84 replies to this topic

[Clay Pigeon]

Advanced zoom is an engine issue. CE3 can't do picture in picture w/o rendering twice (instant 50%+ fps drop) or doing some sort of upscaling.

[Alfred VonGunn]

They need to just rethink it.. Drop the window in window.. It doesn't work properly in CryEngine 3 they said so 2=3 weeks ago... Just give the current Zoom another level and be done with it.. Or gives us the option to NOT use the Window in Window thing

[Clay Pigeon]

Alfred VonGunn, on 14 November 2012 - 01:28 PM, said:

They need to just rethink it.. Drop the window in window.. It doesn't work properly in CryEngine 3 they said so 2=3 weeks ago... Just give the current Zoom another level and be done with it.. Or gives us the option to NOT use the Window in Window thing

Yeah. I'd really like advanced zoom to just add one more level. Instead of 1x, 1.5x, 3x it goes 1x, 1.5x, 3x, 6x.

[Glucose]

I think I've posted this 4-5 times already.

The real problem is PGI's use of CryEngine's depth of field.

http://freesdk.cryde...Setup+and+Usage

They are not adjusting your depth of field when you zoom. Objects in the distance should be rendered in focus when you zoom, currently it does not change. Thats why the PIP ZOOM is so grainy. Its input is blurred.

They should at least test/look at changing their depth of field first, before looking at 2-pass solutions.

[Fabe]

Glucose, on 14 November 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

I think I've posted this 4-5 times already.

The real problem is PGI's use of CryEngine's depth of field.

http://freesdk.cryde...Setup+and+Usage

They are not adjusting your depth of field when you zoom. Objects in the distance should be rendered in focus when you zoom, currently it does not change. Thats why the PIP ZOOM is so grainy. Its input is blurred.

They should at least test/look at changing their depth of field first, before looking at 2-pass solutions.

I don't know,sounds like to different things,the 'advanced zoom' isn't really the same as the 3x zoom we're using with the z key . The standard zoom is magnifying our entire view so the engine is still only rendering one scene while the advance zoom is adding a whole new second view which the CE has to render along with the first view and that is what causes frame rates to drop. Or at least that is how I understand things,if I'm wrong please explain how and why.

Edited by Fabe, 14 November 2012 - 03:07 PM.

[Fabe]

Fabe, on 14 November 2012 - 03:07 PM, said:

I don't know,sounds like to different things,the 'advanced zoom' isn't really the same as the 3x zoom we're using with the z key . The standard zoom is magnifying our entire view so the engine is still only rendering one scene while the advance zoom is adding a whole new second view which the CE has to render along with the first view and that is what causes frame rates to drop. Or at least that is how I understand things,if I'm wrong please explain how and why.

OK I've read the guide on setting depth of field and I think I know what Glucose getting at, I didn't read it at first because I assumed I wouldn't understand it having never worked with the cryengine before. Any ways what I think what Glucose is saying is that with proper adjustments the window with the advanced zoom view will come in crystal clear while the view out side of that will appear burly and out of focus and this will not affect performance or frame rate issues,is that correct?

Edited by Fabe, 14 November 2012 - 03:19 PM.

[Glucose]

That's correct. It will still be pixelated -- but at least it will be enlarging pixels that are not rendered blurry first.

The PIP Zoom currently is not a 2nd render - - they said they could *fix* it by doing that, but it would (as expected) adversely affect frame rates.

[Pasha19]

As a player, I vote for full-screen 4x zoom. Pressing "Advanced zoom" button should zoom to 4x in full screen like regular 1.5x and 3x, second pressing should return to 1x. It's really simple to implement. Who really needs PIP when fullscreen zoom is present? PIP was the only possible zoom in MW4, and a lot of people are used to it, but when I saw fullscreen zoom impemented in MWO I said "well, It's cool". When I've "bought" so called "advanced zoom", I said "wtf" and rolls back to regular 3x

Update.
Probably it's better to add 4x magnification to the list of 1.5x - 3x - 4x. And implement two action commands "zoom in" and "zoom out", so it will be possible to bind them to two buttons or, for example, to mouse wheel up and down.

Edited by Pasha19, 19 November 2012 - 06:31 AM.

[Roughneck45]

They just need to make the module increase your normal zoom to 4x, like it was before they put the PIP in. Then it would be worth taking.

[Mylar]

UGH.
Wish I had seen that screenshot before I dropped the GXP on it last night.

When they said PiP to avoid messing with battlefield awareness I was picturing a small PiP window in the upper left, about the size of the paper doll display with a highly pixelated image and a targeting dot.

So my main screen is still usable for normal aiming and playing but when I've already got a target in my crosshairs and I want to get down to detailed aim I have that little box to look up at and put the dot where I want it. Sorta like I use my mouse at high sensitivity for brawling and run and gun, but crank it down for sniping.

How does PiP aid in battlefield awareness if the PiP window blocks out your entire main veiwing screen? At that point just make it another step of zoom.

[General Taskeen]

http://www.youtube.c...bqXrgWdI#t=107s

Still the best PiP zoom in any Mech game with 1999 technology. Functional, useful, and doesn't cause tunnel vision.

Edited by General Taskeen, 19 November 2012 - 11:14 AM.

[Pasha19]

General Taskeen, on 19 November 2012 - 11:12 AM, said:

Still the best PiP zoom in any Mech game with 1999 technology. Functional, useful, and doesn't cause tunnel vision.

On standing targets - maybe. But try to aim with it at moving target in real online battle..

Tunnel vision is not a problem, if you can switch fast to normal zoom. Run - zoom-in - shoot - zoom out - run.. Quake breed;)

[moodswing]

Current Adv Zoom is kind of silly. Basically, you're piloting a multi-billion dollar war machine thousands of years in the future. Particle cannons, Gauss rifles, they mastered the atom and all it's forces. The most elite of the mechwarriors can learn to use ADVANCED ZOOM (ohhh, ahhh), which is basically an 1984 KMart BBgun scope that's taped to the cockpit window.

[Lupin]

Just started topic on IF "Advance Zoom" had been sorted out from being WAY to pixelated to be useful or any better then standard zoom.
Deleted my topic having found this one.

Seems after over a month still no movement and not worth GXP.

[Sodapop]

I use the Adv. Zoom module all the time and think that it is fine. Like someone else mentioned, I also kinda enjoy the grainy effect ( adds to the "dark sci-fi" feel of the game, in my opinion ). In addition, I feel there's a possible risk that an increase in clarity could lead to this module being deemed overpowered.

[Vapor Trail]

Personally, with the current implementation, I'd think that the PIP zoom would be worth it if the PIP worked with normal zoom levels. That is, you could activate normal zoom with the PIP zoom active.

So you'd have 1x, 1.5x, 3x, 4x, 6x, and 12x modes available. the 12x mode would be just as tunnel-vision as the 3x mode... but with the 4x digital zoom overlay.

To help keep it from being OP, I'd probably say to deactivate Thermal when Adv. Zoom is activated.

Probably would give a pretty good boost to long range direct fire types... which usually means AC/2 Boats or Gauss Snipers... though I could see a use with 4x or 6x ERPPC Stalkers or Awesomes.

There are few areas with sightlines long enough to make this kind of zoom truly as effective as it can be. The water area on the Forest Colony maps, Caustic down the 3-4 line and on both sides of the caldera, certain areas on Frozen City looking at the dropship wreck, and the water areas of River City are basically it... Though Caustic is pretty much the only map where long range can truly dominate most of the navigable area.

[Dendrobium]

I too saved up to buy this on my Cat 4X that I've made into a sniping mech. It looks worse then just normal full zoom to me. If it can't be done right now, then they should just make it allow further levels of zoom until they can. Either that or just refund the credits to people who spent money on them and, disable it for now.

[PurplePaladin]

I just got this, my very first Advanced item with GXP too, and I hate it. It looks awful, and I can barely use it in most circimstances. Almost ready to go back to non-advanced.

[Chimpo]

I think an improvement for the PIP zoom would be for it not to be in the centre of the screen. I thought that the idea of having a PIP zoom was that you can still navigate well as you can see most of the windscreen in normal magnification, while having a zoomed in panel (perhaps in top right of the screen) which does not obstruct your normal cross-hairs.

This would give you the advantage of X4 zoom without the narrow field of vision.

This is what i expected it to be when i purchased it. Having a panel in the middle of the screen seems pointless. You might as well do a full screen zoom instead of PIP, as the cross hairs are obscured anyway.

[SICk Nick]

I just hope they fix it. Especially now since I get ghost-target triangles all over the place when I zoom in. So now can I not even see what blurry thing I'm looking at, I don't have properly-placed triangles any more...its really freaking annoying.