Why does MW2 look foggy or blurry? An in-depth technical analysis

ByJames Dorn Last Update on

Upon first launching Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, many gamers are noticing a conspicuously foggy or blurry image quality, especially when coming from earlier COD titles or other popular shooters. What exactly is going on under the hood to cause this perceptibly softer overall picture? Let‘s dig into the key technical factors at play and how to sharpen up the visuals:

Higher baseline graphics quality exposes performance constraints

MW2 pushes more advanced graphical features than previous COD games out of the box – higher resolution textures, improved lighting, volumetric effects like ray-traced shadows and NVIDIA DLSS 3 upscaling. This demanding baseline quality exposes performance limitations, especially on consoles.

The Xbox Series S targets 1200p with lower settings to maintain 60 FPS. The PS5 version has an optional 120 Hz mode that dials back resolutions and effects. These dynamic tradeoffs can manifest as occasional softness or upscaling artifacts.

  • MW2 install size is over 100 GB pointing to huge texture assets. Yet console GPUs stream in lower mip-maps.
  • Particle effects like smoke are much higher fidelity but cost precious performance.



Higher quality effects like volumetric lighting introduce pixelation on underpowered hardware

Aggressive temporal upscaling breeds blurriness

To maximize fluidity within performance limits, MW2 leverages temporal upscaling methods like AMD FSR 2 and Nvidia DLSS. But agressively upscaling from say 1440p to 4K then applying sharpening can result in fuzziness, especially in motion.

DLSS 3 generates entire frames via AI to boost FPS by 2-3X. But partially synthetic frames tend to lack fine detail. AMD cards suffer more as they lack dedicated ML hardware found in RTX GPUs.



Temporal upscaling fails to preserve intricate details

Crank up anti-aliasing to the max? Think again

You would assume maxing out anti-aliasing quality would guarantee a perfectly clean image. However, in the pursuit of 4K 120+ FPS across platforms, MW2 makes more conservative use of computationally expensive anti-aliasing techniques like MSAA or SSAA seen in slower paced shooters.

Instead we see post-process methods like FXAA and SMAA which mitigate jaggies without the big performance hit, but lend a slight vaseline-like blur.



SMAA (right) smooths edges but lacks the crispness of MSAA (left)

The photogrammetry double-edged sword

MW2 uses photogrammetry to scan real-world objects and locations down to the fine details. This translates to tangible improvements in texture accuracy and depth compared to hand-crafted assets.

Up close, surfaces like brickwork and tree bark manifest incredible realistic texturing with depth, imperfections and nuance. But artists still need to optimize these scanned assets to ensure clean projection at a distance in-game. Finding this balance proves tricky and can contribute to fleeting blurriness.



Photogrammetry assets add realism but poses optimization challenges

Here are some tweakable settings focusing specifically on improving image clarity and sharpness rather than just raising overall quality presets:

Display

  • Resolution Scale: 100%. Disable dynamic scaling
  • Dynamic Resolution: Off unless GPU bound
  • Display Mode: Fullscreen exclusive
  • Brightness: Personal preference, affects visual acuity

Details & Textures

  • Texture Resolution: High
  • Texture Filter Anisotropic: High
  • Nearby Level of Detail: High

Post Processing Effects

  • World Motion Blur: Off
  • Weapon Motion Blur: Off
  • Filmgrain: 0
  • Depth of Field: Off

Anti-Aliasing

  • SMAA T2X: Enabled
  • DLSS: Quality or Balanced

NVIDIA Control Panel

  • Image Sharpening: On with 0.5 sharpness
  • DSR Factors: 4x (enable super sampling)

MW2 undoubtedly sets a new bar for graphical excellence in competitive shooters – both in technology and artistry. However, balancing uncompromised image quality with blistering performance across a range of hardware requires smart tradeoffs. Fine-tuning the settings as above helps significantly increase clarity while retaining high FPS counts.

As developers further optimize assets and effects for stability, and next-gen updates unlock more headroom, MW2‘s visuals will only improve. Graphics card advancements like NVIDIA‘s RTX 40 series will better power all these cutting-edge graphical features simultaneously.

For now, PC gamers have the ability to enhance visuals beyond even the newest consoles. So take advantage of robust options for post-processing, anti-aliasing and resolution scaling. A few tweaks go a long way towards revealing MW2‘s true visual potential!

Let me know if this guide helped gain back some visual sharpness and detail in your game! I‘m happy to answer any other questions down below.

James K. Dorn, a passionate gamer deeply immersed in the world of video gaming. My journey in gaming is not just about playing; it's about exploring every facet of the games I love. I am particularly fascinated by the intricate worlds of role-playing games like "The Witcher" series and "Elder Scrolls: Skyrim," where every decision shapes the story.

As a strategy game enthusiast, I spend hours devising tactics in games like "Civilization VI" and "StarCraft II," always eager to share my strategies with fellow gamers. I'm also an ardent follower of the ever-evolving landscape of indie games, finding gems like "Hollow Knight" and "Celeste" that offer unique, compelling experiences.

My content isn't just reviews; it's about deep dives into game mechanics, storytelling, and the art of game design. I love dissecting the narratives of games like "The Last of Us" and discussing the innovative gameplay of titles like "Death Stranding."

Being at the forefront of gaming news, I eagerly anticipate and share insights on upcoming releases like the next big open-world adventure or the latest in the "Final Fantasy" series. My goal is to build a community where we not only play games but also appreciate the artistry and effort behind them. Join me in this gaming journey, where every session is an adventure, and every game is a story waiting to be told.

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