Please stop flashing bright lights in my eyes

SilverBride

I started the Blackwood Prologue quest today, and every time I completed a step a very bright white light would flash on the screen. This is painful and I have to quickly close my eyes and turn my head away.

I know this used to happen a lot with the original story quests but seemed to have stopped... until now.

If you need a way to transition, fade to black instead, like it does when you turn in parts of the Vardenfall map. But flashing very bright lights in your player's faces is causing unnecessary pain.

@GinaBruno please look into this. It is causing a lot of players great discomfort.

Dagoth_Rac

The Group Repair Kits from event merchant also cause a bright flash. I always need to warn my guild before I use one, because several members prefer to turn away. It is more than mere annoyance. The guildies say it can trigger a migraine.

SilverBride

Dagoth_Rac wrote: »

The Group Repair Kits from event merchant also cause a bright flash. I always need to warn my guild before I use one, because several members prefer to turn away. It is more than mere annoyance. The guildies say it can trigger a migraine.

I don't doubt it.

I really wonder what is going through their heads when they do thing like this.

Kwoung

SilverBride wrote: »

Dagoth_Rac wrote: »

The Group Repair Kits from event merchant also cause a bright flash. I always need to warn my guild before I use one, because several members prefer to turn away. It is more than mere annoyance. The guildies say it can trigger a migraine.

I don't doubt it.

I really wonder what is going through their heads when they do thing like this.

Quite honestly, porting into a wayshrine with a pet flapping on your screen closeup causes the same reaction with me. Luckily I don't have epilepsy, but can see how many of the things in this game could easily cause a seizure. Me however... just an instant headache.

RealLoveBVB

When starting a scry and the minigame opens you are flashed too. Especially annoying if you want to clear your lead-list and scry many items in a short duration. Got used to close my eyes for a moment when starting it.

LalMirchi

Yes, I agree, the flashing white light is very annoying. I would much prefer fade to black.

DinoZavr

Photophobia is a proper term describing discomfort or pain to the eyes due to sudden flashes of light due to your actual physical sensitivity of the eyes.

Normally, no game vendors take care.
I close my eyes at the moment of bright flash when scrying reveals the excavation site location.
I close my eyes while hyperjumping in the EVE Online.

Game-makers LOVE explosions (as and many players do), so they normally never care about photosensitive gamers minority.
Same is true about color-blind gamers, there are too few games helping players with that, but this is kinda another BIG topic.
Oddly enough: long ago the music concerts DVDs have a printed warning: “Stroboscopic effects are used in this video”, but this long gone archaic feature belongs to 90s...

Photosensitive players only might hope to be heard, but the chances are barely zero, this is why I even don’t bother to tag ZOS managers in this message. I am afraid we are to live with that. Just close your eyes..
Remember I'll always be true

delta_mystic

daily migraines since 2001. Flashing / big bright images feels like being sucker-punched.

Adjusting monitor backlight helps a bit but not enough. I'm starting to see more migraine / seizure awareness measures being taken on websites, film, games, etc.

new changes and warnings are definitely a step in the right direction

kypranb14_ESO

I definitely support turning any bright lights for transitions into dark ones. I did 1-10 Scrying/Excavation in under 48 hours and I had the worst migraine after about 2 hours of it. It was terrible.

Ratzkifal

ZOS should add some accessibility feature that turns down all the bright flashes. If that's not possible, perhaps someone can make an addon for that?

SilverBride

DinoZavr wrote: »

Photophobia is a proper term describing discomfort or pain to the eyes due to sudden flashes of light due to your actual physical sensitivity of the eyes.

Photophobia is common in migraine sufferers, and I used to get frequent migraines but they have diminished greatly over the years. I imagine this may be why these bright lights are so painful to me, and others.

But I can't believe that bright lights directly in your face are good for anyone. There is a reason we don't look at the sun.

Ratzkifal wrote: »

ZOS should add some accessibility feature that turns down all the bright flashes. If that's not possible, perhaps someone can make an addon for that?

That is a great idea. Some games have settings where you can turn down the intensity of such effects. If ZoS are so hell bent on continuing these flashes they could at least give us a setting to tone them down.

Ackwalan

There really is too much "flash" in this game. Even just normal fights become blinding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NbwizzxQ_s

etchedpixels

I'm always surprised that the game doesn't including warning tags about this on steam and the consoles stores.

Fixing it would be better, but you'll find this thread is one of an endless series of similar threads that produced no change.

jssriot

I have complained about this too, sent in a /feedback ticket although I doubt it will do any good. It seem every time I leave ESO and come back, they add brighter, intense, more retina-burning light effects. It's gotten beyond tolerable.

In addition to effects in quest, do a dungeon with nerco or warden and sometimes the light effects from their skills popping off floods the screen to the point that you can't see anything else. Some set procs are horrific--I can't use Chokethorn for this reason because if the new updated green light effect that flood 50% of the screen if you're not completely zoomed out blinds me, I fear it's blinding other players too. Scrying? I've learned to close my eyes are the right time to avoid sharp eye pain from the blue flashes. And too many newer mounts, like the latest apex mounts--well not only are they ugly (congrats tot he suckers who shelled out a ton of gems for them), their flashing are physical eye agony.

Eye strain for regular gamers is real and for people like me who have sensory hypersensitivity and are prone to migraines, vertigo, etc from intense light exposure, it's even worse. And user end solutions--like blue-blocking glasses and bias lighting--only help so far. It just seems like ZOS is adding these intense light effects everywhere in the game now, I guess as a cheapo easy way to keep the game feeling "fresh" and not dated. But it's bad and in the very least they need to stop. Better yet, go back and tone down all of it.

SilverBride

I'm not asking them to remove all effects. Magicka spells can be quite colorful and impressive without being bright. The same with other combat effects. It's the white light that is the biggest culprit. How hard could it be to just use a darker color?

And why we need these intense flashes when completing a quest step, which I've never seen in any other MMO that I've played, is beyond comprehension.

SickleCider

THIS!

I'm photophobic, like some others in this thread, and this prologue was a real "treat" for me.

I had an understanding friend who was questing with me at the time. She was able to open the chests in my stead, and it counted for us both.

Isn't that memento you get at the end just the icing on the cake? It feels aggressive and hateful to me, given that so many of us (myself included) have been begging them for years to stop this.

I've also been begging them to add accessibility options in the video settings (on console), to turn down some effects and adjust gamma and color bias. No interest whatsoever.

No other game causes me this much pain! I can play much more colorful games, like Overwatch, with less pain over a given play session.

It seems to not only be the flashes, but seems baked into their entire lighting system. I bet a lot of you have to leave certain maps during the "daytime" in the game. Alik'r, Western Skyrim, anything that doesn't have a lot of ground clutter to break up that sheet of bright texture. There's a lot of color bleaching that happens.

SilverBride

Versispellis wrote: »

THIS!Isn't that memento you get at the end just the icing on the cake? It feels aggressive and hateful to me, given that so many of us (myself included) have been begging them for years to stop this...

I've also been begging them to add accessibility options in the video settings (on console), to turn down some effects and adjust gamma and color bias...

No other game causes me this much pain!

I haven't gotten to the end yet, or seen the memento, but I appreciate the warning!

They absolutely could give us settings to tone these effects down, or better yet completely disable them.

And this is the only game I've ever played that flashed bright white lights and caused me pain.

LalMirchi

My eyes are bleeding

Nord_Raseri

Thanks for the warning, I've yet to do the prologue. A few years ago I had to turn the 'max brightness allowed' feature on my tv all the way down. Still not quite enough. Now I have in game brightness so low that in many places, especially at night time, the screen is so dark I can barely make anything out

SickleCider

SilverBride wrote: »

Versispellis wrote: »

THIS!Isn't that memento you get at the end just the icing on the cake? It feels aggressive and hateful to me, given that so many of us (myself included) have been begging them for years to stop this...

I've also been begging them to add accessibility options in the video settings (on console), to turn down some effects and adjust gamma and color bias...

No other game causes me this much pain!

I haven't gotten to the end yet, or seen the memento, but I appreciate the warning!

They absolutely could give us settings to tone these effects down, or better yet completely disable them.

And this is the only game I've ever played that flashed bright white lights and caused me pain.

Oh, yes, beware the memento! 😱 It's a "Daedric amulet" or somesuch. Your toon holds it up and it produces one of those bright white flashes on the screen! It's just a bright flash button!

SilverBride

Versispellis wrote: »

Oh, yes, beware the memento! 😱 It's a "Daedric amulet" or somesuch. Your toon holds it up and it produces one of those bright white flashes on the screen! It's just a bright flash button!

I have another name for something like that. Torture device.

Vevvev

Part of the reason why I hated doing the vampire quest was the bright flashes of white during every single flashback. The Scrying flash is even worse tbh since it is always there...

SilverBride

I'm curious if these bright flashes really don't bother some players. I can't even imagine...

NeeScrolls

SilverBride wrote: »

I'm curious if these bright flashes really don't bother some players. ...

i know we may have disagreed a lot (respectfully) in that other thread , but as to THIS thread: i completely & utterly agree with you yep. In fact, literally last night i said to my guildmates: "time for another forum rant about friggin' *strobe lights* again!! (*&%$#*()$ " lol then i saw your thread

p.s. Zenimax: can't you just add some sort of OPTION in settings to turn down/off that bright-light-of-heavenly-eye-death during quest transitions? Please?

omegatay_ESO

I totally agree. Zos, not all of us play in a brightly lit room. *sarcasm *

Skykaiser_Ọlọrun

SilverBride wrote: »

I'm curious if these bright flashes really don't bother some players. I can't even imagine...

It's never even registered with me. I legitimately have no idea what you guys are talking about.

angrydrew

Normally there should be a disclosure fore photosensitive epilepsy. The flashing or strobe lights are an issue Eso should address.

Gilvoth

i have allways hated when they do that and spamming bright lights.
i dont understand the rudeness and hate that would make them do this to us, i just dont understand it.

SilverBride

Skykaiser_Ọlọrun wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

I'm curious if these bright flashes really don't bother some players. I can't even imagine...

It's never even registered with me. I legitimately have no idea what you guys are talking about.

https://youtu.be/TB5IgB5LRho

Watch when he opens the glowing chests at around 7:30, 7:50, and 8:10. It's not nearly as bright on YouTube as it is in game but you will get the idea. In game it literally lights up my entire screen.

SilverBride

Versispellis wrote: »

Oh, yes, beware the memento! 😱 It's a "Daedric amulet" or somesuch. Your toon holds it up and it produces one of those bright white flashes on the screen! It's just a bright flash button!

I finished the quest and got the memento and yea, it's bad.

omegatay_ESO

There is a few movies I have watched that do the white screen as well. Makes you wonder WHY, they do it. Good lord, like looking at the face of the sun in a movie theater.