Saturday, November 22, 2014

The Forest

Fix updated 2014-12-03

Fix updated 2015-04-19 for the 0.16 Unity 5 update

Note that the Unity 5 update is basically an entirely new fix from scratch and is still an early work in progress. The Unity 5 update has made the issues with the sun shafts and sun/moon glow more apparent and will need further work to fix. Additionally, there are some halo issues with lights shining on water (lightning, cannibal flashlights) that I have yet to fix.

Fix updated 2015-12-11 to refix lighting, water, etc.

Fix updated 2015-12-12 for 0.29 update, fix water glitch and auto adjust some HUD elements. "Parallax Occluded" terrain is now 3D

Fix updated 2015-12-15 to fix light shafts, sun glow, reflections in the ocean and SSAO artefacts

Fix updated 2015-12-27

Fix updated 2016-01-22 for v0.31

Fix updated 2016-07-10 for v0.42

Fix updated 2016-07-15 to fix halos on flames and building ghosts

https://s3.amazonaws.com/DarkStarSword/3Dfix-The+Forest-v0.42c.zip

Installation Instructions

  1. Extract the zip file to the game directory
  2. Turn off motion blur (the game doesn't currently save settings, so you have to do this every time)

Fixed

  • Halos on all surfaces
  • Light, shadows and specular highlights
  • Water
  • Terrain = "High (Parallax Occlusion)" now makes the ground more 3D! Check out the sand, pebbles, etc.
  • Certain UI elements that were originally drawn at screen depth (e.g. camp & build HUD icons) are now auto-adjusted (each vertex is adjusted independently, which may cause these to stretch similar to compatibility mode UIs). Note that most of the UI was already at a good depth in this game out of the box and has not been adjusted.
  • Light shafts
  • Glow around sun
  • SSAO artefacts on rocky surfaces

Convergence Presets

  • [: (Default) Sets a good convergence for most of the game (0.4) with the crafting book pretty close to the mouse cursor.
  • ]: Sets a higher convergence (2.5) that will bring the inventory closer to the mouse cursor.
  • ~: Toggle the above two presets (I reassigned the inventory key to tab)

You can save your own custom convergence & separation preset to these buttons. First, press the button you want to edit, then adjust the convergence and separation with the standard nVidia keys (Ctrl+F5/F6 if advanced keys are enabled in the control panel) and finally press F7 to save.

Known Issues

  • Mouse cursor is at screen depth
  • Shadows do not fall quite right on parallax occluded terrain - they are slightly under the surface (they are in fact on the real surface, the 3D effect on the terrain could be considered an optical illusion).
  • The Ceto Ocean system is partially broken due to a conflict with Helix Mod. Waves may behave a little strangely but it has no impact on gameplay.

Notes

This is an early access game with regular updates, and as such the fix may get Broken by an update. Please let me know if you see any issues after an update.

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72 comments:

  1. Quite an achievement *thumbs*... if I am not mistaken this is the first cryengine 3d Vision fix that has fully fixed and functional shadows :) Looks great in 3D, keep up the great work !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks :) The engine is actually Unity, but this is a brand new technique for fixing shadows that I came up with fixing Dreamfall Chapters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh right *embarassed*... that's why the start up menu upon launch (the typical pick your resolution and controls scheme that is so familiar with most unity engine powered games) appears making me wonder...

      I shall try your fix with other unity engine powered games but probably since every game apparently uses its own custom shaders it might be unlikely to work...

      Delete
    2. It might work on other Unity games - this one uses replacement lighting shaders, but I included the fix for the standard Unity lighting shaders as well. Dreamfall Chapters used a different set of replacement lighting shaders, so it might also be worth trying - if you're interested in reading up on the technique, definitely give this thread a read:

      https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/781954/3d-vision/dreamfall-chapters

      The other problem you hit in Unity games is the surface shaders are all broken - these are pretty easy to fix and if you follow the lessons in bo3b's shaderhacker school you can probably manage this after lesson 6. I ended up writing a python script to fix these because there were so many of them.

      Delete
  3. Is it possible for you to fix The Secret World? It is so great... and very little to be fixed. Thanks. Goodbye.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Personally? No - I don't play MMOs. MMOs also don't often get fixes because they tend to get broken by every update, however this one is supposed to be 3D Vision Ready.

      I did a quick search on the forums and found a few threads discussing it that you might want to read - sounds like you need to make sure you are using DX11 and the third thread has some tweaks you can make to improve some of the issues:
      https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/501661/
      https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/691315/
      https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/534541/

      If you find those tweaks are insufficient, you might consider joining bo3b's school and learning how to fix games for yourself:
      Start here: http://wiki.bo3b.net
      Questions here: https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/766890/3d-vision/bo3bs-school-for-shaderhackers

      Delete
    2. Ok, thanks a lot for your reply. Sure, it is considered 3D Vision ready but there is actually no way to fix nametags and other hud things, even in DirectX 11 or following other advices. Thanks anyway for your effort.

      Delete
  4. I just pushed out a small update to fix the water that was broken in the last update, as well as the pedometer and some HUD icon's depth. I'm probably not going to keep a detailed changelog until this game comes out of early access (you can always look at my git tree), nor post any more announcements of minor fixes, so just check the date on the zip file to see if you have the latest version.

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  5. Thank you for the patch !

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  6. The game has just received a major update to Unity 5, and the fix is probably pretty broken as a result. I've been expecting this update for a while and have done my preparation so I believe I know what I need to do to fix it again, but it will be a few weeks before I have a chance to work on it - please have some patience until then.

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  7. I've uploaded a fix for the 0.16 Unity 5 update. It's still a work in progress, but it's more than enough to make the game playable again.

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  8. I've updated the fix for lights, water, etc that had been broken by an update. I haven't played much to confirm that everything is fixed again - I did notice that some of the HUD is now at screen depth and haven't done anything about it yet (kind of waiting to see if anyone comments).

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  9. Fix is updated again to work with the 0.29 update and to fix some glitches with the water from certain angles. The few HUD elements that were not at the correct depth are now automatically adjusted (removed the manual HUD depth key bindings for now), and certain terrain that was using "parallax occlusion" now renders in 3D - check out the sand on the beach or pebbles in some areas!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've just updated the fix:
    - Fixed light shafts
    - Fixed glow around sun
    - Fixed some reflections in the water
    - Fixed SSAO artefacts on rocky surfaces

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey if i start the game i just have a grey foggy screen and can barely see my hands.. Do i need to change anything or what?

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  12. Does this happen:
    - With 3D disabled in the control panel and the fix uninstalled?
    - With 3D enabled in the control panel, the fix uninstalled and playing in 2D?
    - With 3D enabled in the control panel, the fix uninstalled and playing in 3D?
    - With 3D enabled in the control panel, the fix installed and playing in 2D?
    - With 3D enabled in the control panel, the fix installed and playing in 3D?

    ReplyDelete
  13. game is not loading after installing this fix??win 8.1 pro
    any idea??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure - what's the exact symptom? Hang or crash? While loading menu or starting a game?

      There's a couple of things you can try that help in some cases:

      1. Try killing the Steam overlay by deleting GameOverlayRenderer.dll *while Steam is running*. More info here:
      https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/758587/3d-vision/steam-update-breaks-helixmod-on-some-games/

      2. Try the injector version of Helix Mod instead of the wrapper version. Download here:
      https://s3.amazonaws.com/-HeliX-/DLLS/DllsModPack1.zip
      Drop helixmod.dll into the game directory, remove d3d9.dll. Edit DX9Settings.ini from the fix and add this line under [General]:
      DefModuleName=TheForest.exe
      Start HeliXmodLauncher.exe and leave it running while you launch the game.

      Let me know if either of those help.

      Delete
  14. There's a weird issue where light reflecting off leaves appears a bit off, but other than that great fix, makes the game significantly more fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the report - I haven't checked on the game for a few months now, so this might be something that was broken recently.

      Delete
    2. No problem, I appreciate the effort, must be hard to keep on top of an alpha game that's constantly being updated. I had to turn it off since it seemed a lot of shadows were broken at nighttime and in caves.

      Delete
  15. hello darkstar !

    a little report :
    my rig : windows 10 x64 with 2xSLI gtx 980 last drivers 368.39
    DDU + ccleaner.

    some little problems in my system with this game :
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/d89ia8i6nsag78g/TheForest01_50.jps?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/pswrs2g62o5285u/TheForest02_50.jps?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/5ywmm93hmoalgw5/TheForest03_50.jps?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/uvtkerampjx20t3/TheForest04_50.jps?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/22c5ulvxmutwday/TheForest05_50.jps?dl=0

    (the game said me the game will be updated in 1 day)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for the report. Looks like physical lighting and Ceto water have been broken by the latest update, and there must be a new HUD shader. I'll try to find some time this weekend to update it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. thank you darkstarsword, i'm currently playing with my brother to this game
    the update has been released

    http://store.steampowered.com/news/?appids=242760

    ReplyDelete
  18. hotfix today :) I stay tuned to your next fix update !

    ReplyDelete
  19. Replies
    1. Early games are not a good use of ShaderHacker time. Fixing games after they are broken by developers is always annoying, it just happens often with Early Access.

      For any game that you care deeply about, you owe it to yourself to take on the task of updating the fix. It helps you and the other ShaderHackers. Generally, it can be as simple as finding the new hash codes for the shaders and copying the fix from the old shaders to the new.

      Delete
    2. i understand. i just hope however DarkStarsword will take a look sometimes. For The forest, there is an update one time by 15 days. (the next update will be in 11 days). it seems there are no changes on graphics for many updates, it's on the gameplay & bugs

      Delete
  20. Fix is updated for 0.42. I admit I've started taking a 'wait until someone complains' for these Early Access titles. This was a fairly easy update to do by script this time around (not by hand - 439 files changed), but even easy updates take time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh thank you darkstarsword, i was really waiting for it ! Now, it's like a new game, i don't recognize it^^ it's really beautiful and i enjoy a lot.
      i'll donate you next month (i really can't this month) to support you. (it was the turn of DHR this time^^)

      the only little problem are the mouse cursor
      https://www.dropbox.com/s/sbw2lonvq3xgwbk/TheForest06_50.jps?dl=0

      the 'invisible weapons' with Motion blur activated
      https://www.dropbox.com/s/ky8hyfdborsd68o/TheForest07_50.jps?dl=0
      https://www.dropbox.com/s/d41j23vlzc0wizb/TheForest08_50.jps?dl=0
      and also the "double axe" which turns on themselves, while the game is joining the server

      Best regards :)

      Delete
  21. The game uses a hardware cursor which I can't do anything about - that's why there's a high convergence preset for the inventory screen. Motion blur must be disabled for this game (see the installation instructions).

    ReplyDelete
  22. I've just updated the fix again - I fixed some remaining halo issues on the building ghosts and flames.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wonderful :) i'm installing it ! thank you a lot

      Delete
    2. Next update in 5 days ! i keep you informed if there is a problem.

      Delete
    3. Just installed your mod (for the first time) with the latest v0.43b.
      All looking good, except for the building ghosts and the flames. I can't see any halos you're describing, but they're definetely at wrong depth (screen depth).
      And yes, I'm using the latest version of your fix.

      Delete
    4. hey Darkstarsword, i used Patreon^^ thx for this fix

      Delete
  23. the fix works like a charm (the forest 0.45b :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. hello darkstar !

    the fix is a little broken (shadows) :(

    Current version is 0.46b

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/c5ffboppyl697hz/TheForest09_50.jps?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/j8ldamv4ehv0vhb/TheForest10_50.jps?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/qz7a32o3sak3c3r/TheForest11_50.jps?dl=0

    please could you take a look on it ? thank you !

    ReplyDelete
  25. finally it works again :) sorry for disturb !

    ReplyDelete
  26. hi, i love you work, but I want to remove the shadows to play better, you can help me? this is my gmail: miguel1234paredes@gmail.com and therefore please help me, I have a PC with 2GB of RAM and a processor with 1.10 GHz only please can you help me remove the shadows? please please please!! yes?????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you want to simply remove shadows, this is something that you would easily be able to do on your own. You can learn how to do it at School for ShaderHackers. The 3Dmigoto tool for DX11 games like this is easier to use than what is discussed in the lessons. But you can learn how to do it.

      For this game, since all the shadows have already been found and labeled, you can simply set their outputs to zero.

      If you want to do this for performance reasons, keep in mind that it may not help enough to make the game fully playable on your system.

      Delete
    2. I hope you aren't thinking you will magically get a performance boost by disabling the shadows (it's not that simple)? Or is this just to make the game easier?

      Delete
    3. no, sorry, just i see a video and i think that, this is the link but maybe is fake

      https://youtu.be/XAZACsbcdTc

      sorry again, and what's Helix Mod?

      Delete
    4. This site and the related mods are for people with high end PCs playing games in stereoscopic 3D. It is true that our tools are capable of disabling effects, but that is not their primary purpose and doing so almost never results in a noticeable performance gain.

      Delete
    5. http://www.wsgf.org/dr/forest/en

      Delete
  27. Hi, Any chance of seing an update on this.. Since last patch the lighting and sky lighting is off... I really love the fix on this game....It is just so amazing in 3d... Man I hope to see this.. Would me much appreciated. Thanks for the awesome work!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sorry to ask again but I'm just wondering if there will be a fix for this game or not.. Since last patch all lighting is all over the place and it's unplayable in 3d now.. It was so amazing!!! I really appreciate the love you've put into this so far.. I hope it can be as nice as it was before last patch. Thank you in advance. :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Would you make a new fix for the v1.0 of The Forest

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I'll look at it again once it leaves Early Access, hopefully later this month.

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    2. The game is finally golden, you can tweak comfortably now.

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    3. DarkStarSword - Have you had a chance to do any progress on this?

      Delete
  30. I can't wait for this to be fixed. For whoever gets this working again. Know in advance this will be greatly appreciated. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also waiting till it´s fixed.
      Seems that some shaders are wrong at this moment.
      Shouldn´t be that hard to fix i assume now they know what to fix.
      But... Let´s hope for the best!

      Delete
  31. Anyone? hope to see a fix soon for this game.

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  32. you me too.. cant wait for the one who will do magic here ;)

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  33. Still no fixes and it doesn't work...

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  34. Yep the 3D Vision helix mod doesn't work !!!
    Don't install the fix, but all shadows are broken so it is unplayble ! :(

    ReplyDelete
  35. Would be worth trying the Universal Unity Fix, since this is Unity game.
    http://helixmod.blogspot.com/2018/09/unity-universal-fix.html

    You can also add it to the Wishlist, and it might be worth talking about it on the mtbs3d.com forums where someone might be interested.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anyone try the Unity Universal Fix with this, as suggested above by bo3b (Three Boobs?). This looks intriguing. Might buy if the fix works...

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  37. Ah, I see it's VR supported too... I'm anxiously awaiting a Rift S over here.

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