What's the deal with new "vibrant" colors?

[Yumar]

Why is there unanimous hate for the color change? What kind of display is everyone running on, I'd like to get an idea of what this is relating to.

 

I run the game on two calibrated displays (hardware calibration, not profiles), and I hate the color change because all it did was give more "pop" for the sake of pop. It looks better in a 'OOOOO SHINY" sense, but it actually crushes shadow details and adds too much color that overwhelms the natural atmosphere in many zones. In some areas the new palette looks a little better (very brightly lit area with few shadows), but it is rare. This game already established its aesthetic for almost two years, and now it is being changed to a WoW color palette.

 

People could have turned their gamma down a few notches and they would have gotten a very similar effect to what we have now. This really should be a post processing option in the graphic settings.

[branmakmuffin]

If they hadn't announced it, no one would notice. People are seeing a difference because they expect to see one.

[Damask_Rose]

It seems that you can disable the new colors:

 

Thank you! I've been dreading the change since I saw the screenshots of Makeb.

[MidichIorian]

I was on a tight schedule before work so I didnt even think about the changes, I just wanted to check out the taun and new area. I really need to pay more attention.

[Icebergy]

Some of it looks really nice, other areas kinda look weird.

[Monthigos]

I don't hate the changes because they are changes and I'm sorry that some people are assuming that. I'm running an older 24" LCD monitor and the colors aren't as vibrant as some of the displays on my other devices, but the 'palette' changes are just over the top. I knew changes were coming and I even saw some videos--I thought they would be more subtle than they actually are. I don't know how anyone couldn't possibly notice the changes. In some places the colors are drawn out so much it's positively garish. Browns look like oranges and nice greens have been come limes. Some of the reds look almost pink. Sometimes the colors look nice, but that seems to be the exception rather than the norm. Corellia is golden now and doesn't even really look like a warzone. It's supposed to look gray with all the smoke. It's so bright on that planet that I was getting a headache. I watched a cutscene where the faces were washed out because of the high contrast.

 

I'm glad that some people think this is improvement but I certainly do not. I'm just glad there is an option to revert the changes.

[Kilora]

At least we can all be happy -- considering we now have a CHOICE.

 

It would, however, be nice for them to plop this choice into the graphics menu in-game, to make it:

 

1.) More obvious to those who don't visit the forums.

 

2.) Easier for those who are terrified of altering settings, in case they break something.

[Vhaegrant]

Hrrrm...

 

in my client settings file, there is no listing for the color remap. Anyone hazard a guess as to why?

 

Also, can I simply add the option and set it to false myself?

 

Should work fine if you just add it to the bottom of the [renderer] list as:

 

AllowColorRemapping = false

 

 

While I wholly encourage Bioware to make changes to the game on a regular basis I do wish they would put in options to allow the player base to decide for themselves whether they want to have their eyeballs bleed. I really liked the subtle and muted palette that the game originally shipped with.

 

I really can't state enough how much I dislike the new 'default' graphics setting. Thankfully there is some way to tone it done although I'm not 100% convinced the above sets it to how it was before it at least makes it playable for me.

 

I really wish there was a button to press in the graphics options similar to the 'Allow Bloom' button.

[oaceen]

LOVE LOVE LOVE the palette change! I will keep saying this over and over. There has to be someone that's not so dismal and likes it to.

 

i love it too.

[Nemmar]

I like it. It makes the game look better and more colourful. It was far too bland.

 

I dont think anyone would have noticed if ti wasnt announced tbh.

[LetoAtreidesII]

You can turn it on or off at will. Everyone wins. But some people don't like that. They want there to be no choice. They want to force their tastes and preferences on others probably because they're under the delusion that all human beings feel and experience things the same way. These people annoy me. And they are so damn pervasive. Even some of the people who share my dislike of the color vibrancy change think that way.

 

Hrrrm...

 

in my client settings file, there is no listing for the color remap. Anyone hazard a guess as to why?

 

Also, can I simply add the option and set it to false myself?

 

Yes you can just add it and set it t false yourself. There was no existing line in my client settings file either. I added it and it worked. Specifically, I added the following line under [Renderer]:

 

AllowColorRemapping = false

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE the palette change! I will keep saying this over and over. There has to be someone that's not so dismal and likes it to.

 

There are many people who love the changes and I think it's great that you love them. What bothers me is that you seem to think everyone else should love them too, and you're downright fanatical about it. I wonder, are you like this about everything else in life? Food, music, movies, wallpaper, etc.?

 

It's just another one of those things you need to adapt to...

Just play. Adapt.

 

I've been working on two movies in this game for over a year now. It's my primary occupation with this game. A mandatory color shift would have wrecked the project and all my countless thousands of hours of hard work. I wouldn't want the colors and contrast to suddenly undergo a major shift in the middle of any movie I'm watching. Yeah, I can really "just adapt" to that. Good thing you're not in charge of the game and there's an option to disable it.

 

It's because it's a change. The game was the old color palette since launch. It wasn't vibrant at all. Everything had a fog over it and appeared "gray-ish" Everybody got used to it. Now the people that really got used to it and liked the old way and do not like the new one at all, which makes the game look nicer and more detailed, are upset and angry and are voicing their displeasure about it on the forums.

 

It's a very nice change

 

No, it's because people are different.

 

The possibility doesn't seem to enter your mind that some people, maybe even most people, were genuinely happy with the original colors. And that that whole "perception of fogginess and getting used to it" scenario might only apply to some people and not others (or possibly only yourself).

 

And now you "know" what "everybody" is thinking. Mind reading is a cognitive error (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_distortion). Unfortunately, it's a common one. People often think they know what others are thinking. But they seldom do.

 

If they hadn't announced it, no one would notice. People are seeing a difference because they expect to see one.

 

I can't speak for anyone else (honestly, nobody really can but people do it anyway) but in my case that is blatantly false. Before I found out about the toggle, I downloaded the PTS client and checked it out hoping it wouldn't be very noticeable, but it was to me.

 

To me, it's like they cranked saturation and contrast to the max. The shadows on your character on the character select screen are so dark I can't help but notice them moving around whereas I didn't even notice them doing that before.

 

Keep in mind that in addition to having different mental hardware, people have different computer hardware as well. It may be more apparent on some systems and settings than others. I run my game at max settings (except with bloom and depth of field disabled) at 1920x1080 resolution. I do have my vibrancy cranked up a bit in my video driver as well. Maybe that's why it looks oversaturated to me.

Edited August 6, 2013 by LetoAtreidesII

[Glower]

Vibrant colors? Nice shadows? Texture filtering enhancements!? Too dark on fleet? Looks the same for me.

 

I did something wrong?

[LetoAtreidesII]

Vibrant colors? Nice shadows? Texture filtering enhancements!? Too dark on fleet? Looks the same for me.

 

I did something wrong?

 

People have different mental hardware as well as different computer hardware. The change may be more noticeable on some peoples' computer systems (as well as nervous systems) than others. Your brain might also be less sensitive to saturation and contrast than others.

 

There's nothing wrong with that. People are different. I knew someone who was fanatical about the difference in sound quality between Mumble and Ventrilo, but I could never discern any difference between the two whatsoever.

Edited August 6, 2013 by LetoAtreidesII

[GoldenHornet]

I'm running on a brand new 24" Samsung LED monitor and the new colours are awful.

 

Some of my characters are so over-saturated they look like Dale Winton.

Edited August 6, 2013 by GoldenHornet

[ImmortalLowlife]

Why is there unanimous hate for the color change? What kind of display is everyone running on, I'd like to get an idea of what this is relating to.

 

My computer is hooked into my 50" Sony bravia flatscreen using a monster hdmi cord (full 1080p). unfortunately I don't get off work for another 3 hrs so I can't give my opinion on how it looks yet. But I'm very anxious to find out!

[Clarian]

It seems that you can disable the new colors:

 

Nice, thanks for that! The preview images they posted a while back looked pretty good, but seeing it in-game...it seems like they mostly just played with the gamma, basically. My inquisitor's pale complexion got really washed out. But now it's back!

[Ksinn]

Thank You for workaround.

Couldn't stand looking at my characters orange face.

[demonolithic]

it seems that you can disable the new colors:

 

thank you sir!

[Quraswren]

So far I like it.

 

Hoth is not blinding white now. There is more blue to tone it down. Thats a plus.

 

Will have to wait and see the other planets and see how they turned out.

[Cyberwoman]

Just started playing the new patch, and from what I have seen so far I really like the new colors. Going to have to explore a little just to make sure, but I will certainly be sticking to it. It's nice that there is a choice though!

[carlbaratta]

I really dig the color changes personally. I guess you can turn them off though if you don't like/ are used to the previous version..... which means yah for everyone!

[Glower]

People have different mental hardware as well as different computer hardware. The change may be more noticeable on some peoples' computer systems (as well as nervous systems) than others. Your brain might also be less sensitive to saturation and contrast than others.

 

There's nothing wrong with that. People are different. I knew someone who was fanatical about the difference in sound quality between Mumble and Ventrilo, but I could never discern any difference between the two whatsoever.

 

Okay then.

[Hyfy]

It looks a lot better, so stop moaning idiots!...

 

You like chocolate cake? You think it tastes better than the others? Yes? Well that's your opinion. I prefer strawberry, so you must be wrong with your opinion right? Now I haven't gotten home yet so I can DL the update and see it first hand, but people are allowed their opinion without you being a douche and calling people idiot.

[metalfenix]

I'm in corellia right now, and I don't mind the new colors. not shocking, but also not too bothersome. I'll leave it as it is.

[chuixupu]

The difference is barely noticeable to me, colors look a tiny bit more vibrant but nothing huge...and after staring at the screen for an hour I don't even remember how it looked before.