What happened to WoW Lighting?

[donjn]

Does anyone else remember vanilla WoW lighting? It used to have excellent sun glaring through trees and the blue moon color on buildings? Sometime in CATA the lighting system was changed which killed nighttime for a while. Nighttime has since returned but that really nice lighting is still gone.

Here are some examples:






Notice how the lamps are more profound. Notice how on the ground, even in Teldrassil, there is a patch of sunlight in a small area, illuminating your character. Notice in the first picture, you can tell the front of your character is lit up..

I went to other areas in current WoW, where the sunlight hits your character and it is just not the same.

[Flurryfang]

... Have you checked your graphic settings? I can get the "vanilla" look by just scrolling on some buttons.

Ofcourse it is not directly the same, but the lighting can be fixed, if you have a problem with it.

[donjn]

... Have you checked your graphic settings? I can get the "vanilla" look by just scrolling on some buttons.

Show me what setting you picked. Because if you are saying you can accurately suddenly make light shrine on the ground from the sunlight coming through the trees, and make light reflect off of your character like that then this I would like to see.

[Flurryfang]

Show me what setting you picked. Because if you are saying you can accurately suddenly make light shrine on the ground from the sunlight coming through the trees, and make light reflect off of your character like that then this I would like to see.

On the effects page, set everything to high or ultra, set enviroment detail to high and projected texture on. That should bring back the shine and glare that you seem to be missing.

[donjn]

On the effects page, set everything to high or ultra, set enviroment detail to high and projected texture on. That should bring back the shine and glare that you seem to be missing.

You are 100% incorrect. I run on max settings. Go stand there and try to get it to look like vanilla. There is no lighting in the game now the way it was before. Your character no longer lights up this way and that specific spot, where sun shows through the trees are gone now.

[Chickat]

You are 100% incorrect. I run on max settings. Go stand there and try to get it to look like vanilla. There is no lighting in the game now the way it was before. Your character no longer lights up this way and that specific spot, where sun shows through the trees are gone now.

Do you have sunshafts on?

[Flurryfang]

You are 100% incorrect. I run on max settings. Go stand there and try to get it to look like vanilla. There is no lighting in the game now the way it was before. Your character no longer lights up this way and that specific spot, where sun shows through the trees are gone now.

Well, that is how it works for me Can't say what is wrong on your side But i am not a tech expert, so i can't really say why things work and dont work, only that they work for me

[donjn]

Well, that is how it works for me Can't say what is wrong on your side But i am not a tech expert, so i can't really say why things work and dont work, only that they work for me

Stand in that area and take a screenshot please and show me.

- - - Updated - - -

Do you have sunshafts on?

Yes of course. This is not sunshafts. Sunshafts appear in the air. This is frustrating that you guys aren't getting what I am talking about.

[Kagthul]

Probably because youre doing a god awful job of describing it.

[donjn]

Probably because youre doing a god awful job of describing it.

Oh yeah, like this isn't specific enough "Notice how on the ground, even in Teldrassil, there is a patch of sunlight in a small area, illuminating your character. Notice in the first picture, you can tell the front of your character is lit up.."

[RobertMugabe]

Show me what setting you picked. Because if you are saying you can accurately suddenly make light shrine on the ground from the sunlight coming through the trees, and make light reflect off of your character like that then this I would like to see.

Ummm exactly that works on retail with SSAO introduced in MoP, but it doesn't work in Vanilla...

I don't what you are trying to prove, but light/effect-wise, today's WoW is miles better than what the old client could do

[Deleted]

i Went to the area for you. I saw exactly the same thing. everything maxed, im using a 1060 6gb card is that helps.

[Sevarin]

turn down your shadow quality. i just tested it in the same spot as your screenshots. the lighting is horrible with max shadow quality, but with it set to low, theres light everywhere.



running max graphics, only thing changed is shadow quality.


http://imgur.com/a/AHWXz

http://imgur.com/a/w5JbP


edit: added screenshots

[donjn]

Ummm exactly that works on retail with SSAO introduced in MoP, but it doesn't work in Vanilla...

I don't what you are trying to prove, but light/effect-wise, today's WoW is miles better than what the old client could do

Oh I dont disagree with you there. The new lighting system is better overall for sure, they can do much more with it. I am just saying your character does not light up the way he used to when sunlight is on him. Thats all, no biggie.

- - - Updated - - -

turn down your shadow quality. i just tested it in the same spot as your screenshots. the lighting is horrible with max shadow quality, but with it set to low, theres light everywhere.



running max graphics, only thing changed is shadow quality.

OMG thank you, Teldrassil looks better with low shadow quality. Go figure. Thanks!

[RobertMugabe]

Oh I dont disagree with you there. The new lighting system is better overall for sure, they can do much more with it. I am just saying your character does not light up the way he used to when sunlight is on him. Thats all, no biggie.

I think they replaced that (or well not really replaced, maybe you can get it that way again when you turn off shadow effects) with their new shadow tech in MoP.

[Netherspark]

The lighting system has been totally overhauled since then, maybe something was lost in the transition.

Also, you might have disabled the full screen glow effect. Try typing /console ffxglow 1 and see if it makes a difference.

[DarthMonk79]

well its obviously a "biggie" or you wouldn't have made a thread about it!

[Deleted]

well its obviously a "biggie" or you wouldn't have made a thread about it!

Never made a thread out of curiosity ?

[Nevcairiel]

OMG thank you, Teldrassil looks better with low shadow quality. Go figure. Thanks!

Its probably because you are in a big tree and can't really see the sky much at all. The new high/ultra shadows compute actual shadows of the actual 3D world, and the trees don't let much light through (especially the old vanilla trees which are largely a cube with a semi-transparent texture) - the low-quality shadows are pre-computed low-res maps in the ground, which are far from accurate to any light sources.

Its a shame street lamps don't cast shadows though, that would be interesting.

[Deleted]

God the vanilla screenshots look bad. Especially that glowing skin.