• hellofriend@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Okay, here’s my take: that’s some good looking fog. Like on a scale of 1 to fog, that’s like heavy mist. But here’s the thing: every time I play a game with fog, I think to myself “I wish that wasn’t there.” If you’re going to use the fog, give it purpose. A great example of bad fog is Elden Ring. Example 1: Consecrated Snowfield. Boring garbage that only serves to hide how empty the area is. Example 2: Gravesite Plain in SOTE. Takes an already lackluster area and just makes it even moreso with a big wall of white.

    Ironically, Elden Ring also has an example of good fog: Mountaintop of the Giants, Frozen Lake. The fog is generated by Borealis and clears when you defeat him, meaning you’re not faced with a permanently boring area in a primarily visual medium. It adds a cinematic intro for the boss as well as an added layer of difficulty for the fight. This is fog with purpose and how it should be implemented.

    • Paradachshund@lemmy.today
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      3 months ago

      Worth noting that fog is often a performance increase for games and part of why it’s so common. It’s not always a purely aesthetic choice on the dev’s part.

    • petrol_sniff_king@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      The beginning of the consecrated snowfield, the only place in the game that has fog like this, is one of the more memorable parts of the game in my opinion. I’m really confused by this.

      It’s not hiding how empty the area is, it’s a lost woods challenge a la Ocarina of Time.