Pixelated Flashpods?

[Bery]

After fighting Rey Dau for like a week with his AT quest, has anyone noticed that the VFX for flashpods are pretty... pixelated? It's really odd, and I've noticed it since the first beta for this game. 4090 and 13900k.

[Bery]

Also: This happens with zero upscaling on as well. Is it just the games lighting? How it interacts with volumetric fog?

[invader]

The last setting in the graphics menu controls whether effects that are 2D sprites can be rendered at a lower resolution or not. I don't know if this is it because I'm pretty sure flashes are not a 2D sprite in this game but it's worth trying out since I remember having the same complaint during the betas and this is the only thing I've really changed since then. I may just have stopped noticing.

[Ottomic]

Originally posted by invader:

The last setting in the graphics menu controls whether effects that are 2D sprites can be rendered at a lower resolution or not.

This. Option's called "variable rendering" or whatever.

This being said, my particle effects still look pixely asf even with that off, although it'll go from "n64" to "almost original xbox", so that's an improvement.

Originally posted by Bery:

Also: This happens with zero upscaling on as well. Is it just the games lighting? How it interacts with volumetric fog?

Lighting effects are also rendered using this if you have ray tracing off, which will lead to the discoball-meets-tv static light puddles you can see in the screenshot below:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3456026361

The "good" news is that enabling ray tracing will take care of this and only leave you with the ♥♥♥♥ particle effects for attacks, flashpods, scoutflies, et al.

[アンジェル]

Originally posted by Bery:

Pixelated Flashpods?
After fighting Rey Dau for like a week with his AT quest, has anyone noticed that the VFX for flashpods are pretty... pixelated? It's really odd, and I've noticed it since the first beta for this game. 4090 and 13900k.

Nope. Have you accidently turned on the variable rate for something something rendering?

[Bery]

Originally posted by Ottomic:

Originally posted by invader:

The last setting in the graphics menu controls whether effects that are 2D sprites can be rendered at a lower resolution or not.

This. Option's called "variable rendering" or whatever.

This being said, my particle effects still look pixely asf even with that off, although it'll go from "n64" to "almost original xbox", so that's an improvement.

Originally posted by Bery:

Also: This happens with zero upscaling on as well. Is it just the games lighting? How it interacts with volumetric fog?

Lighting effects are also rendered using this if you have ray tracing off, which will lead to the discoball-meets-tv static light puddles you can see in the screenshot below:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3456026361

The "good" news is that enabling ray tracing will take care of this and only leave you with the ♥♥♥♥ particle effects for attacks, flashpods, scoutflies, et al.

Its been off since launch for me. Turning it on makes no noticeable difference

[Bery]

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Originally posted by Bery:

Pixelated Flashpods?
After fighting Rey Dau for like a week with his AT quest, has anyone noticed that the VFX for flashpods are pretty... pixelated? It's really odd, and I've noticed it since the first beta for this game. 4090 and 13900k.

Nope. Have you accidently turned on the variable rate for something something rendering?

no

[Ottomic]

Originally posted by Bery:

Its been off since launch for me. Turning it on makes no noticeable difference

Try deleting the config.ini on the game's root folder and launch it again so it makes a new one and configuring it again once it does? Maybe also deleting the .shadercache file too, for good measure

[アンジェル]

Originally posted by Bery:

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Nope. Have you accidently turned on the variable rate for something something rendering?

no

Hm.

Use this and try again to be on the safe side.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3454351115

[Bery]

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Originally posted by Bery:

no

Hm.

Use this and try again to be on the safe side.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3454351115

So after more testing, I think this may be a case of poor DLSS 4 implementation. It gets considerably worse with DLSS 4, and seems to not really happen with upscaling off entirely? I don't know how to describe it. the bloom vfx from the pod are still not perfect but a lot less ugly without dlss 4. So you either get a worse image quality with 3 but less smear, or dlss 4 with better quality but more smear in situations like that.

[Bery]

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Originally posted by Bery:

no

Hm.

Use this and try again to be on the safe side.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3454351115

What does turning off shader pre-caching actually accomplish by the way? Im just curious because I dont typically see it in other performance guides generally.

[アンジェル]

Originally posted by Bery:

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Hm.

Use this and try again to be on the safe side.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3454351115

What does turning off shader pre-caching actually accomplish by the way? Im just curious because I dont typically see it in other performance guides generally.

It is not for performance. It is for updating the game.

The shader pre-caching turn out often faulty, and is unnecessary to begin with.

It can help with other games, but Monster Hunter Wilds does the shader always before you start the game, when it is necessary and it does not get updated until it becomes necessary again for the game.

In this case it is so that the existing data by Steam does not interfere with your file verification which is supposed to turn the game back to the state it is supposed to be on delivery.

[Bery]

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Originally posted by Bery:

What does turning off shader pre-caching actually accomplish by the way? Im just curious because I dont typically see it in other performance guides generally.

It is not for performance. It is for updating the game.

The shader pre-caching turn out often faulty, and is unnecessary to begin with.

It can help with other games, but Monster Hunter Wilds does the shader always before you start the game, when it is necessary and it does not get updated until it becomes necessary again for the game.

In this case it is so that the existing data by Steam does not interfere with your file verification which is supposed to turn the game back to the state it is supposed to be on delivery.

That's some good insight to have, ty :)

as for the initial issue, I think this may be mostly DLSS 4 artifact after some closer comparisons with some less tired eyes. Its pretty unfortunate there is no perfect solution for this one way or another.