Suggestion for Godot visual/graphical quality settings (medium, high, very-high . . ) . . .

[charlesmlamb]

Describe the project you are working on

A Tomb raider game . . <3

Describe the problem or limitation you are having in your project

I'd like to have ' elevated ' or, pristine visuals, and I think closest thing one can come, to ' divine ' visuals, holy visuals, is classic, amazing nature documentaries, also some architecture, examples . . .

We've got this new ' preview ', where glow, sdfgi is enabled, I think it makes more sense, to have a ' graphical quality ' menu, with settings like, high, very-high, ultra-high . . Where, one goes from simple polygons, shapes, or so . . .

To classical, amazing, ' holy ' almost, nature documentaries . .

Now, I've been looking at it, and one can get pretty far, with using ' adjustments ', in default_env.tres <3

However, to get the 'last' effects, one basically needs world-class RTX, PBR textures, so on . .

My point is, it'd be nice if Godot instead of having a ' preview ', where one turns on some 'scattered' settings, that it simply was a menu, where one could click low, medium, high, very-high, ultra-high, classic PC settings . . . And, when all that was turned on, it looked like the best nature documentaries, perhaps a ' bit ' better . . Sort of, on really good days, one can almost see the world, like that, everything sings and, has ' a life ', character, spirit . . . So, I think this MIGHT be a good ' sort of range ', of visual quality settings, as the ' default ' ones . . Starting with the ones that cost the ' least ' performance, maybe AA, perhaps adding some contrast, to get ' nature docu ' list, belongs in medium settings, but it'd give a sort of, ' visual quality ' spectrum, that belongs in Godot, and would look quite amazing . .

The ' audio ' equivalent of this, is the post-proc they do at 'church' concerts and, also in some really good nature documentaries, where a rain-drop falling, sounds like a ' bell ' or, choir, or so . . :OO <3 . .

Anyway, one could say, this was how the ' world ' looked, before the fall :OO . .

Or, ' Eden ' graphics . . :OO . . .

So, I think it makes sense, that Godot might have a ' graphics quality ' slider, or menu, that takes it from simple polygons to, ' Heaven ', glory . . .

Etc etc . .

So, at ultra-high settings, RTX is enabled, and things look like ( 3D forest, or so . . ) . . .

' Paradise ' . . .

Describe the feature / enhancement and how it helps to overcome the problem or limitation

Well, it's just a suggestion, for how Godot could sort of, have a ' visual quality ' slider or, graphics ' menu ' <3 It'd go from zero effects turned on ( fastest ) to, all settings on, including full RTX, well, other stuff . . So, the mundane looks 'miraculous' or, divine, basically anything . . ' Paradise, on earth ', in 'graphics', so on . .

Describe how your proposal will work, with code, pseudo-code, mock-ups, and/or diagrams

See the above images, look for prize - winning nature photos, or architectural stuff, found the photos, on google . .

If this enhancement will not be used often, can it be worked around with a few lines of script?

Well, this will have to be written, or so . . It's just an idea, might 'look' cool, nice . . Sort of, enhanced, but meditative, almost ' divine ' :OO . . . An idea, for some ' graphics ' setting that actually fit Godot, aren't ' fake ' or, super - enhanced, calm, pristine and, noble <3 . .

Is there a reason why this should be core and not an add-on in the asset library?

Well, Godot doesn't have a simple way, to turn up the ' effects ', this might work, not sure . . . .

Thanks <3 . . .

PS. Nature documentaries, the 'best', push graphical fidelity, and quality to the breaking, it's sort of the ' ideal ' point between no post-proc, effects, and 'over-doing' it, making it ' fake ', or plain ' weird ' . .

Also, one could make a slider, that takes one from no effects, simple editor, closer and closer to that, in the minimum performance requirement way, MAYBE with some alterations . . Also, it'd allow one to 'preview' engine, all settings on, in a ' simple ', even elegant way . . <3

[mrjustaguy]

Ok so I'm going to boil this all down to: You want to send specific emotions to people. Great, but that's entirely your job to do and ALL the tools are here and ready for it. Also you've got a fallacy in place, You think that One filter would make all the images give off a specific emotion, that is false. What gives Emotion to a picture is the person viewing it, and as such how the contents of the picture move the person. This is almost entirely based on your content, and filters won't do the job, only if they're used properly can they help set in the tone of the game. Also to further the point of "One size doesn't fit all" the pictures you've shown here, they don't even use the same filters & post processing.

[charlesmlamb]

No, it's not about ' emotions ', it's about a noble, clean, pristine, 'elevated' look . . What people see in it, I can't decide, but it'd make sense . .

Last, since the original proposal was about, some ' quality ' settings, this could be done for graphics alone, not post - proc, in which case feature would just use stuff like sdfgi, AA, AO, etc . . but, not go into post - proc . . That would avoid the ' question ', of what look is ideal . .

Also, it's about more than ' emotions ', it's also about what is the furthest one could go, in an open source game, what are the best looking things, that aren't commercial, or ' fake ' . . ie. reality can never match the post - proc . . Well, that's something like high-quality architecture, or nature photography, imo . . So, it answers what the ' best ' and, non - commercial look in Godot would be, theoretically, imo . .

And, yes some of the above pictures don't have the same filter, or effects . . But, generally, there are some common themes, extreme visual fidelity, and clarity, striking colors and, contrast, ' luminescence ' or, so . . . I also think this could be a nice thing, simply bec. these photos, one could argue Hollywood goes further, are quite stunning, to MOST people . .

imo, this is also about getting some ' slider ', that turns up the graphics quality, regardless post - proc, in a way where the users don't have to test a bunch of features, never really knowing what it does, or how it will impact performance later . . .

Whether or not post - proc is involved, there's still that question . . Esp. for new users that may have used consoles, where graphics settings often are hidden, plain absent, etc etc . . So, post - proc, it's about finding a balance, between nothing, and something that is universally ' accepted ', for it's own sake, ie. beautiful buildings, animal documentaries, so on . . .

Yes, the content would decide, what happens next, and those let's say, ' default ' settings could fast be set, to something, say ' Hollywood ', for a commercial game, or more . . . But, it'd give Godot a ' pristine ' look, that wasn't commercial, most animal documentaries don't go into politics, economics, what-ever . . . it's just, ' look at this tiny frog, look at this forest, or look at this old church, or parliament ' . . That's why, these things are basically non - commercial, and is ONE idea, for what a ' high quality ' settings could look like, but if we just got a feature, with no post - proc, say in 12 steps, that helped gradually turn up the graphics quality, esp. for beginners, that'd be awesome, bec. I ' hate ' having to study, and endlessly experiment with these settings, it's ' completely ' obscure if, you don't know something about graphics and, I have ' zero ' sense, of how these things impact performance, FPS, at all . .

So, it's not user - friendly, the ' graphics ' settings . . and, one could put such ' step ' - slider into project settings, there's one thing I feel, would be problem, though that would be nice . . if the slider was right above 3D viewport, or some place, one could move it, and immediately see what happens, with the project settings window getting in the way but, having it in project settings makes more sense . . .

[Zireael07]

You can NOT achieve a "noble, pristine, elevated look" with just a couple of post-proc effects.

That said, the part of the proposal about having some preset graphics settings does make sense.

[mrjustaguy]

Commercial doesn't mean it's fake., and yea there is Nothing that can guarantee a "noble, pristine, elevated look" as it's really all up to the artist, and as I said earlier, the Graphics Presets, that you see in games and the like, are based on the Workload, and while yes in 99% of the cases that does corelate to the picture quality, if the artists mess up, Ultra can look worse compared to medium etc..

Also Graphics is NOT user-friendly. Heck, with AI doing all the heavy lifting and creating what you describe, Graphics still wouldn't be that user friendly, even if one would communicate with such an AI with a direct brain-computer interface... and that tech isn't close to being ready, on both the AI and interface part, and won't be for years to come.

All you can do is play with the settings and stuff and hope you find what you need. With time you'll get more experienced with it and you'll have a better feeling of what settings will produce what sort of an image.. There is NOTHING that Godot can do to change that..

Guess what - Life is all about Having to Study to get the desired outcomes, and to endlessly Experiment. How the hell do you think we have computers today? and all the other tech? People Endlessly Experimented and Studied things, and as such Learned more about said things, and figured out how to control them, and then tried to pass that knowledge on to the best of their abilities, usually by showing the experiments and the like, and giving their explanations and the like.

If you don't like that, Sorry, but this isn't the place for you, it requires too much studying and experimenting, Science, Game Dev and the like are essentially all about that sort of stuff.. I mean heck, I don't see anything in life that one doesn't have to study and/or experiment with.

[charlesmlamb]

Here's the last points, it's not my job as a new or, even mid - level experience user, to know a. what these settings are or, b. where they are . . Right now, they're buried in obscure menus, in project settings, and ' resolution ' is set on another page, from other graphics settings . . That might make sense, but in most video - games, stuff like resolution, and AA, which is what I remember from my PC days, before I got consoles, where on same page, or so . .

I just think it'd make sense, if there was a menu, or an easier way to access the graphics, ideally a slider on could press an icon, and it appears, with an expanded list, so one can see, what is being turned on, for advanced users so, one can set it there, so if one sets step 5 quality, and it sets AA to 8x, and some user wants 4x, then one can click in the ' expanded ' list, to get 4x . .

One could also have sdfgi, with a submenu, where the ' settings ' are, so everything could be done, in such a menu . .

Also, as a new user, it's a nightmare to go through all these settings, and it's a bit annoying, if one wants to make a nice looking title, as a new user, one has to spend like six months reading about what this does, how performance intensive it is or, resort to guessing, or just ' not caring ' . .

It was also bec. there was a new ' environment preview ', which I really liked a lot, and there were some graphics settings there, and I was like, this is pretty cool, but also felt, a few things were missing . . if these things could be combined with these idea, ie. a sun preview, and a ' generate demo level ', then I think it'd be rather rad, imo . .

I've used Godot for over 1 year now, for 3D games, and I still haven't dared or, even wanted to look at all those settings or, try and figure out what they mean . . . If some really experienced user, could make this feature, so I could get slow sdfgi, medium sdfgi, advanced sdfgi . . then, it'd save me a lot of time, and I wouldn't be clicking things I have no idea what does . . . also, sometimes performance for some feature explodes in later scenes, for instance if I suddenly have a lot of shadows, or transparent objects, it can be unpredictable, how these things work, over an entire game . . :OO . .

So, if someone from Godot, helped new users sort of, gradually increase the settings, starting with things that give 1. low performance over-head and, 2. nice graphics, ie. AA 2x, AA 4x, AO, up to finally toggling low-end sdfgi, then mid-level sdfgi, then up to, almost everything the engine can do, it'd just allow esp. new users to use the engine faster and, for mid - level users that want to focus on content or, 'production', to avoid these issues, or ' frustrations ' . . .

It's fun to play with graphics settings, in video - games, but the stuff I'm doing in Godot, is just much more advanced, and I have no idea how it comes together, or what to use . . for that reason, I've sort of given up on using the graphics settings, just let it be at default values, and add something, as I care, usually something related to PBR materials . .

Ok, well not sure . . I just wish there was some slider, that'd help me ' boost ' the graphics in the best way, acc. to the people that made the engine, and actually know how these things ' impact ' performance and, also what makes sense . . I feel like it's guess-work, when I click something, the tiny bit of information I get, doesn't really tell me anything, and I basically never use these features, which is a shame, bec. it might be quite nice <3 Thx . . .

Also, it'd be nice, well if new users could drop some ' Quixel ' assets, or free 3D assets, high-quality into Godot, put quality to ' max ' and, see if the engine MIGHT be good enough, for what they do, it's not about selling the engine, you know what I mean . . . Right now, I've given up on using the graphics settings, it's not worth the time, or even energy . . I have no idea what's going on, how it will randomly impact performance later, or what ' settings ' roughly match my hardware, for say 60 FPS, at 1080p . .

Well, now you know, all those graphics features, are sitting in the menus, almost ' doing ' nothing and, often going to waste . . . No one wants to read all those menus, and try and figure out, what ' actually ' happens when one presses something, it is both obscure and, 'frustrating', and for something like sdfgi, with settings like bounces, that really impact performance, setting all this up takes hours, tbh weeks . . . So, the engine is amaze-balls, but I hope you will consider this, it also works as a preview, of what engine can do, then if people dropped a scene, a PBR .glTF, they'd at least know, the engine was ' good ' enough, for their ideas or, close . . . <3

last. you've seen the image, this is my proposal, but it might be possible to make it nicer, or so . . .

However, the slider could be placed, as a hovering slider, over bottom of 3D viewport, or even left side . .

That's why like the rest of proposal I make, this is a ' starting ' point, for the HARD - core people, at the engine, to turn into something, if at all, that fits the engine, 'well' . . for instance, it could be on front page, of ' simple settings ', in a project settings page . . .

ie.

Resolution type : ???x??? Graphics quality: low-med-high-very-high-ultra-high

So, it looked like graphics settings, in most games, on the ' simple ' page . .

So, it was sort of ' condensed ' and, made more user-friendly, by someone who understands, what settings to toggle, in what order, as graphics cards, and CPU gets faster, which will require some thinking, and ' good ' understanding of new, but also some-what old computers :O :O . .

Sorry . . It could be a slider, it could also be the ' simple ' page, in project settings, a more user-friendly page, that coordinated things, and ' toggled ' more advanced settings, FOR the users, or such . . . It's just an exercise in ' frustration ' and, bitterness, to try and figure these settings out, esp. as a new user, that just want to make games, and skip 'that' step :OO <3 . . .

Hope something can be done, I'd appreciate the help, I have no idea what I'm doing when I click these things, or if it's even necessary, for most things <3 <3 . . .

add. one could also have another menu, next to ' graphics ', where one sets resolution, viewport stretch mode, other stuff :OO :OO . . plug-and-play, esp. nice for new users <3 <3 . . but, this has to be thought about, by really good Godot users, so it ' fits ' with the engine, the ' best ' way <3 . .

Later . . . .

[charlesmlamb]

Last, I really want to have the ' best ' graphics, I can <3 but, I have no idea what things I can increase, that will make performance drop like a brick or, randomly . . With this feature, I could sort of, take it a step higher, and see if it still works . . Well, it'd be a big help, esp. for a new user, I suppose, just has to be made by someone, who understands these things, and sort of, what older computers can do, so it ' works ' for every-body, or so . .

So, this is an early proposal, I hope someone here will much improve, so it 1. fits Godot and, 2. is even nicer <3 . . . Thx . .

ps. Also think mid - level Godot users, semi - experienced could benefit from this, and it'd indirectly help show engine's graphics capabilities, to new users or, small teams wanting to see, what the ' engine ' can do, or so . .

For me, it's all about needing help, to set all these systems up, I've basically given up and, don't care, it's just . . impossible, for me . . . and, I don't care to learn these things, I just want it to ' work ', if possible, that's all . . .

<3 . . .

I get some people like ' toying ' with these things, but I have no idea what half the words mean, if they even matter, or what to ' pick ' first, ever . . <3 <3 . . . It's a learning I don't want, or am really interested in, while I understand some people think it's nice, to be able to set them, ie. that's why keeping them, so experienced users can set them manually, would work for every-body . . :OO but, how to do it, not sure, I think so far I haven't gotten it ' right ' :(( maybe someone here, knows a way <3 Thx . . .

[charlesmlamb]

Last, I understand these settings are ' cool ' and, special, or more . . . but, for me, as someone who's more artistic, ie. my interest is in using Godot to tell stories, not learn graphics settings, this stuff is just ' too ' difficult, atm . .

For my current project I couldn't care less, about the technical aspects of Godot, and some, many users, esp. new users will maybe ' like ' something nice, that they can later ' dig ' into, etc . . .

For my part, I've basically given up on ' fiddling ' or, tweaking these settings, esp. for sdfgi, I get for ' experts ' that REALLY understand the terms, this is easy, but for me, 1. I don't care, at all, 2. My focus is on content, and stories, settings, not ' tech ', and, 3. it's not my job or, concern to set this up, really . . .

also, it's god-damn frustrating and, just you know . . .

Question is, what can be done about it, I'm not sure, something that makes sense, in Godot, maybe it could be done, on the ' simple ' settings, for graphics settings, in project settings, though a slider would be really nice . . :OO <3 . . . .

That's where I hope, you could make it even nicer and, more ' appropriate ' . . . <3 <3

Maybe, even throw some ideas around and, make it ' rock ' <3 . . . .

Add: Like, I have no idea what I'm doing, for instance suppose I have a nVidia 3060 graphics card, I upgrade <3 should I then just max out MSAA, or would that be a problem, I have no idea what I'm doing, and this stuff is obscure and, ' really ' difficult, I'm basically just guessing, could set the system up for crashes, or performance holes, I have no idea about . . That's where I'd like a little help, to ' set ' these things up for me, from slow systems to, the fast ones <3 Thank you . . .

Godot is amazing but, some of it, is super - complex, esp. for noobs or, even mid - level users . . <3 Like, make a step, from slowest to, faster systems, with ' rough ' guidelines, for what YOU'D do, it'd be a massive help, at least for me, may-be others . . .

I was hoping some experienced computer experts and, Godot contributors might have some ideas . . It'd help new users get started, so much faster and, have ' more ' fun, or so . . Thank you . . .

[charlesmlamb]

Also, it's not ' my ' engine, I haven't put 1000 hours into coding it, know it really well, understand the tech, it's not my decision, how things should be ' done ' . . . So, I hope you can make something really nice . . .

My focus right now, is on telling a story, 100 % . . I don't want to learn these things, I don't have the time and, I frankly don't care ( though I'm a big nerd, and also sort - of appreciate them <3 ) . . Right now, it's just not something I want to bother with or, that's remotely on my radar . . .

I'd like something, that'd help me, no expertise, take Godot to the highest or, near that level, of settings, also just to test it out, for ' fun ', etc . . . Like, I do care about these things but, right now, my focus is 100 % on telling a story, in the best way, it's just ' not ' important, for me, to ' learn ' these things, or spend hours and, hours in menus, testing performance, figuring out this crazy puzzle, of how all these things work together, what is even necessary, for instance I can't see much improvement, after 4x AA on my screen, so why is 16x there, and what kind of computer, is it recommended for, how will it ' combine ' with sdfgi, reflections, a bunch of other stuff . .

If I had the time, to spend a year studying these things, testing it in various scenes, go ' deep ' . . sure, but right now, it's getting in the way, and prevents me from making the engine look better, which is what I need help with, as a noob and, 'beginner' user . . . :OO Thx <3

It's super - frustrating and, makes me ' angry ', atm . . . <3 :(( Sorry . .

Some users come to Godot, to tell stories, or make stuff, not learn hard-core engine parameters and, optimize performance . . Some people have a game idea, for 4 - 5 years, find Godot, and just ' want ' to make it, fast . . This stuff, is getting in the way, having some help, setting this up, so it all works together, is too difficult, for most beginners, it's just 'impossible' . . . Thank you <3 <3

It's not 'important' to me right now, I'm dead - focused on telling a story and, telling it well . . I don't want to 'bother' with these things and, it's not my job, as a mere ' user ', content - maker . . :OO :OO <3 <3 . .

[charlesmlamb]

Last, suppose there was this slider, and I made a game, for my system . .

Then, I could just use this ' setting ', and put that in the game . . so, if it doesn't run well on someone's computer, just lower the settings, until it runs . . I have no idea how to set these things up, I don't know what laptops with an integrated Intel card can do, you just have to be an expert, for instance, should I first increase AA, or is shadow quality better and, in this particular engine, where does performance really drop . . These things, aren't possible to know, unless one has vast experience with the engine, on many systems, for years . . Thank you . . . :OO

It'd just have to be something rough, that people with experience would do, so beginners and, even mid - level users can skip this step and, focus on content and, ' good ' shit, video - games <3

And, I 'don't' care about these settings, at all, for now . . . I have 'better' things to do, focus on content and, story, getting that right, this could save me a ton, of time and, perhaps be ' fun ' or, more . . .

I'd like a way, to just make sdfgi nicer, in a competent way, for a common use case, let's say a photo-realistic game, PBR stuff . . then, keep increasing the toggle, until it looks, as I want, and if I'm WANT to spend the time, I can always set the features, by my-self <3 <3

Sorry, if this seems a bit ' bitter ', it's not my job or, interest, for now . . <3 And, I don't see myself really caring, for a long time, as well . . I'm a content - maker, stories, that stuff . . And, there are prob. many Godot users, that are similar, or are more there for ' quick ' fun, than the hard - core stuff . . :OO :OO . . .

If there was a slider, I could increase, until it was at level, where I'd say, ok this is what I want . . Then, from those settings, I could tweak it, faster and, know I hadn't made a bunch, of mistakes, on the way, creating performance or, glitch problems, I have no idea how to re-set or, un-do . . Thanks <3 <3 . .

I get it's 'nice' for hard-core nerds and, graphics experts but, it's something I don't have time or, significant ' interest ' in, right now <3 . . Thx . . . .

[mrjustaguy]

You do know that the Menu you showed up is from a AAA game, that has all the art done and everything, and doesn't offer ALL the settings related to graphics (Ambient Light, Fine-grain controls for Shadows, Reflections, Fogs, etc..) and instead just the ones that have the biggest impact on game performance and/or visuals... The settings are Really very Broad strokes in Games, In Game Engines They Mustn't because if they were there would be very constrained.

Godot and every other game engine, has plenty more options compared to most in-menus in order for maximum control, something that Games don't allow for, to not totally break the graphics, and only give a very constrained set of options (that are fairly common, such as Texture Quality, Shadow Quality, Post Processing, AA, Mesh LOD Quality, AO, Anisotropic Filtering) and guess what, the Game engine cannot have such settings, because Medium quality in one game might be low in another, or high in some other. There are just a TON of considerations needed to make Those settings, and not have them be absolute garbage... Considerations that only the people making the Game (Not the Engine) Can do, on a Per Game basis... I've said it before, I'll say it again - THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL. If there were, all the settings would have the same meaning across all games, and would be standardized.

As far as Finding settings, They're in Project Settings under Rendering (window for res and scaling), and The Environment/Camera

These settings you will HAVE to experiment, in order to determine what suits YOU and YOUR needs. That is Not something the Engine can Do. Noob or Pro, if you want graphics to look a certain way, you Have to do it yourself with the tools you have, and the tools are exhaustive enough for you to be able to tune it to your liking.

Performance will vary based on the Scenes, not just the settings.. High Settings in one will run butter-smooth on garbage hardware, while the same settings will run like absolute crap on High-End Hardware, even on lower settings. To fix that You'll have to Optimize your game, something again, only YOU can do.

P.S. Also Stop Spamming! I mean srsly, 5 posts in a Row in an hour.

[charlesmlamb]

See this, is what I needed, to hear that this might be a bad idea . .

I just have no idea how to set all these things up, I have no clue if PSSM5, or PSSM13 quality shadows matter, or how it will all come together . . Or, if 16x MSAA is ever needed, or if it matters to tweak the SSAO settings, for faster systems . . .

I guess it might be be a bad idea, I'd just appreciate this, I guess like visual script is made for ' artists ' and, prototypes, I'd really benefit from this, as I just want the ' best ' graphics, pref. at fastest performance, maybe it's impossible <3

Well, I'll stop now, I see there are some people here that know better, whatever happens, will have to be decided, by those with ' real ' experience :OO :OO Thank you . .

And, this is the only time I'll mention it, thank you for your feed-back, also . . Please, consider it, I don't want to mess with these settings, I just want a ' quick path ', to nice graphics, that run fairly well :OO . . . not sure, if it's realistic . . .

Done, and thank you <3 . .

Anyway, it'd be a big help, as a new user I'm just guessing, and I have no idea, if say I want to make sdfgi nicer, what it makes sense to set or, 'increase' . . Also, while I'm a big nerd atm, my focus in 100 % on telling a story, a ' dream ' game and, not slowly figuring out, what these things mean . . It'd be nice if there were some ' recommendations ', made by pros and, contributors, to help me, and other noobs, get ' started ', thank you <3 . . also, it might be a short-cut for experienced users, that know the want say, step 7, but with slightly different settings . . I just feel it is 'frustrating' and, VERY difficult, to 'master' these settings, esp. as someone who hasn't used PC's for gaming, since 2005-2006, where I started using consoles, I also have a laptop, to avoid ' upgrading ', and don't know anything about latest graphics cards, at all . . So, I feel it is complicated, and I'd like some help, at least some rough guidelines, in a slider . .

Also, you could optimize it, say you ' toggle ' reflections, but there isn't a single reflective material, in the scene, then that feature could be put dormant, globally, until the first material was added, that had anything reflective, ie. it could be quite advanced . . :OO :OO . . That would mean systems that are quite performance intensive, by simply turning them on, wouldn't ' toggle ' until the scene actually had something, that needed it, so on :OO . . .

Thank you . . .

[mrjustaguy]

Generally in Project settings it'll explained that something is slower and that something is faster, in Godot 4 that is.. and the options are sorted by Potential Impact relative to other options for a given setting.

A good rule of thumb is to aim first for what image quality you Want, and then shave off things that give the least to the image, or if you know a setting that just eats your performance and dial that down instead.. But over all Here's How Most settings impact performance in most cases:

AA - MSAA Can have a big performance impact on weaker hardware, FXAA is nearly free, but makes things a little blurrier Anisotropic Filter - Only has a performance impact (might drop like by a few FPS) on like really weak & old hardware, but 4x and 8x are probably the highest settings that you'll ever see any image quality improvements. Shadows - Have more impact based on how many objects are shadowed, and how complex their geometries are, and the higher res they are, and Filtering can Slow down, however have a large visual impact GI (short for Global Illumination) - Very Expensive in general, more so with more exotic types of GI, however can have the largest visual impact, same as shadows, However in scenes with Static Lights, It's probably better to use Baked Lightmaps, as they provide a form of GI that is cheap. Reflections - Moderate Impact, Depends on Quality, and the number of reflective surfaces rendered Glow - Impact can vary significantly, but mostly isn't a big impact Fog - depending on the Fog Type, can have little impact or moderate impact. Tonemap, Adjustments - same as FXAA and AF, Very little impact on performance. Post Processing (SSR, SSAO, DOF and the like) - Moderate Impact, not too much quality improvement in terms of image, unless the scenes are set up in specific ways to really need them.

Dynamic settings are probably coming in later versions of Godot as an option.. #2183 explains how it'll work.

[charlesmlamb]

Ok, I didn't know that, thank you for the feed-back, I feel now I see the limits, of this . . <3

I have some last thoughts, I'll make it quick . . .

Okay, for those that want to make stylized 3D content, maybe the lower settings could be used, ie. only ambient light, so on . . Then, if there was a slider, one could increase, up to say GI which is needed, for live reflections ?? . . Then, game - makers that wanted that, would be able to see, ohh I need GI, and ask questions, how do I then make a stylized game, with that ' graphics ' . . So, it could sort of help people, with different art - styles, figure out what is ' needed ', to get a certain look . . .

Also, I think, since photo-realistic PBR is the ' ultimate ' goal, to make that ' work ', on the highest settings, and at the lowest settings, make an graphics settings, that works for stylized 3D . .

But, I have read your criticism, and it's something like, this is VERY difficult, bec. each game will be unique, and optimizing it is always, almost always, a custom job . . . I would think, there are some general recommendations, but I see perhaps, it just isn't possible, each game will be so unique, it would be VERY difficult, to make something <3

I'm not sure, I've gotten some good answers and, a lot of patience, I'll stop here, and let you decide, I was hoping someone smarter could help me, and if this is where it should be closed, I'm happy, and also grateful . . <3 <3 . .

Thank you, also for the above info, I had no idea ;DD ;DD haven't used graphics settings, since PS3 was launched <3 . .

Just, thank you, I'll stop here <3

ps. I had no idea about the above stuff, I was really hoping someone like you, could maybe help make this, as you can see, it's for people with some background, but I also agree, that it'd be quite difficult, to implement, but I know there are some super-smart coders, and computer experts here, I was hoping for their help and, well ' expertise ' :(( <3 Thanks . . . .

And, I'm done, thanks for this, just amazing . . . <3 . . .

[charlesmlamb]

Ok, to make sure you see this, this is prob. best, I can do . . .

Sort, of way for new users to quickly set ' quality ' settings, and maybe also to have new ' environment preview ' . .

Last, maybe you could add some common ' post - proc ' settings, like the above, but suppose also some common ' Hollywood ' stuff, not sure it belongs in the engine, some movies have a light ' blue ' tint, in the lighter pixels . . .

Now, I don't like this movie, but it's an example, where the light pixels are slightly yellow, and darker pixels are ' green ' tinted . . I think, this might be a bad example, but sort of having this, would give in-experienced users and, also artists, people that focus on content a 'better' way of previewing the engine, and the stuff I asked for, a ' classic nature doc ' look, could also be there, and some other ones you like . .

I'm fully aware I have no idea how to set this up, that's where I feel the engine is working against me, as a noob game - dev, PS3 was launched in 2006, and I haven't used graphics settings, since then . .

As always, IF this can even be done, it has to be done in a way, the people that really ' understand ' Godot, tons, of experience, can make ' nice ' and, fit the engine, or so . . Thanks . . . .

Add.. notice there are different menus, for the most ' normal ' things you want to set, and maybe a slider, that moves by clicking a ' + ' icon, so it moves one step up, so the engine doesn't crash . .

Sorry, maybe if there were 3 - 4 menus, with the most common settings, and some recommendations, by engine makers or, experienced contributors . . I'm basically in the ' blind ', when trying to set these things :(( <3 . . .

Notice, this separates the different systems, giving more ' control ' and, one could just look at FPS, to see how it works . .

ps. Note, one could make the ' debugger ' be over a full-screen preview, I THINK Godot does not change monitor resolution, but render a lower res. image, and scales it :OO . . be really nice, if it was set up, so it ' just ' worked . . :OO

And, this might be impossible, looks like it, I'm hoping for a little help, this stuff is ' complicated ', for a new user, with almost no PC experience, the last many years <3 Thx . . .

Also, it's sometimes a problem, that the running window, with game - play, isn't really centered, if in ' resolution ' there was a little preview window, where one could see the docks, and the size of the game window, relative to screen - size . . .

Like this . .

Sort of, if it wasn't centered properly, one could set it, in the ' Resolution ' panel, or like above images . . .

Then, at least one wouldn't have to go into Project settings, to quickly change preview, from small window, to full-screen, etc . .

Maybe someone can make it better, it's still noob <3 <3 . . .

ps. One could make some common pre-set sizes, for resolution, ie. 1920x1080, 1280x720 and, resolutions often used in phones or, on tablets :O :O Thanks . . . . <3

Maybe some of this, would work in Godot, it'd at least making working with the engine easier, less time spent going into project settings, and help noobs find some good, basic settings, to ' work ' from <3 <3 . . .

[charlesmlamb]

Last, I'm a fan of really good FBI movies, with deep suspense and, characters . . I noticed in the Hannibal Lecter movies, there's another ' post - proc ', where the color correction adds a little blue, to the light end . . Same as one could make ' classic ' movie looks, one could add this, to some ' cool ' pre-sets, sorry if this is a bit disturbing, was first image I found, where one can see this . .

Notice that the white shirt, has a small blue tint, while the dark pixels, are still dark, ie. not blue . . :OO I don't think ' corporate ' movies fit well in Godot, so I leave it up, to people that understand the engine, a lot better . . . imo, it's prob. not the best, but one could at least POSSIBLY add the ' nature doc ' preset, to the list, and add stuff, over time . . :OO . . Also, I'm not a fan of Hannibal Lecter, I just find FBI profiler movies to be some of best ' crime ' movies, ever made, really love the mind of the profiler, vs. a killer ' dilemma ', very ' cool ', as police work :OO :OO Thx . . . .

Then, one could fast preview the most commonly used ' color correction ' and, even film - spaces used in movies, not sure Godot wants anything to do with ' money ' movies, but it'd be easy, maybe some people here have some favorite movies, or this COULD be used, in the engine . .

ps. It'd be a massive help, for new users, and people that don't ' get ' all the tech or, advanced settings . . :OO Thx . . .

Last, maybe some-one here could code a little ' test ', of this, and see if it works, then it'd be easier for engine masters, and contributors, to make it ' fit ' the engine, I can't code, only Visual script . . Thx . . . <3

ps. Maybe instead of some ' bars ', one could make it some icons, like new ' environment preview ' and, sort of combine these things, and in ' environment preview ', move the glow, sdfgi to ' Graphics settings ' and, instead have a ' generate procedural demo - level ', the ' official ' Godot level, that could even run ' live ' in the editor, with ' make tool ', not sure . . . :OO :OO . . .

Like, may-be . .

I think, that would really help me, maybe other beginners, and save experienced users the time, of constantly going into project settings, to set resolution, or full-screen <3 <3

You could even generate, a 'few' demo - levels, maybe one with fog, water, one with rock and, metal, one with fire, and particles, and one with wind, or air, with leaves moving, in a forest, and god rays, in say volumetric fog . . I'm not sure that's the best, but it'd preview the engine under some different settings, and they could even be combined, so if ' all ' are generated, one can see all features, of the engine, running with settings at ' high ' or, so . .

Last, one could make a last icon, or menu, for setting say, ' default level ', since one often has to go into project settings, again and, again to set that . . .

Also, maybe after the ' resolution ' menu, there could be a button, to go from ' borderless full-screen ', to a window, with a border, a ' quick ' toggle, or so . . .

So, if one clicks the icon, next to resolution, it toggles between full-screen, and a window mode, for easier debugging and, 'iteration' . . . Thanks . . .

It'd just make it faster, and also more noob - friendly and, even medium - level users, might use it, to ' get ' started . . .

' Epic ' preview but, better <3

So, you might even add some more primitives, like a torus, or so . . Maybe you can already make a crazy preview - system, with what there is, or add a pyramid, not sure how many, there are . . . and, an ' official ' Godot-head, like Suzanne in Blender, that could sit in the middle, of it all, floating or, constantly facing the camera :OO :OO . .

ROUGH ideas, atm, Thank you . . . <3

[YuriSizov]

Sorry, Charles, while the idea in this proposal is probably valid and can be considered, this thread is now practically unusable by anyone else. I have to close it, but everyone is welcome to open a new proposal for graphics quality setting presets!