Graphic Feedback and Reports

[样]

Howdy all Builders,

We're incredibly grateful for all your awesome feedback about the recent changes in the graphics.

To bring the magic of Sandrock to even more platforms, we decided to switch a new URP rendering pipeline. It brought some cool stylistic changes and boosted visual quality and performance, as well as the compatibility. However, we get it – you noticed some tweaks in lighting and shadows that raised concerns about the overall vibe. We're genuinely sorry for any hiccups this may have caused.

From the Early Access stage to the Full Release, our team has been on a mission to make Sandrock visually beautiful, thanks in no small part to your fantastic support and feedback.

Your insights clued us into some graphic quality issues tied to past performance tweaks. Fear not, we're on it! The future version is shaping up to deliver the eye-catching experience. We're currently laser-focused on:

-Making indoor spaces more lit and shadowy
-Fine-tuning those character peepers and highlights
-Polishing up bloom effects in CG and scenes
-Amping up the outdoor Ambient Occlusion (AO)

If you spot any spots that need love, share your thoughts in the format we provided below.
A screenshot comparison with the 'Before' and 'Now' would be rad, or give us a detailed play-by-play, like how the Shipwreck Boss's light show was more noticeable before.
Big thanks for your patience and support as we jazz up the game graphics.


--------------------------------
各位工坊主们，大家好！

感谢各位玩家热情积极地反馈有关游戏画面变化的问题，我们由衷地感激。
为了把沙石镇带给更多平台的玩家，我们更换了渲染管线。现在用的URP渲染管线相对之前有很多风格上的变化，也有画面质量和性能上的提升。这些变化可能带来游戏光影方面的一些削弱，有些玩家反馈游戏画面质量降低了，对此我们深感抱歉。

从EA阶段一直到正式版，我们团队一直致力于提升画面表现，为玩家努力创作美丽多彩的沙石镇世界。在这个过程中，我们也在不断调整，当然这少不了你们的帮助和支持。

收到玩家们的反馈后，我们也排查到有一些画面问题是之前为了优化性能出现的一些配置问题。我们会尽快解决这些问题，在下个版本把更好的画面呈现给玩家。我们目前正在检查的内容主要集中在：
-室内光和阴影
-人物的眼睛和高光
-CG和场景中的特效bloom
-室外的AO（Ambient Occlusion）

如果大家发现了什么不满意的地方，可以按下面这个格式告诉我们问题所在，以便我们加快问题的判定和解决。
如果可能，请提供包括“以前和现在”的截图比较。如果无法发布截图，请提供详细的描述，例如：之前的沉船BOSS的特效光比当前版本明显。

[syzara]

I disagree that it boosted performance, as everything loads way slower than it used to for me personally. Combined with the lesser graphics, it's really not a good change. Since we can't really share screenshots here that are not made through Steam, how are we supposed to share them?

[syzara]

Alright, I'll bite:

https://imgur.com/a/t5Rflpf

These are 4 pics, before and after the update from two different events.

You can clearly see in the 'new' graphics that everything gets flatter, hair details disappear, the wood of the stairs in the background in the Pen event pic isn't even visible as wood anymore as the details disappeared and they just got to be flat orange blobs, the lamp is not even visible as lamp anymore. Nearly all details on Pen's armor flatten and some disappeared entirely and the coloring does weird things as everything gets oranged. His face lacks as much detail as his hair.

Also Jasmine whole head and her bear are no longer appear to be 3 dimensional, and I could go on. It also got an orange filter or something, which adds to the whole feeling that everything looks extremely similar. The mountains in the background get flattened due to loss of detail, lack of shadows and proper lighting

I did not change my graphics settings and it's the same computer I've been using since I bought this game in early access.

The background mountains, a thing I loved before the update, are now also flattened and with way less detail. It's... really not good y'all. I could do this for every single event pic I have (and I have a lot), which makes it easier to compare, especially the ones at the start of the day like that one of Jasmine as they should be near identical pictures.

[Meevers]

Characters in general need more love, not just their eyes although they are the biggest issue I have with the new pipeline. While the eyes are indeed doll like and blank because of the lack of shadows, the overall depth of the characters is now lacking. Hair looks washed out and more bland looking because of the lack of depth from shadows, some clothing has lost its depth because there's no longer shadows being cast in creases, and their faces are harsh because, again, there are no shadows to soften their features anymore.

Characters now have the appearance of always being front lit, or just generally fully lit up. While you say this is an improvement, it isn't. The original post that had comparison images said that the shadows were falling in places and making faces look unappealing - this was a completely wrong assessment. Shadows are supposed to fall on faces, it makes them look more realistic and softens and/or highlights features, generally making them much more pleasing to the eye. Without them, characters now look more like dolls and extremely flat looking.

Personally, I have less issue with the outdoor lighting and shadows (though it could be better), but characters look very flat in comparison now unfortunately.

[Pyro3000]

Please stop calling this an improvement. It's clear to everyone that it is a sacrifice, and it's one that hasn't paid off for PC players.

The new visuals look too flat, and characters' facial features no longer stand out. If this new pipeline is really something we have to live with, at least redo the character models to have more distinctive features.

[DannyUS]

Originally posted by 样:

It brought some cool stylistic changes and boosted visual quality and performance

This right here is a lie.... but I guess you think that if repeated often enough people will believe it or something?

I played the game in early access, but then stopped to wait for the full release and what do I get when I finally start it up? Worse looking game than when it was in EA.. You can call it "improvement" as much as you want, but its clear that its a downgrade to cater to underperforming switch system.

Nothing would be wrong with that if it was told without the lies.

[样]

Originally posted by syzara:

Alright, I'll bite:

https://imgur.com/a/t5Rflpf

These are 4 pics, before and after the update from two different events.

You can clearly see in the 'new' graphics that everything gets flatter, hair details disappear, the wood of the stairs in the background in the Pen event pic isn't even visible as wood anymore as the details disappeared and they just got to be flat orange blobs, the lamp is not even visible as lamp anymore. Nearly all details on Pen's armor flatten and some disappeared entirely and the coloring does weird things as everything gets oranged. His face lacks as much detail as his hair.

Also Jasmine whole head and her bear are no longer appear to be 3 dimensional, and I could go on. It also got an orange filter or something, which adds to the whole feeling that everything looks extremely similar. The mountains in the background get flattened due to loss of detail, lack of shadows and proper lighting

I did not change my graphics settings and it's the same computer I've been using since I bought this game in early access.

The background mountains, a thing I loved before the update, are now also flattened and with way less detail. It's... really not good y'all. I could do this for every single event pic I have (and I have a lot), which makes it easier to compare, especially the ones at the start of the day like that one of Jasmine as they should be near identical pictures.

Noted and reported!

[样]

Originally posted by DannyUS:

Originally posted by 样:

It brought some cool stylistic changes and boosted visual quality and performance

This right here is a lie.... but I guess you think that if repeated often enough people will believe it or something?

I played the game in early access, but then stopped to wait for the full release and what do I get when I finally start it up? Worse looking game than when it was in EA.. You can call it "improvement" as much as you want, but its clear that its a downgrade to cater to underperforming switch system.

Nothing would be wrong with that if it was told without the lies.

Please do not take statements out of context, and we apologize if there were any unclear aspects. URP does indeed have the capability to achieve the mentioned goals, and you can explore its functions through various resources. We genuinely regret the unforeseen issues that emerged after the update, and we are diligently addressing and fixing each one.

[样]

Originally posted by 样:

Originally posted by DannyUS:

This right here is a lie.... but I guess you think that if repeated often enough people will believe it or something?

I played the game in early access, but then stopped to wait for the full release and what do I get when I finally start it up? Worse looking game than when it was in EA.. You can call it "improvement" as much as you want, but its clear that its a downgrade to cater to underperforming switch system.

Nothing would be wrong with that if it was told without the lies.

Please do not take statements out of context, and we apologize if there were any unclear aspects. URP does indeed have the capability to achieve the mentioned goals, and you can explore its functions through various resources. We genuinely regret the unforeseen issues that emerged after the update, and we are diligently addressing and fixing them.

[样]

Originally posted by Meevers:

Characters in general need more love, not just their eyes although they are the biggest issue I have with the new pipeline. While the eyes are indeed doll like and blank because of the lack of shadows, the overall depth of the characters is now lacking. Hair looks washed out and more bland looking because of the lack of depth from shadows, some clothing has lost its depth because there's no longer shadows being cast in creases, and their faces are harsh because, again, there are no shadows to soften their features anymore.

Characters now have the appearance of always being front lit, or just generally fully lit up. While you say this is an improvement, it isn't. The original post that had comparison images said that the shadows were falling in places and making faces look unappealing - this was a completely wrong assessment. Shadows are supposed to fall on faces, it makes them look more realistic and softens and/or highlights features, generally making them much more pleasing to the eye. Without them, characters now look more like dolls and extremely flat looking.

Personally, I have less issue with the outdoor lighting and shadows (though it could be better), but characters look very flat in comparison now unfortunately.

I believe your observation aligns with what was shown in Syzara's screenshot. Yes, we've taken note of it, and appreciate you bringing it to our attention. It is associated with 'volumetric lighting,' and we are actively checking into it.

[syzara]

Alright. For now I'm going to assume the render engine change was on 1 november 2023 with the full release. The video that goes with that seems to show it too.

Please, if it was earlier, reply to this post so I can go through my screenshots more easily. I have to dig through like 20+ profiles of screenshots.

[syzara]

So the issue I talked about earlier, that mountains/landscape lost part of it's charm is also due to lack of proper shadowing/lighting, plus some coloring that's... well I can only call it more orange. Everything got that washed out look and looks more flat and a few things got bonus orange somehow.

https://imgur.com/a/B1p6khb

The first picture has more variety in colors, more detail due to more/better shadowing, better blue sky, the second pic lacks it. Even turning up the graphics*, like in the third pic, does not give back the sense of 3-dimensionality like the first picture.

* I turned up my graphics settings to max. recently; this change doesn't make the slower loading since the rendering change any slower so that's a bonus I suppose

[El Presidente]

Originally posted by 样:

Howdy all Builders,

We're incredibly grateful for all your awesome feedback about the recent changes in the graphics.

To bring the magic of Sandrock to even more platforms, we decided to switch a new URP rendering pipeline. It brought some cool stylistic changes and boosted visual quality and performance, as well as the compatibility. However, we get it – you noticed some tweaks in lighting and shadows that raised concerns about the overall vibe. We're genuinely sorry for any hiccups this may have caused.

From the Early Access stage to the Full Release, our team has been on a mission to make Sandrock visually beautiful, thanks in no small part to your fantastic support and feedback.

Your insights clued us into some graphic quality issues tied to past performance tweaks. Fear not, we're on it! The future version is shaping up to deliver the eye-catching experience. We're currently laser-focused on:

-Making indoor spaces more lit and shadowy
-Fine-tuning those character peepers and highlights
-Polishing up bloom effects in CG and scenes
-Amping up the outdoor Ambient Occlusion (AO)

If you spot any spots that need love, share your thoughts in the format we provided below.
A screenshot comparison with the 'Before' and 'Now' would be rad, or give us a detailed play-by-play, like how the Shipwreck Boss's light show was more noticeable before.
Big thanks for your patience and support as we jazz up the game graphics.


--------------------------------
各位工坊主们，大家好！

感谢各位玩家热情积极地反馈有关游戏画面变化的问题，我们由衷地感激。
为了把沙石镇带给更多平台的玩家，我们更换了渲染管线。现在用的URP渲染管线相对之前有很多风格上的变化，也有画面质量和性能上的提升。这些变化可能带来游戏光影方面的一些削弱，有些玩家反馈游戏画面质量降低了，对此我们深感抱歉。

从EA阶段一直到正式版，我们团队一直致力于提升画面表现，为玩家努力创作美丽多彩的沙石镇世界。在这个过程中，我们也在不断调整，当然这少不了你们的帮助和支持。

收到玩家们的反馈后，我们也排查到有一些画面问题是之前为了优化性能出现的一些配置问题。我们会尽快解决这些问题，在下个版本把更好的画面呈现给玩家。我们目前正在检查的内容主要集中在：
-室内光和阴影
-人物的眼睛和高光
-CG和场景中的特效bloom
-室外的AO（Ambient Occlusion）

如果大家发现了什么不满意的地方，可以按下面这个格式告诉我们问题所在，以便我们加快问题的判定和解决。
如果可能，请提供包括“以前和现在”的截图比较。如果无法发布截图，请提供详细的描述，例如：之前的沉船BOSS的特效光比当前版本明显。

Well leave the corporate speach to the side.

You guys downgraded the grafics big time. Simply be honest. Its 2024 nobody is fooled anymore by corporate speach ... look at the dumpsterfire that is starfield. Learn from nomanssky. Less talk more delivery on promises / at least keep the standard we had and get performance up. If you cant do that be honest and say so. Want to bring the game to more plattforms? make ports. dont downgrad the game on the most powerfull platform so it meets the criteria of the weakest.

[syzara]

And while I'm at it, the flickering and weird color changes of actual lamps (like the one from the upgraded Worktable) are also an issue created with this other rendering engine.

[Body Art Brandon]

Thank you for working on restoring some of the PC's graphics luster. This is still an amazing game, and I appreciate the communication!

[I'm scared of Toasters]

This is it Pathea. I am never again buying any game from you, and I told all my friends that I encouraged to get your games about this whole fiasco. You have lost me as a customer forever along with the 5 of my friends that I convinced before all this to get Sandrock on the nearest sale. And I will keep doing it so people know the crap you guys do and don't give you any money.

Every single time somebody asks me if any of your games is worth getting I will tell them how you downgraded the graphics on pc for switch, pretended for months that you didn't or that it was a bug and when finally admitting to it you doubled and tripled down that it looks better - let's ne honest, you'd have to be blind to believe the new light engine looks better - and that the performance is better while it's the exact opposite and I had constant stuttering and light flickering issues ever since the update (any by reading forums and comments many others also).

I know this is extremely petty from me but I am just fed up with devs lying and being deceitful while trying to look helpful so people buy their games. Since you STILL have the media on your Sandrock store page from before the change and you refuse to update them, because you very well know it looks better and people are more likely to buy - I sincerely hope people will report your game to hell for false advertising. I certainly did.