Lower res in distance? Only need a simple answer :)

[Salmon P]

Hello! Is it normal for games to use lowres in distance? When playing rdr2 i notice good res when close to objects etc but trees/mountains further away look more blurred and muddy. Just want to know if this is normal. 1440p/4k. 4k looks obviously better overall playing on my 1440p monitor. 

[Average Nerd]

That's normal.

Many games reduce the level of detail on objects that are further away, in order to reduce load on your hardware.

[Salmon P]

Thank you for you quick answer! Good to know

[tkitch]

very normal.  helps keep VRAM usage in check by not needing high res textures for everything you can see 

[Salmon P]

That was also super informative. Thank you both for your answers

[Skipple]

In addition to what everyone has already said, there are typically two different settings in games:

1. Draw Distance - this setting is whether or not something is shown. Lower draw distance, objects further away won't be visible. In older (or poor quality games) this may objects to "pop-in". In modern games this is typically handled by "fog" where objects will appear from and fade away as distance changes. 
2. Level of Detail - what we are discussing here. The texture resolution, poly-count, anti-aliasing, and/or animations of those far away objects. 

[Mark Kaine]

Quote

Only need a simple answer

 yes, it is.