Render Distance

[YouGotOwned]

Quick post here. I love ATS, really extraordinary game.

The single biggest graphical improvement I can see in this game is increased render/draw distance. This would lead to less pop-ins, improved visuals in flat areas surrounded by mountains (looks bad when mountains keep popping in as you drive and otherwise the area is blank), etc. The content is already there and it looks great, but limiting how far out we can see is really a huge graphical limitation.

Here's hoping the team is able to work out a solution to get this improved because this one change will make a huge difference.

[Alabama]

It has been said, make the draw ahead distance an option. So if you have a PC from 10 year's ago run at the lowest distance. If you a PC that can tell you how to lanuch a rocket in a 10th of a second, run at full distance.
It can not be so hard, thing's have to progress.

[J4MESOX4D]

Originally posted by Alabama:

It has been said, make the draw ahead distance an option. So if you have a PC from 10 year's ago run at the lowest distance. If you a PC that can tell you how to lanuch a rocket in a 10th of a second, run at full distance.
It can not be so hard, thing's have to progress.

What makes you think it running at full distance will correct the issue entirely? That doesn't change the fact that a significant number assets are constantly rendering on an engine that is older than 10 years.

[Alabama]

J4MESOX4D.Fairpoint, so maybr the progress should be with the game engine. It is not very realistic to see a mountain grow in front of you, is it.

[The Sylvan Learning Center]

The dev/mod just sidestepped the question about why draw distance isn't an adjustable option.

I wouldn't expect graphical improvements. the game is old and has anti aliasing problems and pop-ins. if they could've fixed it by now they would have. they clearly can not with this engine

[Ryu]

Originally posted by The Sylvan Learning Center:

The dev/mod just sidestepped the question about why draw distance isn't an adjustable option.

I wouldn't expect graphical improvements. the game is old and has anti aliasing problems and pop-ins. if they could've fixed it by now they would have. they clearly can not with this engine

Sorry, the draw distance can't be adjustable like that because of how the map is handled. The game doesn't load the entire world into memory and then decide which parts of it you can see from your POV. Instead, the map is divided into regions which are swapped in and out as needed and use cut planes to decide what you can see from your POV.

To make that adjustable would, I think, require the entire map to be remade in a different fashion.

[Robinicus]

The math on cutplanes also makes this unfeasible; there were charts posted earlier that showed how a POV calculation worked wrt cutplanes and it isn't based on a fixed horizon which means you don't just see the mountain (for example) from further away, you also see an equal distance lower....in other words, what is being proposed here would have you see through the road as well during elevation changes....

It is not a limitation of the engine or coding.

[Alabama]

Hi Robinicus.
I am wondering if and how other game's do this. I only play ATS & ETS. I do have Shadow of the Tomb Raider on my PC,( it was given to me) but find it really a pain to click this button to do that, and that to do this.
My question is asked out of ignorance, and trying to understand.
Cheers.

[Robinicus]

I am not sure what approach they use and am not overly familiar with that title, have heard of it of course but that's about it.

[ThunderDownUnder]

Well if it's so easy make us a mod to do that, it's ok we'll wait...

[Alabama]

Robinicus. Ah well.

[Ryu]

Originally posted by Fnuggy:

Originally posted by ~{DCMT}~ Ryu:

Positive. Pavel said as much on a live stream; they reduced draw distance and have more "things in the way" to block the horizon so it's not as noticeable. Increasing the draw distance will kill the low-end machines that already struggle to keep up.

How about a slider, so the user can set it them self? :-D and the problem is solved.

Because:

Originally posted by ~{DCMT}~ Ryu:

Sorry, the draw distance can't be adjustable like that because of how the map is handled. The game doesn't load the entire world into memory and then decide which parts of it you can see from your POV. Instead, the map is divided into regions which are swapped in and out as needed and use cut planes to decide what you can see from your POV.

To make that adjustable would, I think, require the entire map to be remade in a different fashion.

[Robinicus]

They should just add a slider with a label that says map LOD that isn't connected to anything....that would solve 90% of the complaints.....lol

[☎need4naiim☎]

Since 2016 versions of the game, especially this year, render distance seems to be far more away than it have been. SCS certainly did work on this front and made a true progress compared to its release year.

[LuckyDog]

Originally posted by mojo_musica:

Originally posted by tallmike:

Sorry to say it but this is 2020 NOT 2003. People need to update their equipment. How do people manage security updates using old pc's and I think its about time SCS says thats it folks, you'll need to update your stuff so that we can bring a better experience to our users, even if that means loosing a portion of the userbase. Dont flame me, this is just my opinion. Its not always about money......Laziness also plays a part. In 2020 old pc's belong at the local tip.

What a shame not everyone in every country has the disposable income, or the means, to buy a new up to date PC whenever they feel they are getting left behind.
Not all players are in a rich Western industrialised nation and ATM, even the ones who are might be feeling the economic pinch, I wonder why that might be?

And 'what a shame' that not everyone in every country has clean water to drink and plumbing, and remind me what that has to do with advanced PC simulations?!! Mojo, I can't believe that your position is that all computer games should be dumbed down to the lowest common denominator, in order to serve the least capable systems? "Leave no potato behind!!" Anyone here, buying games, buying infinite SCS DLC's knows the answer to that one. Cheers

[mojo_musica]

Originally posted by LuckyDog:

Originally posted by mojo_musica:

What a shame not everyone in every country has the disposable income, or the means, to buy a new up to date PC whenever they feel they are getting left behind.
Not all players are in a rich Western industrialised nation and ATM, even the ones who are might be feeling the economic pinch, I wonder why that might be?

And 'what a shame' that not everyone in every country has clean water to drink and plumbing, and remind me what that has to do with advanced PC simulations?!! Mojo, I can't believe that your position is that all computer games should be dumbed down to the lowest common denominator, in order to serve the least capable systems? "Leave no potato behind!!" Anyone here, buying games, buying infinite SCS DLC's knows the answer to that one. Cheers :unionjack:

Well done for putting words into my mouth! I never once said games should be "dumbed down" I simply noted that not everyone has a modern gaming PC, or could afford to buy one. It is entirely at the discretion of SCS where they feel they should pitch the minimum and recommended specs for the game to cover the widest range of customers. It is no good telling everyone with a potato to just go out and buy a new top-end gaming PC, it won't happen.
I am just as frustrated as anyone by the people who have bought the game and expect it to run on an 8-year old laptop with 4Gb RAM and an integrated Intel GPU, but can't see that is the problem, they imagine it will run on anything with a CPU.
There queries are a constant in this and many other forums, they are especially resistant to being told that their system simply won't run whatever game they install, and don't get me started on the "it says it runs DX12" when it can only run DX10, and not well at that.

MY position is definitely NOT "all computer games should be dumbed down to the lowest common denominator" and I would never take that position.
You really should take a course in comprehension before misquoting and lying about what I said, feel free to tell me which bit of my post is untrue.

The OP said (trolling)
"Dont flame me, this is just my opinion. Its not always about money......Laziness also plays a part. In 2020 old pc's belong at the local tip"

Are you going to say that is a reasonable, sensible statement, or just a poor troll, made to provoke a reaction?