ennvironment slider

[MADe]

Hey folks,
what is the environment slider actually controlling?

Is there a disadvantage in gaming with it set to none?

 

[Pudgie]

Hi MADe,

I believe that the environment slider controls the environmental mapping, ie light reflections, off of an object such as an aircraft. The higher the number the more enviromental mapping updates occur on an object, which require more GPU cycles to do it.

There is no gaming loss that I know of if this is turned off you will however gain some GPU performance due to the GPU not having to apply this mapping anymore. I typically leave it on as w\ this enabled it does help you to spot a shiny skinned airplane (non-painted)flying against a dark background (like the water) as the dot will be white instead of black, but this admittedly isn't much of a reason for most to keep this enabled vs the GPU cycles necessary (or FPS loss if you prefer) for it.

IOW's you lose a little graphical bling factor but can gain some more FPS.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[Chalenge]

If you can imagine the polygons it takes to make up an object, such as an airplane, being replaced with a camera and what the camera "sees" being mapped to the faces of a cube? That's a cube map, or reflection map, or environment map. How often the camera "snaps" an image to update the cube image is what the slider does. It's not a perfect solution, but at least you can have 'some' reflections created by the environment around you. It may be two or three generation more before GPUs can do it in real time, but by then we will be thinking about sub-surface scattering and even smaller details I think.

[Randy1]

Probably, the worst feature of ah2.   It seems so innocent but it is a resource super sucker that really provides very little in return.

[Bizman]

Like a mirror in a dark room with a strobe light. One flash and you'll see a static image. More flashes per a given time produce a more life like moving picture with the cost of more used energy.

[Skuzzy]

Probably, the worst feature of ah2.   It seems so innocent but it is a resource super sucker that really provides very little in return.

It is an awesome feature when you want to make really good films and that is what it is best used for.  If I am not making films, I set it to "None".

[Randy1]

It is an awesome feature when you want to make really good films and that is what it is best used for.  If I am not making films, I set it to "None".

It would be nice if there were some sort of warning note next to the slider saying just that.  No telling how many two week'ers slide that slider on then thought their system was not good enough to run ah.  It looks so innocent.

[FLS]

Edit: I was thinking EM slider.   

[Chalenge]

There is an environment slider on the graphics details panel. That's what he's talking about, so . . .

[FLS]

Hey folks,
what is the environment slider actually controlling?

The only effect I see in AH2 is the cockpit canopy appearance.

[Chalenge]

Try a bare metal airplane, especially any bomber.

[Skuzzy]

The only effect I see in AH2 is the cockpit canopy appearance.

Here is a tech video of it in action for AH2.  It will be getting an update for AH3 soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GD9Ndj7iHA

[FLS]

Here is a tech video of it in action for AH2.  It will be getting an update for AH3 soon.

I had forgotten we had it already when we got the mirror finish in the Alpha. It's more subtle in AH2.  I think I've had it off since it was added.

[MADe]

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