This is a bit of a controversial… People tend to have strong opinions. Personally, I prefer the original 1.0–Foundation shaders, (left images). The Pathfinder update introduced a significant shift toward a more conventional shading style, similar to what you’d see in other games (maybe a bit like Unreal Engine, though I’m no expert). Kinda more ‘realistic’ I guess. For me, the original shaders were unique and alien, and they really defined the essence of No Man’s Sky. It’s hard to describe exactly, but the modern shading makes everything look like it’s made of cheap plastic, from animals to ships. I guess tehy try to look ‘better’ or ‘properly’ which technically accomplishes that, however the feel is just not there when you actually play the game.
The original 1.0, and especially Foundation are not perfect, but have this distinct feel I love… seems they are broken, the lighting is off, the base building elements are lit all the way around – from the back rather than from the player’s perspective and there’s this strong yellow or orange filter – in short, it is weird but it works!
Giving credit to Pathfinder graphics – there are some stunning lookign planets out there however I dislike especially the structures and NPC shading.
In defence of the Pathfinder graphics, I have to admit there were some truly stunning planets, and the underwater environments finally became interesting.
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