Warzone dev promises to change Verdansk ’84 sun glare

Liam Mackay
Warzone sun lens flare

After Warzone players complained that Verdansk ’84’s sun glare was blindingly bright, Raven Software’s lead VFX artist promised change.

Warzone Season 3’s Verdansk ’84 brought much-needed change to the battleground, freshening up POIs and adding new areas to explore. The map was originally plagued by under the map exploits, but Raven Software appears to now have these under control.

Since the game-breaking issues have been fixed, Warzone players have turned their eyes to the map’s other glaring issues. Most notable is the blinding sun lens flare that comes over the top of hills and buildings, making it impossible to see anything else. Fans have been asking for change, and a Raven Software dev has promised to address the issue.

Warzone sun glare

One of the main complaints about the original Verdansk was its muted color palette. It was exceptionally easy for Operators wearing dark colors to blend into corners, and many PC players used NVIDIA filters to brighten the map. With Verdansk ’84, however, the sun came out and brought more vivid colors to the area.

In turn, this brought further visibility issues. Players complained that the lens flare covers up your whole screen when facing the sun, making it impossible to see anything else in front of you. Dexerto compiled these complaints, and it caught the attention of Warzone’s lead VFX artist, Reed Shingledecker.

“Is this true? The sun lensflare in Verdansk ’84 is bothering people?” asked Shingledecker on May 23. “I can easily tone it down if needed.”

https://twitter.com/fx_reed/status/1396477194038218756

Players and high-profile members of the Warzone community responded with a resounding yes, so Shingledecker confirmed he would be addressing the issue. “Looks like I know what I’m doing on Monday. I’m happy to look and address any VFX concerns.”

However, he confirmed that he doesn’t “have the power to change the entire lighting of the map,” and concerns over this should be sent to Raven Software’s Twitter account.

This is likely in response to players’ love for Rebirth Island’s new lighting, and asking for it to be implemented in Verdansk ’84.

Shingledecker felt he had to reiterate what he can actually change, so further clarified. “There seems to be some confusion as to what is in my control to adjust,” he explained. “I can only adjust the brightness of the lens flare on the screen. This includes the rays that draw on top of buildings and the screen dirt. I CANNOT control the haziness, god rays, or actual sun brightness.”

Although Shingledecker said he would be looking at the issue on Monday (May 24), the change will likely be applied in a future update.

Image Credit: Raven Software / Activision