Total War Rome II Aztec 2016 Graphics * 20/6/2016 Release Date

[aztec]

yes . its going on . dont worry

[Dago Red]

I must be a noob, but can you please post the installation instructions?
GEM in DeI is looking a little too dreary for me, this looks like just what I need.

[Slypear]

Oh, Aztec! This is beautiful! This goes absolutely perfectly with GEM! It's not necessarily realistic, but it's excellently stylized and extremely reminiscent of HBO's "Rome" and "300." Very, very nice!

Rome 2 is now easily one of the most gorgeous games I've ever seen thanks to GEM and Aztec's Lighting.

A PSA to all! If anyone's scrolling through and is on the fence concerning whether or not to download this, I just had to take a bit of time off from my ongoing Sparta campaign to show off some stunning screenshots!

Thank you for your superb work!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://imgur.com/a/OUc8X/

Additionally, the GEMFX preset I'm using is named Ad Finitum, which you can find here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...set-Ad-Finitum

Once more, absolutely breathtaking stuff!

[Alekho]

Well, you were not kidding. That is truly beautiful. What are your specs, if you don't mind me asking?

[Senticon]

Wondering the same thing. Some people say GEM kills performance on almost any preset, others say opposite. I have a quite old rig and Aztec's mod doesn't affect my framerate one bit while making game 100 times more beautiful. I would gladly use GEM too, but having lots of framedrops or going below 40 not gonna cut it for me...

[Alekho]

I can't even run GEM. I get a "LumaCEG crashed" error almost as soon as the game loads (still in the white screen with the Rome II logo)

[Slypear]

Hey! I'm running a fairly upper-mid-range rig, and I usually get very stable framerates unless the battles are 40v40 (which I am doing ) at 1.25x unit size.

GPU: AMD 7970 ghz edition
CPU: AMD Vishera FX 8350 4.0 ghz
RAM: 16 GB
Monitor: 1920 x 1080p 60 hz

I run on Ultra settings. I have unit detail and terrain set to extreme. I have anti-aliasing turned off (as GEM injects its own AA).

The new visuals with GEM are absolutely stunning for what seems to be absolutely no cost.

I don't run the native GEM preset, so I can't really speak for it. However, when I'm running one of my own presets I don't notice any frame drops whatsoever (at max 1-2 fps?).

As for any people who have been having some hassle installing GEM, don't worry, I had a lot of trouble too. There are some instructions in this thread here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...-Version-1-0-9

Alekho, since it seems you've already encountered an error, I suggest you delete all files associated with GEMFX and redo the process. The justification is weird, but starting from the top is the best bet.

Edit: A pretty great before/after pic that really highlights how well Aztec's lighting works with GEM:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Dago Red]

Would someone be so kind as to post installation instructions?

[Slypear]

Sure!

Copy/pasted from the thread I linked above:

Before downloading these files, make sure to read the section License Agreements.

Stand-Alone, Installation
1: Download the file:
<::> GEMFXv1.0.9 <::> >> (also for Attila TW)
2: Start the installer and point out the location to your Application folder (something like D:\STEAM\SteamApps\common\ApplicationName\).

Rome II Total War, Installation
(Only ToDo once)
1: Download the file: (if link is "not working" do the following: right click on the link and use "save as", repeat that until it works -normally like 3 times-)
<::> GEMFXSteamInstaller.zip <::> >> (Steam version uses GEMFX)
2: Unzip the installer file.
3: Start the installer and point out the location to your Rome Total War II folder (something like D:\STEAM\SteamApps\common\Total War Rome II\).
4: Subscribe GEMFX on STEAM to download the latest GEMFX version (gem.pack).

(ToDo for each update on Steam)
5.1: Run the R2 launcher to force the gem.pack download/update from Steam.
5.2: Run GEMSteamInstaller in your Rome Total War II folder to install/update GEMFX from the new gem.pack.

Installation Notes::
- Delete all prior GEM files
- Update your .Net Framework and c++ vcredists
- Get the new GEMFXSteamInstaller in the OP
- Use in-game AA if UI-By-Pass enabled
- For typical injector problems, check here:http://sweetfx.thelazy.net/?page_id=112.
-- Try also to delete all files (but "save_games" and "replays") in C:\Users\[My User]\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Rome2.

To Uninstall: Simply delete the dxgi.dll file from your Rome 2 folder


TO INSTALL CUSTOM PRESETS:

Download the preset you wish to install, then navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Total War Rome II\GEMFX\Presets\current.

Move your desired preset into the current folder and overwrite and incompatibilities. Only one preset can be active at a time.

Good luck

[Alekho]

Hi Slypear, thanks for your detailed answers! I have installed GEMFX using the standalone installation. How did you do it?

[Jay the Byzantine]

*snip*

I think he meant install instructions for this mod. I'd like to know as well

[Alekho]

I just realized it's a problem with the preset, not GEMFX itself. If I run it with default preset, it works. However, using another preset (Ad Finitum), it crashes

[babay11]

strange ... I thought there is a separate topic for GEM...

[Dago Red]

I think he meant install instructions for this mod. I'd like to know as well

Yep. Thanks Slypear, but I'm talking about Aztec. I already have GEM + DeI (which is a lot of graphics overhaul). What I can't find is the install instructions in this thread... anywhere. The download comes with no installer so I put it in the data folder hoping to see something in the mod manager/launcher but there's nothing there. Then I renamed it from .rar to .pack and still nothing.

Once someone tells the installation instructions, also please tell the rest of us -- how did you know what to do?

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

You need to unzip the .rar-data to .pack-data for example with "7 zip".

[Slypear]

Whoops. Lol.

You need to unzip the .rar-data to .pack-data for example with "7 zip".

Basically what this guy said.

Download your choice of Aztec's mod in the original post. You should end up downloading a .rar file titled RomeII_Graphics_2016.rar

Use a program such as 7-zip or another extractor to extract/decompress the downloaded .rar folder and turn it into a normal folder.

Then, open up the new, extracted folder and you should find a file titled RomeII_Graphics_2016.pack.

Move RomeII_Graphics_2016.pack to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Total War Rome II\data

Done! Load up the launcher and tick romeii_graphics_2016 to enable it. Hit play, and you should have some pretty great vistas.

Good luck.

Edit: These instructions also apply to every other mod downloaded off of TWC that isn't an .exe

[Slypear]

I just realized it's a problem with the preset, not GEMFX itself. If I run it with default preset, it works. However, using another preset (Ad Finitum), it crashes

Curiously, I've noticed other people having the same issue. A solutions others have found include:

Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Total War Rome II and run GEMFX_Configurator.exe

The configurator will load up your current GEM preset's settings. Here, you can edit and personalize settings as you see fit.

Here in the main tab, tick bypass-UI off. Then, hit save and try running the game once more.

Good luck.

[Alekho]

That did the trick Thanks! Now we just need to wait for Aztec to upload the new version with the fixed sun position

[Slypear]

That did the trick Thanks! Now we just need to wait for Aztec to upload the new version with the fixed sun position

No problem! Happy to help.

[SnickerSnack]

Man I hate to be THAT guy, but I've been using AD Finitum (Thanks Slypear) for a while, and Aztec only recently, and yesterday I got into a battle that was so dark and foggy it was near unplayable. I feel like some of the weather in Aztec is too dark. Jus' sayin'. I don't want to uninstall it because most of the time it looks amazing, but when you get a random weather deal like that and are the defender (therefore unable to wait for better weather) it was just not fun.