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[scoobidoo112]

The brightness of the lights kills the look compared to the E3 version.

 

[Skyzard]

Nicely done arcoN


Looks decent with bland weather too:

http://a.pomf.se/eojvmn.webm

 

[Netherscourge]

If they can get rid of the PoV and Bloom effects COMPLETELY, I'll buy this game for my PC.

(Assuming those effects aren't actually being used to keep our GPUs from overheating)

 

[jim2point0]

TheWorse turned the bloom up a bit too much. But it wouldn't matter.

 

[Mengy]

Ive Made a Compairison of the e3 footage and the v.7b mod.
i tried to made them a) sync as possible b) same time and duration and c) same movement! Enjoy

E3:

v.7b:

and a WebM: (not the e3 - but showing the mod)

http://a.pomf.se/unarqc.webm

Good comparison. I do feel however if the bloom can be toned down then the difference will be much reduced. Geometry issues can't be resolved, but bloom and DOF can most likely be corrected / fixed.

 

[SneakyStephan]

So does the mod bring back the dynamic lights for explosions? The gas station explosion in the bullshit e3 trailer looked 10x more impressive because of the way it lit up the surroundings and the train rails/bridge

 

[Betta Lines]

I've tried to make a fair before and after comparison.

I've ensured that each clip is the identical time of day (observe shadow positions), and I've disabled the DOF to show what (or imo, how little) this mod actually does during the day:

http://a.pomf.se/ffxjtq.webm

The sequence is original followed by mod each time.

It seems to add a bit of fog and a bunch of bloom. In broad daylight, that means it does very little, making it look worse in some cases. In shadow however, the bright highlights are exaggerated by the bloom, as you can see in the part where Aiden is crossing the road, so it makes the lighting look a little more vibrant. This is more apparent at night, where the contrast is increased further. So it seems to be bloom and DOF that is fooling a lot of people into thinking this mod has unlocked 'E3 like' visuals. The only proper enhancement to my eyes is the headlights, in terms of lighting up raindrops and shadow casting (the latter of which wasn't even apparent in the E3 reveal). This alone makes the mod worthwhile, but the bloom is too much, as is the DOF. If they could be made more subtle that would be nice. But it's simply not the massive difference that some are suggesting in this thread. If people think it now looks great (like with Skyzard's webm), its because.... it always did.

 

[Hawkian]

http://www.mediafire.com/download/ulhjlypvcwp9j7l

Chrome blocked this as malicious :-/

 

[danwarb]

Yeah, the bloom needs to be toned right down to pre-mod levels. lit rain and dynamic shadows are the big pluses.

 

[Sax Russel]

in most non-night/rain screens

Actually I'm fawning about higher rain density/quality, raindrops lighting, increased bloom and headlight shadows. All that makes the game look omgsonextgen.

*thumbs up!

But yeah, Pazuzu's post sums it up nicely.

 

[scitek]

The mod itself is exciting mostly because it means modding this game is possible. It's only been a couple of days ffs, the game might not look drastically different, but it's cool it exists. The really interesting thing is the files from E3 being left over and labeledas such. Who knows what might be possible in the future?

 

[Faith]

My Watch Dogs is kind of broken. I get max. 30fps. Triple buffering broken? Vsync and max. prerendered frames both set to 1.

 

[BenouKat]

My Watch Dogs is kind of broken. I get max. 30fps. Triple buffering broken? Vsync and max. prerendered frames both set to 1.

I remove the mod and my game was broken too. I go into the gameprofile.xml, setting everything back before I patch and itworks for me :/

 

[Betta Lines]

Has anyone figured out how this patch.dat file works? I was hoping I could just open it in Notepad to find some values for the DOF so I could just tone it down, but it's mostly a jumbled mess, so I guess it's more complicated than that.

 

[Skyzard]

My Watch Dogs is kind of broken. I get max. 30fps. Triple buffering broken? Vsync and max. prerendered frames both set to 1.

disable v-synch, set it to borderless

 

[ymgve]

Has anyone figured out how this patch.dat file works? I was hoping I could just open it in Notepad to find some values for the DOF so I could just tone it down, but it's mostly a jumbled mess, so I guess it's more complicated than that.

Need to use http://svn.gib.me/builds/disrupt/disrupt-r46_b34.zip to unpack/pack.

 

[Liquidsnake]

Every time you turn the camera towards the lights of the cars:

XD

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Ive Made a Compairison of the e3 footage and the v.7b mod.
i tried to made them a) sync as possible b) same time and duration and c) same movement! Enjoy

E3:

v.7b:

Is it just me or is there something off about Aiden's height in the v.7b?

 

[Devildoll]

Is it just me or is there something off about Aiden's height in the v.7b?

from the looks of it, the source of the lower gif probably had a taller aspect ratio initially.

 

[c0Zm1c]

Is it just me or is there something off about Aiden's height in the v.7b?

I think the camera is a bit lower in the E3 gif.

 

[Betta Lines]

Need to use http://svn.gib.me/builds/disrupt/disrupt-r46_b34.zip to unpack/pack.

Ah! Thanks... this seems difficult. I'll have a poke around.

Is it just me or is there something off about Aiden's height in the v.7b?

The aspect ratio is squished.

 

[Confidence Man]

Ah! Thanks... this seems difficult. I'll have a poke around.

All you need to do I think is drag the patch.fat file over the Gibbed.disrupt.unpack application and it will create an patch_unpack folder with everything in there. The unpacked windy_city xml is unreadable for me though so maybe there's another step.

 

[Trejik]

At any point is it explained in this thread how a game that chugged for me on High now runs silky smooth on Ultra? What did this guy do?

 

[Brick]

So, Polygon just did a story about this being a mod, with no mention about it all being in the game files already. Huh.

 

[Pyronite]

I've tried to make a fair before and after comparison.

I've ensured that each clip is the identical time of day (observe shadow positions), and I've disabled the DOF to show what (or imo, how little) this mod actually does during the day:

http://a.pomf.se/ffxjtq.webm

The sequence is original followed by mod each time.

It seems to add a bit of fog and a bunch of bloom. In broad daylight, that means it does very little, making it look worse in some cases. In shadow however, the bright highlights are exaggerated by the bloom, as you can see in the part where Aiden is crossing the road, so it makes the lighting look a little more vibrant. This is more apparent at night, where the contrast is increased further. So it seems to be bloom and DOF that is fooling a lot of people into thinking this mod has unlocked 'E3 like' visuals. The only proper enhancement to my eyes is the headlights, in terms of lighting up raindrops and shadow casting (the latter of which wasn't even apparent in the E3 reveal). This alone makes the mod worthwhile, but the bloom is too much, as is the DOF. If they could be made more subtle that would be nice. But it's simply not the massive difference that some are suggesting in this thread. If people think it now looks great (like with Skyzard's webm), its because.... it always did.

This is great. Thank you.

I am still convinced that this is the perfect example of a gaming echo chamber in effect. You're right – the clear improvement (that could/should have been in the game) is the dynamic lighting. The rest is heavy DOF and bloom.

I really can't believe this is worth 1m+ views.

 

[Akai__]

So, Polygon just did a story about this being a mod, with no mention about it all being in the game files already. Huh.

Journalism...

 

[CyberPunked]

Actually I'm fawning about higher rain density/quality, raindrops lighting, increased bloom and headlight shadows. All that makes the game look omgsonextgen.

I agree. If he can manage to get POMs working, it will be phenomenal!

 

[lord pie]

The brightness of the lights kills the look compared to the E3 version.

Looks to me like the lights have been changed from spot lights (pointing down onto the road) to point lights, casting light in all directions. Perhaps done for gameplay/readability reasons.

 

[prag16]

If there were bugs and issues with these graphical effects, that is precisely why they weren't in the final game. I work in software and just because a feature isn't exactly working, doesn't mean you just take it out when you can disable it and maybe work on it later. I really think this is an overall slight overreaction until we have more concrete evidence.

Frankly the evidence seems to speak for itself. I mean, perhaps these advanced features (that were disabled in the "downgrade" process) did cause some slight issues that Ubi couldn't address in time, leading to them being disabled. But nevertheless, that doesn't make it not a "downgrade".

 

[Dire]

So, Polygon just did a story about this being a mod, with no mention about it all being in the game files already. Huh.

Gamespot's headline: Watch Dogs Mod Adds Dynamic Shadows From Headlights, Bloom, and Other Improvements : Don’t like how Watch Dogs looks on PC? Mod it!

Guru3D forum member Kadzait24 and TheWorse have both claimed credit for working on a mod that adds that visual effect to Watch Dogs, along with a lot of other features. The mod, which you can find on Guru3D, also aims to add an improved bloom effect, higher density of civilians, and more.

They eventually added this at the top after nearly every comment was mentioning how much of a joke the article was.

Update: Many users are claiming that these mods may not add graphical improvements, but rather activate files and assets already contained within the PC version of the game. Mod creators TheWorse and Kadzait24 have allegedly found and activated files such as "E3 2012 Bloom" and "E3 2012 Explosions" There has already been heated controversy over the purportedly decreased graphical fidelty in Watch Dogs' final release from its first E3 showing in 2012. Ubisoft later stated that the graphics had not been downgraded.

TheWorse has said that he has found old E3 files and turned them on in his mod, but the consequence of these files has not been demonstrated yet. His mod adds many other improvements beyond these E3 files, but the specific effect of "E3 2012 Bloom" on its own has not been shown.

We have reached out to Ubisoft for comment on the existence and effect of these files in the game.

That's the games media for ya.

 

[Blak_Status]

Does anyone have some daytime comparison shots? It seems like everyone is posting night, rain, or water shots. I would like to see the daytime differences.

 

[Confidence Man]

I created a guide for the Cheat Engine table I use.

This is great. Is there a way to re-enable the normal camera after activating freecam?

 

[wenis]

Is there a location of the file and line to reduce the DOF? it's so heavy and ugly, needs to be turned down at least by 75%.

 

[Cuban Legend]

In case anyone noticed, the DOF seems to be missing from the aiming, cover and driving cameras, someone made a version of The 0.7b mod with the DOF working in all of those cameras, and the DOF focus/unfocus speed is much snappier than before:

http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=4845413&postcount=2484

Hopefully TheWorse Sees this, and fixes those 3 cameras in his original version and maybe even speed up the focus/unfocus speed of the DOF.

 

[Betta Lines]

Does anyone have some daytime comparison shots? It seems like everyone is posting night, rain, or water shots. I would like to see the daytime differences.

See my webm higher up this page.

All you need to do I think is drag the patch.fat file over the Gibbed.disrupt.unpack application and it will create an patch_unpack folder with everything in there. The unpacked windy_city xml is unreadable for me though so maybe there's another step.

Yeah there's more to unpack to get to the DOF stuff - I've found the cameracontext.lib and the hundreds of camera settings for every scenario (e.g. Avatar.DrinkingGame, Avatar.DefaultAimingCoverStraightRight.LowBack.Side, etc), but they're all XMLs full of entries like '<field hash="490CE11E" type="BinHex">02</field>' so I don't where to go from there... this is beyond my understanding!

 

[Hip Hop]

So with the better performance, can we now 2gb card owners move up the texture quality to Ultra?

 

[JohnGrimm]

So with the better performance, can we now 2gb card owners move up the texture quality to Ultra?

Supposedly. Some people are saying that it's totally playable.

 

[captainnapalm]

I've tried to make a fair before and after comparison.

I've ensured that each clip is the identical time of day (observe shadow positions), and I've disabled the DOF to show what (or imo, how little) this mod actually does during the day:

http://a.pomf.se/ffxjtq.webm

The sequence is original followed by mod each time.

It seems to add a bit of fog and a bunch of bloom. In broad daylight, that means it does very little, making it look worse in some cases. In shadow however, the bright highlights are exaggerated by the bloom, as you can see in the part where Aiden is crossing the road, so it makes the lighting look a little more vibrant. This is more apparent at night, where the contrast is increased further. So it seems to be bloom and DOF that is fooling a lot of people into thinking this mod has unlocked 'E3 like' visuals. The only proper enhancement to my eyes is the headlights, in terms of lighting up raindrops and shadow casting (the latter of which wasn't even apparent in the E3 reveal). This alone makes the mod worthwhile, but the bloom is too much, as is the DOF. If they could be made more subtle that would be nice. But it's simply not the massive difference that some are suggesting in this thread. If people think it now looks great (like with Skyzard's webm), its because.... it always did.

Pretty much this. This whole 'hidden E3 visuals found that evil Ubisoft locked away' thing that's being going on the last day is pretty ridiculous. Total hysteria. The differences are not major - and mostly to settings that were already in the base game.

It's funny that a lot of people would have been more happy with Ubisoft if they'd gone for crazy over the top screenshot-style DoF. And bloom that would make Witcher 2 blush. You cannot ship a game like that.

By the way, There is a version of the mod now with original DoF but still waiting for a bloom fix.

 

[Marmac]

What's the difference between borderless and fullscreen? I don't see a difference.

disable v-synch, set it to borderless

 

[Angelus Errare]

What's the difference between borderless and fullscreen? I don't see a difference.

Borderless treats the game as a window which means you're still on the desktop and don't have to alt tab to do anything else; as sometimes alt tabbing out of games can have wild effects when you return to the said game to include crashing.

 

[jim2point0]

This is great. Is there a way to re-enable the normal camera after activating freecam?

F5 to enable. Alt+F5 to disable. You can alaways check the hotkeys I have assigned by right clicking on the item in the table and then clicking "set\change hotkeys."

For example, right click on "Camera Override" in the table and view the hotkeys. You can edit the ones I have or change them to something else.

One thing you could do is change F5 from "enable" to "toggle." That way you can just press the same button to active and deactivate.

 

[eculley]

Hey look, a polished turd.

 

[Betta Lines]

Hey look, a polished turd.

Hey look, there's the door.

 

[Hawkian]

Hey look, a polished turd.

i'm quoting and responding to your post cause it's what you want!!

 

[King Mac of Furry Frog]

Hey look, there's the door.

Someone with a different opinion....get em!!!

 

[King Mac of Furry Frog]

Good comparison. I do feel however if the bloom can be toned down then the difference will be much reduced. Geometry issues can't be resolved, but bloom and DOF can most likely be corrected / fixed.

Better/more reflections and even clouds with lightining in the e3 version too.

 

[scitek]

I've really enjoyed the game with or without its issues, It's an open-world Ubisoft game. Knowing that going in, I don't know what people expected of it, to be honest.

 

[Skyzard]

What's the difference between borderless and fullscreen? I don't see a difference.

minimizes tearing more than v-synch with this game

 

[Confidence Man]

F5 to enable. Alt+F5 to disable. You can alaways check the hotkeys I have assigned by right clicking on the item in the table and then clicking "set\change hotkeys."

For example, right click on "Camera Override" in the table and view the hotkeys. You can edit the ones I have or change them to something else.

One thing you could do is change F5 from "enable" to "toggle." That way you can just press the same button to active and deactivate.

Awesome, thanks.

This will be fun to play around with.

 

[danielcw]

So which file has the "it's PC so who cares" comment?

What kind of file is it?
It looks like some C preprocessor stuff, but why would that kind of file be in the final game?

Read my post from above:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=116964815&postcount=1621

It's simply a comment line from a function call in the game that some coder from Ubisoft wrote. Anyone with the PC version can open the file and see it plain as day.

IMHO the effects labeled E3 effects that are disabled and hidden from the UI is much, MUCH more terrible.

I read your post.