Usually, patches bring improvements, but as it turns out, a recent Red Dead Redemption 2 patch managed to bring a downgrade. More than that, the patch affects graphics, which are one of the game’s strong points.
Red Dead Redemption 2 remains a huge success and its stunning open world is one of its best parts. The amazing details available in 4K resolution allow players to immerse themselves in that universe. Nonetheless, it appears that Rockstar wants to diminish that achievement.
Downgrading graphics
Constant game updates have been released ever since the game was released back in October. While updates usually come with new content and enhancements, it appears that a graphics downgrade was added as well.
This was discovered by a player that compared the same cut scene at two points in time. The first picture is from the first Red Dead Redemption 2 version before any patches were released. The second one is from a recent version.
If we compare the pictures, we can see that the lighting between them is quite different. In the second image, it looks less natural compared to the first one. According to some users, this proves that Rockstar removed Ambient Occlusion form the game’s lighting physics.
For those who do not know, Ambient Occlusion makes shadows look more realistic when it comes to the geometry of the environment. Other players even suggested that Rockstar has been in face downgrading lighting physics since the game was launched. Rockstar could do this in order to make the game at a smoother rate both online and in single player. Nonetheless, patch notes do not mention technical tweaks.
At the moment Rockstar hasn’t released an official statement related to these graphics changes. It remains to see what upcoming patches will bring.
Nora Reynolds is a major in biology and a minor in Biological Basis of Behavior, writing about science in general. She also likes to try new gadgets and sports about the AI new era.