HBAO+ Compatibility Flags Thread

Discussion in 'Videocards - NVIDIA GeForce Drivers Section' started by MrBonk, Mar 3, 2014.

  1. robgrab

    robgrab Guest

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    I've been continuing to test Bioshock with the new flag and I'm running into a similar problem I had when I used to force SSAO using Boris' ENB injector. The problem is sometimes Ambient Occlusion doesn't work, especially when your HUD is visible. I bound one of my keys to disable the HUD for taking screenshots and while doing that I discovered that with the HUD disabled HBAO+ works great most of the time (although sometimes it doesn't work at all). It differs from room to room. In some rooms it's abundantly clear that no HBAO+ is being used because it looks very flat regardless of whether or not the HUD is enabled.

    I posted a few comparison screenshots to demonstrate what I'm talking about here:
    http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/112242
    You'll have to click through the different tabs to see each example. Examples #1, #2, & #3 show HBAO+ being applied once the HUD is disabled while Example #4 shows HBAO+ not working at all regardless.
    I know forcing HBAO+ in Bioshock is a hack anyway I'm just wondering why it's happening. Any ideas why this might be happening or am I just crazy?
     
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015
  2. MrBonk

    MrBonk Guest

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    Looks like you are playing with a 21:9 resolution or something?

    That may be why.

    Also: 23 isn't exactly new, it's been the entry for some time now, but no one else has reported such issues, and it's entirely possible based on past cases that it's because of your resolution/aspect ratio.
     
  3. MrBonk

    MrBonk Guest

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    Also:

    I'd like to ask everyone who possibly could to start testing, taking screenshots and documenting every game with an official flag as possible that hasn't been tested already.

    We need to show Nvidia that their claims are full of it and they need to actually invest some time into getting their crap to work PROPERLY.
     
  4. GuruKnight

    GuruKnight Guest

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    Interesting find, robgrab.
    I'm well aware, that "23" doesn't apply an AO effect in all scenes of BioShock.
    But it doesn't cause any negative side effects either like for example "2D", and there are no better alternatives :(

    Sadly, playing without the HUD doesn't seem to be a viable option IMO.
    Sometimes forced AO can be such an incredible pain :infinity:
    Try testing the "0x00000033" and "0x0000002D" profiles in the same scenes, could be interesting.
     
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015

  5. KoKlusz

    KoKlusz Member Guru

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    Fun fact: I've been testing Half-Life 2 recently, and basically CS:GO flag seems to work great. So I'm playing through the game, no issues at all, and then I'm reaching the point when rebels are about to install machine gun on my hover boat, and flickering starts. Haven't progressed any further since then, nor tested other flags, but this is just so incredibly annoying.

    Honestly? They don't care, probably never had, probably never will.
     
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015
  6. robgrab

    robgrab Guest

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    I've been running tests between the 23, 33, and 2D flags for Bioshock. Here are my initial findings:

    0x00000023
    Comparison between No AO and 0x00000023
    + Most subtle/highest quality overall
    + Seems the closest to actual HBAO+
    + Isn't affected by hazy/foggy areas

    - Affected by the HUD
    - Works in the least amount of areas

    0x00000033
    Comparison gallery between No AO and 0x00000033
    + VERY strong effect (if that's your preference)
    + Works in most areas

    - Affected by the HUD
    - Seems like low quality SSAO
    - Looks bad in areas with fine detail like plants

    0x0000002D
    Comparison gallery between No AO and 0x0000002D
    + Isn't affected by the HUD!!
    + Works in the most areas
    + Nice quality (somewhere between 23 and 33)

    - Has bleeding problems in hazy/foggy areas
    - Flickers on/off when you turn the camera sometimes

    Based on my early impressions I'd stick with 0x0000002D depsite the flickering simply because it isn't affected by the HUD and works in so many areas.
    NOTE: I'm running a 21:9 monitor so I also tested these areas in 1920x1080 but it made no difference whatsoever. Also I've been using 0x0000002D on Bioshock 2 for a long time now and I've always been happy with the quality.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2015
  7. GuruKnight

    GuruKnight Guest

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    Very nice "report" :)
    I suppose we can add "0x0000002D" as an alternative HBAO+ flag for BioShock, and just mention the issues in the description text.
    Something like "0x00000023" (subtle) or "0x0000002D" (stronger, but flickers occasionally).
     
  8. robgrab

    robgrab Guest

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    I updated my previous post with comparison galleries showing the differences between the flags. Realize all these shots were captured with the HUD disabled. The only flag that worked regardless of the HUD being on or off was 2D. For that reason alone I would recommend 2D for "gameplay" and relegate 23 and 33 for screenshot taking only.

    I took a whole bunch of other screenshots using each flag with their HUD turned on and off. I'll create more comparison galleries later. I need a break.

    I'm just curious if other people are having this same issue with the HUD and it disabling AO?
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2015
  9. MrBonk

    MrBonk Guest

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    It's still worth a shot, and if Nvidia is ever present or at an event near Portland or Seattle, I may be able to talk to someone there and present such kinds of documents in person.
     
  10. GuruKnight

    GuruKnight Guest

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    I guess "2D" is the overall most complete AO solution in both BioShock 1 and 2, and people will just have to decide for themselves whether it is worth using ;)
    Anyway, we should probably also change "0x00020023" and "0x0002002D" for respectively BioShock 1 and 2 to simply "0x00000023" and "0x0000002D" for consistency.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2015

  11. robgrab

    robgrab Guest

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    Thanks for checking. Interesting. I wonder what's causing my problem? Maybe it has to do with toggling the HUD on and off. I'll test it again but this time I'll leave the HUD enabled the entire time.
     
  12. GuruKnight

    GuruKnight Guest

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    Never mind.
     
  13. robgrab

    robgrab Guest

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    I tested Bioshock again using a different monitor (1920x1080) to be sure it wasn't related to my 21:9 monitor. Same problem.

    I did notice another problem though. Occasionally the HUD will be showing but my hands are not. It's not until I fire a weapon or use a Plasmid that my hands reappear. Not sure if other people have experienced this but it might be an issue with my custom bioshock.ini, a corrupted file, or who knows what. So rather than reinstall Bioshock and retest everything all over again I'm just going to stick with using the 2D flag.
     
  14. MrBonk

    MrBonk Guest

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    Could be an .ini problem. Changing things have been known to cause various kinds of problems in various UE3 games.

    For example a recent one I can remember is Alien Rage, where if you disable background texture streaming it will cause parts of the game to bug out, like cutscene camera's ,objects and other stuff.
     
  15. Cyberdyne

    Cyberdyne Guest

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    I'm not sure if it's just me, but it seems the OP's images are dead.
     

  16. MrBonk

    MrBonk Guest

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    They seem to be working for me. But don't count'em out, Minus can crap out like that for some people from time to time unfortunately :(
     
  17. pedigrew

    pedigrew Master Guru

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    - The Dark Eye: Demonicon -

    Flag: 0x00000013

    1st Comparison
    No AO
    Built-in SSAO
    HBAO+

    2nd Comparison
    No AO
    Built-in SSAO
    HBAO+

    Notes: Disable Built-in SSAO. Tested and working with 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 resolutions. Alternatively you can use 0x00000027 (subtle) or 0x00000030 (stronger).
    Found no bleeding issues, even with volumetric lights and smoke. Noticed only one issue which is present in all recommended flags,
    AO disables while in cutscene transitions, but happens very quickly, so thats a minor issue and I still recommend HBAO+ instead of built-in SSAO.​
    Majority of other flags showed performance drops, volumetric light bleeding and angle-flickering issues, not to mention the result produced by flag 0x0000000E, textures got liquified :kermit:
     
  18. MrBonk

    MrBonk Guest

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    Added. Thanks
     
  19. MrBonk

    MrBonk Guest

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    Welp, I went ahead and ordered a 980 and financed it so I have 12 months to pay it off no interest.

    If big Maxwell shows up before then and is crazy more powerful, i'll just cut my losses and sell it to my brother for cheap and buy that. Or sell it on ebay for cheap.
     
  20. Vladislav

    Vladislav Guest

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    Hello.
    Why 2F for Borderlends 2? The effect is unstable.
    Flag Gears of War (21) is stable. No flicker, no "cube", no manifestations through the interface.
     

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