[0.9x.x MOD] Making Kenshi look better! [updated 27-06-2016]

[pawnstorm]

What is this?

This is a graphical enhancement mod with a bunch of shaders to make Kenshi look nicer. Specifically, it adds these postprocessing shaders:

• SSAO, which adds some shading to edges and gives a bit more depth. This shader was actually already in Kenshi, it was just disabled because it wasn't finished yet I guess.
• ColorTweak, which changes the colours a little. Mostly it adds contrast and vibrance.
• FXAA to smooth jagged edges. FXAA is an anti-aliasing algorithm from Nvidia.
• Adaptive-sharpen, a nice sharpening filter that I found on github.

Where can I get it?

You can download the latest version, (1.0, updated 27-06-2016), here.

How do I install this?

Simply unzip the zip file to your Kenshi main directory. It will overwrite several files in data/materials/post and add a new mod, called "Exposure". Launch Kenshi, make sure Exposure.mod is enabled, profit!!!
It's a good idea to make a backup of your Kenshi\data\materials\post folder before you install this!

Can I see it first?

I'll add some screenshots to the second post when I get around to it.

Biscuit Dog is using my mod in his awesome Kenshi series on youtube, by the way. So if you want to see what the old version looks like, check here. If you want to see him play with the new version, you'll have to wait until at least monday.

How much will this affect my FPS?

Well, that depends on your particular hardware and settings ofcourse. For me (i7-4790k and gtx 970), it seems to eat up about 1~4 fps, depending on the circumstances. In busy scenes where my fps is already kinda low, the difference is negligible, less than a frame. When I'm close to my max framerate (75hz monitor), it eats up about 4 frames.

Can I tweak the settings?

If you want to disable certain shaders, open "compositors.cfg" and put a # in front of them.
Please note that if you disable ColorTweak and still want to use FXAA, you need to change this line:

Code: Select all

#define FXAA_GREEN_AS_LUMA 0

which you can find in the "settings.h" file, to this:

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#define FXAA_GREEN_AS_LUMA 1

or it won't work properly. You can also find a lot of other settings there, so tweak to your heart's content!

I could really use your feedback, especially on the colours. If you try my mod, please do let me know how you like the brightness and colour saturation, and how it changes as the day progresses and when it rains.

Code: Select all

Changelog:

1.0
- moved the SSAO compositor to the top of the post processing chain to avoid AO being placed over fog
- dialed down the SSAO and sharpening effects a notch and some other minor tweaks

[pawnstorm]

Reserved for screenshots.

[reaper1583]

I'll give this a try an post a screenshot later

[pawnstorm]

Thanks, much appreciated! It currently has a bug which makes the color manipulations based on time of day wonky though, so it'll probably often look either too dark/light or saturated.
I already fixed it, just doing some other small modifications first and then I'll upload it.

[reaper1583]

ok

[reaper1583]

here's some screenshots

[pawnstorm]

Thanks for taking the time to make some screenshots! That's a nice squad you got there . So, what do you think about it? Do you like how it looks?

I fixed some bugs, the colours should now be even more crispy and punchy! But if it's too much, you can tweak some variables in "settings.h".
Here's the updated version, hopefully I got rid of all the bugs this time.

[Sol Lignum]

Looks quite realistic, at least in version reaper used. I wonder if final release of the game will be like it

[reaper1583]

it is great there is bit of a glow at high noon but its great my game has more detail in it now thanks

[Phnx]

Hey. Sorry for necro-ing this, but is there a way to get SSAO working again?