Visual effect overload. Everything is so flashy! Example in comments, please add settings to disable

This is a copy paste from my reddit post: Original here

Dear everyone,Recently I have decided to get back into playing Guild Wars 2 after playing some World of Warcraft. While the gameplay and a lot of quality of life in Guild Wars 2 is so much better than it is in WoW, there is one thing that I have always disliked and is now preventing my partner from playing and enjoying the game with me: the skill effects. I think the images linked here will be a good description in and of themselves but the problem is that even with player count set to lowest, effect LOD on and post processing low, events where more than 5 or so people are involved become an absolute mess of flashy effects.

Link to screenshots

This overload of visual effects is making it very hard to see what is going on, and causes unnecessary eye-strain. As I said earlier, my partner has had to quit after doing Palawadan with me due to actual nausea.PLease take a look at the linked pictures and tell me what you think. Keep in mind:This is on LOWEST visible character limit.This is with LOWEST character qualityThis is with effect Limitation of Detail ONThis is with postprocessing on LOW.

Happy gaming,Wale

Turn post-Processing off. There is pretty much no difference between low and high from what I've seen, while off drastically reduces the glow of things.

@Asum.4960 said:Turn post-Processing off. There is pretty much no difference between low and high from what I've seen, while off drastically reduces the glow of things.

That makes no difference at all just dims a little, the clutter is still there. Honestly the game needs a switch for spell effects and auras, its a turn off when all you see in the fight pile is a massive flashing of colors and effects. Cant even see the mobs you are fighting lol or the aoe they are laying down. Its not very clean visually, its a muddled mess like a unicorn ate a bag of skittles and got sick all over the screen.

There is this:https://imgur.com/a/w57uTwZDisable Area of Effect Rings

And I just tested it out since it'd help my graphics out and I don't know if it'll help with your problem but it seems to not show the effects as badly. Gonna have to hit a WB like Ulgoth (if he isn't still broken) or someone else to see the extent of how much it works though.

Edit: Added another image with it on. Was able to hit the Shaman in time and that's what it looks like.Pros: It does get rid of the aoe effects.Cons: That it gets rid of the aoe effects so makes it a pain to see if you are standing someplace you should or shouldn't.Easy fix: Seperate it into two parts of get rid of friendly aoe effects or get rid of enemy aoe effects.

Hopes this helps a little.

The idea to separate friendly and enemy AoE is good. Enemy AoE are important, especially in PoF maps; it would be a pity to remove them as well with the current settings. Although it would be annoying to change the option ON/OFF continuously if you decide to do a dungeon/raid with your friends. With smaller groups, an AoE from an ally is useful, if you are doing a meta with 50+ people... who cares.If doable, it would be nice to have an option to disable AoE when there are more than 10 people around you/in your party. An an additional option to disable glowing effects of other players (in particular weapons, since the trail of a legendary can completely hide the mobs in front of you). It might even increase the FPS to more than 10 during metas.

https://i.imgur.com/nwyaVcj.jpg

\o/

While I appreciate the difficulty that you have with this issue, there already exists multiple threads on this. Please use the forums search feature.

https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/31903/feedback-boss-battles-have-become-visually-messyhttps://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/10659/for-the-love-of-the-six-stop-with-the-flashing-effects/p1https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/740100#Comment_740100https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/438212#Comment_438212

@Kiza.5630 said:snip

OMG, I thought my browser wasn’t loading the pic, then I realized... :lol:

@"miraude.2107" said:There is this:https://imgur.com/a/w57uTwZDisable Area of Effect Rings

And I just tested it out since it'd help my graphics out and I don't know if it'll help with your problem but it seems to not show the effects as badly. Gonna have to hit a WB like Ulgoth (if he isn't still broken) or someone else to see the extent of how much it works though.

Edit: Added another image with it on. Was able to hit the Shaman in time and that's what it looks like.Pros: It does get rid of the aoe effects.Cons: That it gets rid of the aoe effects so makes it a pain to see if you are standing someplace you should or shouldn't.Easy fix: Seperate it into two parts of get rid of friendly aoe effects or get rid of enemy aoe effects.

Hopes this helps a little.

Coming back to this to expand. Forgot to screencap but I can say a little more about that option. I was able to hit a few more bosses along with some bounties with the disable turned on, it had a minimal effect with the 'skill washing' of the screen. The bandit bounty, Varre the Underhanded, was the first one that helped out that, while this setting is useful in theory; it is more of a detriment to playing than a screen declutterer. Dealing with Varre and the subsequent executioner that spawned after, Disable Area of Effect Rings felt more of a 'let's make this look pretty for a GMV' or something than something that could actually help with the game in toning down effects.

Now in WoW, I used to be able to adjust the effects of spells, to make Blizzard look like an actual Blizzard or to dim it down.

That console command only effected what you would see and was designed that if people wanted to go PLUS ULTRA they could with their graphics setting or if they were running the game on a potato, they could adjust the graphics to go lower than low. There were also commands for ground clutter and shadows if I remember right as well. And the reason I know this is because I was running WoW.....on a potato (5fps was the highest I ever got to show how potato this computer was).I don't know if there are commands like this already built into GW2 and would love it if @Gaile Gray.6029 or someone else could say a yeah or nay on it.If not, I do think that it would be a nice QoL improvement added onto the game itself to help those with subpar systems or those that have the flashy flash flash cause eye/brain issues to be able to tone down some spell effects (I for one would probably ramp up Longbow's Barrage to make it look like something out of a movie of tons of arrows) to make it easier on not getting headaches, etc.

Edit to reiterate that this command effected only you if memory serves right so your spells could be robust or dim while others remained the same. I used it mostly on my healers in WoW to make my healing spells more pronounced as I was laying them down. However if the Anet team was willing to add something like a spell effect slider of some sort that covered everyone, people would be able to tone down effects enough to be able to see what they are trying to swing their sword at. The spell effects in game have gotten out of control as evidenced by @Kiza.5630 's screenshot and a way to deal with that now rather than later would be a nice QoL lift. I can sadly say, I've had people I've tried to get into the game lose interest because they can't see what is going on on the screen and get frustrated over standing in fire and dying simply because they couldn't see it.

@BlueJin.4127 said:

@Kiza.5630 said:

snip

PURITY.

OF.

PURPOSE.

I've made a thread on this the other day, and it was merged with "QoL suggestions". Excuse me? :o :s

I don't understand how a game's graphics and the lack of user options to optimize them properly (bloom level, outlines on/off, effects level) can be such a low priority to ArenaNet. :angry:

@Ashantara.8731 said:I don't understand how a game's graphics and the lack of user options to optimize them properly (bloom level, outlines on/off, effects level) can be such a low priority to ArenaNet. :angry:Got to show off that beautiful bling to encourage other players to pony up in the gem store to get their own.

@kharmin.7683 said:

@"Ashantara.8731" said:I don't understand how a game's graphics and the lack of user options to optimize them properly (bloom level, outlines on/off, effects level) can be such a low priority to ArenaNet. :angry:Got to show off that beautiful bling to encourage other players to pony up in the gem store to get their own.

Other players' "bling" isn't the (only) issue. The bloom is too intense, the outlines an annoyance - so you can't use the beautiful post-processing because of one or both of those issues. :/ It's beyond me how those aren't separate options and, in addition, why the game has no sharpening and proper gamma option, either (without ReShade, it looks rather blurry and the colors look dull).

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Ashantara.8731 said:I don't understand how a game's graphics and the lack of user options to optimize them properly (bloom level, outlines on/off, effects level) can be such a low priority to ArenaNet. :angry:Got to show off that beautiful bling to encourage other players to pony up in the gem store to get their own.

more like 'Got to overload other people's system and cause them to lag or even disconnect against their will.'

I think a "Limit Other Player Effects" option might go a long way to eye kitten we have to deal with.