[reverendknots]

Using Reshade to upscale console graphics

I’ve recently gotten a chance to screw around with an Elgato HD 60S capture card. I got it working with OBS Studio and decided this was a pretty good way to play Pokemon Sword since the new generation of Pokemon games let you mute the music, so I could mix in my own music from my desktop. Once I had everything working I got to thinking. My Asus PG348Q is 1440p, so the Nintendo Switch’s max 1080p has to be upscaled to fit the display. Pixel scaling basically always looks bad, emphasizing aliasing etc. Honestly, my monitor does an ok job of upscaling the Switch in general when directly connected through its HDMI port, but I wanted to know if there was any way to do it better. I did a little digging and realized I could install Reshade over OBS Studio. Everything “just works” after you install, keeping in mind that OBS uses DX11 for its preview window. Depth based effects don’t work since (obviously) you have no access to the depth buffer since the game is being rendered externally, but quite a lot can be accomplished by shaders with no depth. For this test, I set it up with SMAA, AdaptiveSharpen, and Clarity.  Please make sure to view the images in their full resolution so you don’t miss the subtleties of the effects at play.

^Full Resolution

^Full Resolution

I do not think that this setup is ideal. I believe more comprehensive things could be done to each frame to improve image quality. I am happy to have been able to make it work, though, and I wanted to share my findings with you all. I’d like to know if anyone has any ideas for different approaches or effects to use, too. I’ll leave you with a couple more shots inside of a Pokemon Center. One part of the effect I am especially happy with is the way the details on the hardwood floor and carpet “pop” compared to without.

^Full Resolution

^Full Resolution

[reverendknots]

Old games often don’t look as good as we remember them when we sit down to revisit them on our phones, computers, in ‘classic games collections’ sold for modern consoles or as mini consoles themselves. Most chalk it up to rose tinted glasses, a hazy memory of something we loved. But there’s more to it than that. We played those old games on different display technology: CRTs, with perfect blacks and vibrant colors. Older games had pixel art that was not designed to be displayed as chunky blocks on an LCD, but as bright lines of glowing phosphor on a CRT. It’s no wonder, then, that this art doesn’t show us its prettiest face on LCDs it was not originally intended to work with. The last few years we’ve seen a wave of indie titles with pixel art that pays homage to older games. Most recently, Blasphemous is a “metroidvania soulslike” with pixel graphics that call back to Castlevania or Ghosts n Goblins. This game was designed for, playtested on, targeted at LCD displays, but the pixel art is authentic to the time period it hopes to capture and I wondered what it might look like running at its native 360p on my NEC MultiSync FE2111SB, a high end PC CRT that is capable of horizontal resolutions that match my ASUS PG348Q, a curved ultrawide IPS LCD from just a couple of years ago - but the colors and black levels are better on the NEC (ha!). These are the results. You can find the full resolution images for this post as well as additional pictures I took here & here on imgur.

[reverendknots]

The smoldering hole in the shield. The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind. Add me: ReverendKnots You can find the full resolution images for this post here, on imgur.

[reverendknots]

Super Mario Odyssey is a fantastic and colorful game with a lot of personality and even more heart and soul. I gotta give this one a perfect score, 10/10. Go play it now. Incredible.

[reverendknots]

Good game

[reverendknots]

[reverendknots]

Skyrim still busted

Looks like I might just wait for SKSE64 to get a full release after all. Will need to investigate porting faces over so I can keep Varen.

[reverendknots]

[reverendknots]

More Breath of the Wild running at 1440p ultrawide via Cemu. Questions? Peep my older post about Cemu & Breath of the Wild to get started. I talked about how to run it at 21:9 over here, in my more recent post. I hope that covers everything people want to know but I’m always open to questions. You can find the full resolution images for this post here, on imgur.

[ashedyams]

Doodle from the threads many an eon ago, 30 mins, CS6.

Varen is an agent of the New Temple under the order of the New Armigers. He is a devout worshiper of the Reclamations, especially Mephala. He is in Skyrim initially under orders to gather intelligence on the civil war in so much as it effects Dunmeri interests although he maintains a “bounty hunter & pilgrim” cover story.

Varen is the character of the infamous Knots, of Knots’ Morrowind Modding Guide. You can find his blog here at @reverendknots

[reverendknots]

Follow Deo's new tumblr.

[reverendknots]

I wanted to revisit Cemu since I recently upgraded my CPU to the i5 7600k. Paired with a Kraken x61 AIO watercooler, I was able to get it up to 4.8ghz. Not too shabby. It should come as no surprise that Breath of the Wild runs decidedly better than on my old aircooled i5 3570k. It is now possible to run Cemu games at ultrawide 21:9 resolutions, so of course I am all over that. Game looks as gorgeous as you’d expect. My Skyrim install is giving me some problems since the upgrade, some mods aren’t loading right, like Mod Organizer is screwing up somewhere. Just one more thing to figure out, you know. You can find the full resolution images for this post here, on imgur.

[reverendknots]

Mmm... yeah... that’s nice...

[reverendknots]

Varen felt himself in limbo. While a part of his mind leaned on him to rush back to Fort Dawnguard, ever since Serena had left his companionship his head hadn’t felt quite right. He felt tampered with and uneasy, so in a bid to clear his thoughts he decided on taking the road by foot from Dragon Bridge to Morthal. On the road, he came across a peculiar dog with a most incredible Dwemeri prosthetic. As soon as he drew close to have a better look, the pooch took off running through the woods. Varen gave chase, thankful for a distraction. He found the hound waiting patiently in a decrepit shack. A pale faced corpse stared past him from the bed in the shack with empty eyes. The Armiger’s nostrils flared in revulsion. He walked past the dog to look around, and found a journal on the table by the bed, opened still to its final entry.

Well, after all my years living in these woods, it looks like the Rockjoint will finally be the end of me. I guess that's fine. All my friends are long dead. The only one left is poor Meeko. He was always a loyal companion, and I know he'll be able to take care of himself. I hope someday I'll see him again.

Varen looked back to his host. The dog’s gaze had followed him, his eyes studying the dunmer carefully.

“So,” Varen’s raspy voice began, “you must be Meeko.” The canine tilted his head in response, and Varen looked around the shack. Not a provision in sight. He wondered when the last time Meeko here had had a decent meal and knelt in front of the dog, pulling his pack from his back. He pulled a ration out, a few morsels of cooked fish. Meeko ate them right from his palm and, after chewing, barked gratefully.

What to do...? “You don’t want to stay here, do you, boy? I could use an extra set of paws on my travels,” he slung his backpack back over his shoulders, “why don’t you walk with me for awhile? We’ll get along better than I did with my last companion, I’m sure... and, I promise not to die,” he smirked. Meeko barked again and Varen reached out to scratch behind his ears.

You can find the full resolution images for this post here, on imgur.

[reverendknots]

Pushing onward, away from Kilkreath Temple and to roads headed south on his journey back to the Rift, Varen met a friend ( @mrhaar ) in Dragon Bridge. The two caught up over a pint at Four Shields Tavern.

You can find the full resolution images for this post here, on imgur.

[reverendknots]

A warrior, a minion of the Necromancer no doubt, had been waiting for Varen out on the ledges of the temple between the outer and inner sections. They exchanged blows and by the end of the fighting, the man was left in a pool of blood and melting snow while the Armiger pressed onward to aid the Light of Meridia in its push into the depths of the corrupted sanctum. It wasn’t long before Varen found himself face to face with Malkoran. Dawnbreaker’s chamber had become a tomb, fresh corpses strewn about haphazardly, their corrupted souls not far from the bodies, the same miserable black things the dunmer had encountered throughout his descent into the temple. While the twisted souls were felled in as many arrows as they were in number, the Necromancer himself proved a worthy adversary. The Armiger resorted to downing a few potions for spell resistances, and dodging behind the crumbling features of the chamber. After the fight, Varen climbed the steps up to Dawnbreaker’s pedestal. It was bathing in Meridia’s light, the same light that he had guided into the chamber. When he reached out to touch it, Meridia spoke to him again. "Malkoran is vanquished. Skyrim's dead shall remain at rest. This is as it should be. This is because of you. A new day is dawning, and you shall be its herald. Take the mighty Dawnbreaker and with it purge corruption from the dark corners of the world. Wield it in my name, that my influence may grow." As the Daedra’s voice faded from his thoughts, he found himself standing back in front of her grand statue, holding Dawnbreaker in his hand. You can find the full resolution images for this post here, on imgur.

[mazetism-is-dumb]

Nadene Sarayn - Arcane Teacher and Classroom

Nadene is a Dunmer Arcane Sorceress that teaches at the College of Winterhold. Relegated to teaching children, she wishes to have a vacation away from the College once in a while. This comes with two new additional towers to the College layout. She has her own packages that pat her between the classroom and the living quarters. This is version 1, I will be adding new features like Voice acting, new spells and a quest in the future.

Class: Sorceress Location: College of Winterhold Version: 1.0

Download

Thanks to @heikotheimperial @yarti @oddzxctesg for the images, testing, and texture help. Thank you again to @yarti @redsunovernirn and @nuttyboy812 for their contribution to the mod.

[reverendknots]

Oh shit I need this.

[reverendknots]