Thanks for that option

in case someone wonders, i've attached a screen for comparison. It's both the same skin, and it's even worse if you use red color.
You can turn it off in the Graphics options.

Yes it is best option for skinners

Also to point out (not related to this)... you can edit the color of the FOX's LCD display in the Display options menu at the bottom

Huh, this means just that skins can be over 400 kb now or what?

Downloadable 1024x1024 sized skins could have been better.

No, it just means that whenever you had a 100% quality skin in the game, it will no longer have artifacts on it, like shown in the lower part of that pic attached above.

Basically when viewing the skin in the viewer, you never got this auto-compression, but in the game it compressed it, making the skins look pixely. But now you can choose to not have this applied to your skins in the game... uses more memory, but for people that want good quality, this is great :up:

thanks for explaning this, i didnt quite understand it. I do now.

Sounds like a neat option

This is a good feature. Although I'm still holding out for in-game downloadable 1024 skins from LFSW one day.

Um, so originally the default was uncompressed? Should I set it to compressed for better performance in all cases?

im leaving mine compressed, i never have had any problems like you guys have, i dont know why, but i dont see those blotches ,... plus, even if i did, i doubt i would notice them while racing anyway

Quote from dontsimon :

Um, so originally the default was uncompressed? Should I set it to compressed for better performance in all cases?

no, the default was compressed. it changed with S2 alpha, the alpha demo was uncompressed.

@XCNuse: i doubt that you don't have these artefacts, you may just not notice them

Personally i think its time to allow 1024x1024 skins to be uploaded without being resized, the Dev's said the 512x512 resizing is a trial for the auto uploader when they first brought it in, now this uploader has proved itself as very effiecent and very fast, so for us skinners who like quality please allow us to upload at 1024x1024.. im guessing two options could be added at lfsworld, you tick the one you want when uploading your skin, tick here for 512, and here for 1024...

1024 was never permitted simply because it just takes up too much memory for the kind of systems this game supports. I mean... this game is DirectX 8 engine, and many 4 to 5 year old computers can still run this game, but they'd need low res textures.

I know that many people should have newer systems by now, and a 1024 option would be really nice for the people that can make it possible without performance issues... but I do remember Victor saying that the bandwidth issue on LFSW is the problem. If the 1024 skins were uncompressed and allowed on LFSW, that would mean we would have 400 to 500 kb sized skins to download, and we all know what happens when people start downloading large chunks of files online when playing in servers.... LAG. If the 1024 skins were compressed in LFSW even, it wouldn't help, skins would still tend to be around 200kb average, and not only that, you could download three to four 1024 sized skins in that time... way more efficient by having skins of that size.

As said many times before, ask someone for their hires skin if it is so important. You go and race online, and hardly need to spend time focusing on high quality skins, the low quality size is fine, looks ok within visible range when driving beside them, and on track cameras. I don't see the big need for the high quality skins other than for screenshots or if you are REALLY anal about quality of people's skins.... when the majority of public skins are crap... and only personal. Absolutely inneficient to have the global feature of downloading 1024 skins, when if you are in a dire need, ask for the skin. If you cannot get the high quality skin, so what!

For how quick and easy the quick download feature is, it is rather painless and less problematic. I would only prefer seeing the 1024 option once a new graphics engine is made... as that would suit faster computers by then.

Quote from Tweaker :

If the 1024 skins were uncompressed and allowed on LFSW, that would mean we would have 400 to 500 kb sized skins to download, and we all know what happens when people start downloading large chunks of files online when playing in servers.... LAG.

Very easy solution.. allow upload skins upto 300kB (for example) AND do autodownload only if race/quali not in progress => who cares about lag in garage?

Please allow 1024 skin donwload!

Quote from Pablo.CZ :

Please allow 1024 skin donwload!

But think about this... why is it so important to have everyone's public skins at 1024 size BESIDES having better quality? What else do you benefit from it?

Tell me please, because I see no benefits other than quality, while at the same time it makes a lot more sacrifices in return.

Yes the benifits are only quality, but whats wrong with that..you cant create a high quality skin at 512, due to resizing of decal and so on, you have to make it so god dam small, 1024 is a ideal size for skinning, and alot of time and work goes into creating some skins, and espically team ones, so why should they get wrecked in the upload, Devs said it was a test, so fair enough, so lets do another test and leave them at 1024, now i understand about some people can't afford to have hi res skins being uploaded, so why can't we have a choice, personally i dont think it will make a difference in upload speed grabbing them, i've never suffered lag from it, and alot of people would love to see skins in their full glory, but thats why a choice should happen, i don't mind being limited to 400kb, thats fine, but being resized to 512, that is stupied, it just destroys the quality...and the effort some people put in..

Quote from Tweaker :

Tell me please, because I see no benefits other than quality, while at the same time it makes a lot more sacrifices in return.

Yes, main benefit is quality. Why I have powerful PC, nice graphics in game, making hi-res skins and in the end, I see 19 ugly cars + 1 mine?
What about replays, screenshots a videos? Its part of promotion and nobody wants ugly smudged game graphics in 2006. Ive 256MB videocard and 40MB used, why?
And no sacrifices in return if download wont be allowed during race and if 512x512 default option be there for slower machines.

There are more upsides to having 512 versus the quality it gives you. That is all I can say. 1024 is the other way around. And honestly, the game and LFSW should not just be some large file download middle-man, all for the sake of quality that makes a visible difference at 10 meters from the car :zombie:

I am picky about quality too, I love quality looking cars in racing sims, but I sure as hell do not see why there is a dire need for public 1024 skins through LFSW... especially since what we have right now works so well. I am almost thinking of making LFS-Files to have a 'skin-dump' section which could allow people to freely upload their high quality skins, and maybe check if it is on LFSW. It would just be a big database of everyone's skins, but the used space would grow immensely on the server, and bandwidth would be crushed for our site -- I would need to think of some sort of clever Torrent tracker thingy, dunno.

Having 1024 downloadable ingame is ultimately Scawen and Victor's decision. Scawen doesn't like to have any high quality 1024 sized skins included with the game because he wants to keep performance levels sane, and Victor knows that the 512 skin upload is a test, and already the used space is huge, and if it were to stretch the boundaries, it is likely to cause problems. I think such a 1024 download feature would have to be the works of a community site. So I may consider this, but it will stall LFS-Files development and release time, so maybe for later.

I would like 1024 skins. My computer runs LFS with 40% idle on 1 CPU and the other not doing anything, and the 2 graphics cards barely wake up at the sight of the LFS icon being clicked.

LFS is a great game but there is a lot of room for improvement in the graphics. We've had some improvement in the latest patch - the tyres are now great and I love having the tyre decals so I can see when i've locked up, but it would be nice to see the small print on everyone elses skin.

With 1024 skins we could start putting on those small logo's near the wheel, details like the senna S on a williams and so on.

I'm all up for 1024 sized auto-downloadable skins. The time it takes to download can be suffered in the sake of the quality. Today I did a comparison with my FOX skin, I made it to be 2048 size originally, then I looked at the 512 sized version downloaded from LFSW, and man, it was so horrible. Then I checked what 1024 size looks like and there was barely any noticable difference to 2048.

So, please, allow 1024 skins auto-download. Or make an option between 512/1024 for those who don't have modern hardware/fast internet connection for it.

@ Tweak: I've no doubt that one of the principal barriers to not having 1024 LFSW downloads is the bandwidth and server requirements. However bandwidth and storage space is constantly getting cheaper which is why one day I'd expect to see this included. 512 textures are noticeably blurry and although they're fine for racing in a 5 lap GTR/BF1 blast at Aston National, they're not up to scratch for slower races, viewing replays, taking screenshots, or comparing to other modern games/sims (be it driving, flying, shooting, or whatever).

512 textures might be fine for some people, either those with limited bandwidth (there are still plenty dialup/256/512k connections in the world), limited hd space, or limited gfx memory. But many people aren't limited in such ways and would prefer crisper, clearer skins. If the sacrifices are so great, as you suggest, then many would switch back to 512 skins anyway (assuming it was included as an option to choose between 512 and 1024 downloads).

Quote from STROBE :

f the sacrifices are so great, as you suggest, then many would switch back to 512 skins anyway (assuming it was included as an option to choose between 512 and 1024 downloads).

Yeah but the sacrifices are not entirely on our side, it is LFSW that is the workhorse too. I know you said HD space and bandwidth is becoming cheaper, but to have this sort of upgrade, there is an expense to be paid by the devs. So it is not as easy as 1,2,3 when you give an option to go with 512 or 1024, the ultimate test is that of LFSW. If it was unsatisfying, they'd have to go back to 512 only.

keep the 512, is it REALLY that importat? are you like ... OMG they have a 'such and such' decal thats about size 2 font on their car ..... BAN!

i see nothing better about having 1024 except loss of HD space as said before

i mean, lets not turn LFS into some whos better at graphics design competition; its not like we're all just sitting in spectator mode criticizing everyone's skin.. i mean.. honestly, if you want the 1024 resolution... just ask for it

i honestly see nothing great (or good that you would get from doing this) about being able to get the 1024 sized skins.. nothing..
skins look fine to me when im racing, they only look a little blotchy when im watching in spectator, but even then.. its only on the small little details

And this topic about requesting 1024 sized skins has come up quite often (several threads already) ever since the feature was implemented in the game.

Looks to me like the idea of having 1024 skins available is the least of their plans or worries.

I like it still, I don't watch those details on people skins when racing and now I finally get a better fps ! So I'm gratefull for this option.

Quote from GianniC :

I like it still, I don't watch those details on people skins when racing and now I finally get a better fps ! So I'm gratefull for this option.

the options was there the whole time since S2, but now you can disable it!
It was on all the time!

yes, but somehow there have been many people that say they are getting higher FPS'