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[BennyBlanco]

Dark Souls 2 was and is butt ugly. This looks way better. But nothing can fix the terrible level design in this game.

Even Team Ninja would've been like wow this is dumb.

 

[Dacvak]

Can someone make one of these path tracing mods that are actually close enough to the original game's art direction? Feels like every time someone does this it looks like generic lighting #14353456254.
I know these things can be tweaked so fucking tweak them

Just wait until we run these classics through DLSS5

 

[saintjules]

Gaiff that's a banned source. I wouldn't trust any comparisons from that channel.

Edit: Variahunter Senua https://www.neogaf.com/threads/el-analista-de-bits-completely-exposed.1596962/#post-262785479

 

[IAmRei]

i cannot even open the embedded link, it's missing in my browser

edit, i saw it on reddit.
it's kinda different artstyle, not necessery better, but i don't think it could salvage what is good in overall experience. DS2 is the only DS I never finished.
I'd use reshade if I want to enhance the graphic, easier and lightweight.

 

[Gaiff]

Gaiff that's a banned source. I wouldn't trust any comparisons from that channel.

He's a banned source when it comes to fps, resolution, and graphical settings. This is just him showcasing a mod. This isn't fake. There are other videos of the mod too.

 

[sodstall]

This week on Polishing the turd that is DS2

 

[viveks86]

Is this even path tracing? All the new shadows just look like new shadow maps. Not seeing any soft shadows or penumbra anywhere. And so much looks... different, like the grass, the mountains in the backdrop etc. I think it's just some mod with an updated lighting model, RTGI and some reworked art/assets that they are claiming to be path traced...

 

[Kuranghi]

This is about as useful as a marzipan dildo

 

[Puscifer]

It looks great. That being said, Dark Souls 2 gameplay will always be mid for me. I hate the hit boxes and I dont know, I just don't enjoy that much that game

I liked it strictly for the pace the action took and the whip builds - but that game never fixed the tracking even with SOTFS

 

[Gaiff]

Is this even path tracing? All the new shadows just look like new shadow maps. Not seeing any soft shadows or penumbra anywhere. And so much looks... different, like the grass, the mountains in the backdrop etc. I think it's just some mod with an updated lighting model, RTGI and some reworked art/assets that they are claiming to be path traced...

This is what the modding team calls it. Maybe check their tweets and find more info about the method.

 

[Sticks]

Soul vs soulless

 

[thefool]

soul/souless

Soul vs soulless

I only checked the first page for duplicates

 

[SpokkX]

wow is this available?

The original was meant to have GI - but it was cut and looks like shit because of it. The early demos looked more like the ray traced mod

 

[Lokaum D+]

Prettier but way too dark in low lit areas.

Thats what darksouls 2 should looked like, torch would be a major mechanic in the game before weak ass consoles.

 

[Gaiff]

wow is this available?

The original was meant to have GI - but it was cut and looks like shit because of it. The early demos looked more like the ray traced mod

Still in development.

 

[Horatius]

loses too much of the actual colour and art style in too many places, everything is just orange now

looks great in some locations though

 

[March Climber]

Looks great, but I would adjust the color temperature, the light seems to be a little bit too yellow/orange most of the time.

It's because in those scenes where there is blue light reflecting off of surfaces in the original, take a second look and you'll see there were just basic torches placed around those areas. So in the path tracing mod that lighting is being sourced from those torches.

So the original lighting in some regards technically makes no sense at all, which weirdly fits with a lot of the game's nonsensical level design (and this comment is coming from someone who adores Dark Souls 2 more than 3 and 1).

What the author of the mod should do is modify some torches to have blue flames to account for this.

The mod project is still ongoing and the youtube channel behind it was posted above. He responds quite regularly to suggestions in the comment section of his videos if anyone here wants to leave feedback.

 

[viveks86]

This is what the modding team calls it. Maybe check their tweets and find more info about the method.

Ok. Image on twitter looks path traced and the method is legit. The elanalistabits video doesn't demonstrate it though. I think they are up to some shenanigans again.

The video shows RTGI and may be RT reflections. Not seeing the path tracing. When PT goes on, the difference is always obvious as all the shadow maps would disappear and you get realistic shadows instead.

Tell me this looks path traced... Lol.

This looks path traced (most of the time). Seeing areas where it's completely failing, but at least seems legit:

 

[ClosBSAS]

Ia this the lighting engine mod? Or a different beast? I tried the lighting mod and it was amazing, but this looks way better

 

[MrAlwaysRight]

This isn't path tracing, the light isn't bouncing from the torch, it should make an orange glow from the Fire, it might be RTGI but not all lighting is path traced.

 

[Braag]

Dark Souls 2 looked like completely dog shit visually since day 1. Easily the weakest looking game From has put out since Demon's Souls.

 

[Aenima]

Its a mixed bag. Some zones look better, others worse because the game was not designed with path tracing in mind so the light sorces the PT works with sometimes dont do the intended, resulting in some areas to have too much light, and other areas too dark. Cyberpunk had the same problem in some areas and that PT was tweeked by the devs.

This is worse than blaming DLSS5 for changing the artistic vision.

 

[forsakkenSoul]

 

[Variahunter]

The art direction in Dark Souls II is shit and it's no small part due to them butchering the lighting so the game could run on PS360 consoles. By far From's ugliest game. I looks way better.

I have no doubt you look better than Dark Souls 2. But do you look better than Dark Souls 1 ? Fight the real fight man !

 

[Gaiff]

Ok. Image on twitter looks path traced and the method is legit. The elanalistabits video doesn't demonstrate it though. I think they are up to some shenanigans again.

The video shows RTGI and may be RT reflections. Not seeing the path tracing. When PT goes on, the difference is always obvious as all the shadow maps would disappear and you get realistic shadows instead.

Tell me this looks path traced... Lol.

This looks path traced (most of the time). Seeing areas where it's completely failing, but at least seems legit:

It's a WIP, so I think perhaps the youtuber didn't know what parts are path traced and what are not. They haven't done the whole game yet. The RTGI mod has been available for a while if I'm not mistaken.

 

[NeverYouMind]

Dark Souls 2 was and is butt ugly. This looks way better. But nothing can fix the terrible level design in this game.

Even Team Ninja would've been like wow this is dumb.

Seeker of Fire...

 

[viveks86]

It's a WIP, so I think perhaps the youtuber didn't know what parts are path traced and what are not. They haven't done the whole game yet. The RTGI mod has been available for a while if I'm not mistaken.

Right. Which is why I'm questioning the youtuber's video. I have a feeling he used the older RTGI version of the mod and tried to pass it off as PT, while the actual modder has actual PT footage of the exact same area.

See this comparison below. It's so easy to tell which one is actually PT and which one is not. See diffuse shadows merging into each other on the ground, actual bounce lighting on the character, the structure in the top right background getting lit etc.

The modders videos on youtube are legit PT. Elanalistabits's version in the OP is not, despite their claims. It seems to be the older RTGI version. Or perhaps it's the newer version but they didn't bother switching to PT before recording footage. Probably why people frown upon that source. They have no idea what they are doing half the time, but rush to get the clicks.

 

[Ellis]

No thank you. The back half of DS1 was a rushed ugly mess and needed polish, but I'll take Prepare to Die Edition on PC over this shit, or even the Remaster and it's inferior lighting any day.

 

[DaciaJC]

The lighting looks more immersive, for sure, especially indoors; but I think it generally misses the mark with color "accuracy" - the vibrancy of the original is lost in most scenes. And in some areas it looks like the mod adds a fog or haze that simply wasn't there originally (see FotFG), kinda ruining the aesthetic.

Still, though, it's an impressive effort. I would definitely be interested in doing another full run once the mod's completed.

 

[Wilhelm_85]

I like the original a lot, too, but this looks incredible. Can't wait to try this on a play through. It's been years since I last played DS2.

 

[Minari]

Ugly ass game

 

[Gaiff]

No thank you. The back half of DS1 was a rushed ugly mess and needed polish, but I'll take Prepare to Die Edition on PC over this shit, or even the Remaster and it's inferior lighting any day.

I take it you didn't watch it? Cause this is Dark Souls II, not the first one.

 

[Rocinante618]

PT mod looks way better but Original Artistic Direction > Looking Better. If FromSoft releases an update to add this in DS2 (obviously hypothetically), sure, I'll play it with RT.

 

[xanaum]

It's crazy how nowadays you can see that lighting can add more beauty than textures and polygons, which used to be the main benchmarks. That's why my gut feeling is that the jump from PS5 to PS6 will feel more visually impactful than PS4 to PS5.

 

[kevboard]

PT mod looks way better but Original Artistic Direction > Looking Better. If FromSoft releases an update to add this in DS2 (obviously hypothetically), sure, I'll play it with RT.

the DS2 that released isn't the original artistic direction either. they had to strip out their original dynamic lighting due to performance issues on PS3, and this PT lighting is far closer to that original demo before they cut it

 

[bender]

Even Team Ninja would've been like wow this is dumb.

I reached out to Team Ninja for a comment on this assertion, here is their official response: Level? Design?