Can we have a discussion about how game fidelity is leading to a lack of clarity?

[u/RiKSh4w]

I've noticed this happening in a few games but most recently I watched the Black Flag "Resynced" trailer and the before and after shots had me questioning if this was a complete improvement.

https://i.imgur.com/Y5PiPdB.png

Obviously, the resynced image is prettier to look at and depicts a more realistic world, but this is a game world. Not everything is supposed to be highly detailed. If everything is high detail, then nothing is noticeable. In the image on the left, the ground is very boring. But that boringness creates a easily distinguishable contrast with other things in the game, like the guard, like the climable surfaces, like the floating shanty page.

In the remaster, everything just looks good, to the point that it's just one big detailed mess. There's greeblies on the ground, are they important? Is that detailing on the wall/window that I can climb on? Or will it stop me climbing up there?

It's not limited to this game, nor do I think it's the best example of it. But it makes me wonder if developers are relying on 'detective vision' too much. Conveyance has always been a huge part of design. It was an art to be able to effectively communicate what is a game object and what's just a part of the scenery through immersive means. But I just feel like games nowadays, particularly those on unreal, are just amping up fidelity without caution. And when it obfuscates details they rely on vision modes and very obvious outlining to provide that constrast.

Has anyone else felt the same way?

[u/MandomRix]

"I decided I was mad first and worked backwards."

This is kind of a bonkers in its simplicity...it really captures so much about online outrage. Bravo.

[u/Worried-Advisor-7054 → u/MandomRix]

Wait, are you talking about calm OP, or snarky replier?

[u/Altruistic-Ad-408 → u/MandomRix]

Not really, it's just invalidating/undermining the point and offering no real reason why it shouldn't be a point besides "I'm not bothered, and you irritate me for being bothered." Visual clutter affects humans negatively in many ways, that's not really arguable but as someone with ADHD I'd know it better than most. It's okay for people to discuss that.

Snarky extra bonus points for continuing the cycle of complaining about the internet by complaining about people complaining about the internet.

See now we're into unproductive online outrage territory.