alinadem

It depends on the shader, they've added more types of ambient occlusion, (ssao, hbao, ssgi, raymarch), however yes it's been a pain to add a subtle ssao at least from my experience. I think it's not worth the drop in performance, even for ssao.

I think the biggest things and why the thread exists, is I wanted to have a nice baseline that compliments all sectors of the game, doesn't break immersion, and reduces at most 25-50 fps as a whole. I am doing this on a gtx 470 so i can make sure it's not people only with titan x that can use it

Thus far, SSAO is a huge killer, now that reshade has gotten popularity I will try to release some variations that don't break too much immersion. 

Not the best example, but this is with newest reshade, i like the ambient light shader 

Ok actually I found this out. I plugged in a DVI-VGA adapter and it works but only without the shader files. I have  AMD Radeon R9 270x video card using Windows 7 64bit. The latest drivers which are the Omega drivers work with the shader but a saved game will not load. It crashes. If I use the 13.12 drivers the game loads but only without the shader.

By default effects should load. The Reshade.fx file has the scroll-lock key as a toggle to effects on/off. If it's still remaining of not sure, I'd recommend posting a screenshot of the directory. Also Crosire is continiously updating his injector. I imagine whatever minor issues, such as movies causing the injector to have problems, should be fixed very soon. 

Every time I try to run TSL with the Reshader I get a wierd runtime error. Any idea what it could be?

 

I'm using TSLRCM, M4-78EP, Jedi Temple and various texture mods.

 

My build is an Overclocked i5-3750K, 8GB Ram, AMD 7950 and an AsRock z77 Extreme4 Motherboard

Can you link a screenshot of the error? Or if you could link me the OPENGL32.log file 

If the log file is very large, delete it, start the game/reshade again. 

I'm using widescreen mode 1920x1080 and now since adding the reshader files to my TSL folder, the game movies are tiny. There is a scaling issue problem.

What are your PC specs? 

This won't work in fullscreen mode?

It will work in full-screen mode. Windowed mode is just recommended if you want to quickly adjust parameters in the Reshade.fx and see the results right away. 

Also for everyone, the new file has SSAO removed, I focused mostly on sharpness, tone-mapping, black/white levels, to bring out the washed out colors. Also the flares give a nice vibe. 

With SSAO removed, the performance hit should be significantly less. 

Ah, yeah it seems the requirements are gtx 400 series / radeon hd5xxx series or higher, i'll continue to update this thread if any changes. 

Ah man, I can't use this because my video card doesn't support openhl 4.3

which video card?

Those moments when you face palm yourself to the sheer obviousness of the problem lol.

 

Drivers were out of date for me.

 

And apparently my geforce experience thought that 344.75 was the latest update. so I went to the Nividia site and downloaded the newest drivers 347.09 and installed them.

 

Doing that has fixed the issue. Thank you very much for the trouble shooting help, it works now on both games and looks great. . Thank you again.

No problem, your problem actually helped because it seems like all Nvidia users will need 347.09 for now, until crosire works on a hotfix. seems like drivers prior to are mixing the RBG channels incorrectly, which is fixed in 347.09. I added that as the requirements for now. Cheers. 

Ok so let me link the imgur gallery with the screen shots > http://imgur.com/a/2xT07 that is both Kotor 1 and 2 screens same install  methods, both steam versions and the steam over lay disabled, both have the latest reshade 11.4 with your tweaked .fx file the only weird thing i have noticed is the .exe that reshade came with. it seems  i had not used before so it tried it on both games and it fails on both due to something like it cant replace the reshade.fx file and i also cant toggle it to openGL from auto on that installer. could that be the cause of my issues?.

Which Nvidia Driver are you using? The exe that Reshade gives you is if you don't do manual installation, so that his exe can determine that game running opengl, d3d9, etc and name the correct dll accordingly. With the pack I've provided it's unnecessary. 

Version 1.03, added toggle key for enabling/disabling effects "Scroll Lock" key is set to default

I have a question / problem for alinadem. I have been having a issue with this today in both Kotor's 1&2 red and flesh tones colors turn blue in-game and in the menus.

 

I have tried disabling multiple settings to figure this out to no luck, if I alt tab i will see it flicker to the correct tone then it will go back to being blue.

 

Could you possibly give me a idea of what is messing up my games? both are steam version Kotor2 TSL  is not modded,  yet but Kotor 1 is modded.

 

I have disabled the steam overlay in both and that didnot change the effect that is being caused, honestly i'm stumped.  

 

i've fiddled with sweet fx in several games before but i've never had a problem like this it's like a setting i cant see or understand the code for is causing this i just know it.

 

 

I'll toss my system build here ( i7-4790k, 2x Msi Gtx 780 6gb's, 32gb ram, 2x  2TB segate hybird hdd in RAID 1 mirror) and that i'm using notepad to edit the Reshade.fx file.

Can you take a screenshot? hitting Prt Scr key will generate a normal screenshot and one with the effects on. Perhaps an issue with OpenGL & Nvidia, although I didn't note any issues like that during my testing. Ensure you are using the latest file I've uploaded, using ReShade 11.4

I'd definately use the Ambient Occlusion part. Not sure about the rest.

added 2 screenshots comparing vanilla and ssao /w sharpening - also i added a reshade.fx file that will just apply those 2 effects.

As the plugin continues to come out of beta, I will probably work on 3 presets. 

I don't see any difference apart from high contrast and depth of field.

Well the depth of field difference is certainly noticeable!

Depth of field disabled now, added new screenshots. DoF doesn't seem viable since it will blur menu, hud, etc. At least from my tweaking. I have also added the new Reshade.FX file (Version 1.1) 

Current Version (Beta) 1.07

Last Updated - January 22, 2015

Introduction

This project implements tweaks the tone-mapping, adds effects such as SSAO, Depth of Field, Godrays, Bloom, sharpness, etc via Reshade by Crosire.

Version History

v1.07 - Added Reshade 0.13.1 & MasterEffect ReBorn 1.0.340 - Removed SSAO, added Gaussian Anamflare. Re-organized Effects in alphabetical order, sorted by FPS Hit / Performance

v1.04 - Reduced darkening from SSAO, minor changes. 

v1.03 - Initial Release

Requirements

Your GPU must support OpenGL 4.3. Also ensure you have the latest drivers: 

Latest Nvidia Driver // GTX 400 series or higher  // Drivers older than 347.09 will NOT work due to opengl bug - (May be resolved as of Jan 22, 2015, if you wish to use older driver) 

Latest AMD Driver   // Radeon HD 5xxx or higher 

Installation

Step 1 

Download v1.07, extract the contents to the same folder as swkotor2.exe 

Step 2

Run the game

> If everything worked, you should first get a prompt for reshade (Message Box)

> Then in-game you will see text in the top left, also as you make edits in real-time

> Press Scroll Lock key to disable/enable effects in-game

Editing Effects In-Game

Edit ReShade.fx to edit my presets in Notepad or Notepad++ 

> You can adjust effects in real time. I recommend running the game in Windowed Mode to save time. To run TSL in windowed mode, make sure your swkotor2.ini has the following codes added:

FullScreen=0

> When in game, press ALT-Enter to activate Windowed Mode.

Credit: 

Crosire - Official Website for Reshade

Marty Mcfly - Facebook

Effects used in v1.07

> Curves / DPX / Levels / Liftgammagain / Sharpening / Vibrance / Gauusiananamflare

> Main focus was to improve the dull tones, bring out a bit of sharpness, improve black/white levels, and adding the flare as opposed to bloom. 

Old Screenshots:

Image1 / Image2 / Image3 / Image4 / Image5 / Image6 / Image7 / Image8 / Image9 Image10 / Image11 / Image12

FAQ

It's too dark / bright in game?

> Adjust your brightness in-game to taste, I am using this monitor. 

Can I use FRAPS, MSI On-Screen-Display / Afterburner?

> Fraps works and will record video/screenshots with effects enabled, wasn't successful using MSI On-Screen-Display / Afterburner.

How much of a performance hit? 

> Open the Reshade.fx - I have sorted the effects under categories with the supposed FPS Hit, I am using a GTX 970 so your results may vary.  

How to apply antialiasing like in your screenshots?

> Use this guide if Nvidia GPU

How to enable/disable effects / toggle key?

> Hit "Scroll Lock" key, right above your Home key. 

Can I take screenshots?

> Either user FRAPS, or hit the "Prt Scr" key when in-game. This will save a screenshot in your kotor directory (same as executable). It will generate a normal screenshot (vanilla, no effects), as well as with effects. This way you can make easy comparisons. 

What can we look forward to in the future?

> Hopefully a good integration of Depth of Field. All that i tested, I still had hud, menu, chat being blurred, so it wasn't worth it for gameplay purposes. As Crosire's Reshade comes out of beta and is more stable, an official release here, with 2-3 different presets. Hopefully more shaders like SMAA implemented too. This way we will have other options for antialiasing with same or less overhead. I'm still trying to find the best balance of black/white levels, and tone-mapping, please share your screenshots here so we can compare

I got it working guys, i will post a new thread, very excited! 

I got it working but I get a black screen when I enable the FX, gonna continue to test. Also make sure you don't have any overlay software like Fraps, or MSI Afterburner (On-Screen Display) running, it's known to interfere. 

Got it working, this is an on-going project:

http://deadlystream.com/forum/topic/3002-reshade-for-kotor-tsl/?do=findComment&comment=30622

Hey! I did more than just "upscale" my muzzleflash textures.. *grumble..

 

 

 

 

Seriously though, I wish more people focused on the finer details such as all of the effects.

 

Incidentally, were you going to work on the explosion cloud/ smoke as well? I'm certain some plugins will produce great results with them.

Yes, I have been working on fireball explosion clouds, currently working on the fireball fx done by droid flamethrower, poison, plasma, etc. I assume they are also used elsewhere. I make edits as I go and test them in-game. It's a strange one since the texture is animated by 16 or 25 frames, so I think the fireball and smoke will be the most challenging. 

So what is it?

NFX - FX Texture Overhaul for TSL is my texture overhaul of all the effects in Kotor 2. This applies to effects such as muzzle flashes, lens flares, snowflakes, fire/smoke fx, explosions, etc. I will continue to update this thread with my progress with the project and identifying textures. Below is an example of a high resolution remade muzzle as well as flares. The result is reduced blur, improved detail. I am kinda cheesed that there were only a couple people who took a hit at the FX textures, and they were simply upscaled. Therefore I would like to finish this re-make of all the FX! The goal is to keep the vanilla feel, without modifying too many tones or colors, unless necessary. 

If you would like to collaborate or help out, please add me on skype - alinademelectro

Screenshots below (bare in mind when I uploaded these I forgot about the alpha channels, future updates will look better, all alpha channels will be re-done)

Also, anybody willing to shed some light on the description of the textures from FX and what they do in-game would be great, since the naming is strange, I would gladly appreciate it! Textures I have extracted the originals using KotorTool, under swpc_tex_tpa.erf "F"

It's a bit tough because there's a lot of trial and error for me to discover which exact texture I'm editing in-game.

Anyways, it's still very early but I wanted to let you guys know what I'm working on! Cheers!

Project Updates 

10/29/14 - Creating 2 versions, UltraHD (1K/2K textures), and a standard HD (1K/512) - No ETA thus far

Identified Textures In-Game ~50%

I feel the same, i tried tor and it felt lacking in everyway. Something about kotor 1 and kotor 2 that had me hooked in terms of the pace and gameplay. I'm new to texture modding but I definitely have this need to restore this game and beautify it as much as possible. The guys behind tslrcm have really made me keep coming back to the series. 

Guide Updated 10/26/14

This guide requires Nvidia Inspector

Currently there are no options to get ENB, SweetFX, etc working in Kotor/Kotor2. These options will give you the highest quality for Antialiasing, Texture Filtering, Screen-Tear, and input delay. 

1) Launch Nvidia Inspector, and open "Driver (256+) Profile Settings.

2) Click the drop-down arrow by the Home Icon. Search and Click the Profile for "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2"

Use my settings below as reference, or import my profile. Make sure to apply changes!

Antialiasing - Mode - Override any application setting

Antialiasing - 8xQ (8x Multisampling)                                                                 // Or set to 4x 

Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling (8x Sparse Grid Supersampling)  // Or set to 4x

Anisotropic Filtering Mode - User-defined / Off

Anisotropic Filtering Setting - 16x

Texture Filtering - LOD Bias (OGL) - 0         // Values between 0 and -0.250 improve sharpness but introduce shimmering

Texture Filtering - Negative LOD Bias - Clamp   

Texture Filtering - Quality - High Quality

Texture Filtering - Trilinear Optimization - Off

Frame Rate Limiter - 58 fps  // Change to 118fps if you are using 120Hz Monitor, or offf for 144Hz+

Download Nvidia Inspector Profile

Profile for 60Hz Monitor (Locked @ 58fps) *Most common

Profile for 120Hz Monitor (Locked @ 118fps)

Profile for unlimited FPS

Notes / Warnings

> Ensure that the Antialiasing modes are matching. For example, 2x/2x, 4x/4x, 8x/8x

> Adjust  LOD Bias (OGL) to taste. Values between 0 (Soft) and minus -1.500 (Sharper) increase sharpness of textures, although shimmering may occur. Most shimmering I've noticed only on the starting Peragus, although with sharper textures (floor). Therefore you may enjoy settings at 0, -.5000, -1.000, -1.500. My uploaded profile has LOD Bias @ 0 for best stability. 

What am I working on at the moment?

> A confirmed list of non-working OpenGL/DX9 wrappers

> Complete Nvidia Inspector Profiles (Different versions, 4x/4x AA for slower GPUs, and some other variants)

> Testing any wrappers for OpenGL/DX9 (OpenGL32.dll)

> Continuing to explore Nvidia Inspector options, so far nothing working for Ambient Occlusion

These OpenGL to DirectX9 Wrappers do NOT work:

> gldirect5 // Download

> QindieGL.1.0 (rev4 & rev3) // Download

> TitaniumGL v2014_01 (All Versions) // Download

Simple Nvidia Guide to avoid crashing - Updated 10/26/14

Note -> If you have a decent Nvidia GPU, use this updated guide.

Okay so I have a GTX 470, noticed that when I wanted to load games in Kotor 2 TSL, I'd get immediate artifacts and a crash. I attempted many times to reinstall, remove mods, etc. Ultimately, through trial and error I realized that the problem was that (Threaded Optimization) in Nvidia Control Panel, was set to "ON".

To FIX this crash set to "Auto" or "Off". "Off" is recommended, though Auto worked for me as well.


-------------------------LEGEND--------------------------
RED = Compatibility / Stability Issue
PINK = Visual Boost
GREEN = Optimal / Performance Friendly
----------------------------------------------------------------

Ambient Occlusion = OFF - No native support
Anisotropic Filtering = Application Controlled (16x In Game)
Antialiasing - FXAA = OFF - May or may not cause issues, I recommend off since this is a 'fake' overlay AA and blurs the screen / font.
Antialiasing Gamma Correction = ON
Antialiasing Setting = Application Controlled | 4 - 8x Recommended In Game
Antialiasing Transparency = Multisampling
CUDA GPUs = Use Global Setting (ALL)
Maximum Pre-Rendered Frames = Use the 3d Application Setting
Multi-display / Mixed GPU Acceleration = Single Display Performance Mode
Power Management Mode = Adaptive | Change To "Prefer Maximum Performance" if needed
Texture Filtering - Anisotropic Sample Optimization = ON "Shouldn't be relevant since TSL renders with OpenGL, though keep on no loss."
Texture Filtering - Negative LOD Bias = Clamp
Texture Filtering - Quality = Performance (Opting for High Quality will avoid your GPU from enabling its texture optimization features. Good Balance)
Texture Filtering - Trilinear Optimization = ON (FPS Boost, Relevant to DirectX. Enabled, recommended)
Threaded Optimization = OFF (The Culprit for causing immediate crash / CTD) Keep this OFF
Triple Buffering = ON (Enhanced Smoothness)
Texture Filtering - Anisotropic Filter Optimization = OFF (Default)
Vertical Sync = ON (Old game, hence high chance of screen tear for powerful GPUs)

My Recommended MAX FPS Settings GPUS ~ Geforce 6xxx / 7xxx / 8xxx Low - Mid Series

Ambient Occlusion = OFF - No native support
Anisotropic Filtering = OFF
Antialiasing - FXAA = OFF
Antialiasing Gamma Correction = ON
Antialiasing Mode = OFF
Antialiasing Setting = OFF
Antialiasing Transparency = OFF
CUDA GPUs = Use Global Setting (ALL)
Maximum Pre-Rendered Frames = Use the 3d Application Setting | Lower values benefit if you experience delayed response from mouse due to lag, etc.
Multi-display / Mixed GPU Acceleration = Single Display Performance Mode
Power Management Mode = Prefer Maximum Performance
Texture Filtering - Anisotropic Sample Optimization = ON
Texture Filtering - Negative LOD Bias = Allow
Texture Filtering - Quality = High Performance
Texture Filtering - Trilinear Optimization = ON
Threaded Optimization = OFF
Triple Buffering = OFF
Texture Filtering - Anisotropic Filter Optimization = OFF (Default)
Vertical Sync = OFF (Will help pump out a bit more FPS, turn on if screen tearing occurs - Also you can use Adaptive instead)


Further Optimization Steps

1) Download the latest DirectX Runtime
2) Download the latest Nvidia or ATI Drivers

3) Replace the default "Mss32.dll" in your default Kotor 2 Directory with This Replacement. Keep a backup just in-case.

4) Right click on your Kotor 2 Directory, Click Properties. Unmark "Read Only". Click Apply, and OK. Hit OK again for the Menu to exit. (This avoids writing issues to files)

5) Right click on swkotor2.exe, Click Properties. Click on the Compatibility Tab. Click "Run this program in compatibility mode for" In the window select "Windows XP Service Pack 2". Also Select "Disable Visual Themes", and "Run this program as an administrator". Hit "OK" now go back and apply those same steps to launcher.exe and swupdate.exe

- Will update this thread to help others, any thoughts and recommendations regarding tweaks and graphical overhauls would be greatly appreciated

Cheers.