Graphical effects that are standard by now but shouldn't

Cut off one thread, two more shall take its place.

 

"Are you a god?" - Gozer the gozerian

 

I second the Chromatic aberration and will also add noise and film grain
And finally although it appears to have just been a phase devs went through
what Deadly Ninja termed the "Piss Filter" which is when a game is bathed in some sort of beige light.

 

- Motion blur
- Blur filters (raw blur, cheap post AA induced blur that can be used on purpose somehow)
- Noise filters (grain filters, others "Instagram" filters etc.)
- Chromatic aberration
- Depth of field (used on the background or around the view)

All those graphical effects belong to the same category (IMO): artistic or cinematic graphical effects.

They can be really interesting if used sparingly in some games but really shouldn't be standard in most games particularly if those games are aiming for realism.

 

The smallest amount of CA can work. As ever, it's more a case of devs going overboard with an effect, wanting to see their work rather than letting it be a very subtle yet effective addition.

 

Behold the majesty of the "piss filter"

 

If used right, any of the stuff mentioned above can look better (subjectively, as always). But a LOT of games don't use them sparingly. I especially hate overused motion blur. It's usually great that PC games have the option to disable it. Console games should as well. Object based motion blur is usually one of the better uses, imho.

Not sure if AA is considered a graphical effect... any and every filter than reduces image quality. Especially bad forms of post-AA that turn textures into a pulpy mess. What's the point of AA if the rest of the image looks worse in the process. If AA is your goal, go for lower resolution, use MSAA and a good upscaler. It'll look much better. Or to put it simple. Put an effort into better IQ, if performance allows it.

 

vignetting, CA, desaturation, lens dirt, lens flares, grain, blue glow in a grey world, wacky motion blur that isn't at 180 degree shutter, including none.
None of these things should be standard. And thinking about it, they aren't standard, are they? What does standard means?

I can see a use for the piss filter, imagine an adventure fps where the main character is van gogh... I want 5 percent.

 

Overuse of effects is an industry fault. We can see it all the way back to lens flare. Lens flare isn't overused any more, so there's hope, after a spell, devs will learn to use them with more artistic verve.

That's a good point. I imagine there are some who feel these should never be used in any game, regardless of context, but AFAIK the criticised effects are only used in select titles trying to get a filmic look.

 

Latest january NPD:

That's what I mean by standard.

 

Am I the only one that doesn't hate the million forms of blur used in modern games? It makes games look far less gamey.

 

Yes. You are the only one.

 

A game like Cuphead needs Chromatic aberration, blur, and noise filters to pull off it's look. So those things aren't always bad.

 

Chromatic aberration isnt a standard graphical effect. Most games dont have it.
Edit: I would say that it isnt even that common. But I would agree if the statement was "graphical effects that arent common and they should never become common"

 

Sarcasm? Its meant to look like a 1930s-40s cartoon you would see at a theatre.
In the latest Game informer they have an article where they explain how they pull of the look. It involves 5 screen filters. 1 chromatic aberration pass, 1 blur pass and 3 passes for random dust, scratches, stains and hair. I agree that over blurring is a bad thing in 3d games that are going for realism. Chromatic aberration has its place if used at a minimum during certain effects. Lords of the fallen is a terrible example of use of the effect. That doesn't mean these effects have no place in modern games.