Trying to play RO2. Some thoughts on graphics aspect, especially the snow and fog of Enlisted

[Enlisted_Thunder]

Actually, for FPS game aspect, I used this game to replace RO2 in 2020. Because that one is very outdated, lack of bug fixing, balance tuning, texture quality, toxic+hackers community etc. I played that game in 2016~2020

But recently I am really tired of Enlisted… Grinding Tunis late levels is so long and not rewarding (Tunis lacks intensity, too wide mission) And leveling both Axis and Allies to max level is so slow. 4 hours a day, for an entire vacation, still not close to lv29. While playing Berlin/Normandy/Moscow… is just wasting time since I maxed out everything I need there.

So surprise of RO2 still has some players 11 years after of its release, 7 years after its last update.

RO2 based on UE3, DX9.0c, graphics is not that outdated, but texture and model quality is far behind Enlisted.
(Enlisted use DX11/12, support RTX)
All following screenshots are at both game’s ultra quality setting.

But UE3’s blur makes it have a sense of history.

Meanwhile, Enlisted, dev just keep adding fake haze, weird fog (especially Normandy beach).

Also due to Dagor engine’s style, graphics has a plastic feeling:

For eastern front:

The mission with most snow/winter feeling
Also why Enlisted dosent have sunshaft???

This scene certainly not giving me the coldness of 1941’s winter

But this one does. Even if it’s 11 years old game. at DX9 era’s graphic.

Also the fog:
Enlisted does not looks good

But RO2’s fog looks more nature

I FINALLY KNOW HOW TO DESCIBE ENLISTED’S FOG:
It’s not soft. But blinding!
It failed to represent the CALMNESS of the winter! It’s just feels disturbing, or even, heat.

Even though Enlisted has terrain deformation. Higher terrain tessellation quality. But the overall feeling of the winter is not right!

Enlisted’s snowing

Beijing’s snowing (pic from weather.com.cn)

[VoyoMayPL]

I must admitt, Enlisted fog and RO2 fog is like night and day.

[Enlisted_Thunder]

Dev, try to bring more frozen, or even leaf less trees.
REDUCE THE GREENESS of the tree! Winter’s green is more darker, than the summer’s one.

For snowing scene: just use overcast sky. Not cloudy or even sunny sky!

Make the snow more close to pure white.
Also reduce any other color beside white and brown/black. (except blue sky).

[Enlisted_Thunder]

I really hope dev can bring back the night map of Berlin (like the one in Berlin OAT)
Actually, OAT’s maps looks good. The atmosphere is better than current ones.

[TovarishToNy]

Digging up my own old screens of RO2, yeah some effects look better on Red Orchestra 2 along with this attention to detail on maps with a much grittier atmosphere and I still remember the cold night feel of Mamayev Kurgan and Red October Factory.

Atleast Enlisted looked much better than War Thunder especially Berlin but at times, the scenery feels too bright unlike Call of Duty World At War that had a much darker atmosphere. Dagor Engine may have potential to improve where this game is one of the few modern games that don’t use Unreal Engine 4 that many games use nowadays.

[Enlisted_Thunder]

They are actually reducing effects now. I have serious LoD issue now. Many destructive object will disappear only a dozen meter away. And building turned into ruins at ~100m (too obvious from the plane).
Too low LoD will make trees and foliage even more plastic…
This engine has lots more potential and the optimization is decent. My GTX1080 never works >60% load at 2K, Ultra. And a RTX3050 will not be that hard to buy in the near future. But dev is reversing the graphics…

[TovarishToNy]

When it comes to atmosphere of all seasons with the appropriate effects, lighting and stuff, a more modern game that I could think of is Metro Exodus even the original release looked so beautiful especially the winter levels.

Some maps in Moscow campaign in Enlisted look confusing what season it actually is especially the autumn maps and the best looking map happened to be Fortified District while Birch Grove has some dark, gritty feel on it.

I have this feeling at times especially in Seelow Heights like why it feels like some Normandy maps but on the Eastern Front.

I’m trying to look at some of my War Thunder screenshots and it looks like the winter maps can be beautiful but some of its details and effects have yet to be implemented in Enlisted.