Auridon: AKA Play-Doh Land

lagrue · October 2017

This is a regular occurrence on PS4 NA servers. Even worse is this is nothing new, it's not because of the Witches Festival, this is literally a normal thing and ZOS has done nothing about it ever.

I think its time to break up the servers some more. Too many people and the game clearly can't handle it so it starts dropping off resources and textures. I didn't buy the ps4 pro, under the premise ESO would be getting 4k support with it, only to be faced with this level of graphical trash.

(The resolution of the pic is trash because the Share feature on PS4 gimps image quality hardcore - the thing I want people to see in this post is the grass-less ground.)

kyle.wilson · October 2017

I have that happen on my PC sometimes in wet weather.
For me its the puddles not showing properly.

Arizona_Steve · October 2017

Happens to me occasionally. PC / NA. Worst thing is that a simple /reloadui doesn't fix it - I have to log off and back on again.

zaria · October 2017

I have this then visiting the greenshade undaunted enclave very often, it passes

Apache_Kid · October 2017

This happens semi-frequently on Xbox NA as well for me. Sucks because when everything displays properly the game looks really good but too many times, especially in DLC areas, the textures on the buildings and the ground do not load all the way making it look really crappy and low-rent.

MaddPowered · October 2017

If you zone into a new zone, and immediately rush to a location such as the undaunted pledge place, the textures dont have time to load so you are stuck with the "Play-Doh" textures as seen above. It is not a server problem, it is YOU loading things too quickly.

Simmer down there bud.

lagrue · October 2017

MaddPowered wrote: »

If you zone into a new zone, and immediately rush to a location such as the undaunted pledge place, the textures dont have time to load so you are stuck with the "Play-Doh" textures as seen above. It is not a server problem, it is YOU loading things too quickly.

Simmer down there bud.

Protip: I'm not at an undaunted enclave - and when this screenshot was taken I had been in the zone for over an hour with no porting at all.

This has been going on for years. It's not me loading things too quickly lol, it's heavy player load in one area putting burden on the servers. It's the exact same in Alikr and Belkarth, both heavily populated areas - but hell if I go to any other zone in the game it doesn't happen imagine that. I could go to Stonefalls right now and never ever see this happen.

Go to somewhere populated heavily and it happens - something tells me that's not a ME problem, it's a server problem. It's one thing to tell me to simmer down, but to outright disregard what's happening and pin it on me, well that's just a bit insulting.

Elsonso · October 2017

lagrue wrote: »

I think its time to break up the servers some more. Too many people and the game clearly can't handle it so it starts dropping off resources and textures. I didn't buy the ps4 pro, under the premise ESO would be getting 4k support with it, only to be faced with this level of graphical trash.

Resources and textures are being dropped on your end. Server does not care what you see. Stand somewhere else, I guess. Your system cannot handle the people around you.

lagrue · October 2017

lordrichter wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

I think its time to break up the servers some more. Too many people and the game clearly can't handle it so it starts dropping off resources and textures. I didn't buy the ps4 pro, under the premise ESO would be getting 4k support with it, only to be faced with this level of graphical trash.

Resources and textures are being dropped on your end. Server does not care what you see. Stand somewhere else, I guess. Your system cannot handle the people around you.

That's what I mean though, there are too many people in one place on the server for the game to load properly - okay sure the loading is on my end, but its because the servers are congested. Stand somewhere else isn't a valid option when it's an entire zone of the game it happens in. If there are that many people on one server causing that, then it stands to reason in my head that dividing them into smaller servers would fix it.

I would rather ZOS address it in some way than shrug it off and go away, things never get better that way.

Elsonso · October 2017

lagrue wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

I think its time to break up the servers some more. Too many people and the game clearly can't handle it so it starts dropping off resources and textures. I didn't buy the ps4 pro, under the premise ESO would be getting 4k support with it, only to be faced with this level of graphical trash.

Resources and textures are being dropped on your end. Server does not care what you see. Stand somewhere else, I guess. Your system cannot handle the people around you.

That's what I mean though, there are too many people in one place on the server for the game to load properly - okay sure the loading is on my end, but its because the servers are congested. Stand somewhere else isn't a valid option when it's an entire zone of the game it happens in. If there are that many people on one server causing that, then it stands to reason in my head that dividing them into smaller servers would fix it.

I would rather ZOS address it in some way than shrug it off and go away, things never get better that way.

It's not the zone population that is causing you the problems. It might happen even if you are the only person there.

More than anything, it is probably a console bug that is causing this. I never saw it on PS4 when I played. I do see it occasionally on PC. Not very often.

lagrue · October 2017

lordrichter wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

I think its time to break up the servers some more. Too many people and the game clearly can't handle it so it starts dropping off resources and textures. I didn't buy the ps4 pro, under the premise ESO would be getting 4k support with it, only to be faced with this level of graphical trash.

Resources and textures are being dropped on your end. Server does not care what you see. Stand somewhere else, I guess. Your system cannot handle the people around you.

That's what I mean though, there are too many people in one place on the server for the game to load properly - okay sure the loading is on my end, but its because the servers are congested. Stand somewhere else isn't a valid option when it's an entire zone of the game it happens in. If there are that many people on one server causing that, then it stands to reason in my head that dividing them into smaller servers would fix it.

I would rather ZOS address it in some way than shrug it off and go away, things never get better that way.

It's not the zone population that is causing you the problems. It might happen even if you are the only person there.

More than anything, it is probably a console bug that is causing this. I never saw it on PS4 when I played. I do see it occasionally on PC. Not very often.

It def. is the zone population. On the very rare occasion that Auridon isn't swarmed with 500 Dolmen farmers, the textures load fine. I used to ride around Alkir all the time no issues, then it blew up as a major Dolmen farming zone and all of a sudden the place never loads properly. That's not a bug, it's simple reality that the game can't load all the stuff being thrown at it.

This happened both on original PS4, and PS4 Pro now - and as people here claim PC. That's no console bug - it's the game dropping off resources to load what it deems "more important" which is the textures of other players, their abilities, architecture, LOD and so on. Environmental textures seem to be the least priority, which makes perfect sense - but this shouldn't be a thing.

That's a very typical function of online games, when there is too much to load, it prioritizes what it can load, and drops off anything else.

Slick_007 · October 2017

kyle.wilson wrote: »

I have that happen on my PC sometimes in wet weather.
For me its the puddles not showing properly.

exact same thing happens to me. i was thinkin it was my gpu but apparently not

Narvuntien · October 2017

Huh? this isn't normal for people?

I have it at every Undaunted tent in the major cities everytime I pick up the pleadges for a year.

Vanthras79 · November 2017

Narvuntien wrote: »

Huh? this isn't normal for people?

I have it at every Undaunted tent in the major cities everytime I pick up the pleadges for a year.

I have seen this as well. Best bring it to the attention of the devs. Aka “the guys.”

Defilted · November 2017

When I played on my normal XBOX One I had this happen frequently.

After switching to SSD and XB1X this is no longer an issue and the game loads and looks amazing.

Spelling

ProfesseurFreder · November 2017

Walk, don't run.

If you stop tearing around at top speed, the textures will have time to load and you get hit with fewer loading screens and fewer things like this.

You also get the benefit of taking the time to enjoy the scenery and locations.

Urza1234 · November 2017

lagrue wrote: »

MaddPowered wrote: »

If you zone into a new zone, and immediately rush to a location such as the undaunted pledge place, the textures dont have time to load so you are stuck with the "Play-Doh" textures as seen above. It is not a server problem, it is YOU loading things too quickly.

Simmer down there bud.

Protip: I'm not at an undaunted enclave - and when this screenshot was taken I had been in the zone for over an hour with no porting at all.

This has been going on for years. It's not me loading things too quickly lol, it's heavy player load in one area putting burden on the servers. It's the exact same in Alikr and Belkarth, both heavily populated areas - but hell if I go to any other zone in the game it doesn't happen imagine that. I could go to Stonefalls right now and never ever see this happen.

Go to somewhere populated heavily and it happens - something tells me that's not a ME problem, it's a server problem. It's one thing to tell me to simmer down, but to outright disregard what's happening and pin it on me, well that's just a bit insulting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_of_detail#Hierarchical_LOD

The texture issue with the ground is a classic example of a LOD bug.

It would be absolutely *** for it to have anything to do with the servers, because that would imply that ZOS was streaming textures to every player everywhere at all times in real time. They dont do that. Cast what aspersions upon ZOS that you like, but they arent dumb enough to stream textures to their several million players.

Its perfectly valid for you to be noticing that the LOD bug is occuring in more populated areas, not because of more connections to the server, but because of more assets and effects being loaded into your vram from your harddrive. Somewhere in that process the argument that loads the higher detail terrain is probably timing out or something. Either that or it as less logical bug.

Pyr0xyrecuprotite · November 2017

This texture issue happens occasionally on PC/NA; most noticeably in Vivec City (although I haven't been around there as much since CWC came out).

SBC · November 2017

I started noticing it during the jester's festival. Certain shrine to shrine ports will cause it. If I go from the college to the city it happens everytime. If I go from anywhere else to the city it doesn't happen.

Irfind · November 2017

Jep i have sometimes this problem too (Auridon, Vvardenfell and Cyrodiil) PC/EU

lagrue · November 2017

Urza1234 wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

MaddPowered wrote: »

If you zone into a new zone, and immediately rush to a location such as the undaunted pledge place, the textures dont have time to load so you are stuck with the "Play-Doh" textures as seen above. It is not a server problem, it is YOU loading things too quickly.

Simmer down there bud.

Protip: I'm not at an undaunted enclave - and when this screenshot was taken I had been in the zone for over an hour with no porting at all.

This has been going on for years. It's not me loading things too quickly lol, it's heavy player load in one area putting burden on the servers. It's the exact same in Alikr and Belkarth, both heavily populated areas - but hell if I go to any other zone in the game it doesn't happen imagine that. I could go to Stonefalls right now and never ever see this happen.

Go to somewhere populated heavily and it happens - something tells me that's not a ME problem, it's a server problem. It's one thing to tell me to simmer down, but to outright disregard what's happening and pin it on me, well that's just a bit insulting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_of_detail#Hierarchical_LOD

The texture issue with the ground is a classic example of a LOD bug.

It would be absolutely *** for it to have anything to do with the servers, because that would imply that ZOS was streaming textures to every player everywhere at all times in real time. They dont do that. Cast what aspersions upon ZOS that you like, but they arent dumb enough to stream textures to their several million players.

Its perfectly valid for you to be noticing that the LOD bug is occuring in more populated areas, not because of more connections to the server, but because of more assets and effects being loaded into your vram from your harddrive. Somewhere in that process the argument that loads the higher detail terrain is probably timing out or something. Either that or it as less logical bug.

I think you misunderstood why I was blaming the servers. I wasn't suggesting they stream textures, not by a long shot. I was suggesting too heavily of populated areas (AKA overstuffed severs) were causing this LOD issue. Exactly as you said - it has to load all their assets and abilities and junk - that to me is an issue of overpopulated server causing LOD problems.

Maybe I didn't use the right type of clarity - I'm saying the problem is there are too many people allowed in a given area.

ThePrinceOfBargains · November 2017

This usually only happens when I’m with a Dolmen group and teleport to the Dolmen north of Vulkhel.

Ch4mpTW · November 2017

While I’ve experienced this within PvE environments, I mainly experience this particular phenomenon when playing in Cyrodiil. More so during “prime time”, or when there are a lot of people within the zone. It’s also ironically very laggy when this occurs, and makes large scale combat a nuisance.

Elsonso · November 2017

lagrue wrote: »

I wasn't suggesting they stream textures, not by a long shot. I was suggesting too heavily of populated areas (AKA overstuffed severs) were causing this LOD issue. Exactly as you said - it has to load all their assets and abilities and junk - that to me is an issue of overpopulated server causing LOD problems.

I have been considering the idea that it isn't that at all. Given the infinite loading screens and the problem loading textures, it is not unreasonable to think the texture isn't even loaded. It might be as simple as there is no loaded texture to display.

SirAndy · November 2017

Gosh i really hope they're not actually streaming in the textures ...

Now, what they *should* do is to send you hashes/fingerprints of each texture used by a level when you first load that level so the client can verify that nobody altered the local texture cache.

That is especially important for PvP where a texture with a modified alpha channel could give someone a distinct advantage.