Full Workaround for "DisableVertexBufferOptions" in TSL Steam Update

[Snigaroo 114]

This issue has been plaguing me for quite some time, but until just now I never thought to ask about it here. I hope some of you knowledgeable folks may be able to help me.

 

For those unaware, in the Aspyr update to KOTOR 2, vanilla's "Disable Vertex Buffer Options=1" line in the .ini file was switched to "DisableVertexBufferOptions=1". For many users this doesn't cause any issues, but for some (myself included) it causes major problems with how some textures are displayed, most notably lightsabers; the entire texture is invisible from most angles, so the player is left staring at a bare model. This also happens in some other isolated situations, but lightsabers are the biggie.

 

What's worse, while it is possible to fix this rendering issue by reverting the DVBO option to include spaces as in the vanilla version, that change causes semi-random crashes in certain modules. You can fix this, of course, by reverting it back to the Aspyr-update no-space DBVO setting, but at the cost of having to stare at bare tin cans for the duration of that module, then reverting the change again and tiptoeing around, hoping you don't get another crash in the next module.

 

I've been searching for ways to permanently fix (or bypass; the semantics of it matter little to me) this issue without facing crashes or being forced to constantly change settings in the .ini. Unfortunately, the only thing I can personally think of which can absolutely fix the problem is reverting the game to Legacy, but for users who experience the fullscreen bug in the Legacy version, that opens up an entire new can of worms. It would necessitate upscaling the game and the movies to fix, the latter of which is horribly time-consuming and the latter of which is more difficult for KOTOR 2 now, as many widescreen HUD mods are no longer supported thanks to the Apeiron update.

 

So, basically, I'm looking for a way to handle this issue without needing to tell my users to revert to Legacy, which at this point isn't even a fully tenable suggestion. Failing that solution, if I recall correctly there's only one properly-made HUD fix for KOTOR 2, for 1920x1080. If I were to use the Legacy solution, I would need widescreen support for at least the resolutions listed on the WSG forums for the original KOTOR, which as you can imagine is a further issue. So... please somebody know how to permanently get around this.

[DarthParametric 3,767]

Aspyr's the only one that can fix it. They are the ones with source access (and the ones that screwed it up in the first place). It seems unlikely to ever be resolved though. I lodged a ticket about back when they were still actively working on it, but didn't get very far with their clueless tech support peons.

[Snigaroo 114]

Damn it. I suspected that was probably the case.

 

I'm left with little choice but to look into Legacy, then, but now I've got those UI issues. Is anyone aware of any HUD mods for TSL for widescreen which aren't 1920x1080 (I have that one)?

[Fair Strides 508]

Can you list all the resolutions you'd need?

[Snigaroo 114]

They're in the link I posted in the OP, sorry. Ideally I'd like 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, and 2560x1600, just to match what's available for the original KOTOR on the WSGF. I can't really advise using Legacy unless I can provide a reliable method for the majority of my users to get it running widescreen.

[Fair Strides 508]

Do you have any way of testing those resolutions yourself? I know for a fact my monitor/TV only goes up to 1920x1080 (and the recommended resolution is 1280x720), so anything beyond that would be completely guess-work on my end.

[Snigaroo 114]

I could presumably test any resolutions below 1920x1080, although with my current time constraints it would be difficult for me to do so in the short-term, but unfortunately no, I have no way of testing the higher resolutions. I asked here primarily because I was hoping that there were extant HUD fixes that I simply wasn't aware of.

 

I could probably find a user on /r/kotor who had those resolutions and could test them, but I have no idea how much that would help.

[VarsityPuppet 1,085]

I contacted Mike Blair personally about fixing this lightsaber issue awhile back (roughly a year ago). I told him that I'd bug him more about it once Duplisaber is ready for primetime.

 

It's of course not quite ready for primetime, so I never got around to bugging him about it again

[Snigaroo 114]

Bugging Mike Blair would be a lovely thing right about now, especially since (as I see it) the length of time between the original update and this proposed fix makes it less and less likely that Aspyr will ever fix the problem. I would contact them myself if I felt that it would get me anywhere, but if they're familiar with any of us they're familiar with the mod community, not me.

[Guest]

Bugging Mike Blair would be a lovely thing right about now, especially since (as I see it) the length of time between the original update and this proposed fix makes it less and less likely that Aspyr will ever fix the problem. I would contact them myself if I felt that it would get me anywhere, but if they're familiar with any of us they're familiar with the mod community, not me.

 

If you could, bug him about KOTOR 1 not getting the same update please lol. 

[l2daorch 19]

If you could, bug him about KOTOR 1 not getting the same update please lol. 

 

Oh dear please don't. I was quite hyped about their update when it first came out and planned on using it in my next playthrough. But now after watching my gf play it... They introduced some bugs, the controller support is pretty bad when you compare it to the original xbox controls and adding wide-screen support was never that big of a deal without their update. I'd much rather use Kotor Collection, which works flawlessly on modern OS and everything else can be done via mods. Adding controller support via xpadder isn't even significantly worse than what they added...

I guess if I really wanted to play Kotor 2 under Linux I'd go with their version...

[Snigaroo 114]

If you could, bug him about KOTOR 1 not getting the same update please lol. 

 

The original not receiving the same update is almost certainly an issue of licensing or some such other permissions which is entirely outside of Aspyr's control. There wouldn't really be much point bugging him about that; better to ask about something which can be fixed.

[Haveayap 127]

Oh dear please don't. I was quite hyped about their update when it first came out and planned on using it in my next playthrough. But now after watching my gf play it... They introduced some bugs, the controller support is pretty bad when you compare it to the original xbox controls and adding wide-screen support was never that big of a deal without their update. I'd much rather use Kotor Collection, which works flawlessly on modern OS and everything else can be done via mods. Adding controller support via xpadder isn't even significantly worse than what they added...

I guess if I really wanted to play Kotor 2 under Linux I'd go with their version...

I most certainly agree. The update was awful

[Guest]

I most certainly agree. The update was awful

 

Well, I completely disagree- and I'd never play the game without the Update again. 

[VarsityPuppet 1,085]

I'd rather have area fog and lightsaber textures instead of widescreen

[l2daorch 19]

Well, I completely disagree- and I'd never play the game without the Update again. 

Care to elaborate on that? I don't really see any advantages in playing with the update, besides native linux support.

[Snigaroo 114]

The update seems to completely remove the fullscreen bug, which has long been a major problem. For that reason alone it's a lifesaver, but I agree that it has other, and significant, problems. Screen tear and visual lag even with v-sync enabled is something I've experienced, in addition to the rather poor menus filled with Xbox controller buttons which are simply... unnecessary, and Ubisoft-esque in the worst of ways.

 

That said, I would still gladly choose to use the update so long as the lightsaber texture issue is fixed. I can deal with screen tear in exchange for not needing to spend hours getting the game and movies running in widescreen without native support.

[N-DReW25 1,309]

The only problem I experience with the new update is the lightsaber texture glitch, everything else seems fine. The widescreen is amazing since we no longer have to download files from websites that look like anything you click could give you a virus and the controller support wasn't that bad. I feel I should also mention Kotor 1 for Android and iOS also experience the same hilt bug at times though it isn't as bad as it is for TSL. Overall the trade off is worth it in my case since the default Lightsabers are just metal tubes and I use VP's Hi Poly Tin Cans mod a lot so it doesn't really bother me.

[Guest]

Care to elaborate on that? I don't really see any advantages in playing with the update, besides native linux support.

 

Widescreen resolutions without any hack, controller support and I've encountered no problems with it. 

[l2daorch 19]

Widescreen resolutions without any hack, controller support and I've encountered no problems with it. 

 

Have you played the original xbox version? I'd much rather set up a custom Dual Shock 4 layout and use that to play Kotor than the joke that they refer to as "controller support", switching between the target thingy and the items bar is a just sad.

I guess I can understand the widescreen support if you enjoy plug & play. Personally, setting up a new Kotor playthrough is usually 2 weeks of looking for mods, setting up widescreen and making sure everything works. For me it's part of the experience and I actually enjoy spending hours getting widescreen to work just right. And I only ever had any real issues with widescreen when using a 720p display, but even then I managed to get it to work just fine. 

I guess it does have a place then, since people seem to enjoy the convenience it adds. It comes down to whether you wanna just go ahead and play or invest a decent amount of time to tweak your experience to what you want to have.

[Guest]

Have you played the original xbox version? I'd much rather set up a custom Dual Shock 4 layout and use that to play Kotor than the joke that they refer to as "controller support", switching between the target thingy and the items bar is a just sad.

I guess I can understand the widescreen support if you enjoy plug & play. Personally, setting up a new Kotor playthrough is usually 2 weeks of looking for mods, setting up widescreen and making sure everything works. For me it's part of the experience and I actually enjoy spending hours getting widescreen to work just right. And I only ever had any real issues with widescreen when using a 720p display, but even then I managed to get it to work just fine. 

I guess it does have a place then, since people seem to enjoy the convenience it adds. It comes down to whether you wanna just go ahead and play or invest a decent amount of time to tweak your experience to what you want to have.

 

Don't assume. I played the OG Xbox versions for years until roughly 2014. 

 

Here's my KOTOR mod layout; https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0hdM1MqLqE5UUhVVnMtbHVCM1k?usp=sharing

 

I don't use the Widescreen custom hacks because in my experience, especially in K1- they're terrible. 

[milestails 264]

FYI, your Google Drive link doesn't lead to your layout.

[Ebony Moon 187]

I've played K2 (and K1) for years on Xbox. While I would much prefer controller support on PC that would emulate Xbox's perfectly, I like that Steam has a workable layout for me.

 

Once I got used to the controller support and how everything works, it's fine for me. I'm glad that Steam/Aspyr has this option. I'd rather go with that instead of trying to figure out how to install widescreen. A big thanks to Xuul's video for demystifying installing Unisw for K1, and it works just fine- K2 seems a little more involved and I don't want to go through that.

 

Right now I'm learning how to bind keys in Controller Companion so I can have controller support in K1. But I would take an Aspyr update to K1 anyday until I have the savvy to really configure what I like. It's not like I can't install GOG KOTOR also, and tweak that, as they have different default file locations anyway.

 

For some of us, time is a factor. I'd rather spend my free time playing, instead of trying to get something to work.

[Guest]

FYI, your Google Drive link doesn't lead to your layout.

 

It should now. 

 

 

I've played K2 (and K1) for years on Xbox. While I would much prefer controller support on PC that would emulate Xbox's perfectly, I like that Steam has a workable layout for me.

 

Once I got used to the controller support and how everything works, it's fine for me. I'm glad that Steam/Aspyr has this option. I'd rather go with that instead of trying to figure out how to install widescreen. A big thanks to Xuul for demystifying installing Unisw for K1, and it works just fine- K2 seems a little more involved and I don't want to go through that.

 

Right now I'm learning how to bind keys in Controller Companion so I can have controller support in K1. But I would take an Aspyr update to K1 anyday until I have the savvy to really configure what I like. It's not like I can't install GOG KOTOR also, and have both, as they have different default file locations anyway.

 

For some of us, time is a factor. I'd rather append my free time playing, instead of trying to get something to work.

 

I wouldn't bother with Flawless if you're thinking of it btw. 

 

The thing breaks any reflection maps- causes huge visuals bugs in my experience. 

[Ebony Moon 187]

Yeah, I looked at the site for Flawless and I didn't care for it. I read that you have to turn of grass for Dantooine, which told me that it wasn't 100% compatible.