While waiting for 2.0? DCS World with ReShade & Co.

[Adam Beckett]

A few days ago, I injected ReShade & Co. into some older games, to enhance the "look & feel" of them.

I recently wrote even a(n overly) lengthy Steam post on a game about it: Train Simulator 2015 http://steamcommunity.com/app/24010/discussions/3/530646080855122634/

The gist of it is:

there is a very powerful post-processing graphic effects toolset out there, which will make hardcore sim fans cringe, but allows for lesser mortals to have some fun experimenting within their games and sims, while patiently waiting for DCS World 2 to drop that DX11, DirectCompute and HLSL glory.

Here are a few outrageously hilarious (extreme settings) screenshots I just made, just to see, if the injector works:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=491520921

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=477471080

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=487515589

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=487961459

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=487961097

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=487960784

Yes. Chromatic Aberration and heat haze animation effect might not be the smartest choice inside the cockpit - duh. But Ambient Occlusion (HBAO? SSAO?) might be a GOOD choice?!

Screenshots don't do this Shader Suite real justice. If you can stand the idea, I refer you to the link above, which has several 30-90 seconds video examples of different effects.

Just a thought. I don't look for attention.

[Hadji]

I use SweetFx + Mustangs Shader mod + the More Visibility mod in addition to higher res ground textures. That makes DCS look good enough in my opinion.

Does Shader Suite have a noticeable impact on performance?

[Adam Beckett]

Originally posted by El Hadji:

I use SweetFx + Mustangs Shader mod + the More Visibility mod in addition to higher res ground textures. That makes DCS look good enough in my opinion.

Does Shader Suite have a noticeable impact on performance?

Short answer: no.

It's just like SweetFX ... but on steroids.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=477537817

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=477537795

Some effects, like Crepuscular rays or "god rays" can add a neat effect to the game, since it is accessing the z-buffer data.

Others, are not - or less - suited for DCS World. Most - like tone mapping, Depth of Field, Bokeh, etc - depend on the player and her/his willingness to investigate what can add to their pleasure.

I just started tinkering around in DCS World only couple hours ago. Will take days/weeks for me to find out what works ok and what not.

[Sieben_Megaherz]

beautiful pictures :D


just i see the world after Bourbon drunk.

Important: dont drink and drive AAAAND fly

[Adam Beckett]

Another 2 examples from today...

https://youtu.be/YZ0B8ZHOeOU

https://youtu.be/QnmcGXvNhtc

I tried to use the Ambient Occlusion settings. They enhance the 3D modelled switches and knob shadows, but outside the cockpit view, the AO 'bleeds' into the next picture (think of 'burned in' CRT monitors).

ReShade IS reading out the z-buffer, among other graphic data, so the visual effects are based on real code. The crepuscular rays or lensflare effects can be adjusted to bleed less. It takes time to change values in the Mastereffect.h settings file, to find a balance between readable instruments and color/tone mapping.

ReShade has reached version 1.0 in August, after ca. one year of development. It was based on SweetFX and was a collaboration btw different post-processing graphic tuning modders.

Official website: reshade.me

[fearlessfrog]

Are there any uploaded presets for DCS already? I know they tend to be personal things to play around with, but sometimes useful just to quickly see how it improves.

I saw some SweetFX ones here:

http://reshade.me/presets

Do they work with reshade as well?

[Adam Beckett]

Originally posted by fearlessfrog:

Are there any uploaded presets for DCS already? I know they tend to be personal things to play around with, but sometimes useful just to quickly see how it improves.

I saw some SweetFX ones here:

http://reshade.me/presets

Do they work with reshade as well?

Will work just fine.

ReShade is just some sort of 'enhancement' based on SweetFX.

What is happening with both, SweetFX and ReShade, is a D3D9.dll (or dxgi.dll for DX11) is added to the DCS executable directory. The game executable is using this (home-baked) D3D library instead the one in /Windows/system32/.

https://youtu.be/_Xp1yoY-WxY

The difficult part with sim/games like DCS is preferably not to change anything much inside the cockpit, since you want to be able to read the instruments and HUD display at all times, while changes to the 'outside' world itself (color tone mapping, tree shadows, clouds, light rays, lensflare, sharpening, vignette etc) would add to the atmosphere.

But there are as many ideas about what 'looks good' or 'works' well, as there are players. I am still looking to find something, I could recommend (would upload & post here).

[Du RocK]

Could you please upload your ReShade with all your configurations? My SweetFX just stopped to work on my DCS and my only ReShade doesn't work either. I don't know why. Are you using Win 10?

[Adam Beckett]

After the public beta release of 1.5.x I kept tinkering with the ReShade toolset.

For one: it is still working. And two: the ReShade 1.0 Mediator release has additional effects, I ignored until today. There are effects, which again make no sense, if you are flying in sim mode and cockpit view, BUT which can be useful for making machinima or additional in-game cinematics for your custom campaigns?!

Here's a 'vignette' effect, enhancing the DoF/Bokeh effect that is now available in the game graphics settings, making the airplane look like a 'miniature model'.

https://youtu.be/MendqPYrMEY

It works better or worse, depending on the games. It works amazingly well in Rise of Flight:

https://youtu.be/x5X9qk6brrM

The second effect is new with Mediator and kinda 'crazy'? On top of the usual Chromatic Aberration, Fisheye effect, color tone mapping, contrast, it adds a (Super) 8mm 'film grain', the older among you might still remember from family footage ... or, if you watched John Travolta in 'Saturday Night Fever' (back in the days, commercial movies where available on 8mm!)

https://youtu.be/xU-07naun5M

https://youtu.be/CcjS7IG8oSU

...oh and yes, why not in monochrome AND film grain, right? Fake (Post-) WWII footage:

https://youtu.be/9wAwGw-LXh4

Again, all you do is start ReShade - in this case Mediator.exe, point to the game executable.

It shows a GUI with tabs and sliders which you can move around to your liking, alt-tabbing btw DCS World and the tool. Click 'apply' and you can see the effects immediately in the game.

No changes to the game code are made. Nothing is overwritten. A symbolic link is used to inject the effect.

If you like a certain effect, you can click on 'Permanent Push to Application' which adds a d3d9/dxgi.dll and a folder named ReShade to the bin directory of the game.

[kazereal]

Please stay clear of mods for the duration of 1.5.0 beta and when reporting bugs make sure mods are not there.