R2:TW GEM - Graphic Enhancement Mod (obsolate)

[Mr.Freud]

Mr.Freud, what are your GEM and SweetFX settings? What did you do to make your graphics look like that?! They are stunning

default GEM 4.5(realistic profile) settings and default SweetFx settings - except for enabled bloom and SMAA instead of FXAA

[digaumspider]

So I've been playing Vanilla Rome 2 for 4 days now and I decided to give this mod a shot. Followed every step from the main post and here's what's happening:

1 When I start the game, the screen goes black and nothing happens. If I press ESC, I get back to the desktop/steam interface.

2 After uninstalling the MOD and removing all the files (also as listed on your tutorial on the first post), the game won't start anymore.

3 When I try to run the "Check integrity" from Steam, there will be this 12MB download and as soon as it's done, I can sometimes start the game successfully, but the screen will have this "white-ish" look and it's like I'm looking at the game from a messy window or something like that.

Then if I close the game and try to open again, I get back to the step 1 listed above...
If I disable the MOD, the problem persists, if I uninstall the MOD, the problem persists.
Trying a full reinstall is not quite an option, as I live in Brazil and my internet is a whooping 1Mbps (yes, 1 Megabit, not MegaBYTE) and downloading the whole game again (20GB) will take me a full week or something like that.

Any ideas? Thank you!

[carbide]

The link for my presets now has the settings applied which are to be used for the new 4.5 Gem. Couple minor adjustments were made and I disabled the new blur effect. Users can enable it in the Gem settings if you wish to use blur effect.
Remember my settings are adjusted to be used with Aztec's lighting mod.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/39...7z#39;s_mod.7z

View of Gem 4.5, Aztec's mod with my presets.

[airborne guy]

@ Lucifer, for 4.5...Alll I have to do is stay subscribed and it should update automatically to 4.5?

@ Carbide, thanks for your work! Ando of course you too Lucifer!!!
Thanks

[OSDEA7]

.
I also had difficulty deleting this mod. Should be a better uninstaller post. The one provide is not completely removing all files.

[OSDEA7]

So I've been playing Vanilla Rome 2 for 4 days now and I decided to give this mod a shot. Followed every step from the main post and here's what's happening:

1 When I start the game, the screen goes black and nothing happens. If I press ESC, I get back to the desktop/steam interface.

2 After uninstalling the MOD and removing all the files (also as listed on your tutorial on the first post), the game won't start anymore.

3 When I try to run the "Check integrity" from Steam, there will be this 12MB download and as soon as it's done, I can sometimes start the game successfully, but the screen will have this "white-ish" look and it's like I'm looking at the game from a messy window or something like that.

Then if I close the game and try to open again, I get back to the step 1 listed above...
If I disable the MOD, the problem persists, if I uninstall the MOD, the problem persists.
Trying a full reinstall is not quite an option, as I live in Brazil and my internet is a whooping 1Mbps (yes, 1 Megabit, not MegaBYTE) and downloading the whole game again (20GB) will take me a full week or something like that.

Any ideas? Thank you!

My experience with mods like this is that changes are also in the script file. Even if you change your resolution it will be in the script file and will keep from loading the game. Delete the script file. When you start another game a new script will be created. Go to c:\users\your name folder\AppData\Roaming\Creative Assembly\Rome2\Scripts.

This is just my guess. May not be your issue.

[le_fred]

@ Carbide
Thanks, it looks stunning as always !

[william456]

GEM 4.5 is too amazing

[Ganossa]

So I've been playing Vanilla Rome 2 for 4 days now and I decided to give this mod a shot. Followed every step from the main post and here's what's happening:

1 When I start the game, the screen goes black and nothing happens. If I press ESC, I get back to the desktop/steam interface.

2 After uninstalling the MOD and removing all the files (also as listed on your tutorial on the first post), the game won't start anymore.

3 When I try to run the "Check integrity" from Steam, there will be this 12MB download and as soon as it's done, I can sometimes start the game successfully, but the screen will have this "white-ish" look and it's like I'm looking at the game from a messy window or something like that.

Then if I close the game and try to open again, I get back to the step 1 listed above...
If I disable the MOD, the problem persists, if I uninstall the MOD, the problem persists.
Trying a full reinstall is not quite an option, as I live in Brazil and my internet is a whooping 1Mbps (yes, 1 Megabit, not MegaBYTE) and downloading the whole game again (20GB) will take me a full week or something like that.

Any ideas? Thank you!

My experience with mods like this is that changes are also in the script file. Even if you change your resolution it will be in the script file and will keep from loading the game. Delete the script file. When you start another game a new script will be created. Go to c:\users\your name folder\AppData\Roaming\Creative Assembly\Rome2\Scripts.

This is just my guess. May not be your issue.

Changes to the script file are not done by the GEM Mod. If there is anything done then it is by R2 itself.
You do not need to delete all files to disable GEM and leaving most of the files is doing no harm. All files you need to delete are the d3d9.dll and the dxgi.dll to disable GEM, all related files will not be loaded anymore. There is absolutly no need to reinstall the game or do similar thing (if so there is another problem or you installed GEM into your Windows .dll folder!?)

To explain to you how it works and release you from those magical thoughts:
d3d9.dll (when using directx9) and dxgi.dll (when using directx10+) hook onto the the game to load and inject the shader files post to everything else (like photoshop) into the game.
Nothing else is done here!!!
If you delete d3d9.dll or move it away from the main R2 folder; start R2 with directx11 disabled; GEM is also disabled
If you delete dxgi.dll or move it away from the main R2 folder; start R2 with directx11 enabled; GEM is also disabled
If you delete d3d9.dll and dxgi.dll or move it away from the main R2 folder; start R2 with whatever settings; GEM is also disabled

Why? Cause there is no more hook onto the game possible and also no more injection possible. I hope I could explain to you well and after understanding its less magic than logic.

[Noif de Bodemloze]

View of Gem 4.5, Aztec's mod with my presets.

What romans mod do you use?

[carbide]

What romans mod do you use?

Those are included with the new DeI version .8 mod, I believe there were more than 80 new units added with their last big update.

[Ganossa]

Does this GEM works with Empire Total war? or shogun 2?

It might work with shogun 2 running dx11 executable but is not optimized for it.

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[billydilly]

Beautiful images LH. But what about buttons and text on your end, are they very blurry?

I know it's possible to turn the blur on/off with a key, but I don't want to switch things on and off during play.

EDIT: Is there no way to exclude the UI from the effects?

[Ganossa]

Beautiful images LH. But what about buttons and text on your end, are they very blurry?

I know it's possible to turn the blur on/off with a key, but I don't want to switch things on and off during play.

EDIT: Is there no way to exclude the UI from the effects?

I asked CA at the modding summit (through Noif) to give me access to their encoded shader files which would have solved the problem but they dont even know they exist so I am sure I wont get any futher feedback on this.
GEM is so far a post processor and can only apply effects on the complete image.
You dont need to use the key for turning effects off cause you can simply turn them off permanently in the GEM_settings.txt. I knew some of you would ask for it anyway
Anyway, if you time it right (have an update ready to make K - key more responsive) you will turn the blur effects on as soon as you turn off the overlay with K. Believe me I thought it throug there is no conflict with reading when the UI is off.

Key - Update related:
Currently the blur effect is easier (hitting only shortly) to trigger than the UI (takes a few milliseconds until it reacts). The problem here was that sometimes blur trigger earlier or twice while UI triggered only once.
With a small fix I want to switch that around. UI will trigger as before but for blur effect you need to hit the key a few milliseconds longer. You only need to hit the K for a few milliseconds longer and UI cannot be triggered twice with one hit (prevented from CA).

EDIT: If you guys want I can delay blur even further so short hit on K will only trigger UI and longer hit on K will trigger UI and blur to have more control (as I have it implemented for the next update hitting K VERY shortly will have only UI triggered too)

[Froggie5]

Hi LuciferHawk,

Have you made any progress with a new Windows 8.1 compatible version? Many thanks for all your amazing work.

[Ganossa]

I asked CA at the modding summit (through Noif) to give me access to their encoded shader files which would have solved the problem but they dont even know they exist so I am sure I wont get any futher feedback on this.
GEM is so far a post processor and can only apply effects on the complete image.
You dont need to use the key for turning effects off cause you can simply turn them off permanently in the GEM_settings.txt. I knew some of you would ask for it anyway
Anyway, if you time it right (have an update ready to make K - key more responsive) you will turn the blur effects on as soon as you turn off the overlay with K. Believe me I thought it throug there is no conflict with reading when the UI is off.

Key - Update related:
Currently the blur effect is easier (hitting only shortly) to trigger than the UI (takes a few milliseconds until it reacts). The problem here was that sometimes blur trigger earlier or twice while UI triggered only once.
With a small fix I want to switch that around. UI will trigger as before but for blur effect you need to hit the key a few milliseconds longer. You only need to hit the K for a few milliseconds longer and UI cannot be triggered twice with one hit (prevented from CA).

EDIT: If you guys want I can delay blur even further so short hit on K will only trigger UI and longer hit on K will trigger UI and blur to have more control (as I have it implemented for the next update hitting K VERY shortly will have only UI triggered too)

Well dont mind about the key, got it fixed so it works exactly (or 99%) like CA K-key. Gonna update soon.

Hi LuciferHawk,

Have you made any progress with a new Windows 8.1 compatible version? Many thanks for all your amazing work.

I tried alot but its extremly complicated to port from one version to another. If Crosire would show me how he implemented his eFX it would be much easier to adjust my own code but so far only a few people implemented useable code with Win8.1.

[Froggie5]

I tried alot but its extremly complicated to port from one version to another. If Crosire would show me how he implemented his eFX it would be much easier to adjust my own code but so far only a few people implemented useable code with Win8.1.

Ah well, thank you for your reply

[Ganossa]

UPDATE
GEMv4.5.1
- fixed K-key to react like original R2 K-key which toggles the UI
- added information to the new options in the GEM_settings.txt

[General George S. Patton]

I have installed it as per the instructions, but it is not activated, what is the toggle key?

[Ganossa]

I have installed it as per the instructions, but it is not activated, what is the toggle key?

What is not activated? Do you mean the K-key I wrote about on every post of the last page?