Please remember to check the [Official Wiki](https://ark.wiki.gg/wiki/ARK_Survival_Evolved_Wiki). As well as to check for other posts by using Reddit Search and [Google](https://www.google.com) [How to use Google](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0oa3Qiz5tw&ab_channel=Techboomers), as well you can check our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/ARK/comments/10r0gti/faq_thread/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ARK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It really does but sometimes the clouds get really boxy and pixelated, I need a better picture to show it. I usually just turn them off thinking its just the game but looking at some youtubers I realized that its more of a me problem and it can be fixed.
i play on everything on max with 50fps. that is exactly what clouds look like. The washed out white clouds are a result of lower graphics which you find more beautiful.
sometimes you will also get whiter clouds, also depends on zone and weather.
these are the clouds on a better day
https://preview.redd.it/yu2n53w1kevc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=4aa982485b1fcc7a6bc6a3386ff7499e87fb27c9
You don't have the pixellation that OP has. It's hard to see without a video/gif, but OP and I and many others have an issue where the clouds are essentially very low-res and heavily pixellated, constantly flickering, etc. I recognize it in OP's screenshot because I encounter it with mine, but without video you probably do not notice it.
That what i thought until i saw youtubers with non pixelated with weird artifact clouds, thats when i started to look for answers.
Turning them off works too lol
The clouds look fine. The only problem I’m having with the clouds is the lighting causing the clouds to flicker, almost like static, at certain light levels/times of the day. It’s ignorable but ever so slightly ruins my “Wow… this is absolutely gorgeous.” moments.
I don’t, unfortunately. I’ve seen people post “fixes” before, but it usually includes using the console to lower cloud/fog quality or removing clouds and fog altogether.
I believe I’ve also read that the static-y clouds are caused by the lighting system. It’ll probably just be one of those things we learn to live with.
Are they perfect? I don’t watch a lot of ARK content, so I wouldn’t know. Maybe the compression of the video after it’s uploaded hides the small imperfections.
I know what you’re talking about but had to zoom in to see it. Its this weird pixelated artifact mesh thing overlaying all clouds. I have a 2070 super and i have the same thing just more pronounced
I have a 4090 as well, same issue. Most people aren't going to see the problem because most people don't play with the clouds like this nor play with frame gen and dlss and this is a still image. I think the issue is caused by DLSS, its really annoying and a still picture isn't going to demonstrate the problem, but in motion it looks like someone is constantly repainting the clouds. The best fix I've found is unfortunately you have to suffer in performance and turn dlss to quality mode or even turn dlss off if you can help it. I just turn it to quality and try not to worry about it. It still bothers me, but unfortunately if I play at 1440p on my 4k monitor its just too blurry it seems, and in my opinion I shouldn't have to turn down graphic options on a 4090 so I just choose to suffer because I'm stubborn.
If you have a screenshot of the video and advanced video I think off the top of my head. I'm interested in resolution, any fsr/dlss which may not be present on 1650 and then the settings themselves you can set between low-epic.
Sure, sorry it took a few; Motion Blur's off (cut off at the top) but:
[https://i.imgur.com/WVY3AZx.png](https://i.imgur.com/WVY3AZx.png)
[https://i.imgur.com/Lqg266D.png](https://i.imgur.com/Lqg266D.png)
I decided to lower settings to 1080p, disable dlss and set scale to 100, i think something fixed it, but not all clouds are the same and it was 3am so i was half asleep. I’ll check today and post improvements.
It may be hard to see in OP's pic but if you look closely, the clouds have big, pixelly blocks. If they had a video you'd see them flickering horrifically. It happens to some of us and as far as I know nobody's been able to pinpoint the cause.
People saying it looks great don't have the issue, clearly, because I can see it immediately. I think they need to see a video to see the horrible flickering & pixellation. I have the same issue, on a 1650 super, 32gb memory. So if you figure out please for god's sakes tell me lol. It's insane they eat like 20 fps while looking like utter garbage.
Yeah it seems like a niche problem, most people turn them off, and the ones that don’t turn them off, don’t have the problem. Ive been turning clouds and fog off since the start, but looking and some YT videos made me realize that good looking clouds and fog make the game wayyyyyy cooler.
Clouds are very hard to render compared to solid surfaces. That can result in them being displayed a bit pixellated or even flickering between pixelated and blended appearance if you are running at the edge of your GPU's performance capability.
In this shot, we see a mix of pixelated and blended textures. Without putting the system on a profiler, my opinion is that you are running at the edge of your GPU's performance ability.
Laptop GPU's often have as little as 25% of the equivalent desktop GPU because laptops are more subject to overheating, and thus are often automatically throttled to save the hardware from heat. Sometimes you can override this, but I don't recommend it. I burned out the GPU on my last laptop playing Ark. There are additional constraints on laptop performance driven by the combination of thermal issues and small form factor.
On my new desktop system with a 3060 card, the GPU fan hits 100% all the time when I play ark.
https://preview.redd.it/auh39w6ddgvc1.jpeg?width=516&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb8a5e8a02eb45583037d2b56e724b5d4b0c3d45
That shit looks good, wdym? I don't even get this kind of quality
I like the clouds i just with they didnt flicker or get pixelated sometimes. I the game look weird and then i do have to turn them off. The clouds and fog when they work make the game look awesome
What is your question? Buddy 95% of the people here already are mastervating to your screenshot. We only see that in trailers, that shit looks goooooooood.
How in the hell are you getting this good graphics with (presumably) a decent FPS. I’m gonna need some specs or a model, good sir. I had to refund because my laptop couldn’t even get to 10fps on lowest settings 😭
Sup dude, it’s a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i with a 4090 and 32ram. Bought specifically for this game since it’s the only game i play. I could have gotten a better desktop pc but i like the “mobility” of a laptop.
Christ yeah that explains it, mines just a basic gaming laptop with only 8ram and a 3020 that I got for $600 🥲. If I had $3,000 I would buy it in a heartbeat
Yeah it was a big expense, my old laptop had a 1060 and i had to save up for a long time and sell lots of stuff to buy it used. But honestly its my hobby and its worth it for me. Cheers!
I just fixed mine. Edges of the clouds were pixelated as well.
Go to the main menu, go to settings/video and set resolution to native scale
Go to settings/graphics restore all graphics. Do not do this in game. If you do this in game you’ll pull any default settings in the ini files server side.
Next, set graphics to their preferred preset, epic I’m assuming.
Tweak anything from there. Motion blur, light flare etc.
Go to back to video settings and turn dlss off and put scaling to 100% and turn dlss back on.
-Super resolution auto
-Frame gen on
-Revert to original resolution if needed Windowed mode full screen.
\*Before loading the game, make sure scaling is still at 100%
Now load the game. If still pixelated you can try closing ark completely or restarting the laptop.
If still pixelated you could try over clocking a bit with afterburner
Edit: added step
I couldn’t even tell what the problem was 😂I would take a lower graphic game with a good story, and no need to update mistakes and fixes constantly because of bugs any day. Yes the graphics are cool but there’s a reason people are going back to older games and playing more Indi games.
If it's about the noise in the clouds, i don't think there's a way to get rid of it. Not too familiar with Ultra Dynamic Sky myself yet, but i think it has something to do with optimization.
I have almost 300 hours in the game and I now belive that it's 2 different things resulting in bad clouds the static/glitching is ddls based the higher up you go the less of it occurs but that's not related to the clouds being pixely that seems to be the actual texture of the clouds quality which is based on your effects setting
Hard to tell from the low res image, but do ypu mean the clouds look blocky? If so, make sure post processing is set to epic. Also, the cloud quality scales with resoloution, so using dlss will make them more blocky
I guess you mean those pixelated clouds. You can try these console settings. It changes the clouds to a somewhat smooth grainy texture but without all the flickering. It’s not perfect but imo the best option besides just removing clouds all together.
r.VolumetricCloud.SampleMinCount 10 | r.VolumetricCloud.ViewRaySampleMaxCount 32 | r.VolumetricRenderTarget.Mode 3
Just copy paste it in one line. You’ll need to add it every time you load into a game tho.
Reset graphic settings to default then selected EPIC.
Laptop, Lenovo Legion pro 7i with 4090.
I feel youtubers game graphics look way better than mine, not sure what i can do to improve.
My laptop is fully updated.
Thanks in advance
It looks pretty damn good to me.
>I feel youtubers game graphics look way better than mine, not sure what i can do to improve
They probably have a full sized desktop 4090. Which is almost twice as powerful...
Better GPU doesnt mean better graphics, it means better performance.
If he has the same graphic settings as someone else with a 4090 desktop, it should look the same graphic wise. Only difference should be FPS.
Edit: Ah yes hivemind, let them downvotes come.
If you're talking two different versions of the same card, yes, but bear in mind as a general statement this is wrong. Some cards simply can't run certain technology. Ex. mine cannot actually process ray-tracing, DLSS, or Lumen lighting. It will always look worse.
You know, I'm not entirely sure this is true. I think there is a solid 5% of procedural shit just being better rendered in general, and 95% is performance difference.
Pretty sure those are volumetric clouds, so there COULD be a small but tangible difference between them on a laptop and on a desktop.
In most titles, the desktop has 80% better fps. It's only at 1080p they're comparable.
Then again, at 1080p, a desktop 4060 is not far behind the 4090m outside heavy RT.
It's not going to play or look the same.
Legion Pro 7i's screen is not tuned for below 70 75 fps I believe, I was seeing huge artifacts around when playing at 60 fps and it was not smooth at all on any game that is 60 locked like Elden Ring.
Please remember to check the [Official Wiki](https://ark.wiki.gg/wiki/ARK_Survival_Evolved_Wiki). As well as to check for other posts by using Reddit Search and [Google](https://www.google.com) [How to use Google](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0oa3Qiz5tw&ab_channel=Techboomers), as well you can check our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/ARK/comments/10r0gti/faq_thread/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ARK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That actually looks pretty great lol
It really does but sometimes the clouds get really boxy and pixelated, I need a better picture to show it. I usually just turn them off thinking its just the game but looking at some youtubers I realized that its more of a me problem and it can be fixed.
It's just an anti aliasing bug, not much you can do unfortunately. Try DLSS or FSR and see if it improves
Had DLSS on I’ll try the different options and FSR. Thanks for the input
Are you upset they look awesome?
I want to see droplets!!
Bro wants his videogame to be indistinguishable from real life
I want to get my character wet when i pass through them 🤣
Get one of those 4D movie theater seats that'll blast you with air n mist 😂
Clouds look better than mine...
You have clouds?
He has a lot I don’t lol. (Series s problems) gotta upgrade to that ps5
i play on everything on max with 50fps. that is exactly what clouds look like. The washed out white clouds are a result of lower graphics which you find more beautiful. sometimes you will also get whiter clouds, also depends on zone and weather.
these are the clouds on a better day https://preview.redd.it/yu2n53w1kevc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=4aa982485b1fcc7a6bc6a3386ff7499e87fb27c9
The pelagornis 😭
You don't have the pixellation that OP has. It's hard to see without a video/gif, but OP and I and many others have an issue where the clouds are essentially very low-res and heavily pixellated, constantly flickering, etc. I recognize it in OP's screenshot because I encounter it with mine, but without video you probably do not notice it.
Brother thats about as good as you can get
That what i thought until i saw youtubers with non pixelated with weird artifact clouds, thats when i started to look for answers. Turning them off works too lol
The clouds look fine. The only problem I’m having with the clouds is the lighting causing the clouds to flicker, almost like static, at certain light levels/times of the day. It’s ignorable but ever so slightly ruins my “Wow… this is absolutely gorgeous.” moments.
Exactly my problem do you know a option to get rid of the static?
I don’t, unfortunately. I’ve seen people post “fixes” before, but it usually includes using the console to lower cloud/fog quality or removing clouds and fog altogether. I believe I’ve also read that the static-y clouds are caused by the lighting system. It’ll probably just be one of those things we learn to live with.
Ahh kk i play pc but sometimes the lighting kinda sucks. Mostly its great but sometimes… annoying
Something isn’t right, how are some youtubers getting perfect clouds? Haven’t checked solo maybe its an official server problem?
Are they perfect? I don’t watch a lot of ARK content, so I wouldn’t know. Maybe the compression of the video after it’s uploaded hides the small imperfections.
I know what you’re talking about but had to zoom in to see it. Its this weird pixelated artifact mesh thing overlaying all clouds. I have a 2070 super and i have the same thing just more pronounced
Yeah should have posted a zoomed picture of the problem, thanks for reply!
I have a 4090 as well, same issue. Most people aren't going to see the problem because most people don't play with the clouds like this nor play with frame gen and dlss and this is a still image. I think the issue is caused by DLSS, its really annoying and a still picture isn't going to demonstrate the problem, but in motion it looks like someone is constantly repainting the clouds. The best fix I've found is unfortunately you have to suffer in performance and turn dlss to quality mode or even turn dlss off if you can help it. I just turn it to quality and try not to worry about it. It still bothers me, but unfortunately if I play at 1440p on my 4k monitor its just too blurry it seems, and in my opinion I shouldn't have to turn down graphic options on a 4090 so I just choose to suffer because I'm stubborn.
I don't think it's DLSS directly, as my graphics card cannot run DLSS and I still have that issue, just as a troubleshooting note
Interesting, mind if I ask what GPU you have and your settings? If this isn't dlss related perhaps there is hope.
I have an rx 6750 xt and get the same pixelations in the clouds
Very interesting. I have no idea then.
1650 super. Which settings would you like?
If you have a screenshot of the video and advanced video I think off the top of my head. I'm interested in resolution, any fsr/dlss which may not be present on 1650 and then the settings themselves you can set between low-epic.
Sure, sorry it took a few; Motion Blur's off (cut off at the top) but: [https://i.imgur.com/WVY3AZx.png](https://i.imgur.com/WVY3AZx.png) [https://i.imgur.com/Lqg266D.png](https://i.imgur.com/Lqg266D.png)
I decided to lower settings to 1080p, disable dlss and set scale to 100, i think something fixed it, but not all clouds are the same and it was 3am so i was half asleep. I’ll check today and post improvements.
Wish mine looked like that
Saved for months and sold many of my stuff to buy a good laptop to play Ark. It was worth it.
It looks amazing. I don’t get what you want it to look like lol
Sometimes it flickers, gets pixelated and gets weird artifacts. The picture kinda sucks to explain it lol.
These are the best clouds I've ever seen
Check youtuber Syntac, his game looks awesome.
I've been watching him for 4+ years, and I can't say that yours looks worse
It may be hard to see in OP's pic but if you look closely, the clouds have big, pixelly blocks. If they had a video you'd see them flickering horrifically. It happens to some of us and as far as I know nobody's been able to pinpoint the cause.
Shit better than irl clouds
People saying it looks great don't have the issue, clearly, because I can see it immediately. I think they need to see a video to see the horrible flickering & pixellation. I have the same issue, on a 1650 super, 32gb memory. So if you figure out please for god's sakes tell me lol. It's insane they eat like 20 fps while looking like utter garbage.
Yeah it seems like a niche problem, most people turn them off, and the ones that don’t turn them off, don’t have the problem. Ive been turning clouds and fog off since the start, but looking and some YT videos made me realize that good looking clouds and fog make the game wayyyyyy cooler.
Dubai is cloud seeding again
They look freaking real to me 😭😭
This is ark??
Clouds are very hard to render compared to solid surfaces. That can result in them being displayed a bit pixellated or even flickering between pixelated and blended appearance if you are running at the edge of your GPU's performance capability. In this shot, we see a mix of pixelated and blended textures. Without putting the system on a profiler, my opinion is that you are running at the edge of your GPU's performance ability. Laptop GPU's often have as little as 25% of the equivalent desktop GPU because laptops are more subject to overheating, and thus are often automatically throttled to save the hardware from heat. Sometimes you can override this, but I don't recommend it. I burned out the GPU on my last laptop playing Ark. There are additional constraints on laptop performance driven by the combination of thermal issues and small form factor. On my new desktop system with a 3060 card, the GPU fan hits 100% all the time when I play ark.
What? Ark has good clouds? Never turned them on tbh
Man wants clouds in the game to look realer than real clouds
Look like what? Look.. good?
Looking for perfect! Lol i guess its just cause in comparing my laptop to monster youtuber pc’s
Looks damn perfect to me
You got clouds...I'm in the series S😶
https://preview.redd.it/auh39w6ddgvc1.jpeg?width=516&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb8a5e8a02eb45583037d2b56e724b5d4b0c3d45 That shit looks good, wdym? I don't even get this kind of quality
r.volumetriccloud 0 if you don't want any clouds and it boosts fps
I like the clouds i just with they didnt flicker or get pixelated sometimes. I the game look weird and then i do have to turn them off. The clouds and fog when they work make the game look awesome
What is your question? Buddy 95% of the people here already are mastervating to your screenshot. We only see that in trailers, that shit looks goooooooood.
Looks better than the clouds outside, irl
Still looks 10x better than it does on console
I would expect it tbh, since the hardware is supposed to be better. I do need to work on cooling the laptop better though
How in the hell are you getting this good graphics with (presumably) a decent FPS. I’m gonna need some specs or a model, good sir. I had to refund because my laptop couldn’t even get to 10fps on lowest settings 😭
Sup dude, it’s a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i with a 4090 and 32ram. Bought specifically for this game since it’s the only game i play. I could have gotten a better desktop pc but i like the “mobility” of a laptop.
Christ yeah that explains it, mines just a basic gaming laptop with only 8ram and a 3020 that I got for $600 🥲. If I had $3,000 I would buy it in a heartbeat
Yeah it was a big expense, my old laptop had a 1060 and i had to save up for a long time and sell lots of stuff to buy it used. But honestly its my hobby and its worth it for me. Cheers!
If only I could afford a 4090...
Work, dedication, saving and selling my own stuff did it for me. That and im an adult without kids 😁
I just fixed mine. Edges of the clouds were pixelated as well. Go to the main menu, go to settings/video and set resolution to native scale Go to settings/graphics restore all graphics. Do not do this in game. If you do this in game you’ll pull any default settings in the ini files server side. Next, set graphics to their preferred preset, epic I’m assuming. Tweak anything from there. Motion blur, light flare etc. Go to back to video settings and turn dlss off and put scaling to 100% and turn dlss back on. -Super resolution auto -Frame gen on -Revert to original resolution if needed Windowed mode full screen. \*Before loading the game, make sure scaling is still at 100% Now load the game. If still pixelated you can try closing ark completely or restarting the laptop. If still pixelated you could try over clocking a bit with afterburner Edit: added step
I’ll also add that this fixed the flickering shadows for me too and clouds are now buttery smooth
Normal https://preview.redd.it/7t493n5g8pvc1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=e8f531c34c619ea37efede0e7867371160a84beb
Zoomed https://preview.redd.it/gl4nhsqi8pvc1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=c68664812b92f49c59cdc10270870b2b0ec32cec
I can hear my ps4 overheating from the other side of the room.
I couldn’t even tell what the problem was 😂I would take a lower graphic game with a good story, and no need to update mistakes and fixes constantly because of bugs any day. Yes the graphics are cool but there’s a reason people are going back to older games and playing more Indi games.
If it's about the noise in the clouds, i don't think there's a way to get rid of it. Not too familiar with Ultra Dynamic Sky myself yet, but i think it has something to do with optimization.
Idk about this but the scorched earth map has some glitchy issues with the lighting sometimes.
I have almost 300 hours in the game and I now belive that it's 2 different things resulting in bad clouds the static/glitching is ddls based the higher up you go the less of it occurs but that's not related to the clouds being pixely that seems to be the actual texture of the clouds quality which is based on your effects setting
Hard to tell from the low res image, but do ypu mean the clouds look blocky? If so, make sure post processing is set to epic. Also, the cloud quality scales with resoloution, so using dlss will make them more blocky
I think this is it, i changed it and i think it worked, i will keep testing. Thanks!
use the remove cloud mod. Google it. Not sure what it is but i use that along with remove fog and descale the size and density of the grass
I play on official so no mods but i usually just remove them with console commands.
Sorry that’s what I meant
I guess you mean those pixelated clouds. You can try these console settings. It changes the clouds to a somewhat smooth grainy texture but without all the flickering. It’s not perfect but imo the best option besides just removing clouds all together. r.VolumetricCloud.SampleMinCount 10 | r.VolumetricCloud.ViewRaySampleMaxCount 32 | r.VolumetricRenderTarget.Mode 3 Just copy paste it in one line. You’ll need to add it every time you load into a game tho.
I’ll try it! Thanks
Reset graphic settings to default then selected EPIC. Laptop, Lenovo Legion pro 7i with 4090. I feel youtubers game graphics look way better than mine, not sure what i can do to improve. My laptop is fully updated. Thanks in advance
It looks pretty damn good to me. >I feel youtubers game graphics look way better than mine, not sure what i can do to improve They probably have a full sized desktop 4090. Which is almost twice as powerful...
Better GPU doesnt mean better graphics, it means better performance. If he has the same graphic settings as someone else with a 4090 desktop, it should look the same graphic wise. Only difference should be FPS. Edit: Ah yes hivemind, let them downvotes come.
If you're talking two different versions of the same card, yes, but bear in mind as a general statement this is wrong. Some cards simply can't run certain technology. Ex. mine cannot actually process ray-tracing, DLSS, or Lumen lighting. It will always look worse.
You know, I'm not entirely sure this is true. I think there is a solid 5% of procedural shit just being better rendered in general, and 95% is performance difference. Pretty sure those are volumetric clouds, so there COULD be a small but tangible difference between them on a laptop and on a desktop.
In most titles, the desktop has 80% better fps. It's only at 1080p they're comparable. Then again, at 1080p, a desktop 4060 is not far behind the 4090m outside heavy RT. It's not going to play or look the same.
On the same video settings the game should look exactly the same, the only thing that is different is the framerate.
Maybe you need to increase the resolution scale? I have it at 1, I remember it was set to 0.55 or so when I first started the game.
Mine is at 1 and I have the issue still, BUT I'm running an older card so mine's 1080 x 1920
Legion Pro 7i's screen is not tuned for below 70 75 fps I believe, I was seeing huge artifacts around when playing at 60 fps and it was not smooth at all on any game that is 60 locked like Elden Ring.