After watching some footage of the campaign my head began to melt. Why is there lens flare present? Are we seeing the game through a head mounted camera or something? I thought we we supposed to be seeing the game through the character's eyes. Or am I missing something? I've played zero of the single player so perhaps there is a story conceit for it. The marketing material all has had a digital distortion style to it, so maybe there is a story conceit for it. But as far as I know the single player is shown as flashbacks and we are shown this via the first person perspective of the character's eyes and not through any type of camera lens. Our eyes can also produce flares, but not the kind seen in BF3, at least my eyes have never experienced this type.

I was fine with the lens flare in ME2 since the visuals weren't being presented through the character's eyes. For all we know ME2 was a sci-fi TV series and had a floating robot cameraman behind Shepard the whole time.

Is the visual flair worth more than keeping to the reality of the presented material? Or is the lens flare appropriate in the context of the story? I remember my friends bitching about the lens flair in Star Trek, but at least one could argue that we were seeing the film through a camera and not eyeballs, even if the flares were digitally added I'll try to not think about it when playing, but its hard not to think about it when its as prominent as it is BF3.

Is DICE going for something more with this? Are we supposed to be a seeing the game in more of a film context, that we are not creating the scene, we are watching it? Or does it just look awesome and therefore who gives a shit.

They look cool. That's really all there is to it.

Maybe he has contact lenses in?

There's lens flare because it's cool and because it's the best way to represent being blinded by light we know.

@AlexW00d: I wonder if that would create a legitimate flare. Also what about the sunglasses? Can they create a flare, or aren't they supposed to prevent that, arghh my head.

Fuck you non-glasses wearing people.

VIDJAGAIMZ!

Because it looks cool.

@W0lfbl1tzers: I wear glasses for some things. Class if I sit far, driving. but I dont ever get the type of lens flare seen in BF3. More of a sun burst effect, never the weird banding that's in the BF3 screenshot. What do they look like to you?

@MrOldboy said:

@AlexW00d: I wonder if that would create a legitimate flare. Also what about the sunglasses? Can they create a flare, or aren't they supposed to prevent that, arghh my head.

I was joking, I doubt it as they aren't glass. I dunno. But my glasses do it even though they have a anti glare coating.

Frankly, this is the least of it. Try being a super special forces BF3 dude with all sorts of spec-ops tinted sunglasses or tinted face masks . . . but blinded the fuck out of your god damn mind from a flash light attachment on a gun . . . from half a mile away . . . in fucking broad daylight.

@MrOldboy: I'm guessing this is your first videogame.

It may not be realistic, but being blinded by light actually adds a cool dynamic to the single player.

It's just effects that will "enhance" the overall viewing experience to look more dramatic and real. Just ask Michael Bay.

@MrOldboy:

you are reading waayyyyyy too much into this. It looks awesome, plain and simple.

Because shiny.

@AlexW00d said:

@MrOldboy said:

@AlexW00d: I wonder if that would create a legitimate flare. Also what about the sunglasses? Can they create a flare, or aren't they supposed to prevent that, arghh my head.

I was joking, I doubt it as they aren't glass. I dunno. But my glasses do it even though they have a anti glare coating.

My glasses do it too and it's one of the many reasons I fucking hate wearing glasses.

You play as a robot.

Edit: You know, I think questioning things like this is like questioning why first person games always seems like you're playing as someone with one eye (or only one eye open). Or why in most FPSs you play as just a couple arms (though I think BF3 features legs). VIDEO GAMES!

@MooseyMcMan said:

You play as a robot.

SPOILERS!

That reminds me. What happened to the spoiler button? I have to switch to parchment v1 now if I want to use the spoiler thing.

Because Hollywood. That's why.

J.J. Abrams loves Battlefield

@CL60 said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

You play as a robot.

SPOILERS!

That reminds me. What happened to the spoiler button? I have to switch to parchment v1 now if I want to use the spoiler thing.

I was joking.

OR WAS I?!?!

Is this the only game you've seen in the last five years?

When you join the military they take out your eyes and replace them with cameras.

A lot of people have already said it, because it looks cool. I think you're over thinking it.

@CL60 said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

You play as a robot.

SPOILERS!

That reminds me. What happened to the spoiler button? I have to switch to parchment v1 now if I want to use the spoiler thing.

In Parchment v2...

The spoiler is under the MORE button to the right...>>

@MoleyUK said:

@CL60 said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

You play as a robot.

SPOILERS!

That reminds me. What happened to the spoiler button? I have to switch to parchment v1 now if I want to use the spoiler thing.

In Parchment v2...

The spoiler is under the MORE button to the right...>>

I DIDN"T EVEN SEE THAT BUTTON, HOLY SHIT!

@CL60 said:

@MoleyUK said:

@CL60 said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

You play as a robot.

SPOILERS!

That reminds me. What happened to the spoiler button? I have to switch to parchment v1 now if I want to use the spoiler thing.

In Parchment v2...

The spoiler is under the MORE button to the right...>>

I DIDN"T EVEN SEE THAT BUTTON, HOLY SHIT!

Also, the white out spoilers don't work once someone has quoted them, because it changes the color of the text, but not the white box.

Mainly because it's just another visual look. I like having it there even if it's not realistic.

@MooseyMcMan said:

@CL60 said:

@MoleyUK said:

@CL60 said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

You play as a robot.

SPOILERS!

That reminds me. What happened to the spoiler button? I have to switch to parchment v1 now if I want to use the spoiler thing.

In Parchment v2...

The spoiler is under the MORE button to the right...>>

I DIDN"T EVEN SEE THAT BUTTON, HOLY SHIT!

Also, the white out spoilers don't work once someone has quoted them, because it changes the color of the text, but not the white box.

That should be fixed.

@MooseyMcMan said:

@CL60 said:

@MoleyUK said:

@CL60 said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

You play as a robot.

SPOILERS!

That reminds me. What happened to the spoiler button? I have to switch to parchment v1 now if I want to use the spoiler thing.

In Parchment v2...

The spoiler is under the MORE button to the right...>>

I DIDN"T EVEN SEE THAT BUTTON, HOLY SHIT!

Also, the white out spoilers don't work once someone has quoted them, because it changes the color of the text, but not the white box.

I think its looks pretty good and that's all there really is to it :P

@Swoxx said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

@CL60 said:

@MoleyUK said:

@CL60 said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

You play as a robot.

SPOILERS!

That reminds me. What happened to the spoiler button? I have to switch to parchment v1 now if I want to use the spoiler thing.

In Parchment v2...

The spoiler is under the MORE button to the right...>>

I DIDN"T EVEN SEE THAT BUTTON, HOLY SHIT!

Also, the white out spoilers don't work once someone has quoted them, because it changes the color of the text, but not the white box.

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

Which is really, really stupid.

Yeah, it kinda of fucking sucks

Because men.

The main reason the flare bothers me more so in this game compared to othre releases is the way the game has been pushed as the most realistic looking shooter/game ever. It breaks the illusion for me. Guess others dont seem to mind it. Why I posted, so I could find out what others think.

I don't know about you guys but I've certainly experienced flares like that in real life. Sometimes if it's super wet and rainy or my eyes get adjusted to the dark and then I see a car's headlights blaring at me I might experience this. It's not something we really think about or can recall the look of but I'm sure it does actually happen. I think it looks great.

no AR coating on his glasses.

Why does Mass Effect have film grain? Because it's fucking awesome, that's why. :3

Dice helped bioware with sound design. Bioware helped Dice with lens flaring. There you go.

To reduce the effectiveness of snipers

We don't see lens flares with our regular eyes. We also don't see our world in a 60 FOV.

But really, they look pretty. People like looking at pretty things. Maybe your soldier wears glasses. Maybe there's a shield in front of his visor.

Maybe the mutant ability to let you take multiple bullet hits and regenerate health has a side effect of lens-flaritis. This might be more serious than boss-eyedness. Maybe we need to start up a sexy calender, with each month sexier than the last!

If this is the first FPS game that you have ever seen lens flare in, I command you to play more FPS's.

because that just makes sense, ok. deal with it.

Seems realistic to me, or as realistic as it can be to represent being blinded by lights. There's a reason for the undersling attachment of flashlights in the game. It adds an interesting dynamic.

Because JJ is directing

@AlexW00d said:

@MrOldboy said:

@AlexW00d: I wonder if that would create a legitimate flare. Also what about the sunglasses? Can they create a flare, or aren't they supposed to prevent that, arghh my head.

I was joking, I doubt it as they aren't glass. I dunno. But my glasses do it even though they have a anti glare coating.

My contact lenses make bright lights look a little flare-y

@Zelyre: Oh god... the Sexy Calendar for Boss-eyedness... I remember it in all its reveling horror...

Cause Lens Flare looks awesome and is very, very dumb. It's like the visual form of Wobble Bass.

Same reason Sam Fisher's night vision goggles light up, even though real night vision goggles don't produce any light (it would kinda defeat the point). It's just to add more immersion into the game for the player.

To promote internet discussion & debate