P12: Visual Effects and Eye Pain

I hardly ever use these forums, and I do not like to complain (so inevitably, this post is a complaint). FFXIV is a really enjoyable game, and there is so much that I love about it. However, P12 quite hard, not in terms of mechanics, but the visual effects.

I have anterior uveitis, an inflammation of the eye, and cataracts. Usually, this has little impact on gaming, so long as I'm not on eye dilators, and am careful about screen time, and use adequate lighting.

Today, my eyes were fine: no pain, not dilated, and there was adequate light. After doing P12, my eyes are actually painful. Not the soreness you might experience with dry eyes, but sharp, needle-like pain, the sort that always precipitates a migraine.

The battle's extraordinarily bright battle effects, even with adjustments on my monitor, were quite painful. I'm sorry to everyone who was in my party. I could not actually distinguish which wings were illuminated, it was all one smear across the screen. Even with party effects turned off, it was impossible to discern much clearly.

I don't want to be that one person who makes a fuss, but did anyone else have similar experience?

They had issues like this during the last Nier raid. People got sick from the flashing and brightness. It was tuned down in a hotfix. Hopefully this gets looked at as well.

I was ok with the Nier raids when they came out, oddly. The brightness was consistent across the screen, if that makes sense. There was a general brightness that was a bit hard at times, but it wasn't physically painful. It didn't cause a pre-migraine feeling.

The fight has a very specific phase where a bunch of effects are going off on everyone due to the boss jumping around and lasers firing. That had a lot of sudden bloom so I can see how someone might get some headaches. An option that can help is to turn down the screen brightness until they patch it.

Good suggestion! Mine is already turned down a bit, but I'll take it a bit further.

A lot of the recent fights seem to be effects overload. I don't usually get bothered by it but sometimes it's so much that i have to look away from the screen, or at best I can't focus on what is going on because it's just a mess of things flashing constantly. I get that that's one way they make the fights more engaging, but it gets a bit much for me.

I can definitely see how that fight can cause problems for people who have a sensitivity to lots of flashing effect. I don't have a sensitivity, but it was slightly distracting the first time through it and I missed a mechanic causing me to drop. Hopefully they patch it to be a little more subtle.

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Originally Posted by Gunloeth

I hardly ever use these forums, and I do not like to complain (so inevitably, this post is a complaint). FFXIV is a really enjoyable game, and there is so much that I love about it. However, P12 quite hard, not in terms of mechanics, but the visual effects.

I have anterior uveitis, an inflammation of the eye, and cataracts. Usually, this has little impact on gaming, so long as I'm not on eye dilators, and am careful about screen time, and use adequate lighting.

Today, my eyes were fine: no pain, not dilated, and there was adequate light. After doing P12, my eyes are actually painful. Not the soreness you might experience with dry eyes, but sharp, needle-like pain, the sort that always precipitates a migraine.

The battle's extraordinarily bright battle effects, even with adjustments on my monitor, were quite painful. I'm sorry to everyone who was in my party. I could not actually distinguish which wings were illuminated, it was all one smear across the screen. Even with party effects turned off, it was impossible to discern much clearly.

I don't want to be that one person who makes a fuss, but did anyone else have similar experience?

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Don't worry about a rightful complaint, this game has A LOT to complain about its graphic/text.

Anyway, you should protect your eyes, are you using eyeglasses with suitable lenses?
I bought a pair from Zeiss, they cost a lot (500+ euros), but it's worth it.

MY EYES! OH GOD MY EYES! THE LIGHT HAS MELTED THEM RIGHT OUT OF MY HEAD! (trust me, I feel your pain)

Yes. I use darkened lenses when outdoors, and the lights inside my house are selected for reduced eye pain. Uveitis is a bit of an odd affliction in terms of eye protection!

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Originally Posted by Ghutts

MY EYES! OH GOD MY EYES! THE LIGHT HAS MELTED THEM RIGHT OUT OF MY HEAD! (trust me, I feel your pain)

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This is not inaccurate, my friend.

I've been doing a bunch of accessibility research for my work, and what they really need is a straight up "reduced flash" mode for the game entirely that still uses static visual indicators (necessary for the fights) but doesn't have the potential migraine or seizure inducing effects.

They've been trying to do better, such as the alternate color effects for people with limited color vision, but a reduced flashiness mode would really be helpful as well.

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Originally Posted by AngelCheese77

They had issues like this during the last Nier raid. People got sick from the flashing and brightness. It was tuned down in a hotfix. Hopefully this gets looked at as well.

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They had to tune down Mt Gulg as well because holy sh*t that place was bright when it came out.

I actually came here to post about this. The scene transitions in P12 caused me to have a disassociative seizure, something I have never experienced before. I'm really hoping there is a way to remove the bright flashes and screen wipes for this fight. At this point I wont be able to tackle savage fights and it's sad.

Highly recommend everyone to turn on night-light or lower the blue light on your screen. Greatly reduces eye strain.

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Originally Posted by AngelCheese77

They had issues like this during the last Nier raid. People got sick from the flashing and brightness. It was tuned down in a hotfix. Hopefully this gets looked at as well.

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Even the current version makes my eyes burn and my head hurt. More reasons to hate that raid.

Got my support on adding a way to lessen the brightness. People eyes issues like the op and those who get migraines from bright light could benefit. I don't have either but I do get headaches at the back of my head. At their worst light and movement become my enemy..

The game in general is becoming way too heavy on bright flashing lights and overbearing particle effects.

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Originally Posted by Gunloeth

I hardly ever use these forums, and I do not like to complain (so inevitably, this post is a complaint). FFXIV is a really enjoyable game, and there is so much that I love about it. However, P12 quite hard, not in terms of mechanics, but the visual effects.

I have anterior uveitis, an inflammation of the eye, and cataracts. Usually, this has little impact on gaming, so long as I'm not on eye dilators, and am careful about screen time, and use adequate lighting.

Today, my eyes were fine: no pain, not dilated, and there was adequate light. After doing P12, my eyes are actually painful. Not the soreness you might experience with dry eyes, but sharp, needle-like pain, the sort that always precipitates a migraine.

The battle's extraordinarily bright battle effects, even with adjustments on my monitor, were quite painful. I'm sorry to everyone who was in my party. I could not actually distinguish which wings were illuminated, it was all one smear across the screen. Even with party effects turned off, it was impossible to discern much clearly.

I don't want to be that one person who makes a fuss, but did anyone else have similar experience?

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don't play video games

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Originally Posted by Catwho

I've been doing a bunch of accessibility research for my work, and what they really need is a straight up "reduced flash" mode for the game entirely that still uses static visual indicators (necessary for the fights) but doesn't have the potential migraine or seizure inducing effects.

They've been trying to do better, such as the alternate color effects for people with limited color vision, but a reduced flashiness mode would really be helpful as well.

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This should pretty much be standard in every video game.

Not every attack needs a requisite flash.

This is something I think Diablo IV is doing right.

https://i.imgur.com/Xsx9xB7.jpg

I can relate. I've been using a screen dimmer software on my PC for 10 years and counting, it helps me reduce eye strain when I play video games.

One thing I really hate is the Red Mage LB3. It covers up boss mechanics on the whole screen AND it's so bright I actually have to close my eyes for a second... It's horrible, I can't believe they haven't nerfed that visual effect yet.
(And I'm saying this as a RDM main, I never use LB3 unless the party asks me.)

Im sorry for you OP…I had no pain and my eyes have no problems thankfully (for now at least) but I still had trouble with 12; could barely see what’s happening with so many fxs and twinkles and flashes and ifrit decides to make the whole screen bright red at the same time and it’s just too much at once, can’t see where to stand anymore

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Originally Posted by Erinellza

I can relate. I've been using a screen dimmer software on my PC for 10 years and counting, it helps me reduce eye strain when I play video games.

One thing I really hate is the Red Mage LB3. It covers up boss mechanics on the whole screen AND it's so bright I actually have to close my eyes for a second... It's horrible, I can't believe they haven't nerfed that visual effect yet.
(And I'm saying this as a RDM main, I never use LB3 unless the party asks me.)

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Limit Breaks in general are the worst mostly because they ignore the "show less effects rule" for . . . reasons?