Is this something Zenimax may consider?

Bozrah · May 2016

Out of genuine curiosity i wanted to ask (not that im expecting a response from Zenimax) if in future content they may consider changing up there landscapes similar to the below images.

These images are of GuildWars 2. Im using these as a reference because, it is an mmo and back when i did play the game, i was pretty blown away at how beautiful it was and the view distances were akin to a single player rpg.

Guildwars 2

Skyrim, because everyone knows how wonderful the vistas are.

Oblivion

Now im aware the both Skyrim and Oblivion are both single player games, but these are just references like Gw2. I haven't had the chance to explore every nook and cranny of ESO but i have yet to find anything remotely close to the view distances of the above games. I will assume for the time that there are technical limitations and that is why ESO lacks these kinds of Vistas.
Thank you for your time and hope im able to avoid offending anyone with this question.

-Images don't belong to me.

Gidorick · May 2016

ESO can already do this... but ZOS doesn't allow it because they don't want to bother texturing far off mountains.

Nestor · May 2016

There is a good reason for the fog and view distance. If you can see it, there is probably script running on it and the more you can see, the bigger the CPU load. Some systems can handle the extra overhead, so modifiers have come out with ways to extend the view by removing the fog (SweetFX for example). Not that SweetFx really extends the view distance, it just allows the view distance to be extended farther out with something to actually see. However, ZOS has to make the game work on a variety of systems, and that is why we have the compromise in the stock game.

I have a pretty beefy gaming rig, but if I set my view distance much above say 50, performance suffers. However, this is not an issue for me as nothing happening that far away is going to affect my character.

Would I like to see farther? Sure, but not at the expense of frame rates.

Gidorick · May 2016

Nestor wrote: »

There is a good reason for the fog and view distance. If you can see it, there is probably script running on it and the more you can see, the bigger the CPU load. Some systems can handle the extra overhead, so modifiers have come out with ways to extend the view by removing the fog (SweetFX for example). Not that SweetFx really extends the view distance, it just allows the view distance to be extended farther out with something to actually see. However, ZOS has to make the game work on a variety of systems, and that is why we have the compromise in the stock game.

I have a pretty beefy gaming rig, but if I set my view distance much above say 50, performance suffers. However, this is not an issue for me as nothing happening that far away is going to affect my character.

Would I like to see farther? Sure, but not at the expense of frame rates.

I experienced quite the contrary @Nestor, my performance was as good as or in some cases seemingly BETTER without the fog. I have never EVER experienced any noticeable hit to performance when I've removed the fog.

I think the reason ZOS uses fog is so they don't have to bother rendering the horizon and far off mountains.

Bozrah · May 2016

Gidorick, im just going to assume the feeling is mutual on this particular subject.

Ive made several posts in the past along these lines and i usually see you replying to them.
I guess, the way i feel is that when seeing those vistas and being able to see that far out, it gets the imagination rolling. It feels like an adventure is waiting for me. Elderscrolls Online seems to kinda miss that mark, and so i guess i just had to ask.
Don't get me wrong, Eso is a beautiful game indeed but ... not the same.

Nestor · May 2016

Gidorick wrote: »

I experienced quite the contrary @Nestor, my performance was as good as or in some cases seemingly BETTER without the fog. I have never EVER experienced any noticeable hit to performance when I've removed the fog.

I think the reason ZOS uses fog is so they don't have to bother rendering the horizon and far off mountains.

@Gidorick

True, the removal of the fog itself would not affect frames all that much. But, this also depends on the game, because I have removed the fog in other games and had a frame rate hit, and in others, not so much. But people would be encouraged to set their view distance farther out to reduce the popping effect that would be much more noticeable without the fog. That would affect frame rates.

Personally, the fog allows me to suspend disbelief more readily than having a clear view to the horizon. Plus, most games don't put all that much detail into the LOD textures, so I would rather have those fogged over.

Gidorick · May 2016

Bozrah wrote: »

Gidorick, im just going to assume the feeling is mutual on this particular subject. Ive made several posts in the past along these lines and i usually see you replying to them.
I guess, the way i feel is that when seeing those vistas and being able to see that far out, it gets the imagination rolling. It feels like an adventure is waiting for me. Elderscrolls Online seems to kinda miss that mark, and so i guess i just had to ask.
Don't get me wrong, Eso is a beautiful game indeed but ... not the same.

oooh yea the feeling is mutual @Bozrah and yea... I do feel there have been a few "missteps" but I'm still here so I must not be that torn up over them. heheh.

Nestor wrote: »

Gidorick wrote: »

I experienced quite the contrary @Nestor, my performance was as good as or in some cases seemingly BETTER without the fog. I have never EVER experienced any noticeable hit to performance when I've removed the fog.

I think the reason ZOS uses fog is so they don't have to bother rendering the horizon and far off mountains.

@Gidorick

True, the removal of the fog itself would not affect frames all that much. But, this also depends on the game, because I have removed the fog in other games and had a frame rate hit, and in others, not so much. But people would be encouraged to set their view distance farther out to reduce the popping effect that would be much more noticeable without the fog. That would affect frame rates.

Personally, the fog allows me to suspend disbelief more readily than having a clear view to the horizon. Plus, most games don't put all that much detail into the LOD textures, so I would rather have those fogged over.

I would prefer that the level of detail textures are sufficient to support a long view distance, and more than that @Nestor, I would prefer that ZOS make the fog dynamic. There should be times the weather is foggy and murky and times it's clear and bright... like...

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