Why is ZOS obsessed with the color gray? A look at art direction in ESO

Jade1986

wasnt too big of an issue with me before since i used the nvidia freestyle thing, but now, since thats broken, the game is back to its bland self.

The_Protagonist

If they ever turn this game into a rainbow vomit, I will unsub and leave the game.

Some people simply cannot stand bright and intense colors. There are other people who can get epileptic attacks from bright flashing colors.

So I am okay with the way colors are right now.

Liddyenna

Newsflash - Stone is grey!

Just kill stuff and move on!

Idinuse

psychotrip wrote: »

ofSunhold wrote: »

Edit: I hate it when I don't notice it's a [snip] necro thread.

Can I ask, honestly, why it matters? I've always been curious why this bothers people so much. I can understand if it's old information I could understand, but otherwise why is it worse than making an entirely new thread on the same topic?

I agree. Especially threads that contain useful information that is buried far behind in the back. Why have people open multiple threads time and time again with the same topics, same questions or same problems.

Jade1986

I fixed my freesytle thing for nvidia. This is how my game looks now. Not over the top, but not so damned drab.

Jade1986

The_Protagonist wrote: »

If they ever turn this game into a rainbow vomit, I will unsub and leave the game.

Some people simply cannot stand bright and intense colors. There are other people who can get epileptic attacks from bright flashing colors.

So I am okay with the way colors are right now.

Or they could just add a slider? Or filter options? Like nvidia did?

reiverx

The coral in that image is landlocked, therefore dead. Coral needs the calcium from sea water to build itself so can only live underwater.

Kalgert

An option for a saturation boost would be fairly welcome.

I like the game and there are a few places that could be considered somewhat colorful. But one thing for certain is that it is a fairly gray'ish vibe to everything in the land.

Compared to Oblivion's vibrancy, and Skyrim with a "Realistic Saturation boost" mod that I have on Classic Skyrim, ESO certainly could look a little more colorful.

At the very least, it will hopefully intice my girlfriend to try the game again (Reason she left was the drab colors of the world made her feel sleepy)

Jade1986

Kalgert wrote: »

An option for a saturation boost would be fairly welcome.

I like the game and there are a few places that could be considered somewhat colorful. But one thing for certain is that it is a fairly gray'ish vibe to everything in the land.

Compared to Oblivion's vibrancy, and Skyrim with a "Realistic Saturation boost" mod that I have on Classic Skyrim, ESO certainly could look a little more colorful.

At the very least, it will hopefully intice my girlfriend to try the game again (Reason she left was the drab colors of the world made her feel sleepy)

If you have nvidia, def try the freestyle filter feature. You can make it look much better.

Zeni0s

Teso Special Edition is comming, 5% more lighting effect 200% of the price.

Seriously, it's the game engine's falt. I don't think it can be fixed. Maybe putting some filters but that's all.

KiraTsukasa

Can you really blame them? Grey is a neutral color. If they make it too dark, they're "trying too hard to be edgy". If they make it too bright, "it's too cartoony". So what else is left? Grey is the middle ground that pisses off the least amount of people.

The_Protagonist

Jade1986 wrote: »

The_Protagonist wrote: »

If they ever turn this game into a rainbow vomit, I will unsub and leave the game.

Some people simply cannot stand bright and intense colors. There are other people who can get epileptic attacks from bright flashing colors.

So I am okay with the way colors are right now.

Or they could just add a slider? Or filter options? Like nvidia did?

That I can live with

Violynne

It's hard to notice the gray when I see trees, rivers, and Nirn residents dressed up in flamboyant, glowing costumes.

The only time I ever noticed "drab" in the game was the free home we received in Auridon. Aren't windows supposed to let light in?

Now if you'll excuse me, I've some dyes to unlock. Ironically, two of them are shades of gray I want.

psychotrip

The_Protagonist wrote: »

If they ever turn this game into a rainbow vomit, I will unsub and leave the game.

Some people simply cannot stand bright and intense colors. There are other people who can get epileptic attacks from bright flashing colors.

So I am okay with the way colors are right now.

Because clearly there’s no middle ground between gray coral and “rainbow vomit”. Because clearly there’s no difference between changing an established building material (marble/white stone for the ayleids) for absolutely no in-game reason, and a “rainbow vomit”.

Come on man. You’re smarter than this. Stop creating a false dichotomy. Also, like the OP says (and provides an example for) you can use gray while establishing a mood and enhancing the atmosphere. How does turning ayleid ruins gray enhance the atmosphere of Cyrodiil? How does making every building in Auridon gray enhance its otherwise colorful atmosphere? Please, someone try to justify that one. It’s artistically inconsistent.

Edit:

“From its shining towers to its white-sand beaches and radiant coral reefs, the Isle of Summerset is a paradise as beautiful as it is dangerous, and it now stands ready to be explored by you and your allies.”

This is from the current description of Summerset on the website. It's from the same damn page as the image with the gray color. I guess Zenimax's own words are transcription errors now.

They're literally contradicting themselves within the span of the same statement. Please, somebody explain or defend this.

Either way, this is a fantasy world, and Summerset is supposedly the most "high fantasy" place in Tamriel according to their own words in the livestream. They could have made the coral as vibrant or as dull as they wanted. They chose the latter because that's all they know how to do.

Troneon

I use Hook64/SweetFX/Radeon Pro(With Nvidia GPU)/Reshade previously known at Tamriel Foundry as ESO Enhanced Graphics Launcher...

It's like playing a totally different game.....these comparison pics are years old as well so it's improved 100 times over since then.

Why ZOS don't just adapt this into their game since all the work has been done by OTHERS I will never understand...

It completely removes the crappy horrible grey overcast ZOS uses and also removes the even worse DISTANCE FOG FROM HELL...also updates shaders etc etc. Just amazing upgrade that USES ALMOST NO RESOURCES....and ZOS is easily capable of doing it...

Personally I think they dumb it down on purpose, no idea why....since it uses no extra resources to run, maybe console would struggle?

Jade1986

Troneon wrote: »

I use Hook64/SweetFX/Radeon Pro(With Nvidia GPU)/Reshade previously known at Tamriel Foundry as ESO Enhanced Graphics Launcher...

It's like playing a totally different game.....these comparison pics are years old as well so it's improved 100 times over since then.

Why ZOS don't just adapt this into their game since all the work has been done by OTHERS I will never understand...

It completely removes the crappy horrible grey overcast ZOS uses and also removes the even worse DISTANCE FOG FROM HELL...

Ifu have NVidia why nit just use the freestyle filters? Far less demanding with the same effect

Troneon

@Jade1986

Because I have had it setup this way for years and years, it works, don't fix it. Probably easier ways now after so many years but I just don't wana screw with it if it is working It hardly uses any resources currently.

Also when I took those screens I was using a 5 yr old 2GB GTX 670..... now I am using an Asus STRIX Advanced Edition 8GB GTX 1070ti...so yeah I suppose I could look into it.

Also I don't want to install "GeForce Experience" software, I hate it, it's required for freestyle.

myskyrim26

To me, ESO is a very beautiful, but cartoonish-bright. I hope they will never make it even more cartoonish. Anyway, there are some tricks to adjust the colors to one's taste, and there's no need to change the game itself.

moonio

Grey is fine for introducing atmospheric settings to ESO and to achieve a real world look and feel to Tamriel, have you looked outside lately?

Stone features heavily in the ESO world, especially granite which is most commonly of a grey hue, however some areas utilise a more yellowish sandstone which imparts a warmer hue to the surroundings.

If you want more colour you can turn up the colour settings on your TV/Monitor and have a tissue ready for when your eyes begin to bleed.
I personally do not wish to see more colour in the game as it will be overwhelming, already I refuse to go to certain areas because they look like 'No Man's Sky' or some sort of psychedelic dream world created by Sheogorath!

However I would say that the lack of colour in some of the non combat pets is quite disturbing, the moonlight senche being one of the most unnatural looking creatures in the game. White, grey and black are not colours that are particularly common on living creatures, also the animal would take on some of the colour of its surroundings in real life... I guess this would be grey in ESO though lol..

There also seem to be loads of black and white pets in the game, mostly they are offered as prizes in crown crates, because I guess no-one would ever buy them.. apart from the chub loon..

psychotrip

myskyrim26 wrote: »

To me, ESO is a very beautiful, but cartoonish-bright. I hope they will never make it even more cartoonish. Anyway, there are some tricks to adjust the colors to one's taste, and there's no need to change the game itself.

I think a lot of people are missing my points, as laid out in the OP:

Gray can be good. I'm not even calling for a bunch of color everywhere. The problem is how ZOS uses it, and where they use it.

You can use gray while establishing a mood and enhancing the atmosphere. How does turning ayleid ruins gray enhance the atmosphere of Cyrodiil? How does making every building in Auridon gray enhance its otherwise colorful atmosphere? It’s artistically inconsistent.

This is less an issue of disliking dark, "gritty" art styles and more a matter of tonal and artistic consistency. The amount of gray just doesn't fit the environment half the time, and there are clearly alternative colors and building materials to choose from.

NoTimeToWait

I like it. I have enough "colorful MMOs" among asian MMOs to play. TESO has lots of beautiful places with wide palette of colours (for example, Vivek's Antlers). But still it feels realistic for me. I can really enjoy beautiful scenery here without being overwhelmed by bright colors.TESO manages to be a picturesque fantasy world without being garish and gaudy

Kuramas9tails

The buildings are influenced by hisorical buildings of our own past. Things were created from a variety of elements supplied by the earth, so in short, a lot of things will have neutral colors. Dirt, rock, wood, mud. Browns and greys. Colors were expensive, purple being the most expensive. A lot of the buildings in ESO are stone or wood based so neutral colors.

Kanar

psychotrip wrote: »

myskyrim26 wrote: »

To me, ESO is a very beautiful, but cartoonish-bright. I hope they will never make it even more cartoonish. Anyway, there are some tricks to adjust the colors to one's taste, and there's no need to change the game itself.

I think a lot of people are missing my points, as laid out in the OP:

Gray can be good. I'm not even calling for a bunch of color everywhere. The problem is how ZOS uses it, and where they use it.

You can use gray while establishing a mood and enhancing the atmosphere. How does turning ayleid ruins gray enhance the atmosphere of Cyrodiil? How does making every building in Auridon gray enhance its otherwise colorful atmosphere? It’s artistically inconsistent.

This is less an issue of disliking dark, "gritty" art styles and more a matter of tonal and artistic consistency. The amount of gray just doesn't fit the environment half the time, and there are clearly alternative colors and building materials to choose from.

What color do you think marble would be after centuries of disuse? What should buildings in n auridon be made of if not the local rock? To me, it looks like you are a fan of WoW style (lul) and want to impose that garbage here. That pic you posted in the OP of wow? Haha I can't believe you think that trash is atmospheric. Have you taken a look at that delve in CWC? How about this: how often are you really outside in nature without man-made color around?

A big reason people play ESO is the good artwork, we don't want garbage like WoW.

psychotrip

Kanar wrote: »

psychotrip wrote: »

myskyrim26 wrote: »

To me, ESO is a very beautiful, but cartoonish-bright. I hope they will never make it even more cartoonish. Anyway, there are some tricks to adjust the colors to one's taste, and there's no need to change the game itself.

I think a lot of people are missing my points, as laid out in the OP:

Gray can be good. I'm not even calling for a bunch of color everywhere. The problem is how ZOS uses it, and where they use it.

You can use gray while establishing a mood and enhancing the atmosphere. How does turning ayleid ruins gray enhance the atmosphere of Cyrodiil? How does making every building in Auridon gray enhance its otherwise colorful atmosphere? It’s artistically inconsistent.

This is less an issue of disliking dark, "gritty" art styles and more a matter of tonal and artistic consistency. The amount of gray just doesn't fit the environment half the time, and there are clearly alternative colors and building materials to choose from.

What color do you think marble would be after centuries of disuse? What should buildings in n auridon be made of if not the local rock? To me, it looks like you are a fan of WoW style (lul) and want to impose that garbage here. That pic you posted in the OP of wow? Haha I can't believe you think that trash is atmospheric. Have you taken a look at that delve in CWC? How about this: how often are you really outside in nature without man-made color around?

A big reason people play ESO is the good artwork, we don't want garbage like WoW.

I’m not going to let you bait me with your personal attacks and rudeness, but let’s address something here:

Marble does not turn into gray, granulated stone. Ever been to Rome? The color definitely changes due to pollution, but it doesn’t turn into gray rock.

But let’s set that aside, are you telling me that ayleid ruins went from white marble, to gray stone (in eso) then back to white marble in modern times? That doesn’t make any sense. Oblivion already established the material used to make ayleid ruins. Some visual changes between games are expected and welcome, but changing an entire building material?

What, exactly, is to be gained from this?

And tell me, in areas of ESO that do have a colorful pallette, why plop gray ruins and buildings there (see: auridon and summerset)? Again, it’s a matter of artistic consistency. It just clashes.

Speaking of Summerset, tell me, why should I not expect vibrant coral when Zenimax tells me they’ve made vibrant coral? This is just silly.

Also, I assume you hate Hammerfell, Khenarthi’s Roost, and any other khajiit place, because that’s the level of rich, artistic diversity I’m asking for in places where it would fit. It’s just strange how so many gray buildings and hazy clouds clash with certain environments that are clearly meant to be more vibrant.

Jade1986

Troneon wrote: »

@Jade1986

Because I have had it setup this way for years and years, it works, don't fix it. Probably easier ways now after so many years but I just don't wana screw with it if it is working It hardly uses any resources currently.

Also when I took those screens I was using a 5 yr old 2GB GTX 670..... now I am using an Asus STRIX Advanced Edition 8GB GTX 1070ti...so yeah I suppose I could look into it.

Also I don't want to install "GeForce Experience" software, I hate it, it's required for freestyle.

Ah ok, I always loved geforce cuz im stupid when it comes to game settings, and i fried one of my gpus once xD. Plus I use it for streaming too.

Rouven

If used properly colour will set the mood and help the atmosphere. I don't see an issue with having the dreamlike, very inhuman and superior, sophisticated surrounding of the high elves showcased by a dab more colour. That's the magic of it. Then I leave the vicinity and subconsciously I notice how the joy leaves me. Something like that, same with the background music.

There has to be a middle ground between drab and cartoon. Not a complaint, more of a there is room for improvement kinda sentiment.

I for one will check out that freestyle filter, that sounds easy.

Rain_Greyraven

It's a matter of taste really and very subjective, it looks and feels like a Elder Scrolls game (except for the Dos/win 95 games that were TES 1 & 2) I don't have an issue with it, I mean sure if you read the lore you get one or two pretty fantastical accounts...but go read the accounts of Peter Stuyvesant when he described New Amsterdam and then read what the actual historians and other more credible accounts said about it.

I just think there are bigger fish and you can't please everyone.

Zeni0s

Wow summerset looks awesome!

Synthwavius

If not ReShade I don't know if I could stand those washout colors for too long.

rfennell_ESO

psychotrip wrote: »

It seems no matter where you go, no matter how colorful the environments are otherwise, the world is cluttered with drab, dark, gray buildings, landmarks, and a near-constant overcast of gray, hazy clouds.

So why does Zenimax insist on making half the world so dark, dull, and gray?

Gray goes with everything, so from an art perspective they just figured using it would save them time and their wouldn't be any garish color conflicting issues.

The problem is that while gray certainly goes with everything, it really doesn't always go with itself well; it really needs to be used WITH colors.