I installed and started the game after the 2nd patch was released, so I'm reaaalllly hoping I'm in the clear. Nothing seems broken for me yet, I'm most worried about the lag of course, and also quests that won't finish...

I've got no proof in terms of photos but I thought it looked a bit better after patch?!! Maybe because I stopped playing for a few days waiting for the patch don't know? I didn't have bad lag before so it's not because performance is better it just looks a little crisper to me?!! Again just my opinion make of it what you will....

Your still wrong, there IS video footage you just haven't taken the time to get your brain in order and look at it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t11-p8fq-CY&feature=youtu.be

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1694/skyrimnopatch.png

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/1514/skyrimpatch.png

Get the suggestion out of your head and look at the real FACTS, any changes you are seeing are a result of the game, bugs or issues that were there BEFORE the patch arrived!

I swear some people just like to find new things to pick on Bethesda about daily, someone started this rubbish and it has grown since then! Bethesda fixed the saved game bugs for established charachters, gameplay equals smoother then surely they MUST have lowered the graphics!! Hahahah

A 480p picture that some claims is pre and post patch on the internet proves nothing to me. I'll go with my own interpretation which I accept is open to be discounted. I have no axe to grind with Bethesda, I just joined this forum to post on the issue.

I can't prove it, I don't have the hardware but I can say that from 1 day to the next, with only the patch being the difference I notice distinct graphic quality changes in:

Anti Aliasing
Bloom/HDR/ Dynamic Lighting
Fog/Distance blurring
Weather effects
Incidental clutter used for immersion

Your mileage may vary, and I'm glad you see no changes to your game. Bully for you.

I know the water in the various channels in Whiterun looks significantly worse. If I had the capability to take screenshots and post the before and after, I would.

And while those may be two decent pictures to compare, they're extremely low-res, and what you're trying to compare isn't the vistas (you can't notice the difference with textures from a wide angle like that) but rather up close. It's in the details.

"fact" vs "assure"

so which is it? You do realize they aren't the same, right?

There sure are a lot of pedants in this forum.

Bottom line for me - Graphics post patch << Graphics pre patch.

anolyse it which way you will, texture, AA, Bloom, Dynamic lights, distance fog/blur etc. Regardless of the reason, I still believe the graphics are now poorer than they were.

Happily, the game remains as playable and addictive as before (I hadn't reach the file save size of causing lag).

Those details were the same pre-patch that is what I am saying, you don't get it, there is no secret resolution between 480 and 720p , the game is still running in 720P the textures are the same the graphics are the same, if you want to see what the graphics would look like turned down go into your PS3 settings and turn everything but 480 off and then look at Skyrim! To say that Bethesda have run around frantically re-texturing all their textures to lower detailed versions and messing with HDR Bloom and shadows in 2 weeks is almost comical! What would they have to gain by this? All they did is what they stated and that is fix large saved game bloating causing stuttering in long extended gaming sessions!

lol i really like how a video taken in 480p in an area with no real strain on the graphics, no indoor footage, and no weather effects, proves that the entire game has not lost any texture. Also the person who made the video sounds like he works for Bethesda. Placebo effect? Saying that someone started this rubbish? You realize that people came on here to discuss what they saw in the patch difference before even reading about texture loss?

Firstly he doesn't work for Bethesda he has nothing other than the truth to gain from this, go and message him, he just wanted to stop all the conspiricy theorists spouting unsubstantiated nonsense throughout these forums, and I will GUARANTEE that everyone who has been claiming to have these issues either A: Had them before the patch or just hadn't noticed them or run into them yet or B: Read about some troll spouting nonsense about the textures being lowered!

UPDATE:

Official reply from Gstaff from Bethesda...


Now can we please move on? Thankyou, go back to Skyrim.

It's not a texture problem, im saying something to do with the lighting, Gloom, AA. Something.

How can you say something is a fact without presenting any evidence?

It's sort of like a "Gut" feeling, this isn't a court order.

Like the quotes I quoted in my main posts, HDR/Bloom def got reduced. Game doesn't feel as "lively".

I know when my games ain't lookin pretty.

So then the title of your thread really should have been "GUT FEELING: There is a CHANGE in visuals."

I guess the real question for people here is whether you would have known any differently if the game had released with the current visuals rather than seeing them adjusted in the patch?

The graphics were always terrible. The textures were always muddy. The shadows always flickered like crazy. There were always texture pop-in issues (The Rift, anyone?) The fact is that you were too in love with the game to recognize these issues. Now that the whole lag controversy has emerged, your opinion has changed and you're more apt to notice every little flaw.

Vegamo, I love that you labelled your "gut feeling" post as "FACT". Good job.

I see no difference at all on a 55" Samsung LED before or after patch. Not sure where the facts are.

FACT

this thread should be deleted as it has nothing to do with FACT but
more to do with 1 persons incorrect opinion. gstaff has already made
it clear that no graphical changes were made. you really need to move on.

I agree

I will now perform the black sacrament against those of you who deny my "gut" feelings. Beware.

Why do you worry about visuals? If you care about the visuals go buy yourself a gaming computer. I'm pretty shure complaining about the matter won't do anything. Skyrim is a hardware hungry video game that mainly was made for 2010-11 hardware not 2005-2006. It's really amazing these consoles can even perform these tasks. You need to be satisfied with what you got. Or you may be overeacting or something and no graphical changes were made.

ES Out

After browsing through the first 5 pages in this forum I have noticed something amusing. There are some posts about texture change/worsen and there are posts claiming thier graphics are better post patch. This "problem" will really go nowhere until someone posts visuals.

I noticed a change not a huge one but it has been degraded... I have to visit more areas but the over all aspect when looking at a panorama has been flattened out, also close up textures have been "murphed". There is always a cost and yes you are better off to have the game work better. When I started the game I spent hours looking around and bowhunting( like I do in real life) I was just amazed at the snow and mist, fog the water and yes the raindrops in your eyes. It was so cool I didint care about the quests and started them a little later I have 64 hours in and a 5.5 Mg save file
It still looks awsome, I see the biggest change in whiterun, Jaggies on the edges, look at the skin on the blond barmaid,theres a lot of it on her chest , its not blotched anymore but you can see cubes when she moves close to the light from the fire. It was smooth before but the color was all striped and weird. Im big on skin tones. The snow is different when it blows in the wind. not sharp flakes but round blotches. Very small subtile differences...but not a game breaker for me.

Wow....people are just too funny. Isn't this a video game? I wish people cared as much about their children's educations as much as they cared about the stupid graphics of a video game. The world would be a better place.
For the record, I don't see any difference. It looks as good to me after the patch as it did before. Just play the game.

No one has the quality equipment to capture,and the variables of viewing are also different. I shoot with a 3000,00 camera and a 1200.00 lens. You would have to shoot with a tripod and before and after the patch. Also you would have to shoot with a high def movie camera for the mist, snow, rain... Then there would be a question of what the people were viewing it on. There is a difference very slight if it makes the game run better thats the cost to absorb.
Im not getting into the strange stuff like killing an ice wraith and having the snow pile stuck in the air 10 ft over youre head so you cant collect the reward, and coming back time after time to see it still hanging there out of reach... multiple instances... now those are what kills a game, if there are many instances or many more types to come in the future to sum up after a 100 hour mark. If you look at the start and what you get, you have to think of the economics to fix it all.. how many patches can there be? Or will they patch as the majority moves forward to different parts of the game. How many patches do you implement before you say, " we have done due diligence in the eyes of the law and its time to focus our resources on the next project."The quest glitches and other problems might be harder to overcome.This is the real measure of the "finished" quality of the game. Stay tuned, Beth can still pull it off if they want the game to keep selling past the 3 month mark. If its not fixed in time , then you can pass judgement and say to yourself,"they got me and my $$$ ." Or I bought a lemon and my trade in value is 'Nill".
Im liking the game so far, not too many bugs for me yet. I cant find my Lydia and if she was killed I couldent find her body. I went back looking for her after killing the mamoth and the giant, I think she survived the giant but I lost after dealing with the mamoth. On a previous giant I saw her launched on the 100 ft fly twice and she still came back while I was bowhunting the giant. If she survived why can't I ?Alas my Lydia is gone forever and Im not going back in time to get her