[Special K] Improved Framegen, Cutscene FPS Unlock and Other Fixes - [Updated April 16th, 2025]

[Kaldaien]

Introduction

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3448793433

Problem Description and Work in Progress

I have updated Special K for this game with a number of fixes for Anvil Next's broken NVIDIA Reflex integration (higher latency Framegen than should be), mysteriously vanishing DLSS options, aspect ratio fixes, and framerate uncap (with correct cloth physics).

These changes are included as of 25.4.16 (currently the latest TEST release), which you can find on our Discord server[discord.gg] in the #nightly-builds, or can be downloaded directly from our website[special-k.info]:

Features

• Black bar removal in (real-time) cutscenes
  
• Unlocked (real-time) cutscene framerate
  
• Frame generation in (real-time) cutscenes
  
• Improved frame generation pacing
  
• Increased FOV range

Download and Install

Installer (first-time users)

https://sk-data.special-k.info/SpecialK-test.exe

Portable Upgrade (replace SpecialK64.dll from an existing install)

https://sk-data.special-k.info/SpecialK-test.7z

---

Miscellaneous:

• Frame generation during FMV cutscenes is disabled, but real-time cutscenes support it.
  
• It has been tested working on Epic Games Store, Steam, Ubisoft Connect and Ubisoft+ (in other words, works with all versions of the game).

Please visit our Discord server for help, Ubisoft likes to ban me whenever I fix one of their games (rofl), so it really isn't ideal to communicate here.

[Kaldaien]

GODzilla の投稿を引用：

Simplex の投稿を引用：

RTSS is riva tuner statistics server. It should not be running along specialK

Well...it is not recommended. I use it, but I never have the overlay active all the time. Just when I want to check performance or other statistics real quick.

It's fine to run it, but it needs to be configured to use Detours hooking, or it will cause random crashes when it corrupts hooks.

It's especially bad in games that use frame generation, because they create and destroy SwapChains multiple times. That's when running RTSS in NOT Detours mode will cause it to crash stuff left and right. A lot of games never destroy their SwapChain and you can go a long time without running into compatibility problems caused by RTSS.

[Kaldaien]

I honestly don't know why RTSS isn't configured to use Detours by default :-\ It's more stable. If it didn't require administrator privileges to even write the config file for RTSS, I'd probably just open notepad and tell users to turn it on the first time they launch SK :)

[Viktor]

Omg, the cutscenes now runs butter smooth with SK and Frame gen enabled O.O What sorcery is this? :D Good job. Only that now when i open the map, the moving with the map is now kinda choppy. Is there a way to solve this? It's still worth it though.

[Kaldaien]

Viktor の投稿を引用：

Omg, the cutscenes now runs butter smooth with SK and Frame gen enabled O.O What sorcery is this? :D Good job. Only that now when i open the map, the moving with the map is now kinda choppy. Is there a way to solve this? It's still worth it though.

Technically, it could be possible to workaround that.

I was on the fence with what to do about the map. It stutters a lot even when the game's menus are locked to 60 FPS, little micro stutters while it loads in stuff and then goes to somewhat smooth.

I actually found that leaving frame generation on for it was more tolerable than turning it off any time the game is trying to lock to 60 FPS.

[CptnSpandex]

Skylers Meth の投稿を引用：

The game and it's graphical settings with its upscaling is an absolute mess. One minute framegeneration works, then it doesn't mid scene, go to map menu, framerate comes back, no matter if using DLSS / FSR or whatever, when they actually appear or work at all. As i'm running around it can go from 120fps down to 30, call up map and the frames return when i go back. A few seconds later it happens again. Turning graphical settings down or off does nothing to alleviate this. Turning off upscaling altogether improves nothing.

This is Outlaws all over again, having to wait 2 months for ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ patches.

It is the dynamic weather that tanks your framerate chap, i get really good fps but as soon as the heavy fog descends along with heavy snow it absolutely destroys the fps, it's like the thickest fog and rain/snow i have ever seen in a game before, insane,

[Daroya]

CptnSpandex の投稿を引用：

It is the dynamic weather that tanks your framerate chap, i get really good fps but as soon as the heavy fog descends along with heavy snow it absolutely destroys the fps, it's like the thickest fog and rain/snow i have ever seen in a game before, insane,

I guess you're talking about the bug that dips your framerate during sunset and sunrise? (see the last Digital Foundry video about the game)

[SMiThaYe]

Daroya の投稿を引用：

CptnSpandex の投稿を引用：

It is the dynamic weather that tanks your framerate chap, i get really good fps but as soon as the heavy fog descends along with heavy snow it absolutely destroys the fps, it's like the thickest fog and rain/snow i have ever seen in a game before, insane,

I guess you're talking about the bug that dips your framerate during sunset and sunrise? (see the last Digital Foundry video about the game)

In that video that I watched at the time, Alex said to change Shadows down and back up to fix it but you need to do every day this happens. Video to see how broken this port is on PC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Wt-AgYYus

Screenshot I took if you want DF optimsied settings

[Kaldaien]

Important New DLSS Fix 25.3.31.3

I was able to modify the game's Streamline settings to enable debug logging, and from there I fixed a number of additional issues the game has:

1. It was not set to download and apply Over-The-Air Streamline updates, so was using old Streamline DLLs and some functions were broken because of that.
   
2. It was using a buggy Windows version check that caused DLSS support to sporadically come back as unsupported (related to the Steam Input problem).
   
3. It was missing settings for DLSS4 and could not use Transformer Model Preset J or K without ghosting.

The biggest change there, is that you can now use Preset J and benefit from improved image quality without ghosting.

[GODzilla]

Kaldaien の投稿を引用：

Important New DLSS Fix 25.3.31.3

I was able to modify the game's Streamline settings to enable debug logging, and from there I fixed a number of additional issues the game has:

1. It was not set to download and apply Over-The-Air Streamline updates, so was using old Streamline DLLs and some functions were broken because of that.
   
2. It was using a buggy Windows version check that caused DLSS support to sporadically come back as unsupported (related to the Steam Input problem).
   
3. It was missing settings for DLSS4 and could not use Transformer Model Preset J or K without ghosting.

The biggest change there, is that you can now use Preset J and benefit from improved image quality without ghosting.

No....you didn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dude...how awesome are you? xD

(just Preset J, or also K? ^^)

PS: I did a quick test. There are still these tiny trailing edges on fine vegetation (like tree branches) when running towards or or left and right, but overall it really seems fixed. For instance in the loading screen, when you started to run, characters lower legs and feet became this blur before, a sign of very bad ghosting, this is gone now.

So, much better I'd say. Finally playable.

Also I did use the preset switch within SpecialK for the first time, works like a charm with Alt + Enter. SpecialK is really growing on me. :)

[Deracined]

I've tried several versions of Special K from the Discord server, but using them causes noticeable ghosting issues when enabling DLSS Frame Generation (DLSS-FG) with the default DLSS 3 "E" preset. Additionally, while the unlocked framerate boosts FPS, it breaks in-game physics and makes cinematics look worse despite the higher frame rate.

[Lurtz]

Deracined の投稿を引用：

I've tried several versions of Special K from the Discord server, but using them causes noticeable ghosting issues when enabling DLSS Frame Generation (DLSS-FG) with the default DLSS 3 "E" preset.

Did you try disabling and then enabling DLSS FG from the game menu?
When I alt+tab to desktop FG breaks and doesn't pace the generated frames correctly anymore. Toggling FG fixes this.

I think the slightly awkward cloth physics is less noticeable than the stuttering 30 fps cutscene mess, but your mileage may vary.

[Moonwitch]

With Special K, can it be used along side with OptiScaler and since it unlocks cutscenes fps, is it possible to properly lock that to 30 fps?

[ZemX]

SMiThaYe の投稿を引用：

In that video that I watched at the time, Alex said to change Shadows down and back up to fix it but you need to do every day this happens.

Oh good... I was starting to think I was the only one seeing that problem. Maybe it will actually get fixed eventually. I was fixing it by changing the Ray Tracing settings down one level, applying, and then back up. Probably changing any graphics setting somehow resets whatever is causing this frame rate degradation.

[GODzilla]

Just to be clear: It is definitely only Preset J that is fixed with the latest version, right?

Because I thought I can also use Preset K now, but I still see much worse ghosting with that one compared to Preset J. For instance with characters feet while running in a loading screen, that's a good spot to look out for ghosting.

[Kaldaien]

GODzilla の投稿を引用：

Just to be clear: It is definitely only Preset J that is fixed with the latest version, right?

Because I thought I can also use Preset K now, but I still see much worse ghosting with that one compared to Preset J. For instance with characters feet while running in a loading screen, that's a good spot to look out for ghosting.

It's spotty. You might want to look in logs\game_output.log and ensure that SK has managed to override Streamline and get it to use Over The Air Updates.

If that log is only a few lines long, as opposed to a flood of NVIDIA debug information, then you should grab the installer for 25.4.1.