Is it me or does Skyrim seem dark and kind of depressing to you?

[Pineapplerum]

:yucky: Well, I think it's ugly. I'm trying to install a mod that fixes it but I can't find the stupid data folder.

[csgators]

:yucky: Well, I think it's ugly. I'm trying to install a mod that fixes it but I can't find the stupid data folder.

 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common

[ogridum]

Even with the desaturation of vanilla the nights are too clear, to light.

 

I look up in the sky and see the clouds and no moon or no bright stars and then I look back to my character there is a shadow without any light source! Then I look around me in the plains of Whiterun during night and everything is lit up as if a huge full moon was out in the sky, except there was none and the sky was filled with clouds.

 

Thats with the vanilla.

 

Thats also without liveless fire, campfire, torches, trees, grass and flowers with no colors, Even butterflies are not bright enough.

 

There is a whole tint applied to EVERYTHING equaly. Thats what makes it suck. Its not that our tastes are subjective.

 

Then, what happens when you go to fix the lack of colors to add a low saturation (not even mid or high)? You get close to realistic colors during day. But during night what happens? IT POTENTIALIZES THE ALREADY TOO BRIGHT NIGHTS.

 

I want a game that has thick, solid shadows and dark areas that ONLY GET ILUMINATED BY LIGHT SOURCES. Not things that are iluminated by default. I want absence of light to mean actual darkness. When you add a bit of saturation the nights get even worse. There is no sense of immersion when sneaking. You can read a book in the night without even having a moon out on the sky.

 

No Post Processing Effect so far gave me "realistic colors during day and realistic fire/light sources and darkness during nights".

 

Even when you completelly desaturates things, Instead of getting a pitch black during nights, what happen? You get a pure white!!!

 

Its not that light sources iluminate dark areas. Its like there is no dark areas at all and there is nothing you can do about it. No matter if Im the middle of a forest, behind a stone bridge, a cave or whatever. There is always too much lgiht and never true darkness.

 

I want both, dark darkness, and bright fire, and true lights iluminating dark areas. And why cant I have that with any vanilla or profile or tweak of gamma, brightness? BECAUSE BETHESDA FAILED TO MAKE INDIVIDUAL LIGHT SOURCES TO CAST SHADOWS and MAKE ABSENCE OF LIGHT TRUE DARKNESS.

 

How can one even attempt to praise the game when it has these obvious flaws. How come you have a game without realistic darkness, nights, even in dungeons/caves or below natural objects that obviously have no light source iluminating them?

 

Look at thief game series. Now present me with a mod/profile that makes TRUE DARKNESS AND TRUE LIGHTS. Not this bulls*** of saturation that affects everything equally without pleasing neither one, neither another.

Edited November 20, 2011 by ogridum

[xaliqen]

It's depressing for me, because I'm not a huge fan of Nord ethno-centrism, being an Argonian and all.

 

It would be great if there were more non-Nords in Skyrim. It would it make it less lonely for those of us who don't care much one way or another if you're Stormcloak or Imperial.

 

As for your preference related to the visuals, I suggest the Himmelsrand mod. My own preference is for a bit more saturation, and my configuration is actually posted under the optional files there (just overwrite the config from the main download if you want to try it). It's worth a try, if you want to saturate the visuals a bit and make the world a bit more vivid.

Edited November 20, 2011 by xaliqen

[FastBlackCat]

Interesting topic. To me, the lighting seems to suit the surroundings just fine. Other then in caves and such, but otherwise I like it. One thing I did notice is the star field or night sky is the same used in Oblivion. There is a cluster of three stars almost together in the sky in Oblivion and that same cluster is in this night sky too. I think the environmental lighting is suited for the 'atmosphere' of this game and I don't find it depressing. :thumbsup:

 

I agree. The landscape fits a land in the sub-arctic and arctic zones, and although it is a little on the bleak side, I find it breathtaking. I've spent most of my time in the game so far just running the roads and striking out cross country to sightsee. The other night, after doing some dungeon diving (or cave-diving rather :tongue: ), when I got out it was night time and the sky was awesome. The moon was out and there was a spectacular aurora borealis rippling across the sky.

Edited November 20, 2011 by FastBlackCat

[JimboUK]

The problem I found with adjusting the saturation was if you got it looking right outside then light sources inside became a problem, for example fires looked like a nuclear inferno. I used the saturation only version of that FXAA Injector and it took a lot of messing about to get something that looked reasonable. It's still not right but until we get our hands on the CS we're kind of stuck with adjusting things globally.

[Pineapplerum]

Yay! Thanks CS Gators. Really appreciate that. It was making me a little frustrated.

 

Ogridum, exactly. It's like all the colors in the game have been muted although I do appreciate some of the scenery being gorgeous. But there's no vibrancy whatsoever except here and there... I did find a few places that felt alive.

 

 

And Lach, I have played Morrowind but it had colors in it. Bright beautiful colors in it. I don't ever remember thinking while playing the game that it was too grey and colorless.

[PsYchotic666Joker]

Here ya go, i took some screenshots of before and after effects of the standard game and the FXAA Injector with preset 4 used,

 

Enjoy!

 

Finishing move - Before

Finishing move - After

 

 

Nice kitty - Before

Nice kitty - After

 

 

Woods - Before

Woods - After

 

 

River - Before

River - After

 

 

It's wabbit season! - Before

It's wabbit season! - After

 

 

Inside of an Inn - Before

Inside of an Inn - After

 

 

My sexy self up close - Before

My sexy self up close - After

 

 

Hope you like :)

Edited November 20, 2011 by PsYchotic666Joker

[NAPALM13092]

I don't think Skyrim is too depressing and I know what you mean by that because that always bothered me about Fallout. The day seems fine to me it doesn't seem warm per say even in areas that are not snowing like around Riverwood because of the climate of the whole region. As someone who lives in Michigan when you go way up north during the winter everything seems crisp yet a bit diffuse even when it isn't snowing. That is because the air is still cold and cold air holds less moisture. It is the water molecules in the air that refract light and scatter light giving it that "warm" feeling you get on a calm summer day. I sure Bethesda didn't take the science of it into account when making Skyrim and it just turned out that way but I like it and it seems authentic.

 

My problem is with the nights. They are simply not dark enough. I will use the Northern Michigan in winter example. On a cloudy or moonless night you cannot see your hand in front of your face and even after your eyes adjust you can still only see about 20meters or so tops as far as making out shapes if you are in the wilderness far from any light source and Skyrim is almost nothing but that type of harsh wilderness. The only excuse for that level of lighting is the aurora which don't light the surface that much and the two moons of Nirn, Secunda and Masser which seem quite large in comparison to our moon whether that be due to distance or actual mass. However the moons are not always out and it is often cloudy. I imagined nights in Skyrim to be fierce with the wind howling and people buttoned into their homes around the warmth of the hearth. The night outside crawling with all manner of deadly beast and you cannot see anything due to the darkness or some blinding blizzard. Nights need to be made darker and while we are at it cut down the visibility of snowstorms as well.

 

My last complaint it dungeon lighting. It is completely fine in a place inhabited but people like bandits or warlocks as you would want to have your hideout well lit not only to see but to not give an intruder shadows to lurk in. However on locations like abandoned tombs, forts, or places where it is nothing but drauger, ghost, animals, etc. those places should not be lit period or at least not very well. Leave some dungeons as is and make others darker I say. Also alter the area that sources light, like a candle covers way to large of an area. At it's current state I have the brightness turned all the way down and I still have no need for torches, light spells, and night eye.

[Creosote999]

Skyrim has an odd mix of lighting. On a nice sunny day when the flower are out everything looks washed out and almost monochrome, then go into a dungeon, at night, and its all illuminated and some of the saturation in the dungeons with greenery are brighter than anything in the exterior landscape. The trouble is that almost everything outside looks bleak and dull, I dont want cartoonish, but some colour would be nice. Just seems such a bleak environment to explore.

Personally I like it that I can see in dungeons, so for me, I appreciatte that dungeons are well lit, but when exploring I find that impact of looking down from a mountain that was so amazing in Oblivion, now looks like a washed out indistinct haze.