Hi.

With the ongoing development in computer hardware and broad band connectivity, I think it is only natural for LFS to pace along and at some point offer higher resolution skins.

I know many racers still have old hardware, so I'd suggest to double the skin sizes, and at the same time add an option for low resolution skins (512x512):

- Low resolution (512x512)
- Default/standard resolution, selected as default (1024x1024)
- High resolution, for a LFSW Credit fee (2048x2048)

I think it depends more on the server storage/bandwidth. That means when hi-res skins would be introduced, the bandwidth would be much bigger and more data would be stored, so that has to be considered as well.

I like the idea, though.

Very nice idea. But devloping frozen and i not sure if it's possible

Quote from Flame CZE :

I think it depends more on the server storage/bandwidth. That means when hi-res skins would be introduced, the bandwidth would be much bigger and more data would be stored, so that has to be considered as well.

I like the idea, though.

Yes, in fact, data size - if uncompressed - quadrouples. I don't know when LFS World went online, but I am assuming in 2005. It's 7 years ago, and things have happened also for server side connectivity and storage capabilities in that time.

My point is that all the technicalities have followed Moore's Law (or development in similar fashion) in the past 7 years, but the skin sizes have been at status quo ever since. I was hoping for at least 1024x1024 as a default/standard skin size because the difference from 512x512 is quite noticable, and the technicalities with storage and bandwidth are hopefully ready for this step.

Quote from Skagen :

My point is that all the technicalities have followed Moore's Law (or development in similar fashion) in the past 7 years, but the skin sizes have been at status quo ever since. I was hoping for at least 1024x1024 as a default/standard skin size because the difference from 512x512 is quite noticable, and the technicalities with storage and bandwidth are hopefully ready for this step.

Totally agree.

I often forget about the fact that downloaded skins have such low-res, and when for some reason I look at what resolution is set my LFS I feel ashamed of reading '512 pixels'. It's not up with the time we live, where everything tends to double it's power/capacity every few years

Quote :

I was hoping for at least 1024x1024 as a default/standard skin size because the difference from 512x512 is quite noticable, and the technicalities with storage and bandwidth are hopefully ready for this step.

But storage and bandwith still costs money...if you look at all those filehosting/image hosting sites you notice they all have ad banners or sell premium accounts.
Often they use tricks like "no hotlinking" so users have to see the ads or very slow download speed and waiting times if you have no account.
LFS does nothing like that.

Quote :

I often forget about the fact that downloaded skins have such low-res, and when for some reason I look at what resolution is set my LFS I feel ashamed of reading '512 pixels'

Well get some credits and set it to 1024x1024
For a few euros you can download some thousands skins.

Yes, bandwidth and storage still cost money. But lets face it, the units of storage and bandwidth you get per unit of money increases along with the overall development in hardware and connectivity. Assuming Moore's Law - atleast to some extent - holds water, in the 7 years since LFS World went online, the amount of storage space and bandwidth available should have increased without the cost doing so. We do get free storage and bandwidth services today for the 512x512 skins, but according to my arguments, at some point it should be possible to increase the skin sizes without an increase in service costs. And I'm hoping this point in time is about now.

I would be curious to see the texture resolution of GT5, which is praised for it's nice graphics (being relative to ps3). When looking closer we can see that they seem pretty low res but are still nice thanks to some filters.
I think the biggest problem with LFS graphics is the low number of polygons for 2012, I don't mind the textures that much personally.
It's a downside of an game in constant evolution; you need to evolve the package visually once in a while to keep it fresh and attractive.

I'm in for a RB4 with 15x more details

Looking at what The Revolution Pack can achive visually by just changing the textures, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that LFS could be a considerably better looking game by just updating the default textures. The Revolution Pack has such outstanding car shine effects you would think it was using simple pixel shaders.

But for starters I think increasing the car skin textures would help alot. With 512x512 you can easily spot out individual pixels, even when the texture is filtered and smoothed. At 1024x1024 the individual pixels are just 1/4th the size of pixels at 512x512, and you therefor also get 4 times the detail by such simple means.

Quote from Frunze118 :

Very nice idea. But devloping frozen and i not sure if it's possible

youve been here not even a year. Dont tell us about the development. We are well aware.

Oh, i am sorry, gentlemen, developing was frozen. Now Scawen is back.

It will be very nice to allow 2048 skins, but it needs more place. It will be cool to make possible to access to lfs skinserver and load skin what you want ( team skins and private skins put to locked folder ).

Quote from skagen :

- low resolution (512x512)
- default/standard resolution, selected as default (1024x1024)
- high resolution, for a lfsw credit fee (2048x2048)

+1

yes.

512 are so ugly ;l

1024 is perfect for standard skins. pls scawen this is a must

Good idea for S3 feature, imo.

i think the problem is the bandwidth we use on LFSW but this present year its been upgrading and server costs is getting cheaper and cheaper...

but for me its a best standard 1024 pixel would be great for standard because even I made a skin and they view it as pixelated at all at 512pixels :/

hope Scawen and Victor makes this decision right.

This would be of mutual benefit. LFS would look so much better, and that we all have in interest.

+1

This improvement would be very welcome to all of us.

A higher res. on the skins would be sweet. I haven't bothered to use credits for downloading "high res." skins at 1024*1024, since I don't think it's worth it. 2048*2048 would be another case.
In the past when I was racing in GTAL, I used to download all the others team skins (Usually 2048*2048), just to make it look better when racing.
It had no effect on performance for me.
But then again, I'm running F1 2011 (very shortly F1 2012 ) maxed out...