LENS FLARES!!!!

[daniel l.]

Yes i have discussed this before, But honestly peoples arguments that lens flares are only for cameras is kinda silly considering that the game uses "Camera" modes to view things, Besides as a glasses wearer my life is filled with lens flares already.

And honestly the default flare is to ugly and the brightness contrasts are rather washed out.

[razark]

13 hours ago, daniel l. said:

But honestly peoples arguments that lens flares are only for cameras is kinda silly considering that the game uses "Camera" modes to view things

You may like to pretend you've got an arbitrary physical camera hanging around outside all your spacecraft, but I like to view it as though I'm not looking at it through an extra, imperfect lens.  As a wearer of glasses myself, I don't need extra crap added for no reason.

Can we make pointless lens flares an option yet?  I mean, seriously.  Civilization has spent the last many years trying to remove a flaw, just so people can add it back in when it doesn't need to be there?  How about we make it so that the screen just goes blank after a few seconds to imitate the lack of oxygen, too?

Edited March 3, 2016 by razark

[Renegrade]

30 minutes ago, razark said:

Can we make pointless lens flares an option yet?  I mean, seriously.  Civilization has spent the last many years trying to remove a flaw, just so people can add it back in when it doesn't need to be there?  How about we make it so that the screen just goes blank after a few seconds to imitate the lack of oxygen, too?

Totally agree with everything you've said here.  The irony is kinda staggering here - spent billions tryin' to reduce these things, and now we're spending more puttin' 'em back in.

A fake, cheezy, tacky effect.. like that ricochet sound that bullets used to make in older movies.  Abram's revenge!

[Laie]

I find it interesting that we need to add artifacts for stuff to look real / credible.

[razark]

13 minutes ago, Laie said:

I find it interesting that we need to add artifacts for stuff to look real / credible.

It is indeed interesting, and it goes back quite a long time.  Some early pottery was made to look like the woven baskets that preceded it, and some early metal tools were made to replicate wooden and stone tools.

[daniel l.]

The reason why i like lens flares is that they are absolutely GORGEOUS! and very enjoyable to see. Besides playing the game is equivalent to using a camera so lens flares should appear imo

[rustysocket]

I'd be down for lens flares

[razark]

38 minutes ago, daniel l. said:

The reason why i like lens flares is that they are absolutely GORGEOUS! and very enjoyable to see.

I disagree with that.  I see them as an artifact of a flawed system.  They only exist in real lenses because we haven't managed to get rid of them, but we've been trying for decades.  Once, they were something to avoid, and filmmakers would do what they could to minimize them as much as possible.  I honestly don't see why anyone would want them, unless they were specifically trying to replicate a scene as though it was filmed by an inferior technology.  Just doesn't make sense to me.

(Of course, I also like liver and onions and think cheesecake is a horrid abomination that should not be, so we all have different tastes in what we like.  That's why it should be an option.)

 

38 minutes ago, daniel l. said:

Besides playing the game is equivalent to using a camera so lens flares should appear imo

Again, I disagree.  We take pictures/film in the real world using cameras because we have no other choice.  In the KSP world, however, we are not using a physical camera.  We are simply observing the world from an arbitrary third-person view.  We don't have to worry about maneuvering a physical camera, rendezvousing it with our ship, making sure it doesn't drift off, etc.  We don't need the camera, so why should we impose the limitations of a camera on something that is fundamentally not a camera?  It's immersion-breaking to me, in fact.  It pulls me out of the "being there" feeling, and artificially shoves something in front of my face and yells "Hey!  This is just a bunch of pixels on a screen!" instead of presenting me with what I would see if I were to actually view the scene from that viewpoint.

[daniel l.]

2 minutes ago, razark said:

I disagree with that.  I see them as an artifact of a flawed system.  They only exist in real lenses because we haven't managed to get rid of them, but we've been trying for decades.  Once, they were something to avoid, and filmmakers would do what they could to minimize them as much as possible.  I honestly don't see why anyone would want them, unless they were specifically trying to replicate a scene as though it was filmed by an inferior technology.  Just doesn't make sense to me.

(Of course, I also like liver and onions and think cheesecake is a horrid abomination that should not be, so we all have different tastes in what we like.  That's why it should be an option.)

 

Again, I disagree.  We take pictures/film in the real world using cameras because we have no other choice.  In the KSP world, however, we are not using a physical camera.  We are simply observing the world from an arbitrary third-person view.  We don't have to worry about maneuvering a physical camera, rendezvousing it with our ship, making sure it doesn't drift off, etc.  We don't need the camera, so why should we impose the limitations of a camera on something that is fundamentally not a camera?  It's immersion-breaking to me, in fact.  It pulls me out of the "being there" feeling, and artificially shoves something in front of my face and yells "Hey!  This is just a bunch of pixels on a screen!" instead of presenting me with what I would see if I were to actually view the scene from that viewpoint.

Isnt it pretty!?!?!? (Not to sound girlish)

Remember its a game and games are about fun, For me at least nothing is more fun than finding a place that makes my jaw drop. and taking a screenshot.

[razark]

2 minutes ago, daniel l. said:

Isnt it pretty!?!?!?

I just happen to think it would look better without distorting the picture unnecessarily.

 

3 minutes ago, daniel l. said:

Remember its a game and games are about fun, For me at least nothing is more fun than finding a place that makes my jaw drop. and taking a screenshot.

Part of the fun for me is the immersion.  Distorting my view for no adequate reason breaks that.  If I'm looking at the world through a camera in-game, then the lens flare makes sense.  If I'm not looking through a lens in-game, there shouldn't be a flare.

 

But it looks like we're just starting to go in circles here.

[daniel l.]

10 minutes ago, razark said:

I just happen to think it would look better without distorting the picture unnecessarily.

 

Part of the fun for me is the immersion.  Distorting my view for no adequate reason breaks that.  If I'm looking at the world through a camera in-game, then the lens flare makes sense.  If I'm not looking through a lens in-game, there shouldn't be a flare.

 

But it looks like we're just starting to go in circles here.

Maybe but then again maybe the devs should simply add a flare strength slider.

[razark]

2 minutes ago, daniel l. said:

Maybe but then again maybe the devs should simply add a flare strength slider.

 

4 hours ago, razark said:

Can we make pointless lens flares an option yet?

 

 

13 minutes ago, razark said:

But it looks like we're just starting to go in circles here.

 

[mythbusters844]

23 minutes ago, razark said:

I just happen to think it would look better without distorting the picture unnecessarily.

 

Part of the fun for me is the immersion.  Distorting my view for no adequate reason breaks that.  If I'm looking at the world through a camera in-game, then the lens flare makes sense.  If I'm not looking through a lens in-game, there shouldn't be a flare.

 

But it looks like we're just starting to go in circles here.

What do you mean? It looks BEAUTIFUL!

Edited March 3, 2016 by mythbusters844
Almost forgot chromatic abhor-er-abberation!

[daniel l.]

Just now, mythbusters844 said:

What do you mean? It looks BEAUTIFUL!

How the....... I like flares but thats a bit much..... Might look better in a screen capture though.

[mythbusters844]

8 minutes ago, daniel l. said:

How the....... I like flares but thats a bit much..... Might look better in a screen capture though.

It is a screen capture, it just has all that unnecessary camera artifacting that you're excited about.

Like honestly, why put effort into making the game look better when you can just spam lens flares everywhere?

Edited March 3, 2016 by mythbusters844

[daniel l.]

8 minutes ago, mythbusters844 said:

It is a screen capture, it just has all that unnecessary camera artifacting that you're excited about.

Like honestly, why put effort into making the game look better when you can just spam lens flares everywhere?

Thats not what i mean, Lens flares have a place... On bright things, You seem to have the idea that lens flares are to be spread around like random noise. 

A good use for a lens flare would be this:

[daniel l.]

Would this picture be nearly as beautiful without them? The problem here is the grainyness of the image.

Edited March 3, 2016 by daniel l.

[Hannu2]

No thanks. I have used thousands of euros to buy high quality camera objectives in real life to minimize such errors. So I do not want that they are artificially added anywhere. I think also that there are so much work in basic gameplay things that devs should not use their time to futile eye candy in this phase of developing. Lens flares would be a graphics enhancement mod.

Crosses on stars are not lens flares. They are diffraction spikes caused by secondary mirror mount of reflector. In my opinion also astronomical photos look better without them and other imaging errors.

[bonyetty]

You could just place a desk light or similar and shine it on your computer screen if you wish to obstruct your view when playing KSP. 

[daniel l.]

25 minutes ago, Hannu2 said:

Crosses on stars are not lens flares. They are diffraction spikes caused by secondary mirror mount of reflector. In my opinion also astronomical photos look better without them and other imaging errors.

Honestly i really find the opposition here to be very suprising considering that honestly IMO lens flares and diffraction spikes are far prettier than the stupid eyemelting sunburst that we have to live with.

 

[daniel l.]

33 minutes ago, bonyetty said:

You could just place a desk light or similar and shine it on your computer screen if you wish to obstruct your view when playing KSP. 

That is not the point! For the 100th* time now i've had to explain that lens flares are not abstract light abberations! They are beautiful luminous effects that are to be admired like reflections on a pond, And they dont block vision! they are extremely enjoyable to look at and very relaxing in a way especially if its blue.

 

EDIT: Sorry if i sounded rude i just get frustrated at peoples misconception of what lighting effects are.

 

*I know its exaggerated.

Edited March 3, 2016 by daniel l.

[bonyetty]

Oh sorry. If you wish to see beautiful reflections and the like when playing KSP. You could place a desk light and shine it on the computer screen and enjoy the beautiful luminous effects you have created yourself. Surely it is more satisfying to admire your own creations than someone else's. 

 

Couldnt resist . Yes I agree some of the visual effects of refraction and reflection of light can be aesthetically pleasing. When playing KSP sometimes it can be helpful to be able to identify parts of the image as small as a single pixel. I beleve what you desire would likely make playing KSP more difficult in a less fun way. 

[daniel l.]

1 minute ago, bonyetty said:

Oh sorry. If you wish to see beautiful reflections and the like when playing KSP. You could place a desk light and shine it on the computer screen and enjoy the beautiful luminous effects you have created yourself. Surely it is more satisfying to admire your own creations than someone else's. 

 

Couldnt resist . Yes I agree some of the visual effects of refraction and reflection of light can be aesthetically pleasing. When playing KSP sometimes it can be helpful to be able to identify parts of the image as small as a single pixel. I beleve what you desire would likely make playing KSP more difficult in a less fun way. 

*Ahem

5 hours ago, daniel l. said:

Maybe but then again maybe the devs should simply add a flare strength slider.

Problem solved.

[Temeter]

I think lens flares are at least to some degree justified in how they are basically a way to convey the idea of the sun being bright, since the game obviously can't just burn your eyes out. Actually kinda liked the flares from scatterer.

While overused in many places, especially movies, that's still a bit on another level like e.g. chromatic abberation, which is 95% stupid.

Btw, Fun fact: The USS Enterprise-E is armed with photonic lens flares. Which I thought was kinda dope.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Temeter

[sal_vager]

KSP's stock lensflare isn't too bad, it's a lot subtler than the OP's, as you can see here.

It can always be modded out if you dislike it.