ZOS, what have you done with textures on furniture items?!

Carbonised

Taking a quick look around 2 of my homes immediately revealed a lot of Vvardenfell items that have been downscaled. Evidence:

Hlaalu Bench, Polished
Before:

After:


Hlaalu Bench, Mossy Cushion
Before:

After:


The difference is especially visible in the grain of the wood and the fine detail on the wooden planks. Before you can see the detail, after it's a blurry mess.

Silver Kettle, Masterwork and Dres Table, Kitchen
These I already mentioned. The Silver Kettle is especially hit hard. Look at this picture, and especially when you contrast it with the fine detail of the Hlaalu Salt Lamp on the same table, the difference is extremely noticable.



Hlaalu Bath Tub, Masterwork
This one can be abit tricky to see, due to the light colour of the item. But look at this
Before:

After:

When you look especially at the upper lip of the tub, you can see that the "after" picture is a lot more blocky, blurry and pixelated.

And this is in addition to all the Elsweyr stuff that has its knotwork and fine detail completely butchered, like I mentioned in this post here.

Carbonised

@ZOS_SarahHecker why have several older items been downgraded in quality after Elsweyr update, particularly the masterwork silver kettle, but also many other items as shown here? Was this intentional, or a glitch or bug, and do you intend to revert it/fix it any time soon? I believe the community is owed at least a reply to that.

xxthir13enxx

Hmm...perhaps this is a move towards increasing the max amount of items?

Buuut more likely ZoS just figured nobody would notice...

Carbonised

xxthir13enxx wrote: »

Hmm...perhaps this is a move towards increasing the max amount of items?

Buuut more likely ZoS just figured nobody would notice...

The more time passes with no response from anyone from ZOS to this issue, the more I'm convinced this was indeed something that they did deliberately, and hoped it would just fly under the radar. Disheartening and disappointing to say the least.

billp_ESO

My guess is that ZOS looked at the database and rendering servers and are trying to take some of the load off of them. Houses can have a lot of items to load, with a lot of textures. So to lower the load on the servers, the textures were simplified.

This is part of their effort to reduce lag and rendering problems, but there seems to be a policy that nobody at ZOS can talk about those topics.

So you get this stealth nerf with no comment from the devs.

Carbonised

billp_ESO wrote: »

My guess is that ZOS looked at the database and rendering servers and are trying to take some of the load off of them. Houses can have a lot of items to load, with a lot of textures. So to lower the load on the servers, the textures were simplified.

This is part of their effort to reduce lag and rendering problems, but there seems to be a policy that nobody at ZOS can talk about those topics.

So you get this stealth nerf with no comment from the devs.

That's my impression as well, but I'm going to continue making a fuss about it because:

1) stealth nerfing stuff like this without even mentioning it is pretty sh*tty, and only creates a massive backlash when people inevitably find out anyway. It's dishonest, and it will only turn people even more sour towards the game and the company.

2) people actually paid a lot of real life cash on these houses and items, which now are being decreased in their value for the players, seeing as our items are turning into lowres pixelated blur. It's like buying an expensive high-class product retail, only to find out a short time after that it was instead a low-grade cheap product full of errors and faults, with a fake mask of quality.

There's currently a lot of negativity on the front page against ZOS, and while some of it may be unwaranted, some of it sure as heck is very warranted, when ZOS are being dishonest and lowering the quality of products that people bought with a lot of real life money behind their backs, and pretending that nothing at all is the matter.

rotaugen454

Housing is the real endgame for some, so I hope they fix it.

Carbonised

rotaugen454 wrote: »

Housing is the real endgame for some, so I hope they fix it.

It's certainly the single most expensive avenue of the game, and I'm talking both in game resources and real life money.

MornaBaine

I've noticed this too and it's really stopped me in my tracks on one of the last things I'm still willing to spend money on in this game. The odds against me buying crowns ever again as long as this remains an issue has dropped drastically. Like to zero.

YaYaPineapple

There is a notation about a fix for this this in the PTS patch notes.

Fixed an issue that caused several of the Elsweyr furnishings to appear with lower resolution textures than intended, with the result that they now look much sharper.

Idinuse

I'm a bit confused by Zos's graphics updates... On one hand they add bells and whistles to some parts of the game, I wandered into the oblivion plane with the Prophet to watch the 5 get scammed by Mannimarco (again), and was amazed at all the architecture thy had added to the floating islands/things in there, it was nothing like it was the first time I did it over 5 years ago (yay). At the same time LOD in game is sometimes like an early Tomb Raider game (nay). o.O

I use SET MIP_LOAD_SKIP_LEVELS "-1", down from the -3 I prev used, but idk if that's got anything to do with it.

TelvanniWizard

Wildberryjack wrote: »

It isn't just furniture. The belt on the Wedding Suit costume is now a blurry low rez mess.

And psijic warden gauntlets.

Gatviper

Idinuse wrote: »

I use SET MIP_LOAD_SKIP_LEVELS "-1", down from the -3 I prev used, but idk if that's got anything to do with it.

They've set with one of the updates (been away for a month) that setting to the default 0 as well. So maybe the thing with the furniture was an intended downgrade.

Idinuse

Gatviper wrote: »

Idinuse wrote: »

I use SET MIP_LOAD_SKIP_LEVELS "-1", down from the -3 I prev used, but idk if that's got anything to do with it.

They've set with one of the updates (been away for a month) that setting to the default 0 as well. So maybe the thing with the furniture was an intended downgrade.

Could be.

MornaBaine

YaYaPineapple wrote: »

There is a notation about a fix for this this in the PTS patch notes.

Fixed an issue that caused several of the Elsweyr furnishings to appear with lower resolution textures than intended, with the result that they now look much sharper.

Which patch notes was this in? Link please?

Salvas_Aren

No need to get angry.

Housing finally gets the same love as the rest of the game. Enjoy your nerfs.

Carbonised

Update: elsweyr furniture and mastercrafter teapot are FIXED on the pts. You can go see it yourself. So thanks for that at least.

jmgrant44ub17_ESO

They have been down scaling textures and rendering for a while now. They have to make room on the servers for more stuff. If you are wondering why so many big changes each patch just look at the overall net some of what they are doing. Most of the nerfs and changes have nothing to do with balance or improving the game. It's all about squeezing more stuff on the same servers they have had since 2015. Just look at the change from percentages to flat numbers and the way they are making skills have the same baseline calculations. This game is a far cry from the beautiful game they had on release.

Lady_Rosabella

jmgrant44ub17_ESO wrote: »

They have been down scaling textures and rendering for a while now. They have to make room on the servers for more stuff. If you are wondering why so many big changes each patch just look at the overall net some of what they are doing. Most of the nerfs and changes have nothing to do with balance or improving the game. It's all about squeezing more stuff on the same servers they have had since 2015. Just look at the change from percentages to flat numbers and the way they are making skills have the same baseline calculations. This game is a far cry from the beautiful game they had on release.

Hubby and I totally agree with you. We've been playing since 2014 and find that we have lost the joy of playing the game. ZOS comes out with way to much, as you say, "stuff." The game has turned into more a a chore to play now with farming for all the new motifs, sets, etc. And how many re-colored mounts and costumes do we have to have in this game?

MornaBaine

Lady_Rosabella wrote: »

jmgrant44ub17_ESO wrote: »

They have been down scaling textures and rendering for a while now. They have to make room on the servers for more stuff. If you are wondering why so many big changes each patch just look at the overall net some of what they are doing. Most of the nerfs and changes have nothing to do with balance or improving the game. It's all about squeezing more stuff on the same servers they have had since 2015. Just look at the change from percentages to flat numbers and the way they are making skills have the same baseline calculations. This game is a far cry from the beautiful game they had on release.

Hubby and I totally agree with you. We've been playing since 2014 and find that we have lost the joy of playing the game. ZOS comes out with way to much, as you say, "stuff." The game has turned into more a a chore to play now with farming for all the new motifs, sets, etc. And how many re-colored mounts and costumes do we have to have in this game?

I'm so tired of reskins I could scream. OTOH it sure saves me money. If they ever came out with even a quarter of the things I HAVE requested (ghost skin, mortal skin for vampires, unlocks of all hair, skin, and eye colors for all races, eyelashes for MALE character, more makeups and hairstyles that don't utterly SUCK... the list goes on) I'd be broke. Thanks ZO$ for looking out for my bank account! LOL

Gandrhulf_Harbard

Carbonised wrote: »

@ZOS_SarahHecker @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom

Pretty much a huge deal for the housing community. Would be nice to know that you aware of this, and plan on fixing it.

As someone who spends roughly 60% of my time in-game doing something related to housing I'd consider this a minor issue.

THE single HUGE issue for housing is the appallingly low item count level.

It needs at least doubling to make genuine attempts at fully decorating a House viable.

All The Best

Tigerseye

Salvas_Aren wrote: »

No need to get angry.

Housing finally gets the same love as the rest of the game. Enjoy your nerfs.

Given that people have bought some of this stuff, directly, with real money, it's not quite the same as a class/build/race being nerfed.

...and I speak as a Bosmer Warden main.

Tigerseye

jmgrant44ub17_ESO wrote: »

They have been down scaling textures and rendering for a while now. They have to make room on the servers for more stuff. If you are wondering why so many big changes each patch just look at the overall net some of what they are doing. Most of the nerfs and changes have nothing to do with balance or improving the game. It's all about squeezing more stuff on the same servers they have had since 2015. Just look at the change from percentages to flat numbers and the way they are making skills have the same baseline calculations. This game is a far cry from the beautiful game they had on release.

Thay said they were getting new servers, a few months ago, didn't they?

Don't they understand that performance issues and unnecessarily bad graphics kill games?

I don't get this company - this game could be so much more.

cmetzger93

It’s like the red doors in Elsweyr. If you see them in first person it makes you want to turn the game off they look so bad. Haven’t noticed it on anything else as obvious as those.

Mr_Walker

So, having run out of things to nerf, they finally nerfed furniture. Good, it was too OP.

Mr_Walker

billp_ESO wrote: »

My guess is that ZOS looked at the database and rendering servers and are trying to take some of the load off of them. Houses can have a lot of items to load, with a lot of textures. So to lower the load on the servers, the textures were simplified.

That should be happening client side.

Knootewoot

Tigerseye wrote: »

Salvas_Aren wrote: »

No need to get angry.

Housing finally gets the same love as the rest of the game. Enjoy your nerfs.

Given that people have bought some of this stuff, directly, with real money, it's not quite the same as a class/build/race being nerfed.

...and I speak as a Bosmer Warden main.

You didn't buy it. You rent it as it is still @zos property.
That said, didn't you read the EULA?
Zos has the rights to remove or change any rented assets as they see fit.
If they do it to improve performance or decrease server load, they can proceed.

barney2525

It's how they are fixing the lag issue.

stefan.gustavsonb16_ESO

Ow. My eyes. And look at the texture seam on that column. (No, don't. It hurts.)

Resources like meshes and textures are stored locally, though, right? The game folder is a whopping 80 GB for this game. I see no good reason for textures that used to be good to suddenly be made worse.

Knootewoot

Alexsae wrote: »

I've also noticed the downgrade in texture quality. For example, Alinor Column, Jagged Timeworn is a pixelated mess. ZOS, can we please have a response to this problem?

Nice WoW screenshot. Is that a gnome?