Graphics Update? System Requirements are identical to Spintires...

From the looks of the trailer and the system requirements there does not seem to be much of an graphics update. The recommended graphics card is a GTX 470, which is hopelessly outdated. It was outdated in 2014 when the original Spintires released.

Is it possible to give some options to increase especially the draw distance? Right now the heavy fog covers the short draw distance up, but I do not see a reason to have such a low draw distance first place. The fog is ugly too. Also the LOD switch distances (where high poly model is replaced by low poly for faster rendering) are terribly short and an option would be cool. The low poly models pop in so close to the player, it just seems unnecessary and immersion breaking. I remember those things were hardcoded in Spintires and could not be changed via .xml files.

Would be cool if we got a real graphics update, as an option, something that would lift it to graphics standards 2016-2017.

As I recall, I think Pavel said that the fog / low draw distance were intentional and being used as a means of making the map feel bigger than it is. Could be mistaken, but that's what I seem to remember.

No, he said it is to mask the short draw distance (visibility distance in his words).
https://forums.focus-home.com/topic/728/few-words-from-developers/50?page=2
(in response to Stellyan's post with the before/after pictures)
And quite obvious so, because the visibility distance is really really low.
Ugly low.
Year 1995 low
Pentium III age low 🙂

I wish there was just some mod file to crank it up if you want to. I mean I have a modern graphics card and no GTX470 anymore.

last edited by KcutsTog

I also noticed the system requirements are the same. Either that's some good optimization on Pavel's part or the final details haven't been worked out yet (I hope).

it is probably nothing serious. from what i notice it's mostly post process differences, maybe some new rendering technique or more lighting calculation. the textures are a bit more detailed, less blurry and flat, some more noise patterns and more grass coverage. i would like to see some before and after comparison of same maps between spin tires and mudrunner.

edit: i have found a link showing some new technologies, art, and features. my favorite is the new mechanism for the vehicles. looks delicious:

https://worldoftrucks.ru/spintires-chto-zhdat-v-sleduyushhem-obnovlenii/

last edited by clarionhorn

@kcutstog said in Graphics Update? System Requirements are identical to Spintires...:

And quite obvious so, because the visibility distance is really really low.
Ugly low.
Year 1995 low
Pentium III age low 🙂

Hyperbole is pretty much never helpful. Making statements like that just makes it clear you have no idea what the hell you're talking about. 🙂

well, after all was not one of the points from the original that the game could be played even on the simplest machines? did it not get an intel award for this also?

i know that was for the original and this is a "new" version (even though it actually is not), but it is nice that the requirements are what they are. you could push the limits and requirements of the game, but you also close the door to some players because of this. my PC is not junk, but it for sure not top notch like some peoples and i am sure there are many players out with way less than i have to work with.

@aardvark It just sucks that the game compromises so much on grapics, while at the same time there is really a lot of unused grapics card power. I mean the game looks like shit with all the fog that covers up the low visibility distance. If I buy this, I would be constantly buggered that my GTX 980 is not even running at half power while at the same time I can do nothing to ramp up visibility/LOD distance to make the game look halfway like 2017. That's just crap.

@kcutstog this is what i am referring to. just because one person has a top notch PC that is barely getting used that the game should be on an equal level. well, not everyone has these kinds of graphics cards or whatever. so should i just agree to give up on playing the game because my PC might not be able to handle such high graphics so that people like you can enjoy the game with system requirements that a lot of people might not have?

i do understand where you are coming from, but there has to be some sort of give and take to keep things balanced for ALL players.

@8up-local I understand your give&take point. That's why I am wondering why there is no xml exposure of the visibiltiy/LOD parameters. Literally everything in the game is modable, but not those two. And they just make the environment pretty or ugly.

btw, ever since the old Spintires days I was wondering: who is the fine gentlemen on your profile pic? 🙂

@kcutstog the fella in my profile pic is just a crazy local. must admit i think the him holding 2 maracas and a fast food bag really does add to it all. lol

i agree, i think the game looks good, but not outstanding and could be way better indeed. then again the game is really about the physics and terrain deformation not the graphics.

last edited by A Former User

I wouldn't say the graphics are bad by any means. They look pretty nice in both Spintires and Mudrunner. I think it's a good thing that lots of people can play these games without having great computers. However I could see why people would like more enhanced graphics but the current ones work well for me.

I am wondering if LOD/Visibility distance is fixed at compile time and if that's the reason why it is not modable/tunable via external .xml file.

"game is really about the physics and terrain deformation not the graphics"...they should put that in the game description. I mean the number of gamers owning anything larger than a GTX780 is not that small, is not it? They could also add "requires only black/white screen because we desaturate like pot ugly"

last edited by KcutsTog

Well I assume they're trying to get the game across to as most audiences as possible. The person who only has a £300 laptop should be able to enjoy Mudrunner, having a high spec rating on a game is more likely to turn people away than draw people in. As I stated before I could see why people would like better graphics but honestly the graphics look great now and to spend time on enhancing textures and so on would just be a waste of time imo. They could be working on more challenges, maps, vehicles and so on.

I talk about visibility distance and LOD distance, not textures or anything. See above.
Those two are typically just numbers that tell the engine where to stop drawing trees (visibilty) and where to switch to low poly models (LODs).

All I want in live is access to those two numbers! Then I can increase them, I can reduce the fog (because it is there to cover the low visibility distance) and live happily ever after. I do not care about everthing else or guys who own 300$ laptops or anything.

@yardsale said in Graphics Update? System Requirements are identical to Spintires...:

The person who only has a £300 laptop should be able to enjoy Mudrunner,

with that logic who's to say the person owning a pentium 3 shouldn't be able to enjoy the game as well? the point of games like these is to push the limit. being well optimized should be an advantage to INCREASE graphical fidelity, not decrease it.

working on more maps and vehicles would be moot if they become graphically outdated in a few months or so. this argument that gameplay and content must come at the expense of graphics is beyond foolish. if the game industry were dictated by that logic, we'd be still playing wireframe games with 10kb textures....just no.

hell if spin tires were dictated by that, why bother with deformable mud and parallax mapped ground? why bother with normal maps and real water deforming around the wheels and such? looking good directly feeds into the appeal of this game, which is based on realism and immersion.

there may be a good reason the draw distance is low, why assume it has anything to do with wanting to cater to people who want to play pc games on their flipphones?

last edited by clarionhorn

@clarionhorn said in Graphics Update? System Requirements are identical to Spintires...:

there may be a good reason the draw distance is low, why assume it has anything to do with wanting to cater to people who want to play pc games on their flipphones?

Simple money grabbing really. Low recommended specs -> more people can buy it. They are overdoing it here a bit though and might loose sales on the high end customers. I mean I can not look at those graphics. I will go for AC: Origins this winter.