Dinosaursssssss Posted July 21, 2014 Here's an old Saints Row 4 gif I made, and an accidentally crazy spinning rocket from Kerbal Space Program. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Golden Calf Posted July 21, 2014 haha that rocket is great Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yasawas Posted July 21, 2014 Child of Light is stunning, I doubt I'll ever tap the Share button more regularly during a game: You really need to see it in motion but Strider has some nice stuff going on too: Some Destiny including obligatory wizard referencing: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Merus Posted July 21, 2014 So Season 2 of Guild Wars 2 has started - essentially, it's an expansion, but it's free only for current players and they aren't telling people what's in it until each bit comes out. GW2's art style really loves sweeping vistas and ridiculous draw distances, and it's helped by an art style that tries to make a virtue out of having visible brushstrokes: The first new area that's opened up is called Dry Top, and it's a desert area that has frequent sandstorms blow in. I love this little town, optimistically called Prosperity, but as of the most recent release, it looks a little less, uh, not-covered-in-evil-vines. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manny_c44 Posted July 21, 2014 Snowy mist I only played Skyrim for a few minutes after getting it in a steam sale...when I get back into it, I will have to do this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Architecture Posted July 21, 2014 Let me know if you need any assistance getting it all up and running. It's a simple affair (mostly just copying files directly to your main Skyrim folder or using a mod-managing program to automate the process), but a lot of that information isn't particularly well conveyed to the end user (especially installation of the ENB Series app and the various ENB presets). I'm actually using a blend of ENB preset assets to achieve that look (primarily The Wilds ENB with some choice lighting effects grabbed from SugarSweet ENB). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justin Leego Posted July 21, 2014 I'd love to try that out if you can detail the mods and presets required. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Architecture Posted July 21, 2014 I'm going to re-post a guide I wrote for a different forum. I apologize for its length, but it's meant to cover everything you need to get started with modding Skyrim. --- Archie's Guide to Modding Skyrim --- Preface Howdy! This post is intended to help other players enhance the overall visual experience of playing Skyrim on the PC. I'm going to try and write this as plainly as possible so that a person with a modicum of computer literacy and a measure of patience can yield similar results. If you are starting from a Vanilla build of Skyrim (free of mods entirely), I'd suggest you read everything in this post. If you know your way around The Nexus already, feel skip to Section 2 for a list of mods I'm running. Section 3 covers the basics of installing both the ENB applicaption and various presets. Feel free to post any questions you might have regarding any of this and I'll do my best to assist you. Happy travels! BIG OLD AUTHOR'S NOTE As with all user-created mods, please know your game can break. I don't claim to be an authority on this subject, but I can vouch that every mod in this post is compatible with one another. I'd suggest installing one mod at a time and loading the game in-between each installation; this helps vet each new mod's stability and also lets you gauge system performance. Each additional mod will cause extra strain on both your CPU and GPU, so you might have to make a few concessions here and there depending on your preferences and hardward constraints--for instance, I'm not running SSAO because the frame-rate decrease outweighs the meager bump in visual fidelity. The ENB app alone accounts for a 5-15 frame-per-second decrease in dense outdoor areas on my rig, so your mileage will vary entirely based on the amount of horsepower you've got. You can enable and disable ENB settings on the fly, however, which means you can easily crank up the effects while capturing screenshots and then dial them back down when you're finished. (I sometimes enable depth of field for screenshots, but play the game with it disabled.) Here are my PC's specs, for reference: -Core i5 4670k @ 4.4GHz -Asus Z-97A Motherboard -Gigabyte GTX 760 2GB -8GB DDR3 RAM @ 1866MHz 1. Getting Started with Nexus Mods First off, go ahead and double-check that Skyrim's up-to-date. Then download all the unofficial bug-fix patches (Steam should prompt you to do all of this anyway). Game's working? Good, let's continue. All of the files required, excepting the ENB application itself, can be found at the Skyrim Nexus. You'll want to create an account and make sure to download their Mod Manager. The Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) is an application which streamlines the process of adding and subtracting new content. The first time you run the NMM, have it scan the drive where you keep Skyrim installed (it should auto-detect the game). Next, you'll want to install your chosen mods, either by downloading them via the NMM client, or queueing them up in your browser window. The download links are available via a mod's individual Nexus page by clicking the "FILES" tab on the navigation bar just beneath the page header. The "FILES" page will prompt you to either download via the NMM or download manually. Mods downloaded via the NMM should automatically add themselves to your mods list on the "Mods" tab. The puzzle piece icon with the green plus symbol in NMM will let you load a mod file from an external download (the icon is on the left side of the NMM window). To activate an inactive mod (signified with a red X next to its name), simply double-click its name on the list. A dialog box should confirm its activation and the red X should become a green check mark. Some mods will prompt to you to confirm certain preferences (water color, for instance) during activation. To deactivate a mod, simply double-click it again. Another dialog box should confirm its inactive status. 2. List of Installed Mods This is a list of my installed mods currently managed by the NMM. Please view each mod's readme.txt for help with load order-sequencing. I've listed them in descending order of personal preference. Skyrim HD 2K Textures -Fan-made textures for basically the entire game. If you can only get one mod up and running, I suggest you make it this one. Does a good job of preserving the original art. Climates of Tamriel -New sky boxes. More weather patterns. amazing lightning storms. enhanced weather audio effects. Lots of new volumetric effects, like mists over lakes and inside caverns. Really adds a sense of presence to the game, highly recommended. Note that it will ask if you want dark nights--if you plan to use the ENB application, I would suggest installing the "Vanilla nights" options instead, as the ENB presets will make your screen unplayably dark. W.A.T.E.R Water and Terrain Enhancement -Vastly improved meshes and textures for every water source in the game. Adds a fine mist hovering over waterfalls, which looks gorgeous. Even goes so far as to animate the various water troughs of Skyrim. Has a few different settings, including options on how much chop water produces. Ultimate HD Fire Effects That fire spell looks incredible. Holy shit. Kind of says it all, really. Vastly improved fire textures for every fire source in the game. Especially noticeable with destruction spells and torches. Tweaked specifically to blow your mind with Boris's ENB. Enhanced Lights and FX -Adds lights to sources that should have them anyway (candles, torches, fires, etc.) and removes lights lacking a source. This mod will darken your game, but goes a long way to fixing some immersion issues I personally had with Skyrim's interiors. Lush Trees and Grass -Adds more foliage to your game. I currently only have the grass mod installed. [/url] -Helps increase the utility of torches as well as the spells candlelight & magelight. Will not impact the game without the ENB application installed and running. I definitely recommend this, as most ENB presets are liable to shroud your monitor in darkness. 3. Installing the ENB Application and an ENB Preset The ENB Series graphic mod overhauls Skyrim's lighting engine to dramatic effect, but at great cost--the mod can prompt a 25% decrease in the number of frames per second on my machine. Luckily, the application has a menu overlay that is accessible from the game at any point by pressing SHIFT+ENTER. You can tweak literally every variable of the ENB mod from this overlay, including disabling the mod entirely. I do recommend toggling the console to freeze the game while making changes to your ENB settings as the overlay does not prevent player input from manifesting in-game, however. Firstly, you'll want to download the latest ENB archive, which is v0.254 as of this writing. Next, you'll want to decide on an ENB preset that appeals to you, and download the appropriate archive. For reference, I'm using the final release of The Wilds ENB preset with some extra effects borrowed from the SugarSweet ENB preset. Next, you'll want to find the folder which contains the actual Skyrim application. It's probably going to be under Steam/SteamApps/common/Skyrim and should contain both SkyrimLauncher.exe and TESV.exe--this is the folder where you'll be copying files. The required files vary by preset, so be sure to read the instructions provided. Here are the instructions for my particular setup -Locate the main Skyrim folder containg SkyrimLauncher.exe & TESV.exe -Download ENB Series v0.254 -Open up the ENB Series archive and copy d3d9.dll to the main Skyrim folder -Download The Wilds ENB preset -Open up the archive and navigate to the following file path: The Wilds ENB - Collection/All-In-One/Version 3.0 - 121212 binary/The Wilds ENB 3.0 LIGHT INTERIORS/Climates of Tamriel -Copy all of the files into your main Skyrim folder -Download the SugarSweet ENB preset -Open up the archive and navigate to the following file path: SugarSweet ENB - REVAMPED - 4.1/00 -- Core -- Install this first -Copy the following files into your main Skyrim folder: enblens.fx enblensmask.png enbsunsprite.fx enbsunsprite.tga -Locate your SkyrimPrefs.ini file (most likely saved under Documents/My Games/Skyrim) and make the following edits: iBlurDeferredShadowMask=6 bFloatPointRenderTarget=1 bShadowsOnGrass=1 -Open up SkyrimLauncher.exe and disable all anti-aliasing, set shadows to medium quality and turn off anisotropic filtering -Launch Skyrim --- And that should do it! Hopefully this was coherent enough to follow. I would suggest just browsing the different categories of the Nexus Mods page and see if any of it appeals to you. You'll find that many ENB presets recommend specific mods for the ideal result, so give those a shot if you're so inclined. Talos Guide You, -Archie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dinosaursssssss Posted July 26, 2014 Cleaning out folders and I found this old TF2 screen. I'm the soldier on the left and died shortly after. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sloshy Posted July 27, 2014 Ah, Vanillaware and their standard fanservice. I always found those hot spring conversations in that game to be pretty hilarious and that game really has some of the most gorgeous 2D imagery of its time. It's a shame that it's arguably outdone by UbiArt games now, never mind how the game reuses so many areas and art assets that I'd sometimes wonder if I accidentally went the wrong way. Anyhow, I dug up a bunch of old screenshots from Steam that I felt were worth sharing. First, Dear Esther. Everyone knows how gorgeous this game can look but I think it's worth sharing a few pics from the latter part of the game that still blow my mind, as well as one from Final Fantasy XIV ARR back when I started playing it. Square really knows how to do aesthetics well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted July 27, 2014 It's been mentioned a handful of times around the place, but not on this thread, so I thought I'd link Dead End Thrills, for shots of someone else's screen, once they've fiddled with FOV etc and got rid of GUI. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manny_c44 Posted July 29, 2014 I'm going to re-post a guide I wrote for a different forum. I apologize for its length, but it's meant to cover everything you need to get started with modding Skyrim. Haha thanks! I was too bashful to ask you to write a guide but you already made one. EDIT: after setting it all up I have to say it really is a much nicer looking game-- what a weird benefit of being a late adopter. The depth of field is killer for performance though, maybe have to further drop the resolution. Also in your guide, towards the end when you are giving directions for the ENB setup, you link twice to the same file ('The Wilds' doesn't get the right link), otherwise your guide was very very helpful thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tegan Posted July 29, 2014 Not mine, but pretty great: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikemariano Posted July 30, 2014 Basically I just want to spoil all the special enemies from Sir, You Are Being Hunted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stuart Posted July 30, 2014 I've been replaying Dead Space on PC, and goddamn, that game still looks pretty. It's use of lighting, shadow, steam, and fog still hold remarkably, as will as amazing staging by way of environmental storytelling and architecture. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ucantalas Posted July 30, 2014 Yes, Dead Space was amazing. (Now if only they didn't have that awful turret section...) I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice it looked the first time I started it up a few months ago. It has really held up nicely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Golden Calf Posted July 30, 2014 Cut off their limbs, so good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Wookie Posted July 30, 2014 Facebook kinda ruined this abit, but here is "An island of safety amid a sea of anarchy", shot through the roof of my spaceship in the newly released Elite Dangerous beta Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Griddlelol Posted July 30, 2014 Not mine, but pretty great: ur mom I laughed way too hard at that. Man I'm such a kid. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperBiasedMan Posted July 30, 2014 I laughed way too hard at that. Man I'm such a kid. Did you miss the second punchline? She's carrying 'Burn Heal'. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aaron Posted July 30, 2014 I was playing around with the Generic Downsampling Tool released by the same guy who made the Dark Souls PC fix (you can find it here). As a result, here is a screenshot of Skyrim running at 10240 x 5760 - I am linking to it instead of posting directly, as even as a jpg it is 9mb It's a fairly boring shot, and I ran it through a tone mapping filter just to spruce it up, but it's just fun for being kind of crazy. The game runs at about 5 fps at that resolution. Hopefully this weekend I can take some more interesting shots of Skyrim and other games, Elite Dangerous is on my list... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Griddlelol Posted July 30, 2014 Did you miss the second punchline? Nah, that was the icing on the cake. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tundra Posted July 30, 2014 Hopefully this weekend I can take some more interesting shots of Skyrim and other games Skyrim could easily be rebranded 'Screenshot Simulator', i mean this is vanilla and, wow; BTW did anyone make the spider scrolls things hidden away in the DragonBorn DLC? They're pretty amazing and i hardly ever see them talked about. Mind Control Spider! Theres quite a few including one who follows you looking after your excess items, and its proper content too, not a mod. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prettyunsmart Posted July 30, 2014 This is a part of my ongoing "Shitty Hitman" series of screenshots. Valiant Hearts is pretty, even if I didn't like it that much. A hoedown, because, TF2. My Kerbal's goals may be modest, but at least he attained them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites