Ghost stories are best told in the in the dark, where people jump at shadows while their imaginations fill the void. Kinetic Games, the developers ofPhasmophobia, know this intuitively, which is whyPhasmophobia’s updates consistently try to improve the lighting.
Light has always been important inPhasmophobia. Not only is the lighting key to the game’s atmosphere, but several ofPhasmophobia’s items are meant to manipulate light, like flashlights, glowsticks, UV lights, and infared sensors.
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One of the biggest improvements toPhasmophobia’s lighting is volumetric lighting. This technique allows developers to present “rays” of light shaped by the environment, such as sunshine filtered through thin leaves or a cloudy window. It’s for a good reason that the industry nickname for this technique is “god rays.”
Players can see volumetric lighting in action via the depth of light shown in lamps orinPhasmophobia’s DOTS projector. That is, if they have it turned on. Volumetric lighting is a somewhat optional feature, and it may not be active on the player’s copy of the game.
How to turn on Volumetric Lighting
Players can find volumetric lighting in the settings menu. It’s right below the “Head Bob” toggle and right below the “Field of View” Slider. Players can choose between Off, Low, Mid, and High.
That being said, if volumetric lighting is so impressive, why is it optional,especially if it makesPhasmophobiascarier? Like many graphical options, it all comes down to computer power. If volumetric lighting was always set to high, fewer people would be able to play the game.
Volumetric lighting takes processor power to render, and it could slow down the experience on weakaer computers. This goes double for online games, and some players notice that lag and server crashes seem to happen less frequently if the volumetric lighting is set to “low” or “off.”
Aside from that, in earlier versions of the game, volumetric lighting made some areas look unintentionally foggy. But that issue was improved in the latest patch, so players shouldn’t worry too hard about it.
Players should check if they already have volumetric lighting on or off before starting their next game. If it is off, they should do a quick practice game with another friend to see how their PC reacts to volumetric lighting being on. While it’s arguably better for the game, there’s no shame in having to turn it off for technical reasons.
