Texture filtering options?

[xaxazak]

In all the screenshots the textures are pixellated. While I know many people like it, I personally find this style really unpleasant.

Is it possible to enable or mod (or externally force) smooth texture filtering? (trilinear would be fine, anisotropic best).

[Weaver]

There are lots of mods for higher resolution texture packs on the Nexus.

[xaxazak]

Ok thanks. Do those mods actually change the filtering mode though? I looked at some screenshots and they all still had hard-edged pixellation, just smaller.

[xaxazak]

I see the mod Graphics Config Plus[www.nexusmods.com] has options for anisotropic filtering. Does this affect most textures? Does anyone have a screenshot of using this (or other anisotropic mods) because I don't see it in the mod's screenshots?

[xaxazak]

Just want to indicate here this issue is holding up my purchase. If I have to look at artificially blocky textures for "nostalgia reasons" or whatever in one more game I'll ... um, be yet more annoyed. For those that like it, I don't mind it's existence as long as it's optional.

Just to be clear - I want to know if it's possible to somehow get texture filtering in this game - not just increased texture resolution.

[PakaNoHida]

Originally posted by xaxazak:

Just want to indicate here this issue is holding up my purchase. If I have to look at artificially blocky textures for "nostalgia reasons" or whatever in one more game I'll ... um, be yet more annoyed. For those that like it, I don't mind it's existence as long as it's optional.

Just to be clear - I want to know if it's possible to somehow get texture filtering in this game - not just increased texture resolution.

No, not possible, graphics are working as intended.

[Mharr]

In theory you could generate a high res texture pack using whatever filters you want.

[xaxazak]

Originally posted by Mharr:

In theory you could generate a high res texture pack using whatever filters you want.

That's not how filtering works[en.wikipedia.org]. It's when your GPU uses the fractional parts of the texture coordinates to interpolate between pixels - for the most basic filtering bilinear[en.wikipedia.org], if you had a black pixel next to a white pixel, then everything in between the exact centres of those pixels is a gradient of grey.

Almost every game made this century offers this because it takes no effort, the GPU does it automatically, when you supply a shader or texture (depends on what API you use), you have to supply a filtering mode (a single variable) - Valheim just chose to only supply the ugliest one - sure it's also the fastest, but not by much. All they need to do is add an option to supply the "trilinear" or "anisotropic" mode. In most game code that's about 10 lines worth or less.

[Ataxio]

AFAIK you can force this through whatever graphics software you use? I've never noticed the effects of bilinear filtering, or a lack of filtering for that matter & it would stick out like a sore thumb if it was a the case & a lot of people would be bickering about it.

Despite your multiple wikipedia links, I don't think you fully understand what texture filtering is & how it applies to a game like Valheim.

If something like this bothers you, I would avoid the game as you'll be fighting from the ground up to turn it into something that it's not.

[xaxazak]

Originally posted by Ataxio:

Despite your multiple wikipedia links, I don't think you fully understand what texture filtering is & how it applies to a game like Valheim.

I'm a graphics coder, OpenGL, Vulkan, even did some D3D. What do you think I got wrong?

Originally posted by Ataxio:

I've never noticed the effects of bilinear filtering, or a lack of filtering for that matter & it would stick out like a sore thumb if it was a the case & a lot of people would be bickering about it.

Take a look at this screenshot - especially the upper back of the characters. Do you see a grid of squares, each a single solid color? (yes there is some lighting variation so they're not exactly the same RGB value, but surely you can see the blockiness?).

[xaxazak]

Originally posted by Ataxio:

Despite your multiple wikipedia links, I don't think you fully understand what texture filtering is & how it applies to a game like Valheim.

I'm a graphics coder, OpenGL, Vulkan, even did some D3D. I was simplifying a bit. What do you think I got wrong?

Originally posted by Ataxio:

I've never noticed the effects of bilinear filtering, or a lack of filtering for that matter & it would stick out like a sore thumb if it was a the case & a lot of people would be bickering about it.

Take a look at this screenshot - especially the upper back of the characters. Do you see a grid of squares, each a single solid color? (yes there is some lighting variation so they're not exactly the same RGB value, but surely you can see the blockiness?). [/quote]

Originally posted by Ataxio:

If something like this bothers you, I would avoid the game as you'll be fighting from the ground up to turn it into something that it's not.

As I was explaining, it's a trivial change to add an option (if they've coded it well - if every different texture shader has nearest (blocky) filtering manually set then it might require a little bit of find and replace).

Here[www.khronos.org] is the filtering variable I'm talking about for Vulkan, which resides in the VkSamplerCreateInfo structure.

[⛧Perdurabo⛧]

so what's next?

I don't like vikings...they must change that or make a mod for that?

I don't like exploring? Open up the whole map?

I don't like fighting, make the bosses go away?

[Tevirik]

I think, xaxazak, that you should buy the game, play half an hour and if you like the game, just keep it, if you do not like the textures, ask for refound. As simple as that.

Usually, I much dislike pixelated games, (I'm no retro gaming lover) but here, in Valheim, it does not annoy me because you see the pixels only on non moving things if your character is also not moving.

[xaxazak]

Originally posted by Perdurabo:

so what's next? I don't like ...they must change that or make a mod for that?

The two points of difference I'm trying to emphasize over those arguments are:

• They can very likely provide an option with a trivial amount of effort. It's a matter of adding a single option to optionally change a single variable (or possibly a set, but even if it is that's just a little bit of find and replace) passed to the graphics API.
  
• Blocky "nearest" filtering is pretty much universally accepted as uglier in most circumstances for most eyes - it's taught that way, and described that way in many tutorials and sites, via phrases like "enhancing the image quality"[en.wikipedia.org] (for using higher-quality filtering). To deliberately choose pixelation is like if Game of Thrones decided to downgrade to 480p and add film grain because they liked the old-fashioned look. Yes, you might find some people agreeing, and the fan base will generally agree because those that didn't like it didn't become part of that fan base. But survey the general populous with sets of screenshots and you'll overwhelmingly find people like the higher-fidelity version. So I don't think this is a similar request to your examples.

Originally posted by Tevirik:

I think, xaxazak, that you should buy the game, play half an hour and if you like the game, just keep it, if you do not like the textures, ask for refound. As simple as that.

I may, but Valve does say that "refunds are not a method for trying out games", although refunding to store credit is probably fine. If I do I'll try that Graphics Config Plus option I listed above that I was looking for screenshots for. Hopefully modding works well on Linux.

[Crafty]

I wouldn't mind a 'Linear' type of filter.

Something like you would see in early iD tech engine games like Quake 2 and whatnot.

In those early games you could tweak the texture filter from Nearest or Linear, which would ether give you a chunky pixel look, or smoothed out textures.

A linear filter would still fit the aesthetic they're going for.


This is also not to be confused with new or higher resolution texture packs. Texture filtering is something else.

[Crafty]

Here is an example of texture filtering. This is basically what the OP is talking about.


Linear

Nearest-neighbor


I think being able to apply optional texture filters would still be fitting for Valheim.

Right now the game looks like its basically using a "Nearest-neighbor" which is the most basic and crudest filtering method. It's obviously done on purpose though, I get that.

Still, I think it would still fit the game to allow for a simple texture filter. Even Quake 1, which is one of the first fully 3D games had different texture filtering methods you could tweak.

Some people like the chunky look for their retro games while others like the filtered look. Yet, these options have been around since the dawn of 3D gaming. They're both "retro".