FXAA implementation

Due to the heavy use (almost abuse ;) ) of alphatextures in this game - trees, bushes, flowers... etc. etc. you HAVE to use some form of supersampling to get a decent, and not flickery image (only alphatextures) running around Eorzea. (happens with ati and nvidia. I know some people don't see that or don't care and some people don't see how incredibly ugly the textures get if you are not in the HD-range, but i do and i hate it lol)

The problem with supersampling + FFXIV is that even the best hardware runs hot and not 100% smooth with 4X supersampling on bushes (they need 4X imo).

A good solution would be the use of FXAA which is faster then MLAA from ATI and can be used with both cards. 2-3 Quality versions could be implemented to have it enjoyable for the mid-high end users as well.

That might be a good way of improving the environment a lot with far less gpu power.

Are there plans of adding that feature? Since i think with all the alpha-textures this game just needs it badly.

FXAA would be really nice, yes.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/...ing_technology

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FXAA Performance

FXAA is clearly fast. On every video card we tested, FXAA 1 was faster in F.3.A.R. than traditional 2X MSAA, and 4X MSAA. With the GeForce GTX 580 at 2560x1600, FXAA was 13.3% faster than 2X AA and 52.8% faster than 4X AA. At 1920x1200, the GTX 570 was 24.8% faster with FXAA than 2X AA, and 51.6% faster with FXAA than 4X AA. With the GTX 560 Ti running F.3.A.R. at 1680x1050, FXAA was 23% faster than 2X AA and 50% faster than 4X AA.

The Radeon HD 6970 was 14.7% faster using FXAA at 2560x1600 than 2X AA, and 50.9% faster than 4X AA. At 1920x1200, FXAA performed about 16.1% faster than 2X AA with the HD 6950, and about 42% faster than 4X AA. Finally, the AMD Radeon HD 6870 gave us framerates that were on average approximately 15.8% faster with FXAA than with 2X AA, and 37.8% faster with FXAA than with 4X AA.

FXAA Image Quality

Compared to 2X AA, FXAA is uniformly superior. Compared to 4X AA, there are some I Q trade-offs, but the performance advantage that FXAA offers gives FXAA the advantage. In some areas, 4X AA offered slightly superior image quality, and in other areas FXAA is better.

Even though 4X AA offers slightly better hard edge aliasing reduction than FXAA, we still think FXAA is a better option in most circumstances. For starters, shader aliasing is reduced by FXAA but not MSAA. Alpha texture aliasing is reduced by FSAA, but not MSAA. Single-pixel aliasing is also reduced, as is sub-pixel aliasing. The flickering of very small objects or surfaces can be a big problem, and FXAA deals with it admirably while MSAA does not handle it at all.

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I think its safe to say, more graphical options and optimisations would be great all round.

I think being able to tone down the graphics would be great. I'd love to be able to play on my laptop if I'm away from home or something. But otherwise the graphics run fine for me on my desktop. I run it with a ATI Radeon HD 5570.

found a funny discussion about the "bushes" and trees in this game. The only way to solve this is some kinda fxaa implementation or the huge fps hit supersampling. (or all new trees and bushes (they seem to love them though) since the heavy use of alpha textures is not next gen at all)

http://ffxiv.zam.com/forum.html?foru...233834197&h=50

The trees in GTA4 using the ICE mod look amazing.

I wish FF14 trees looked that good.

The forest in Witcher 2 is breathtaking.

I honestly don't mine the shimmering.
I think it looks better that way with this game. *shrug*

This is coming from someone who normally prefers TRSSA or flat out SSAA.

I'm sure it'd be a nice option for those who want it. But from what i've seen of FXAA in games that i've played that used it, i'm not impressed. The game looks amazing enough as it is.

Can the PS3 do this type of AA?

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Originally Posted by Naqaj

Can the PS3 do this type of AA?

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I was under the impression that no PS3 games have AA of any kind and we're already using technology that consoles cannot replicate.

Agree about the tree/brushes flickering, a bit annoying sometime. :/

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Originally Posted by Frein

I was under the impression that no PS3 games have AA of any kind and we're already using technology that consoles cannot replicate.

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Albeit a few, there were PS2 games that used anti aliasing. Not every 360/PS3 game uses AA but a lot of them try to use at least a lower setting variation or post processing effect like AA.