Particle effects might not be main visual problem

[Orodret.8230]

After some comparison with other games, i think particle effects is not the biggest visual problem in places with high number of players spamming skills. Yes, it can be nasty with all this flashines, but what i think the problem is extreme highlights.

There are highlights on almost every piece of environment, players, NPCs, skill effects... that go almost to pure white with a lot of gloss effect on top. Even if you stand in random map all alone, you can see that there is too much of light on trees, rocks, floors, your armor...

Donno if this makes sense to everyone, but it should to those who work with colors. Adding more pastel colors and natural color tones instead of gloss, or adding filter for such highlights. Maybe it can solve problem?

[starlinvf.1358]

Never underestimate the average person's ability to comprehend color theories. If they did, and valued certain things, we wouldn't have went into massive "graphics" arms race during the console wars, because there actually was a tangible correlation between visual aesthetics and perceived "quality level" of a game that drove purchasing decisions.

 

I've noticed a lot of newer console games adopting a "Hyper real" color scheme, even in the more realistic themed settings, that creates that weird attraction effect you feel with HD TV demos. When I use the term "Hyper Real", it describes something that looks more realistic then reality, when it logically can't be possible. This is very different from Surreal, which is more of a dissonant state. With Hyper Real, your attention is immediately captured, and your mind instinctively buys into it in the moment; and its only upon a sense of contrast with your surroundings that that you realize that everything is actually way off.

 

GW2 already uses something along the lines of a brush art style and color pallet to give qualities of painting. This even extends into the effects..... but theres also the demand for those effects to easily read for situational awareness. Contrast of the effects isn't a big problem....... its the sheer density of information overlap that occurs when all these effects are firing off at once, and exacerbated heavily by the scaling of the target's size. Nearly all the effects have have 2 colors in them to create immediate contrast within itself, and makes for very fast visual comprehension. But because most classes use lighter hues for spell effects, and condition indicators fall into a similar spectrum, this quickly blends into a bright white light. A lot of the newer skill effects are also more visually complicated, further adding to the pile.

 

Pastel colors won't really fix that..... it'll just be a less shiny, but equally cluttered mess. This is on top of the fact (if I'm understanding you right) that the "highlights" on objects as you call them are also one of the big reasons terrain is easy to read, and plays a significant role in game's overall aesthetic.

[Eloc Freidon.5692]

This might be an anomaly, but when my character model doesn't load (invisible) my FPS is top notch. Doesn't matter how basic my character is, no matter what when my model is gone everything else is perfect.

 

I don't think its something as obvious as environment.