Hello Adventurers!

After the Remaster Showcase and the GM Note recapping what was announced, Adventures started to show even more interest for Black Desert.

Here, we will introduce in detail the changes that were made with the

Remastered Graphics.

Let’s see the difference the new effects and improvements make!

◈ Improvements

The improvements made in the remastering of Black Desert’s Graphics are the following:

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  Physically based rendering

  
  


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  Physically based lighting

  
  


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  Physically based atmospheric scattering

  
  


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  Volumetric cloud

  
  


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  HDR rendering

  
  


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  Improved post processing with YEBIS

  
  


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  Improved screen space reflection

  
  


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  Improved ambient occlusion

  
  


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  Improved ocean rendering

  
  


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  Cloth simulation

  
  


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  Optimization

  
  

There are even finer details that were revised, but are not included on this list.

Are you having a hard time seeing the improvements made to the graphics just by looking at a bunch of text listed above? Then check out the videos below as we explain each of the changes.

Physically based rendering

The first on the list of changes is the Physically based rendering (PBR).

This allows even more natural expression of materials, especially metals and the light reflecting off of them.

New reflection models using the multi-direction feature were implemented. This made smooth surfaces collects light, so the reflections are narrow and brighter. While light spreads out and doesn’t reflect as much off of rough surfaces.

Physically based lighting

Next, is the enhanced lighting in indoor environments.

Realistic looks are achievable thanks to PBR that emphasizes reflections off of surfaces.

Physically based atmospheric scattering / Volumetric clouds

Both the atmospheric scattering and the volumetric clouds were added with PBR.

It may be difficult to notice a difference created by atmospheric scattering as it’s set to match the ambience we had before. However, the clouds will look denser due to volumetric clouds.

Improved post processing with YEBIS

Various post processing techniques were upgraded by YEBIS.

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  Better lighting effects

  
  


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  Bokeh effect allows out focusing

  
  


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  Glaring effects

  
  


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  Automatic exposure compensation

  
  


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  More accurate motion blurs

  
  

These help create even more dynamic and realistic images.

Improved screen space reflection

Screen space reflection uses screen space data to improve reflections.

Depending on the angle your looking from, the reflections that uses Fresnel effect becomes much more accurate. You can see a big difference on rainy days.

Improved ambient occlusion

Shadows are shown with greater details with Ambient occlusion.

You’ll be able to see the difference if you look closely at the character’s face and the folds on its clothing.

Improved ocean rendering

The ocean also looks different.

The motions of waves and the reflections off its surfaces have been improved.

Screen space reflection that was also added makes the reflections more accurate. The sunlight that penetrates into the waves scatters with the addition of the scattering effect inside the water.

Cloth simulation

The left side of the screen is showing what we had previously, while the right side of the screen is showing the improved version.

You can see the difference if you pay attention to the capes.

Now, cloth simulation is more stable and its movements are much more natural.

Optimization

Many of you are probably worried that your PC might not be able to run the game after all these changes.

The remastered graphics will be made available through a new option in settings. So you can choose to turn it on or off.

The new option will be a bit more demanding than the previous ‘Very High’ setting. However, you should be able to maintain 60 FPS if you have the recommended system requirements.

If you want to go even more extreme, the ‘Ultra’ option was added. This setting requires a fairly high-end PC.

◈ The Future

What was mentioned above have all been added with the graphics remastering.

However, we will continue to develop new techniques as technology continues to advance.

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  Temporal antialiasing

  
  


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  Temporal upsampling

  
  


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  Voxel cone tracing

  
  


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  Improved shadow rendering

  
  


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  HDR display

  
  


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  Dynamic resolution

  
  


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  Wrinkle map blending

  
  

The list above contains current issues that our development team is researching on.

Black Desert will continue to improve as users expectations increases.

We can tell a lot of improvements have been made now that we have listed them all down!

It’s much easier to tell the difference between the new and old graphics thanks to all these videos. Makes you really want to start playing, doesn’t it?

We shall return next week with the GM Note for the Remastered Audio.

Look forward to it!

Thank you