PC V2.0 Storms Brewing Dev Diary

If that's the actual in-game image, that's pretty nice.  However, the frost effect seems to take up too much of the screen.  Maybe that is just because it's such a small image?  If it actually takes up that much of the screen, maybe you can ease it back a bit?  I prefer seeing nice graphics on my screen, not blurred or "icy" effects.  It's one reason I always turn off any kind of motion blur in games.  I like clean images and not stuff that's blurred or whatever.  I don't mind that effect at the edge of the screen.  I just would not want it taking up so much of the screen.  I mean, if you look at the top and bottom of the image where the effect is furthest on the screen (towards the left of the image), the effect is about 50% of the screen height (25% top and 25% bottom, with 50% in the middle that's clean).  That's a bit much.  Maybe cut it in half?
I have the same thoughts and we have discussed it, but opinions vary. We will be doing polish changes as we wrap it all up and changes will be ongoing during experimental.

 
Thank you, that is what I was asking.

@Riamus

Here is a 1080p version

View attachment 33951
Thanks.  It doesn't seem as bad when larger, but it's still quite a lot.  The sides look fine.  I just think the top and bottom need to be cut about 50%.  Or have an option to disable the effects, though I would rather not completely remove them.  But disabled would be better than having so much of my screen hidden.

The trees also seem very blurred.  That's also not great.

 
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Agreed, I didn't mean i wanted a peep hole. I just wanted to know if the screen effects could be combined.

Basically to show the physical and environmental effects. Because there is usually more than one effect in play

at any moment.

 
I'd say if that is both screen effects stacked, then it looks fine. If it can still get worse than that it may need to be dialed back just a little, but I like it overall.

The trees also seem very blurred.  That's also not great.
Eh, I'm fine with that. If you've ever been out in the open getting blasted with freezing winds, you can't see that well. Haha.

 
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Thank you for adding dynamic severe storms, I really like that we need to take shelter for protection.

How will the severe storms impact the player? Will we be harmed even after unlocking the biome's hazard immunity? Will shelter negate all damages or only mitigate it?

 
I wonder if being struck by lightning will be a possibility 🤔 🤣

And hopefully when the new update comes out, it will fix the temperature in game too, no matter which biome I'm in, its always 70 degrees lol

 
I'd say if that is both screen effects stacked, then it looks fine. If it can still get worse than that it may need to be dialed back just a little, but I like it overall.

Eh, I'm fine with that. If you've ever been out in the open getting blasted with freezing winds, you can't see that well. Haha.
If it's a weather effect that looks better animated than in the still image, then it may be fine.  But I don't play games to have blurry graphics.  As I said, I always disable motion blur immediately in all games.  If I wanted a blurry game, I'd use a GPU from 2000 and play a game from then.  And even then, it was usually better.  I can live with it, but I don't know that I won't just mod out all weather if that's the effect I'm going to see.  And I'd rather not mod out weather.

Thank you for adding dynamic severe storms, I really like that we need to take shelter for protection.

How will the severe storms impact the player? Will we be harmed even after unlocking the biome's hazard immunity? Will shelter negate all damages or only mitigate it?
It sounds like the storms don't do any damage from what faatal said.  They are just for show.  The biome hazards are what do damage, and you can get immunity for those.  Shelter has no effect from damage AFAIK.

I wonder if being struck by lightning will be a possibility 🤔 🤣

And hopefully when the new update comes out, it will fix the temperature in game too, no matter which biome I'm in, its always 70 degrees lol
From what faatal has said, no.  You can't get hit by lightning.  Edit: But the weather/lightning can still damage you.

 
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That image is from the game. That is what the Frostclaw looks like and that screen effect is real. Andres, our particle artist, has added for each biome hazard, screen effects and screen particles. He is now doing the same for each storm type.
Hello @faatal Will there be a smart HUD to limit the overwhelming amount of information on the screen to not get too distracted and just focus on what we have in front (and what we are aiming to)?

Because the screenshot looks nice, but if  we add the ton of information the HUD gives, it breaks totally the magic

I know there is a F(x) to remove the HUD but there is no between all the HUD and nothing....

 
Thank you for adding dynamic severe storms, I really like that we need to take shelter for protection.

How will the severe storms impact the player? Will we be harmed even after unlocking the biome's hazard immunity? Will shelter negate all damages or only mitigate it?
Storms will damage you, survival kits do not count as protection and being indoors will be safe.

Hello @faatal Will there be a smart HUD to limit the overwhelming amount of information on the screen to not get too distracted and just focus on what we have in front (and what we are aiming to)?

Because the screenshot looks nice, but if  we add the ton of information the HUD gives, it breaks totally the magic

I know there is a F(x) to remove the HUD but there is no between all the HUD and nothing....
The normal HUD is still there.

 
Hello @faatal Will there be a smart HUD to limit the overwhelming amount of information on the screen to not get too distracted and just focus on what we have in front (and what we are aiming to)?

Because the screenshot looks nice, but if  we add the ton of information the HUD gives, it breaks totally the magic

I know there is a F(x) to remove the HUD but there is no between all the HUD and nothing....
HUD options are usually best done by mods because people generally have a wide range of opinions on what looks good and what should be on the screen.  That doesn't mean they won't add an extra option or two at some point, of course.

Storms will damage you, survival kits do not count as protection and being indoors will be safe.
Oh, that's interesting.  That wasn't how it sounded.  That could be good or bad.  If storms are too frequent (like rain now), it would likely just become an annoyance to have to keep dealing with damage or have to sit around waiting for it to pass.  Are vehicles safe?  All of them, including bicycle through motorcycle?  Only some?  Can weather damage be disabled, either individually or as part of disabling the biome hazards?  And what about mines?  If you're underground, are you protected?  If so, is the game able to determine if you have dirt over your head?  For that matter, are POI/bases now able to properly identify if you're inside (i.e. no rain inside anymore)?

 
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I have the same thoughts and we have discussed it, but opinions vary. We will be doing polish changes as we wrap it all up and changes will be ongoing during experimental.


Personally I'd like to see screen effects get even worse than that, progressively, the longer you stay exposed.

The visual effects should be enough to effect gameplay, otherwise they're just window dressing (literally).

 
Personally I'd like to see screen effects get even worse than that, progressively, the longer you stay exposed.

The visual effects should be enough to effect gameplay, otherwise they're just window dressing (literally).
If it is the biome hazard and affects you only if you are not protected, then that kind of progression is fine.  Though, to be fair, I've been out in 30-40 degrees below 0F and although I might squint due to either glare off the snow or wind, I can see just fine.  Snow fall (especially in a blizzard) is what makes things harder to see.  If that effect isn't related to it being a blizzard, then it doesn't really make much sense.  But if this is a weather effect (not the biome effect that you can get protection for), then having that happen every time you go into the snowy forest would get very old, very fast.

There is a big difference between something that adds enjoyment to the game (even if it's challenging or difficult) and something that is just an annoyance.  And although what is annoying to one may not be annoying to another, some things can clearly be guessed to annoy more people than not.  Having your screen get more and more difficult to see every time you're in the snowy forest would end up annoying people more than not.  People like good graphics.  Most don't want to see just a bland white frosty thing over their screen with blobs for trees.  It's one thing if it's uncommon.  But this sounds like something you'll see frequently, which makes it not great.

As a note, I didn't mind the effect we used to have in the snowy forest with the frost screen overlay and the blizzards, back when we had blizzards.  If that is how it looks, I'm okay with it.

And, just as a reminder for the devs... you are clearly trying to make it so players leave the forest and go into the other biomes.  If you make going into those other biomes more annoying or frustrating for players, they'll just disable it and stay in the forest.  If you really want people to progress through the biomes, they need a reason to go to the biomes rather than a reason to stay out of them.

 
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Fun Pimps you guys have done an amazing job on this game. I've been playing for years with 3040 hours. I can't find any open world crafting survival game that comes close to this game. Or any Multi player open world game for that matter. I could spend all day talking this game up with tons of positives. Taking time to bring us great content is always a major plus. The fact you guys' only charge for the game and keep the price fair compared to other game companies is amazing too. As you add new things to game, as a longtime player and fan, I think different rifles, knives and weapons like handguns and rifles would be cool. Also, more food items like butter, milk, mash potatoes, fish, peach pies, pork steaks or ribs would be cool. But great job guys 100% amazing game. 

 
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Thanks.  It doesn't seem as bad when larger, but it's still quite a lot.  The sides look fine.  I just think the top and bottom need to be cut about 50%.  Or have an option to disable the effects, though I would rather not completely remove them.  But disabled would be better than having so much of my screen hidden.

The trees also seem very blurred.  That's also not great.
This picture is much better. Taken directly from X. Not blurry like the one posted earlier by 4sheetzngeegles.

On X, you just click on the image to see it full screen (in case someone still doesn't know about this). 4K version on X.

GoTvlqwXAAAdFBm.jpg

 
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I like the screen being messed up but it should progressively get worst and worst the longer your out without the right gear/equipment.  
That is why I asked Faatal, what I did. I needed to know if the screen effects would be singular, or if

he was adjusting code to allow for compounded. It shows a clear point in Faatal, Riamus, Your, and 

EvilPolygon's posts. There would need to be flexibility, and variation. Faatal's response answered that

for me. The game to me has always been a template, no matter what or how much is added. I just 

wanted to know if it had modability.    Then on the console side, it means that it can be optioned to 

allow the variances also, because it would simply be adjusting a mask, and is not a stand alone, end all be all.

@Space4Ace Sorry about the blur. I just AI enhanced it on my computer, to give an idea of how much screen

was covered.

 
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There is a big difference between something that adds enjoyment to the game (even if it's challenging or difficult) and something that is just an annoyance.  And although what is annoying to one may not be annoying to another, some things can clearly be guessed to annoy more people than not.  Having your screen get more and more difficult to see every time you're in the snowy forest would end up annoying people more than not.  People like good graphics.  Most don't want to see just a bland white frosty thing over their screen with blobs for trees.  It's one thing if it's uncommon.  But this sounds like something you'll see frequently, which makes it not great.


When I say exposed, I mean exposed without protection of some kind during storms. Survival kits, shelter and/or heat sources should lessen this particular effect in the snow biome. Scurrying to and from shelter, staying near burning barrels, etc, would be the way to manage reduced visibility when a blizzard rolls in.

Yeah, I enjoy punishingly difficult survival games. But I also believe the player should always be able to mitigate these sorts of challenges through either good gear, strategic thinking, or careful game play.

 
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