Far Cry 3 Ambient lighting dark black contrast problem? GTX 580

protivakid

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Dec 13, 2011
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Having an issue with FC3. Card is a GTX 580. In dark areas something happens where the black levels look very flat as if the contrast is not right. The odd thing is, it only happens when using the "Custom" preset in video options. If i select Custom and max everything out I will see the issue. If I select the "Ultra" preset though which has all of the same values I will not see it.

Also it seems the lower the "Ambient Lighting" setting is under custom the worse the problem.

FC3High.png


FC3Ultra.png


FC3Med.png


FC3low.png

 
Solution
It probably has to do with Nvidia having horrible AO at the time. It's also an AMD endorsed game, and has HDAO, which Nvidia hardware is terrible at and very unoptimized.

It played and looked fine on my 7970, with very good NPC body shadows thanks to AMD's HDAO. On Nvidia the body shadows look like clouds of black dust clinging to bodies.

Another place bad AO rears it's ugly head is in dark rooms. Nvidia as you probably know never came out with an optimized HDAO. They compromised with "HBAO+" instead.
It probably has to do with Nvidia having horrible AO at the time. It's also an AMD endorsed game, and has HDAO, which Nvidia hardware is terrible at and very unoptimized.

It played and looked fine on my 7970, with very good NPC body shadows thanks to AMD's HDAO. On Nvidia the body shadows look like clouds of black dust clinging to bodies.

Another place bad AO rears it's ugly head is in dark rooms. Nvidia as you probably know never came out with an optimized HDAO. They compromised with "HBAO+" instead.
 
Solution