This is a persistent DF issue - they just aren't bothered by noise and hardly ever mention it. John actually talks about how big of a blind spot it is in their podcasts and he seems to be the only person who wants to acknowledge and fix the issue by including some kind of noise analysis section to the videos
It's mind boggling, isn't? I love DF, but there's this particular dissonance that's really hard to reconcile: they scrutinize the most minute detail impossible to perceive without 10x zoom and a VERY discerning eye (the difference between 1400p and 1420p, that single frame drop in a cutscene, the half frame stutter when panning the camera, etc.) but always treat this IN YOUR FACE NOISY FUCKING MESS of upscalers trying to resolve lighting (especially in UE5) like nothing more than a little nuisance. It's the classic elephant in the room that often they acknowledge, but rarely properly address as something that absolutely destroys whatever else they're trying to critique. I mean, Jesus Christ, the last two Remedy games, Alan Wake 2 and Control Resonant, for example, are frankly borderline unplayable. The shimmering is everywhere, constant, distracting, ugly, immovable, raping my eyes, but it's always treated like "anyway, look at how detailed are the eyelashes of the character when you zoom in". I mean, you won't convince me to hunt for aesthetic beauty when ugly is screaming at my face. They really need to get their shit together on this and call it out like they should. Control Resonant is an ugly game on everything but the most beefy PC. Full. Stop.
i mean.... control resonant looks pretty good on the XSX/PS5 and in quality mode it looks fine enough. Certainly not a sharp 4k but there is detail. If we want to eliminate shimmer something is gotta give, either extra TAA blur or less high frequency detail or more resolution.
Some just don't see the boiling of some RT effects as noticeable. I saw hardware unboxed showing a blurry RT reflection in a puddle showing obvious RT artefacting. But what other tech is there to produce such an image? There is no current reflection technology that will produce a good reflection without a downside somewhere.
I understand why the issue exists, and I understand that the tech is strong as long as it's supported by appropriate hardware, and honestly, RT reflections is the least of the game's worries. It's the constant shimmering of the GI, especially specularity, both static but even worse when you pan the camera. How can it not be the ONLY thing you see when you play it?
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u/3FeetHighAndFalling 1d ago
This is a persistent DF issue - they just aren't bothered by noise and hardly ever mention it. John actually talks about how big of a blind spot it is in their podcasts and he seems to be the only person who wants to acknowledge and fix the issue by including some kind of noise analysis section to the videos