HBAO+ Compatibility Flags Thread

I honestly think it is. It handles aliasing far better than any of the others, and definitely better than SMAA in other games/the injector. The only gripe I have with it is the blurring of foliage in motion, which is similar to SMAA T2X. Luckily, it is easy to ignore in this game. The actual quality of the AA is incredibly impressive considering the performance hit.

 

True, I guess it isn't broken. But by comparison, it darkens things that shouldn't be darkened. It isn't just strong, it miscalculates depth. When you go into a shaded area, the halo around people within 5 feet of a wall is like far cry 3 X 100. In light areas, HBAO+ looks fine, but dark scenes are just bad. SSBC wins out for me solely because of the dark scenes.

 

no ao -> http://abload.de/img/noao0rug8.png
built in hbao+ -> http://abload.de/img/nvhbao2nuj5.png
0x00060000 flag -> http://abload.de/img/flag06e9u1s.png

ubisoft is a total mess as usual, my friend bought it and wasted his money, but is just my opinion.

 

Hehe, that looks funky :banana:

 

Ghosting you mean? Or just blurry?

Most forms of Temporal AA that aren't TXAA, use some form of reprojection. Which ends up with Ghosting in one way or another. :/

I've not be impressed with 9/10 implementations of SMAA that i've seen. (SMAA 4x in Crysis 3 is mediocre. Still a metric **** ton of temporal aliasing left) Maybe FC4 will change that.

 

Got any screens of this?
(haloing around people)


To be honest, as long as it's temporally stable, I can live with the issues. Not ideal but it is what it is.

 

In FC3 the only quality-safe choice is between disable AO (tweaking the config file) and HDAO.....with NVidia hardware too.

HDAO is present in FC4?

 

It still introduces ghosting. However the engine has far more ghosting with ANY other AA option. And msaa/txaa is simply ineffective at this point. They need to patch actual transparency coverage.

 

No AO: http://abload.de/img/fc4noao6zcls.png
SSAO: http://abload.de/img/fc4ssao6he5p.png
SSBC: http://abload.de/img/fc4ssbctue4q.png
HBAO+: http://abload.de/img/fc4hbaow7e1l.png

EDIT: Yeah, I meant ghosting earlier.

 

HDAO is not present in FC4, HDAO isn't very good TBH in most games. Too temporally stable, other issues.


In FC3, your best option is to use SSAO level=6 in the config files and then downsample a LOT (Like ratios beyond 2x2) with GeDoSaTo, OR use HBAO+ If you can deal with the issues when using the camera and the like.

 

I can see how you would prefer SSBC, they should've dialed down the intensity a little bit with HBAO+. But it IS more physically accurate due to the fact it takes into account light sources and other information. So while it's laid on REALLY thick, it is more realistic occlusion. Just too intensely applied which causes the issues. (An intensity option would've been nice)


Nothing wrong with using SSBC if you like it.

 

To me the hbao+ in farcry 4 is like getting a lot of black goo, and then shoving it all over the picture until it's mostly black goo. And then calling it a day. Ideally hbao+ offers wonderful subtle shading. In this case it just wipes detail.

It might be the physically accurate black goo in the world, but it's still taking up 60% of the screen.

 

If you compare SSBC to SSAO, it is doing more than just depth. Some areas are shaded heavier than others by what appears to be light differences. I'd say it is more similar to HBAO than SSAO. I'm not very familiar with what SSBC even is tbh. HBAO+ is hard to beat in accuracy, but the way they styled it makes it feel like I cranked up the contrast on my monitor :/

 

I think it's a matter of taste definitely (Same thing with the developers. That's just how they wanted to do it. /shrug). I've definitely seen games with far worse issues. So I can deal unless my own testing with my own eyes says otherwise someday. Which it might

At least you have a worthwhile alternative solution that isn't crap. So that's all good in my book!

 

Maybe raising the gamma would help. I might try that next time.

 

Apparently also there are problems with SLI at the moment where it causes really bad black crush with the lighting too or something.

 

- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -

Since the official hbao+ flag ("29") has bleeding issues, i decided to search for an alternative...

No AO -> http://abload.de/img/offp4irx.png
0x00000029 -> http://abload.de/img/29uxd58.png
0x00000035 -> http://abload.de/img/35y6dfy.png

Flag: 0x00000035 (Working with 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 resolutions)

1st Comparison
OFF: http://abload.de/img/offojkgd.png
HBAO+: http://abload.de/img/358ekqy.png

2nd Comparison
OFF: http://abload.de/img/offm8dtk.png
HBAO+: http://abload.de/img/35o1dz9.png

3rd Comparison
OFF: http://abload.de/img/offp0iul.png
HBAO+: http://abload.de/img/3555cp6.png

Unfortunately at outdoor areas, if compared to the official flag, the produced effect covers a really small area , which i dont care 'bout because "35" is sufficient for me, but people have different tastes so...

Outdoor Comparison
OFF: http://abload.de/img/offuvu6f.png
29: http://abload.de/img/296jum1.png
35: http://abload.de/img/35q4u51.png

Note: ..."32" also work, and bleeds just like "29", but its effect is more subtle, even more accurate, less annoying too, so IMO is also a better alternative than the official one.

No AO -> http://abload.de/img/offqzcw4.png
"32" -> http://abload.de/img/326xi8r.png
"29" -> http://abload.de/img/297pdbk.png

Update: I found a very uncomfortable situation where all suggested flags showed bleeding issues...

No AO: http://abload.de/img/noaorlozb.png
Official Flag "29": http://abload.de/img/29e9q07.png
Flag "32": http://abload.de/img/32var30.png
Flag "35": http://abload.de/img/35b8ojn.png

...at the end i found no bleeding-free solution and also figured out that my most recommended flag "35" has incompatible nearZ/farZ values
and the effect radius seems to be wrong, which makes the effect to be applied incorrectly in some occasions. IMO, flag "32" is the best overall AO solution for skyrim.

Final comparison
No AO: http://abload.de/img/aooffkdqm2.png
Official Flag "29": http://abload.de/img/29nqptn.png
Flag "32": http://abload.de/img/32jpp2y.png
Flag "35": http://abload.de/img/35swrcp.png

 

I always get the urge to play Skyrim this time of year and I try to fight it off since it consumes so much time. You aren't making this easy lol.

 

Sonic Adventure DX (fixed with mods)

To start off, if you guys didn't know, Sonic Adventure DX is a piece of poop on PC. Luckily, it has been fixed by the community, and going to the video I am about to link to will give you a download link and instructions on how to fix it. http://youtu.be/1UQI1onRXLQ

Note: I am not the video creator/uploader, I merely want to credit where I found the solution.

Using the download provided by that Youtuber, you will get both a xinput controller fix and a resolution fix, as well as some other tools for Sonic Adventure DX. The entire game is also included in the download. Since it operates under a custom .exe, I don't think you technically need to own the game, although I encourage you to purchase it prior to use. Because of that, if linking to the video is against rules here, let me know and I'll remove it.

The reason for sharing is that HBAO+ works best with a 16:9 resolution (I didn't test a 16:10 resolution though, I just know it didn't work well with the standard 4:3). Anyway, here are the AO bits (disclaimer, tested on Windows 8.1): 0x0000002F or 0x00000024. You will also have to create a custom profile and add the new executables to the profile.

No AO: http://abload.de/img/sonic-superfix_2014_1iues1.png
0x0000002F: http://abload.de/img/sonic-superfix_2014_19wfs0.png
0x00000024: http://abload.de/img/ss2014-11-24at12.27.5hze2x.png

Screenshots were also taken with AA bit 0x000000C1 and 16xS (2x2 SS + 4x MS) + 4x SGSSAA.

HBAO+ behavior in this game is similar to Sonic Adventure 2 behavior (including flags that work, minus 0x00000012), meaning it bleeds through UI, smoke, and some other effects. I couldn't find a flag that didn't bleed.

I also have a flag for Sonic Generations which I'll make a proper post for in a bit.

EDIT: I tried unmounting my iso and the game wouldn't work (forgot I had it mounted before). You do indeed need an old physical copy of the game (you can make it an iso) or the steam version. There shouldn't be any problems with piracy by providing that link

EDIT 2: Turns out there is an option to remove the disc check with the modding tool. I suppose legal issues are back in question. Again, let me know if I need to remove the link.

 

Sonic Generations

AO Value: 0x00000026

Screenshots taken with High Quality HBAO+ and 4xSGSSAA with value 0x004010C5.
No AO: 1 | 2
HBAO+: 1 | 2

The flag does not bleed through UI, smoke, or other effects. The only downside is it lacks total stability on some types of grass, but you only see it at the results screen of Green Hill Zone, so it isn't a big deal. Honestly, I think the effect is so great it looks like an in-engine implementation. HBAO+ also works with the Fx Pipeline mod.

Also, in the AA thread, Sonic Generations is listed as needing value 0x084112C5, however when you click the source link, it says you need 0x004010C5. SGSSAA does not work with the Fx Pipeline mod. I believe the motion blur added in the mod creates extreme ghosting. I'll go post this information in the AA thread as well.