Is RW Enhancer worth it?

[Tallica]

Is RW Enhancer worth it?

[paweuek]

I'm also wondering about this... Have you seen this video?

https://youtu.be/gZHPhngtvng

[Tallica]

Originally posted by paweuek:

I'm also wondering about this... Have you seen this video?

https://youtu.be/gZHPhngtvng

Aye. i did watch that. I couldn't tell any improvements.

[paweuek]

Sure! Not that easy when you don't compare it side by side with "normal" version...

[[TFA]Wolf]

Short answer yes, especially if you turn on SSAO and enhanced sun shadows.
They cost a little performance about 5-7fps when turned on, but overall fps before adding those were about 8-10 fps higher than without RWE.
Also looking at the fps counter the framerate is much more stable, as I could detect less variance in the fps, the variance or "jumps" are now about 1 fps like 46-47 and not 46-43-47.
So overall rendering seems smoother, than even the 64-bit .exe was.

The image quality is much improved, it's sharper without the oversharpening artefacts created by sweetfx.
Colours are stronger, but without the "bonbon-effect" often produced by sweetfx.
Overall coulours and lighting look much more natural, even Richard Armstrong has had to admit that it made his Weather Enhancement Pack look better than he ever could.

Also fixes the blue tint in the 3D weather/Dynamic Cloud Weather.

FXAA is fixed to be at the proper screen resolution and not 1024x768 as by default.


Running RWE+APWeatherEP+Track/Vegetation replacer for SECML on Glencoe.
With the WSR Class 47.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1621210642
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197974873627/screenshot/950723620991943365

And yeah it's that replacer that kills the framerate, it replaces 2D Trees with 3D ones.....and the route builder used that tree a lot. And yes it is the replacer, as it nuked the framerate long before RWE came out before.
And I have that problem only on Glencoe..........mainly because the route builder filled up the hillsides with trees and used the same tree for most of it.
And once you replace that tree with the one from Konstanz-Villingen, the frame rate tanks!

Another feature I only recently found out are reflections......interestingly they only get that glossy on older style textured trains.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197974873627/screenshot/950723620992025456
No APWEP on that route afaik.

As shown by this VR Expertline Br 111 and that was with the higher reflectiveness in 1.05, which has been toned down in 1.06.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197974873627/screenshot/950722873601698906
APWEP in effect unless otherwise stated.

BTW the tone is finally 100% spot on now.....it was pretty close before but now it has those final 5% towards being absolutely right.

Or the Black Flying Scotsman:
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197974873627/screenshot/950723211470376671

Glass Rendering is also improved, with opacity based on the angle of the glass to the light source.
Which also leads to some interesting reflections, based on sun position, as shown here:
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197974873627/screenshot/950723620992025205

Yes that is because both window panes are at a different angle to the sun, and the sunlight is indirectly hitting it from the left.

Shadows are much improved, especially if you use SSAO (Screen space Ambient Occlusion) and improved sun Shadows.
SSAO gives every object ingame it's proper shadows based on their position to the next light source.
Can be pretty impressive, as I was driving past a board fence in the evening before sundown and it cast proper shadows for each single board.

I let those pictures speak for themselves.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197974873627/screenshot/950723620992025003

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197974873627/screenshot/950723211470376991

The Black Flying Scotsman is also the only loco that has given me grief so far, as I have a minor graphical glitch with it......namely that somehow there is a glow lighting up the cab from the firebox shown when there should be none, when the firehole doors are closed.
But then that loco has a few more issues, the always missing footplate crew being chief among them.

[Darloman]

I only bought RW Enhancer earlier today so I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet. However, on first impression it is definately worth it. I tried it out on the East Coast Mainline route between Newcastle and York. This is one of the oldest if not the oldest route in TS and the graphics and lighting reflect this, i.e. rather dull and 2D vegetation. RW Enhancer totally transforms it. I was very impressed at how good it became.

there were also improvements to the lighting on the locomotive I was driving, even though it was already very good, being fairly new (a Just Trains BR 7MT). An improvement in distance views was very noticable too.

I didn't experience any noticable framerate loss, but I have a very new i9-based PC and in any case the basic route isn't as demanding as some of the more recent ones so there's probably room for some increased rendering.

I'm yet to play around with the settings or try it on a new route, but I'm definately impressed so far.

[paweuek]

Thank you gentlemen for the comprehensive description. Looks like it really is worth to try.

[[TFA]Wolf]

You're entirely welcome.

[Tallica]

Originally posted by Wolf:

You're entirely welcome.

Cheers, dude.

[Ewo]

Can this tool change the shadow draw distance? Are there free tools that can do that too? It's all I want to change atm.

[JetWash]

I don’t believe so.

To the OP, RWEnhancer and the AP sky & weather pack have really given the look of TS the kick up the @rse it needed. I was a bit sceptical but it is totally worth the £10. Also, it is constantly being updated & improved, for which the maker should be commended.

It’s transformed the game for me.

[Tallica]

Originally posted by HighTower:

I don’t believe so.

To the OP, RWEnhancer and the AP sky & weather pack have really given the look of TS the kick up the @rse it needed. I was a bit sceptical but it is totally worth the £10. Also, it is constantly being updated & improved, for which the maker should be commended.

It’s transformed the game for me.

Aye. I bought it the other day.

[britishrailwayfan]

Do you think it would be worth it for a laptop?

[Ighten]

yes and no - depends a) on how powerful your laptop is for a start.. But if your currently running your laptop TS on lower settings you wont see much difference -- If your laptops running it sweetly with everything maxed out already then everything applies above - just dont turn that super shiny shader on its horrible :)

I also find the shaders do glitch some of the models (old and new) by pixelating some details in the alpha channel