Landscape 'sparkle'

[gingernuts]

Hi chaps

Is there anyone out there who knows how to improve the look of the landscape in CM to improve, or even remove the 'sparkle' which is particularly bad in large scale maps in CMAK and gets worse as you 'pan out'?

Thanks for reading this!

Mikul

[Snarker]

Try turning off anti-alias and turn on anisotropic filtering.

[Juju]

Yep, that'll work well.

What would work best, though, is to try to NOT install hi-detail, hi-res mods. Especially prominent features like buildings, stone walls or roads (although many of the original textures already produce the effect, notably the large buildings). Those are the textures that will have the worst sparkle.

Textures with little contrast/detail or textures with a lot of 'noise' added don't suffer the effect (as much).

Personally, I feel it's a bit of a necessary evil. If I had to take it into account when modding, I'd have quit two years ago.

[junk2drive]

any cure for the zebra effect on things with narrow stripe features? i have tried corrugated roofing, bamboo walls, etc. up close they are fine, panning out, the lines distort.

even shingle roofs get this effect.

[Juju]

Paul, narrow stripe features are the worst! IMO that zebra effect, as you call it, gives the nastiest sparkle effect possible, the way it seems to move, ripple and distort (that's the effect you mean, right?)

Long ago Kwazydog exlained to me a little as to what exactly causes it, but I forgot how it worked exactly.

You around, Dan?

[Holman]

I've found that Pheasant_Plucker's 8-bit terrain graphics (available at www.cmmods.com) reduce sparkle considerably, on my Radeon 9800 anyway. These textures look no worse than the original 24-bit terrain, and with the lessened sparkle it actually looks better.

[junk2drive]

thanks juju, that is what i mean. i have a bamboo hut that looks great up close, but pan up and i looks terrible. i have tried lighter, darker, less saturation, nothing helps.

[gingernuts]

Thanks a lot chaps.

That has helped somewhat, and your absolutely right about the hi-res mods etc... but as you say a necessary evil to make the game more realistic! perhaps it'll be ironed out in future productions...ah well...we can hope!!!