Braveheart" styles
followed by the singing woman. That loop is circling too quickly, and the effect is accentuated when you have a fight with a random beast around, because
the music will be triggered again at the beginning when the fight ends.

When you've spent a few hours exploring this island, and you have these 1 minute 30 seconds music looping again and again, it's kind of boring.
I could remember the whole music in a few minutes, eventually it drove me a little crazy, and I could not wait for the moment when I would go
on another island just to have another music. Turning down the music volume was not a good option option for me.

In my opinion, it's a pity that someone can have this wrong feeling on the MAIN island of Skellige.

Right now i just see 2 options if someone take this problem seriously. We can hear multiple loops in all Ard Skellige but at different places :
- one really discrete with just these aerial synth, nice and quiet ambiant
- one with a string scratched medieval instrument starting at peacefull moments in towns with a distinctive theme that dives you immediatly into that
Vikings ambiant specific of Skellige (this one would have had the same problem as the music i speak above, but as it is played in town only, it's all cool
and enjoyable.
- and the last, the one I mentioned above, very similar to the previous one, but with the violins and the singing woman.

The first thing that comes to my mind is, when a fight ends, to let the ambiant music fade in discretely, as if it never really stopped for the fight,
rather than having the whole loop triggered again.

The other thing i thought about is to simply merge the 3 loops for the whole island. I guess it was divided in these 3 disctinctive parts to get different
ambiants on different places of the island, but since the 3 loops are on the same tone and pretty similar in matter of ambiant, just more or less accentuated
based on location, i guess it could be a solution.


I hope i'm not the only guy thinking like this, but it's really something that i noticed in game, and i had to talk about this.

Sorry again for any typos or grammar mistakes.

 

[IrregularJohn]

My greatest desire at the moment is to have the option to turn sharpening off on foliage/trees only but on everything else.

Sharpening on character models and building walls looks great, but on grass and trees looks too cartoonish and is an eye sore. I just want this... shouldn't be hard, right?

That is an interesting idea. Not sure how this would work in terms of eyes fatigue but it might be better than what we have now. Now with Sharpening on high my eyes get tired fast, I might not notice this at first but too much detail does eventually get taxing on the eyes. The problem is that in Novigrad for example all you see is buildings and with your proposed thingie it might negate the whole positive effect of it.

 

[andrew330]

Quick suggestion/request: the colorblind mode is great! Could you tweak it so that it remembers to stay on? Right now, I have to manually turn it on each time I log in. I've been colorblind my entire life and it's safe to say I will still be colorblind between gameplay sessions

 

[bigboss_V]

I was in The Downgrade wagon for a long time and made some inmature comments. Now when i saw what happend to Batman Arkham night.... Oh boy ... I was wrong to be so mad with Cd projekt Red. I really Felt ashamed

I would love to see :
- Better tessellation
- Dinamic Movement on gerald face ( 35 minutes Gameplay demo )
- Water flexible simulation using Aard
- Better draw Distance Scale
- Darker Lighting
- Fur Gpu Physx

Sorry For my Average english . Have a nice day everyone

 

[Septerra_Core]

I would like to see these things (back) prioritized on their difficulty to implement.

1)HD foliage textures of SOD trailer. The easiest thing CDPR can do and I don't know why they removed them from the game since they only consume VRAM
2)Draw distance of 35minute gameplay. Probably a few lines of code or just an unknown command of the console.
3)Color palette of 35minute gameplay. If they only haven't deleted the assets
4)Enable tessellation of Character models. Doesn't require a renderer change but some dll files, perhaps?
5)16x Water tessellation so we can drown on a tempest or heavy sea.
6)Dynamic lighting. This requires a renderer change unfortunately.

 

[Marilith01]

Well - interesting read in this thread, considering the moderator behaviour...

But to stay OT: I would wish, that the graphic quality should be worked on, and that annoying things like popup NPCs and other (smaller but sometimes very visible) problems, like floating NPCs without animation or NPCs without heads and similar things are fixed. Before graphic quality is worked on, if possible...

It should not be too hard to give more draw distance - if this absolutely kills the framerate, so be it. Then everybody knows, that it is impossbile with his or her system. This goes for other things as well.

My impression is, that CDPR is too conservative and limits things, to avoid low framerates. This is a pity - the game (and graphics are only a small part of 'THE GAME') is good enough, that people will play for several years. If Skyrim with its mediocre story and awful NPCs and acting managed to be used until today, with mods, then TW3 should manage this easily, even without mods. And this will result in much better graphic cards for many people, without overclocking, water cooling, and what else. If I start TW2 today, I can max out all things easily. (And I have only a normal GTX980). So - the game really should have some reserves which everybody can activate, if the system can manage it. In the future (maybe even in less than a year) many systems will be able to manage much better setups than today.

Also it would be a good idea, to have an extra 'configurator'. Many games built this into a starter. It would be somewhat better, i think, than fiddling with video options in the game itself, and it could possibly be more 'intelligent', and have more hints for people who want to optimize their settings.

Also - I do not know what was the reason to leave out an ability to make screen shots using the game itself. This should not be too hard to do. I personally hate additional programs like Fraps, NVIDIA Experience, and all this software which mostly contribute to make games unstable while phoning home and spying on me. I do not use such programs - and this includes Galaxy. (I do not use Steam, and never will, because I detest spying software, so why should I use Galaxy?).
So please build an ability to make screenshots into the game itself - as an additional feature screenshots made this way could also leave out the interface parts. (I cannot understand why CDPR did not do this! They are damned proud of their engine - and nobody can make screenshots without extra software. Really...)