R2:TW GEM - Graphic Enhancement Mod (obsolate)

[RandomRoman]

Can i ask if this mod now its compatible with the steam overlay?

[S.V.K.]

Here are 2 tests I'm working on, one lighter and one a bit darker. I made the slightly lighter one to try and balance out the BM with the CM. It's a fine balance between the CM and BM. The darker one I think is tiny bit better on the CM.

Still can't quite get the shadow detail the way I want it, close but not totally there.

Totally open to suggestions!

Well, if I would be you, I´d try just to ajust gamma.

Your dark settings on my rig... gamma 18. Looks good so far, but I miss the FXAA in your settings.

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[AstroCat]

Oh you can turn FXAA back on, no big deal there. I'm just using the nvidia driver version.

I thought about just changing the in game gamma but I was trying to leave that 20/12 and do it all with GEM but maybe I'll give it a try.

Thanks

[zorak]

Ok, here's my latest. I go for a more subtle "realistic" look, definitly brighter than a lot of the screenshots I've seen from other's presets. I don't like loosing all the details when the contrast is too severe. I also try to pay close attention to the campaign map because when I actually play I spend a lot of time there. I'll probably do some more tweaks as I get back into the game and see more environments.

Some CM screens, with and without the HD water mod. I go back and forth on that one, I think the reflections look bad most of the time and the water is too dark.

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Some BM screens, nothing fancy pants, just to give a basic sense of my settings.

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I really dig your settings man. Very understated - nothing overly flash, and you keep text crisp and got rid of all the "late" GEM effects like that awful gold banding.

I personally tweak it a bit and add FXAA\SMAA (I haven't decided which I prefer, yet). I'm not an AA enthusiast, but even I have issues with RII's AA.

[AstroCat]

I really dig your settings man. Very understated - nothing overly flash, and you keep text crisp and got rid of all the "late" GEM effects like that awful gold banding.

I personally tweak it a bit and add FXAA\SMAA (I haven't decided which I prefer, yet). I'm not an AA enthusiast, but even I have issues with RII's AA.

Thanks. I turned GEM FXAA off, but feel free to turn it back on. I am just using the Nvidia control panel version. They seem pretty comparable in-game. And this way I can A/B between vanilla and GEM and keep FXAA even across both settings.

[zorak]

Thanks. I turned GEM FXAA off, but feel free to turn it back on. I am just using the Nvidia control panel version. They seem pretty comparable in-game. And this way I can A/B between vanilla and GEM and keep FXAA even across both settings.

I' did contemplate doing the same and forcing AA. But I have my doubts that Catalyst is actually overriding the AA settings.

[AstroCat]

I found the NCP FXAA and SweetFX seem similar to me, but I'd have to really A/B them to be sure.

[RandomRoman]

so, i tried it. it works with all the steam, but its incredibly blurry. how do i make it less blurry? it hurts my eyes.

[AstroCat]

For now, I'm using my "lighter" version because it lets the shadow detail come through a little better on the BM, but I could tweak as I go. Leaving my in-game at 20/12 (default). On my screen this seems to be best, for now at least.

[Fozzie]

Alright, friends. I've spent the little spare time I've had the past couple days trying to accommodate some requests. A few people didn't like how drastic the shadows were in my original version. I personally like the stark contrast. It feels a little more cinematic to me. In my opinion, it produces prettier screenshots and a slightly more immersive experience.

That being said, I understand that it isn't the most practical in terms of ease of gameplay. I did what I could, tweaking my original settings to produce a brighter version of my original settings. I really wanted to preserve as much of the original color shift as I could. I was able to reduce the shadows significantly. Unfortunately, when I lighten shadows, the mod wants to target some details as well. I did what I could to balance the effect. Take a look.

Also note that many of these screenshots are angled to show the most drastic effect of shadows.

If you like the settings, feel free to use them.

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Vanilla

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Original Settings

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Brighter Settings

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Vanilla

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Brighter Settings

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Vanilla

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Brighter Settings

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Vanilla

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Brighter Settings

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Vanilla

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Brighter Settings

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Vanilla

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Brighter Settings

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Vanilla

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Brighter Settings

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Vanilla

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Brighter Settings

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Vanilla

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Brighter Settings

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Like I said, I tried to preserve the integrity of my original settings whilst lightening the shadows. That's about it. I hope you enjoy it. This will probably be my last attempt at editing settings. Anyone is welcome to use my settings as a template to work from, though. It's time for me to enjoy the game.

GEM_settings.txt
SweetFX_settings.txt

Gamma/Brightness: 20/12

[Ganossa]

Quick question, I was thinking about adding a value for you in the GEM_settings.txt that controls the color boost I introduced with version 5.4.
It would basically reduce the color differences to version 5.3.x and allow you more freedom for personal coloring.

I would release that maybe once patch #14 is out to get GEM "up-to-date" for steam

Also people would get back their TrueColor version::

   /*-----------------------------------------------------------.
  /                      Choose effects                         /
  '-----------------------------------------------------------*/

// Set to 1 for ON or 0 for OFF
// -- GEM HD Basic Shader --
#define USE_GEMHD   1 //[0 or 1] GEM : Applies basic GEMShader.

// -- GEM HD Additional Shader --
#define USE_GEMHBO  0 //[0 or 1] GEM : Applies HBO like GEMShader.
#define USE_GEMTrueColor  1 //[0 or 1] GEM : Applies color boost to basic GEMShader.

[AstroCat]

Is there or could there be a way to just get the color shift only with leaving all other things looking vanilla or neutral? I think it could be cool to start with the color shift and then tweak from that point. This would definitely allow flexibility with the shadow changes. Maybe it doesn't work this way? Just curious.

Update: Duh, just turn the shader off. I might try playing around with this. Well that just turns it all off. I'm really just trying to dial back the intensity of the shader. Compensating by turning up any number of gamma or brightness to settings just blows out white levels and kills detail on that end. I need to take the shaders level down without getting white or black crush on the colors, which loses way too much detail. I know this end of the world from doing projector calibrations.

[Epic28]

Fozzie, good work with your screens on everything from Lucifer's GEM to Aztecs to Vanilla comparison.

[weeag]

Question, whats the best settings to make it look like Shogun 2? You know with all the bright colors.

[Fozzie]

So I know I said that was the last settings change I would be making. A day later, and I've already adjusted my original settings slightly. It's a simple change. I increased the vibrance slightly and used the "LiftGammaGain" to boost the color of the deeper shadows. Here are a few screens:

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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Vanilla

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Updated Original Settings

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That's all. Here are the settings if you'd like them:
GEM_settings.txt
SweetFX_settings.txt

Fozzie

[Jin-]

Why it goes all blurry sometimes when you alt+tab? Annoying that need to restart game everytime

[Ninjaheman]

Anyone know which are the most performance demanding settings? I'd like to turn some down or off. FXAA is already off. What I like the most about GEM is the recoloring. If I could get rid of everything but the coloring I might be in good shape. I take a 10 FPS hit with GEM on unfortunately. Any idea how I'd go about doing this? Thanks ahead of time.

[zombieflanders]

so, i tried it. it works with all the steam, but its incredibly blurry. how do i make it less blurry? it hurts my eyes.

Why it goes all blurry sometimes when you alt+tab? Annoying that need to restart game everytime

To disable blur, open GEM_settings.txt and change the "1" to a "0" in this line:

#define GEMBlur 1 //[0.00 or 1.00] Additional blur on the edges when pressing K

[Jin-]

To disable blur, open GEM_settings.txt and change the "1" to a "0" in this line:

#define GEMBlur 1 //[0.00 or 1.00] Additional blur on the edges when pressing K

Thanks, but i actually like the blur when it works. What i meant was when i alt+tab the whole screen is like swept with wet dish towel that it becomes hard to see text and details

[Fozzie]

Thanks, but i actually like the blur when it works. What i meant was when i alt+tab the whole screen is like swept with wet dish towel that it becomes hard to see text and details

I believe that's the optional additional blur. This mod affects everything. It can't just selectively target the battlefield. It targets the UI as well. By default, I believe the optional blur is activated using the "K" key. You can set it to a new key in the settings, or you can turn it off. I don't enjoy it much myself, so I usually deactivate it.