Tree Visibility Also Affects LOD Quality

[Worrazen]

The graphics option - the slider works in a way that also adjusts the LODs, which doesn't look like it's the most eyecandy behavior, unless it was meant as a graphics easing feature.

 

I will try to picture this below with forum symbols:

 

Visibility: **************************************** - 100%

LODLOD: 111112222233333444445555566666777778888899999 - 1 = max quality, 9 = lowest

1DISTDi: 123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345

Visibility: ******** - 20%

LODLOD: 123456789 - distance between levels shrunk so at ~50 meters your so "far" away it shows level 5 and above.

 

*So at distance 9 you would normally see LOD 2, setting down the visibility you would be at LOD 9 already, for example.

 

 

You would have to move even closer to reveal those better LODs ... but I am very close already to the first tree, a less than 50 meters.

 

The LOD scale shrinks so much that those good LODs would be impractical to reach with any aircraft, and even if you would go low and close enough you'd be more focued on not colliding as well as motion blur would skew the quality a bit.

 

I figured quite quickly what I think is going on is that the end of the LOD scale is anchored to the user set visibility value, so it changes the actualy distances of LOD levels, if it would be always anchored to the maximum possible tree visibility value, then it would be effectively disconnected and would fix the problem, but if there's a valid performance reason against that, then this should be optional, with the fixed behavior being default for good enough systems.

 

Something named like a:

 

- "Tree LOD Scale Anchor":

 

• --- Relative to Visibility
  
• --- Max
  

or

 

"Use Relative Tree LOD Scale Anchor" (checkbox)

 

 

 

For better results, it should be established what kind of LOD scale is too low, specifically, at how much distance will the max LOD quality level turn into level 2.

 

The only problem I see is then in most cases when setting visibility to well below a 100%, you would see all good looking trees, and then it would cut off, without showing the rest of the LODs at all, this has to be actually tested to see if it's a problem. In that case, I see a fix already, the current anchoring would be kept, but there would be a factor added which would lessen the effect, some kind of a *0.25 or something.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Worrazen

[Worrazen]

Update:

 

Lower Tree Visibility settings also create "2D Sprite" effect on the trees, making weird circle artifacts as well as shadow flickering can be seen.

 

 

 

The low quality models are seen that close, closer, this is definitely not the optimal way LODs should work.

 

LODs should be optimally set and fixed (but editable in lua just like other stuff) while only the visibility radius would be changed, then the trees would be full-quality at the same distance no matter the total radius size.

 

Also they don't turn, so if those 2D "sprites" (models that keep turning to camera orientation) are suppose to replace models, they aren't, they seem to be put ontop so it kinda negates the purpose (performance) so that's a separate bug IMO.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Worrazen