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Metro: Last Light PC update to enable custom FOV 

4A Games is pretty sure messing with the field of view in Metro: Last Light is going to ruin everything, but since you really want to, it's going to make that possible.

In a note on the shooter's Steam community page, 4A Games said an FOV slider isn't as easy to implement as it might seem.

"The main reason for maintaining a fixed FOV is because we have 3D elements like the watch and weapon ammo that need to remain visible," the developer explained.

"In addition, all the game's first-person cut scenes and cinematics and each and every animation involving Artyom's hands - idle weapon animations, reloads, ladder climbing, melee attacks etc, - were created assuming the same, fixed field of view.

"Changing the FOV would break all the cut-scenes and animations - you would be able to see inside Artyom's arms, or they would appear to float in the air in front of you. Or worse."

4A Games had thought about offering three different FOV presets rather than an adjustable slider but encountered problems even with a limited range of options.

"Even with a wider but still fixed field of view, Artyom's hands would look too far away. We know - we tried," it added.

One top of that, a wider field of view makes the game run more slowly, thanks to the amount of "geometric detail" packed into every scene.

The developer hasn't given up on providing a solution, and in the meantime, has promised that the next title update will allow advanced users to edit .cfg files for a new FOV setting. The update is due in "the next few days".

"This may well trigger a number of issues listed above - you have been warned," 4A Games concluded.

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Metro: Last Light

PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac

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Brenna Hillier avatar

Brenna Hillier

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Based in Australia and having come from a lengthy career in the Aussie games media, Brenna worked as VG247's remote Deputy Editor for several years, covering news and events from the other side of the planet to the rest of the team. After leaving VG247, Brenna retired from games media and crossed over to development, working as a writer on several video games.

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