Level Of Detail (LOD) problems -not performance related:

[-=seany=- 5]

Here are some screen shots highlighting an object LOD problem I (and I'm sure others) are experiencing. I know there is a problem where during intense battles, lots of units etc cause slow loading textures and LOD's.. BUT, I want to make it clear this is not what is happening here, the LODs don't change until you get closer to the object.

The problems in these screens shots can be seen in the editor on your own at 80fps as well as online or in campaign.

Basically objects (particularly foliage) are not switching to the correct LOD until you are right on top of them. To me it is one of the worst graphical problems and really makes the game look bad. 50% of your surroundings look like Arma2 2009 DX9 game and the other 50% looks like its 2001 OFP. The contrast really makes it look horrendous. I understand the need for LOD swapping, but can we please have consistent LODs that change over smoothly and at the correct distances?

Some objects like cars etc, especially military vehicles should be at quite a high detail when they are 250 -> 300 meters away. At the moment the look like Lego...I have seen the same thing with choppers switching from their full LOD detail to lowest (even without texture) within 300 meters.

It looks really bad.

Take a look at the pics, is everyone getting this?

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod1.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod2.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod3.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod4.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod5.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod6.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod7.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod8.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod9.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod10.jpg

Corsair Dominator TWIN2X PC8500 4GB DDR2

Corsair Powersupply 620W

2* XFX GeForce 9800GTX 740M 512MB SLI (186.18)

Core2Quad9300 @3.2

XFX780i

VistaU64

[MarkB 10]

Same here, and some horrible z-fighting on buildings to boot.

[Jimmy the Saint 10]

Yes, that's something that happens on my system aswell. I'm not sure though, if the game automatically adjusts the graphical output in relation to any momentary system resources. I get such LOD problems mostly in well crowed places with a lot of "non-nature" related objects like cities, which have a huge amount of polygons and textures. However I noticed that I get a slight increase of an overall picture quality when I add this line into my arma2.cfg: sceneComplexity=160000; - But use it at your own risk and be sure to set the file on read only after you have made changes in it.

[Cheeba 10]

I have everything set to Very High except for AA, with visibility just over 5000.

Some textures still do this too, it really breaks the look this game is trying to create. I'm still getting great FPS, so I know my rig could handle all textures at the same detail.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Cheeba

[Alex72 1]

Getting the same as OP. Some vehicles arent even recognizable as vehicles after some distance. Support trucks for example they look awesome. I mean they are really well done models by BIS, but after just a short distance they look like weird shapes without wheels/paper thin wheels and weird looking. Even weapons on units from a bit away (normal obj setting) look like paper. They have the shape from the side but they are paper thin.

Some trees and bushes also look like in the images. Also these awesome looking trees (leaf orange) with light colored trunks look real weird. The trunks look 2D and out of place. Shape is not corresponding to the trunk.

I hope this is known to BIS though and that they try to touch it up. Objects are so well done when closer to them but fall apart when just a little distance come between you. Ive seen addons that look good even from a distance (wheels and other parts still visible). But some BIS vehicles break down into unrecognizable shapes too quick - more distance needed before wheels disapear as you can mistake a repair truck for a rock/shed. Wich isnt so good when your in need. :)

Alex

[arma2disapointed 10]

It´s a compromice so you could have more units in battle simultaniusly, and still have a "decent":D FPS, but i could be wrong.

[D416 10]

try using the M107 at 700+ metres ..& say there isnt a problem.

i run an average 30-40fps ..but scope /un-scope and the fps plummet.

The trees are the worst bug , more so vs AI ..when you scope , then zoom in on the tree YOU KNOW has Ai behind it..but the low LOD tree is still active , its crap.

Its 2009 with dual & quad cores with graphics card running as much ram & as higher clock speeds then the original requirements for OFP.

Yet here we are , waiting , watching ,tweaking.

I miss the days when you could adjust the LOD rating on your own machine ...b4 things like PB & Devs canned it.

Doesnt help when you aim a M107 downrange at the enemy , only to have the bullet deviate because of some tree that has LOD hasn't properly loaded after 600m *you know theres a tree there by the falling leave hit sprite* and when you walk in a 100m it magically appears.

I still fail to see how any 1 can do air comabt in this game unless thay are in the 1000m above ground arena.

[arma2disapointed 10]

You just need more CPU power to make all detail´s visible further away. Simple as that.

buy a motherboard with 2 CPU´s, they are not expensive.

Hopfully BIS will add some more sliders and graphics option to the game later.

BIS could have done everything right, but they just want to tease you.

Edited July 24, 2009 by arma2disapointed

[Hicks15 10]

Here are some screen shots highlighting an object LOD problem I (and I'm sure others) are experiencing. I know there is a problem where during intense battles, lots of units etc cause slow loading textures and LOD's.. BUT, I want to make it clear this is not what is happening here, the LODs don't change until you get closer to the object.

The problems in these screens shots can be seen in the editor on your own at 80fps as well as online or in campaign.

Basically objects (particularly foliage) are not switching to the correct LOD until you are right on top of them. To me it is one of the worst graphical problems and really makes the game look bad. 50% of your surroundings look like Arma2 2009 DX9 game and the other 50% looks like its 2001 OFP. The contrast really makes it look horrendous. I understand the need for LOD swapping, but can we please have consistent LODs that change over smoothly and at the correct distances?

Some objects like cars etc, especially military vehicles should be at quite a high detail when they are 250 -> 300 meters away. At the moment the look like Lego...I have seen the same thing with choppers switching from their full LOD detail to lowest (even without texture) within 300 meters.

It looks really bad.

Take a look at the pics, is everyone getting this?

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod1.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod2.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod3.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod4.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod5.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod6.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod7.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod8.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod9.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i192/seanysherry/badlod10.jpg

Corsair Dominator TWIN2X PC8500 4GB DDR2

Corsair Powersupply 620W

2* XFX GeForce 9800GTX 740M 512MB SLI (186.18)

Core2Quad9300 @3.2

XFX780i

VistaU64

The same thing happens to me sometimes, I reboot ARMA2 and it works fine.

[kremator 1065]

I'm sure there was a post that said that in one of the earlier patches the LOD was better. I think a config error must have slipped through during a patch. It will be fixed I'm sure in time. While it is a little disturbing it's not game breaking.

[frederf 0]

The LODs stream in and out on the fly and often the game struggles to keep things up to date. Using the FLUSH command or simply giving it time sorts these issues out most times, not that they should be so obvious in the first place.

[GLeek 10]

Yes, that's something that happens on my system aswell. I'm not sure though, if the game automatically adjusts the graphical output in relation to any momentary system resources. I get such LOD problems mostly in well crowed places with a lot of "non-nature" related objects like cities, which have a huge amount of polygons and textures. However I noticed that I get a slight increase of an overall picture quality when I add this line into my arma2.cfg: sceneComplexity=160000; - But use it at your own risk and be sure to set the file on read only after you have made changes in it.

the parameter scenecomplexity should NOT be in arma2.cfg , but in $playername.profile

160000 might be equal to "normal"

500000 is high

and 1M = very high.

so , putting this value to 160000 make lod worst than settings on object detail to high...

i think to only way actually, for get better LOD of vehicle, is to set this value to 2000000 or 3000000. hoping engine isn't capped to 1 millions

[-=seany=- 5]

Yes I was gong to try that 160000 thing, but I checked my config and its already at 300000.

I'm sure there was a post that said that in one of the earlier patches the LOD was better. I think a config error must have slipped through during a patch. It will be fixed I'm sure in time. While it is a little disturbing it's not game breaking.

This is possible, I don't think it was as bad as this before the last patch, but I can't say for sure. I would have to reinstall it to check. I was not playing the game as much before the last patch and may have been too overwhelmed by the "newness" to notice it.

The LODs stream in and out on the fly and often the game struggles to keep things up to date. Using the FLUSH command or simply giving it time sorts these issues out most times, not that they should be so obvious in the first place.

Try not to get on to the streaming while heavy combat / lots of units around. The problem I am describing is present all the time regardless of your performance or frame rate or system resource usage. Most obvious example of this is that it does it in the editor when you are on your own.

It's like some objects are getting confused as to how close they are to you and not using the correct LOD model. Like in some of the pictures, you can see objects or bushes or trees in the distance that are at a higher LOD than ones in the foreground, this is wrong. If it was performance related the objects would eventually change to the correct LOD if you looked at them for long enough, but these LODs never change until you move closer to them.