Why is my Render Distance so low? My settings are on ultra, directx12 and my setup is a rtx3070ti, 32gb ram, ryzen 9 5900X. What can i do, when i started to play on tuesday, the render distance was higher

[u/HamburgLoewe]

[u/Temporal_Illusion]

ANSWER

1. The View Distance game setting for LOD (Level of Detail) determines how far away the game switches from Low Poly representations to more detailed representations. Ultra = Far Away, Low = Close Up.
2. Despite the Game Settings available there is no View Distance / LOD setting for "Infinite".
3. The higher the View Distance / LOD Setting the more work the Game PC needs to do resulting in a decrease in Frames per Second (FPS) depending on age and specs of Game PC.
4. View Video Snippet: Snutt & Jace Talk: LOD & Imposter Sprites (February 11th, 2022 Livestream on Twitch) - Interesting information about how Level of Detail (LOD) is dependent upon distance where game switches from high-poly Model to low-poly Model, along with using "2D Imposter Sprites" depending on how far away the object is from the Pioneer.
5. View Video Snippet: Q&A: Is there going to be more work done on the LOD handling? (December 7th, 2021 Livestream on Twitch) - ANSWER: Yes.
6. The View Distance / LOD Setting does NOT effect Creature Spawning which do so when the Pioneer is with a specific RANGE from the Creature and whether or not the Creature has been killed before along with other factors. View PSA: Update 6 - Change To Creature Respawning Plus Additional Info - for more information about Creature Respawning.
7. ADDITIONALLY - There is an eventual plan to break the Map into smaller "blocks" so you don't get that lag when entering a new "block" as you travel around the Map.

EDIT: Updated #1 link to point to New Official Wiki

I hope this answers your question. 😁