[Stadium public beta] Restricted graphics settings

[tm2_stadium_beta]

...all I can hope for is that the issues within the current TM2 engine get fixed before this goes out in the world. Such as that you aren't able to turn of shadows and bloom. Competitive games don't need shiny graphics, they need smooth gameplay.

Well personally I don't think that shiny graphics is a bad thing. I really like this new quite realistic lighting. But when it comes not to videomaking but to actual gameplay... well all this additional effects really distracting. My point is that this game should have more flexible settings. Like it was done in TMN ESWC and TMNF.

More specifically:

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Also it would be really nice to have an option to disable dynamic lighting. Here, I recorded a replay with following settings: http://goo.gl/vj3Jc

http://youtu.be/D5yYZoz2_KI
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Apart from that it would be nice to have an option to completely disable clouds along with that fog/mist.

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And I guess "Display compatibility" window is begging for "Reset to defaults" button.

[FrostBeule]

Yes, would like to see this too.

Sometimes you can't even see very well the turns ahead because of the shadows or the lighting which is very bad for competitive play especially.

btw, that video is set to private so can't see it =).

[tm2_stadium_beta]

btw, that video is set to private so can't see it =).

Fixed.
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Another strange thing about graphics settings in current publically available version of the game is that when I set lightmap quality to "None" and then launch the game... the game still continues to use lightmaps. So I quit the game to check the settings again and there it is... the game forcing "Very Fast" quality of lightmap after it's launch every time when I set it to "None".

[ola123]

если на дневной трассе я попадаю в тоннель или какое другое закрытое пространство - то наступает полная темнота! Ехать невозможно. На ночных трассах и того хуже. Ни чего не видать. Что делать?

[Harrison_rus]

Hm, strange. I don't have this problem.
Config on my laptop:

Example in game. (Maybe not good example... I don't have maps, where it have tunnels)


On my PC I have some high graphic, but I don't can show it now...

[2222222]

Yes, would like to see this too.

Sometimes you can't even see very well the turns ahead because of the shadows or the lighting which is very bad for competitive play especially.

btw, that video is set to private so can't see it =).

It shouldn't be a problem for competitive players if it's the same for everyone. Also, competition tracks could be constructed in such a way to avoid bad sight. It would be a problem if players that want shiny graphics is losing to players with lower graphics settings.

[tm2_stadium_beta]

It shouldn't be a problem for competitive players if it's the same for everyone. Also, competition tracks could be constructed in such a way to avoid bad sight. It would be a problem if players that want shiny graphics is losing to players with lower graphics settings.

Let's agree to disagree. (c)

What would you say about match between two players. One of them has really slow PC which barely can handle the game with 30fps on Very Fast preset. And another player's PC is fast as hell, with almost a thousand fps on Very Fast preset. So, let me ask you, would it be fair?
Or, for example, players with CRT monitors/LCDs with low input lag and fast panels will always be in advantage over players with regular LCD monitors, especially in such kind of games as this one. So, it's not fair as well.
Internet connection's quality may crucially affect player's performance as well.
Same goes for different camera views, controllers and other stuff.

But noone can do a thing about all that unfairness which I mentioned above. And knowing that allowing me to say that nothing is the same for everyone. So why on earth NADEO forcing us to play with shiny graphics even at lowest possible settings?
If someone wants to play with all that eye candy features, with all that shadows and dynamic lighting and stuff - no problem. But what about those who wants exactly the opposite? Or what if somebody's PC can't handle even Very Fast preset with decent framerate because of all that shadows, dynamic lights, clouds and mist, which can not be disabled for some unknown reason?

My point is that every player should have a choice.

So, believe me, those restrictions can become a major issue for quite a few players out there. And we already have opinions of two professional stadium tech players (fB and JWH) in this topic.

But claiming that flexible graphics settings can make the game less fair... Oh please. To me it sounds in a same way like if they disable vehicle's sliding ability on game's engine level because of thinking that it's unfair towards those players who's drifting skills are poor.

[2222222]

It shouldn't be too expensive to buy a computer that runs TM2 well. Optimizing windows for gaming will also help. My point is that if someone should be punished for his computer and settings, it is the one with the oldest computer/lowest settings. If not, then all serious players would be forced to use low graphics settings which I don't think would be good for the games future. Playing with everything maxed out should be at least as good for a comptetitive player as playing with lower settings.

[Omnixor]

buy a new PC to stay sompetitive? no, thanks.

[tm2_stadium_beta]

2222222, no one should be punished.
It's always better to have a choice than not to have one. According to your words there shouldn't be any graphics setting at all, so the game will always look absolutely the same on every PC. Which doesn't make any sense to me. Since even with all these restrictions the game looks quite different even if we will compare only high and medium settings.
I''ll go even further by saying that even different monitor setup will affect game's look crucially and there is no way to avoid it because most player's doesn't have decently calibrated monitors and colors and more importantly gamma with black levels will always be at least sightly different for each player.
Not to mention that on monitors with Twisted Nematic panel type picture changes quite noticeable even if you change your viewing angle at least by 10-20 degrees. And that stuff which you wasn't able to see when you was looking at monitor at the right angle become visible if you look at it from a little above. IPS LCDs and CRT monitors doesn't have such an effect. So this may become some sort of an advantage for players with TN monitors over those ones who has IPS or CRT monitors.
I could go on like forever.

Giving to players a right to choose whatever shadows and lighting and clouds they want in TMN-ESWC and TMNF and then just taking it from them in TM2: Stadium just doesn't seem reasonable to me. I find it some kind of downgrade. Which doesn't make me want to buy this awesome game, to be honest.

It's not just about our hardware abilities. FrostBeule, as far as i know, at the moment has a quite powerful piece of hardware (i7-2600K + GTX580). But he keeps playing TMNF with almost lowest possible settings. Because he used to such type of game setup since TMN-ESWC release, back in 2006 and he probably doesn't really like all those shininess as well as many of other players. Even though TMN-ESWC and TMNF allows to disable lightmap along with shadows and clouds and turn on maximum shader quality, some player still prefer to stick with lowest.

I think i have made my point quite clear.

So, If anyone from NADEO will ever read this, I'd like to hear a real reason standing behind this gfx settings restrictions. If there is any.

Best regards.