Alternative Graphics Tweak

[TMC]

I managed to make the patch install finally, now gta 4 wont start, says missing d3d9x_40.dll file. What have i done wrong ?

 

Now i have reinstalled gta 4 and updated to 10.4 patch.

What should i do now? install the AGT? do i need ESB mod too?

Is there any order to install these things?

Please help a noob.

 

[Larz89]

Voodooman i had to reinstal the game for some reason and now i can't patch my game anymore with your tweak?

 

I always have to manually look for the files (i always had to do that) but after i select them its "Nothing patched! done!"

 

Please help

[haints]

Voodooman i had to reinstal the game for some reason and now i can't patch my game anymore with your tweak?

 

I always have to manually look for the files (i always had to do that) but after i select them its "Nothing patched! done!"

 

Please help

When I get a chance I'm going to upload my Shader file. You could try downloading it and see if that works for you.

[Larz89]

Ok thanks, will try that.

[haints]

 

Ok thanks, will try that.

Here you go. There are a bunch of files in there along with the modded shaders--feel free to try them or ignore them. I'm going to post this link in the enb thread along with some screenshots later on, but you can have a go at them now.

 

http://www.mediafire.com/?zzzi3hjwoho

[pxmm]

I installed the new patch and re-patched the shaders; it worked perfectly, as I knew it would.

 

UGT enjoy your unpatched shaders

[Cr!minal]

I wonder is it also gonna work with Episodes from Liberty City disc version?

[jayhawker2]

I dont know if this is just me being a noob or not (probably is) but i am new to modding this game on the pc. When i go to use the shader patch (no matter with what version i use, brute, smart etc.) it always comes up with an error that says "can not find file, Search the file?" i then go and manually try and find the files which i do successfully but when i click to patch it then it comes up with the same error. Am i doing something completely wrong or missing a step?

 

Please help cause i would really love to be able to use this patch

[belinda]

just "reactivated" gta4 with patch v1.0.6.0 and stumbled upon this story. my stomach hurts from laughing so hard

 

it's so sweet of voodooman to try to get me credits, fame and respect for fiddling with the fullscene blur - thanks for trying mate, but actually thats nothing i'm interested in. it's all about fun and getting the best out of the time we "waste" playing games. i like to understand and do things on my own, so i was never interested in bartekxyz's tweak-bundle or any other patcher or "one-click-fits-it-all" tool. replacing the manufacturer default with another one's default is not helping to understand what's really going on and what possibilities lie under the hood. it's so sad that Koroush Ghazi stopped doing TweakGuides for games. he provided objective information about tweaking games and i'm always investing a few hours to customize a new great game to my machine and my personal preferences before i spend 30+ hours actually playing it.

 

btw, there's a new rage_postfx.fxc file after patching the game to v1.0.6.0 so new hex offset is x2e52. still using my preferred setting with deactivated near- and midrange blur but keeping motion blur intact. the new patch really helped smoothing out performance on my setup, so i was able to push detail sliders quite a bit. since i'm not interested in politics i never tried enbseries mod

 

keep it simple, keep it free, help each other. amen. LOOOL

[H1Vltg3]

just "reactivated" gta4 with patch v1.0.6.0 and stumbled upon this story. my stomach hurts from laughing so hard

 

it's so sweet of voodooman to try to get me credits, fame and respect for fiddling with the fullscene blur - thanks for trying mate, but actually thats nothing i'm interested in. it's all about fun and getting the best out of the time we "waste" playing games. i like to understand and do things on my own, so i was never interested in bartekxyz's tweak-bundle or any other patcher or "one-click-fits-it-all" tool. replacing the manufacturer default with another one's default is not helping to understand what's really going on and what possibilities lie under the hood. it's so sad that Koroush Ghazi stopped doing TweakGuides for games. he provided objective information about tweaking games and i'm always investing a few hours to customize a new great game to my machine and my personal preferences before i spend 30+ hours actually playing it.

 

btw, there's a new rage_postfx.fxc file after patching the game to v1.0.6.0 so new hex offset is x2e52. still using my preferred setting with deactivated near- and midrange blur but keeping motion blur intact. the new patch really helped smoothing out performance on my setup, so i was able to push detail sliders quite a bit. since i'm not interested in politics i never tried enbseries mod

 

keep it simple, keep it free, help each other. amen. LOOOL

hey do u have new patched shaders you could share with us for 1.0.6.0? i never dabbled in shader code.

[pyide]

 

just "reactivated" gta4 with patch v1.0.6.0 and stumbled upon this story. my stomach hurts from laughing so hard

 

it's so sweet of voodooman to try to get me credits, fame and respect for fiddling with the fullscene blur - thanks for trying mate, but actually thats nothing i'm interested in. it's all about fun and getting the best out of the time we "waste" playing games. i like to understand and do things on my own, so i was never interested in bartekxyz's tweak-bundle or any other patcher or "one-click-fits-it-all" tool. replacing the manufacturer default with another one's default is not helping to understand what's really going on and what possibilities lie under the hood. it's so sad that Koroush Ghazi stopped doing TweakGuides for games. he provided objective information about tweaking games and i'm always investing a few hours to customize a new great game to my machine and my personal preferences before i spend 30+ hours actually playing it.

 

btw, there's a new rage_postfx.fxc file after patching the game to v1.0.6.0 so new hex offset is x2e52. still using my preferred setting with deactivated near- and midrange blur but keeping motion blur intact. the new patch really helped smoothing out performance on my setup, so i was able to push detail sliders quite a bit. since i'm not interested in politics i never tried enbseries mod

 

keep it simple, keep it free, help each other. amen. LOOOL

 

hey do u have new patched shaders you could share with us for 1.0.6.0? i never dabbled in shader code.

I'd appreciate this too, especially if it works with the Episodes / Lost & Damned / Gay Tony

 

Desperately need that motion blur back.

[belinda]

just use Build your own Shader File®, done in less than ten minutes

 

- get any hex editor

- navigate to \common\shaders in your gamedir and open the correct folder for your gfx card

• ati hd 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx and 5xxx cards -------> win32_30_atidx10
• ati x1xxx cards -----------------------------------> win32_30_low_ati
• nvidia 8xxx, 9xxx, gtx 2xx and gtx 4xx cards -> win32_30_nv8

- make a backup of your original rage_postfx.fxc now, e.g. copy it to your desktop

- remove the write-protection from the original file with windows explorer

- open the file with your hex editor and navigate to hex offset:

• win32_30_nv8 -----> x2e56 (works as intended on my gtx 260)
• win32_30_atidx10 -> x2e56 (just a guess, can't verify that it works)
• win32_30_low_ati -> x2e56 (just a guess, can't verify that it works)
• win32_30_nv7 -----> x2fbe (just a guess, can't verify that it works)
• win32_30_nv6 -----> x2fbe (just a guess, can't verify that it works)

- you will see something like this:

 

. . .

 

- now change the values on the left side to:

 

. . .

 

- save the file and exit

- set the write-protection for the original file with windows explorer

 

 

now you have the setup i play with:

• static near-range blur removed
• static mid-range blur removed
• static far-range blur enabled (nice atmospheric effect)
• dynamic motion blur is still working

to try out different settings you can specifiy which blur should stay:

• change bf to 00 to disable near range (fullscreen) blur
• change c0 bf to 00 00 to disable medium range depth of field blur
• change c0 3f to 00 00 to disable far range depth of field blur

EDIT:

since i only have the original german retail game, nothing of the above information is valid for the episodes or already modified gta 4 installations

Edited April 18, 2010 by belinda

[SteyRR]

That sh*t was great, to see two maybe grown men arguin' like little kids.

Atleast this worked. UGT Didn't

[NeHoMaR]

 

just use Build your own Shader File®, done in less than ten minutes

 

- get any hex editor

- navigate to \common\shaders in your gamedir and open the correct folder for your gfx card

 

ati hd 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx and 5xxx cards -------> win32_30_atidx10

 

ati x1xxx cards -----------------------------------> win32_30_low_ati

 

nvidia 8xxx, 9xxx, gtx 2xx and gtx 4xx cards -> win32_30_nv8

 

- make a backup of your original rage_postfx.fxc now, e.g. copy it to your desktop

- remove the write-protection from the original file with windows explorer

- open the file with your hex editor and navigate to hex offset:

 

win32_30_nv8 -----> x2e56 (works as intended on my gtx 260)

 

win32_30_atidx10 -> x2e56 (just a guess, can't verify that it works)

 

win32_30_low_ati -> x2e56 (just a guess, can't verify that it works)

 

win32_30_nv7 -----> x2fbe (just a guess, can't verify that it works)

 

win32_30_nv6 -----> x2fbe (just a guess, can't verify that it works)

 

- you will see something like this:

 

. . .

 

- now change the values on the left side to:

 

. . .

 

- save the file and exit

- set the write-protection for the original file with windows explorer

 

 

now you have the setup i play with:

 

static near-range blur removed

 

static mid-range blur removed

 

static far-range blur enabled (nice atmospheric effect)

 

dynamic motion blur is still working

 

to try out different settings you can specifiy which blur should stay:

 

change bf to 00 to disable near range (fullscreen) blur

 

change c0 bf to 00 00 to disable medium range depth of field blur

 

change c0 3f to 00 00 to disable far range depth of field blur

 

EDIT:

since i only have the original german retail game, nothing of the above information is valid for the episodes or already modified gta 4 installations

I did it, but it only works on foot, if you enter a vehicle the blur disappears (I mean, if you move the camera with the mouse)

 

Plus it doesn't look is working in Gay Tony episode at all.

Edited April 21, 2010 by NeHoMaR

[denyfate]

just use Build your own Shader File®, done in less than ten minutes

 

- get any hex editor

- navigate to \common\shaders in your gamedir and open the correct folder for your gfx card

• ati hd 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx and 5xxx cards -------> win32_30_atidx10
• ati x1xxx cards -----------------------------------> win32_30_low_ati
• nvidia 8xxx, 9xxx, gtx 2xx and gtx 4xx cards -> win32_30_nv8

- make a backup of your original rage_postfx.fxc now, e.g. copy it to your desktop

- remove the write-protection from the original file with windows explorer

- open the file with your hex editor and navigate to hex offset:

• win32_30_nv8 -----> x2e56 (works as intended on my gtx 260)
• win32_30_atidx10 -> x2e56 (just a guess, can't verify that it works)
• win32_30_low_ati -> x2e56 (just a guess, can't verify that it works)
• win32_30_nv7 -----> x2fbe (just a guess, can't verify that it works)
• win32_30_nv6 -----> x2fbe (just a guess, can't verify that it works)

- you will see something like this:

 

. . .

 

- now change the values on the left side to:

 

. . .

 

- save the file and exit

- set the write-protection for the original file with windows explorer

 

 

now you have the setup i play with:

• static near-range blur removed
• static mid-range blur removed
• static far-range blur enabled (nice atmospheric effect)
• dynamic motion blur is still working

to try out different settings you can specifiy which blur should stay:

• change bf to 00 to disable near range (fullscreen) blur
• change c0 bf to 00 00 to disable medium range depth of field blur
• change c0 3f to 00 00 to disable far range depth of field blur

EDIT:

since i only have the original german retail game, nothing of the above information is valid for the episodes or already modified gta 4 installations

didn't work for me...

only removed the blur in room

the second i leave the room, the blur is back =(

[thewool]

Tried this for EFLC and it doesn't work in either ep - GTX 295

[Voodooman]

Nice to see Belinda here)

thx for new tips)

 

But people here seem definitely cant follow simple instructions)

 

I just tested my patch with patch 1.0.6.0 (which is also TLAD and BOGT DLC compatible\shared)

 

Offset versions do not work, Smart Heuristic versions of patch works like charm!

 

So i can claim that no update required yet, my patch is 100% compatible with latest GTA 4 patch and DLC (since they share same shader and most of other files).

 

But i dont have DLC myself, so there is a little chance that DLC may have separate shader folder, in this case target DLC file needs to be copied to gta4 default shader folder, after this it could be patched. Don forget to copy patched rage post fx shader back to dlc shader folder (if it exist).

 

In case if you have stand alone episodes you may need to do a little registry tweak:

 

look for this key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto IV

and this subkey

InstallFolder

 

if it not exist create it and change its value to path of your Episodes installation.

After just run any patch from directory

0.9\beta\smart\heuristic

 

It should work, if its not, then your doing something wrong!

[Chunk3y]

Sorry Voodooman but it doesn't work, I'm using the standalone EFLC. I used the Smart heuristic patch too.

[denyfate]

But people here seem definitely cant follow simple instructions)

 

I just tested my patch with patch 1.0.6.0 (which is also TLAD and BOGT DLC compatible\shared)

Sorry to burst ur bubble bro, but it doesn't work

You method and Belinda's method only take away the blur when its raining, drizzle, fog or lightning... doesn't work when its sunny, extra sunny nor cloudy

 

so there must be a new offset for the standalone EFLC

[thewool]

Just to also confirm I can't get this patch to work with EFLC stand alone version - hopefully someone cleverer than me will come up with a working tweak soon.

[Gouveia]

I had a perfectly set visualSetting.dat where I had turned off bloom, DOF and motion blur. Then I see this mod and I try it, just to know that all the effects are back, even though he is saying that the mod removes them.

 

Same old sh*tty D.O.F. and blur for me, and since my PC is pretty crap when it comes to shader effects, that f*cked up my FPSs.

[Voodooman]

 

"so there must be a new offset for the standalone EFLC'

 

Sorry to ruin your bullsh*t, but offset not important for Smart heuristic patch, because SURPRISE (Captain obvious waving you) - IT DONT USE FIXED OFFSET AND SEARCHING WHOLE FILE FOR REQUIRED SET OF BYTES!

 

Guys i expalined everything in my previous post - shaders are same for GTA 4 and EFLC - if you so stupid to understand that, just f*cking patch your GTA 4 1.0.0.6 with SMART HEURISTIC AGT, then copy freaking patched "rage_postfx.fxc" from every folder (except win32_30_nv6 and win32_30_nv7 - it do not work with Geforce 6 and 7 because they uses totaly different shader with different values) to equal folders in stand-alone EFLC - thats f*cking it, works like charm, with exception if you are absolutely stupid ))

 

Can some of you, "smart"-asses, give me "slice" of your registry hive that EFLC uses (should be somethine like that HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Rockstar Games\EFLC\

InstallFolder, and RAR archive of Shader folder from, so i can do a little "fix" for total lazy and lame asses?

[a4especibot]

Voodooman - I just wanted to say I have really enjoyed using your Alternative Gfx tweak. IMO the game's lighting and skybox looks far cleaner! Thanks very much and I hope you continue its development.

 

A4

[thewool]

 

"so there must be a new offset for the standalone EFLC'

 

Sorry to ruin your bullsh*t, but offset not important for Smart heuristic patch, because SURPRISE (Captain obvious waving you) - IT DONT USE FIXED OFFSET AND SEARCHING WHOLE FILE FOR REQUIRED SET OF BYTES!

 

Guys i expalined everything in my previous post - shaders are same for GTA 4 and EFLC - if you so stupid to understand that, just f*cking patch your GTA 4 1.0.0.6 with SMART HEURISTIC AGT, then copy freaking patched "rage_postfx.fxc" from every folder (except win32_30_nv6 and win32_30_nv7 - it do not work with Geforce 6 and 7 because they uses totaly different shader with different values) to equal folders in stand-alone EFLC - thats f*cking it, works like charm, with exception if you are absolutely stupid ))

 

Can some of you, "smart"-asses, give me "slice" of your registry hive that EFLC uses (should be somethine like that HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Rockstar Games\EFLC\

InstallFolder, and RAR archive of Shader folder from, so i can do a little "fix" for total lazy and lame asses?

Hi Voodooman - I haven't got GTA IV version 1.0.0.6 installed, I'm using a stand alone disc install of EFLC, and my gfx card is a GTX 295.

 

Should I be able to patch the rage_postfx.fxc from the win32_30_nv8 folder directly with the SMART HEURISTIC tweak to get motion blur ?

 

By the way the registry hive on my 64 bit Windows 7 is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Rockstar Games\EFLC\

 

Cheers for your help. Let me know if you need anymore info.

Edited May 26, 2010 by thewool

[Bomli]

I found the problem with TLAD.

 

The change to rage_postfx.fxc only works if the "Noise Effect" graphics option is disabled. With the noise active, the blurriness is back aswell. I'm guessing that the noise is incorporated into a different set of shader instructions that do both blur and noise at the same time; that shader is probably not even in the rage_postfx.fxc file. At least that would explain why not even the heuristic version of Voodooman's patch can find the appropriate byte sequence to change.

 

For the time being, just turn off the "Noise Effect" in the graphics options to make Belinda's/Voodooman's shader tweak work again in TLAD.

[topeira]

so many pages and messages of arguments instead of some screenshots or youtube vids.

 

most (me included) would be reluctant to install a mod they dont know about and can't see what they are installing. a graphics mod needs screenshots and HD videos to make ppl want to install it.

 

also there is no instruction on how to REMOVE the mod so i wouldnt want to install a mod that self extracts without knowing how to remove it. couldnt find anything about uninstalling in the readme either.

i've DLed this but i prefer to not use it until i see what it does and how to uninstall it if i dont like it.

[ikt]

so many pages and messages of arguments instead of some screenshots or youtube vids.

 

most (me included) would be reluctant to install a mod they dont know about and can't see what they are installing. a graphics mod needs screenshots and HD videos to make ppl want to install it.

 

also there is no instruction on how to REMOVE the mod so i wouldnt want to install a mod that self extracts without knowing how to remove it. couldnt find anything about uninstalling in the readme either.

i've DLed this but i prefer to not use it until i see what it does and how to uninstall it if i dont like it.

If you'd turn your brain on for a minute, MAGIC!

 

The installer automatically makes a .bak file for the old file. If you want the old things back, just delete the new file and rename the bak file to its original name.

 

Screenshots are roughly the same as in ultimate gfx tweak.

[topeira]

fiddling with many files to understand which file have backups is not what im into. especially since im not replacing them myself.

if i WAS to replace files myself, while annoying at time consuming, at least i know what was done.

 

there should be an uninstall functionality to the applocation as it is sometimes hazardous to let mods do whatever they want without your knowledge.

thanks a lot for the mod though.

 

[Voodooman]

 

so many pages and messages of arguments instead of some screenshots or youtube vids.

 

most (me included) would be reluctant to install a mod they dont know about and can't see what they are installing. a graphics mod needs screenshots and HD videos to make ppl want to install it.

 

also there is no instruction on how to REMOVE the mod so i wouldnt want to install a mod that self extracts without knowing how to remove it. couldnt find anything about uninstalling in the readme either.

i've DLed this but i prefer to not use it until i see what it does and how to uninstall it if i dont like it.

im also suggesting to turn brain ON for a minute. And you know why?

 

Because, SURPISE, there are screenshots that you cant miss at download page of patch http://www.gtagarage.com/mods/show.php?id=9683 !!

 

And not just screenshots of Patch UI, but also in-game screenshots of effect in action (DOF on, near\fullscreen blur off ) which makes clearly visible sharp things in near distance and nicely blured things only at far distance.

 

Should i put these screenshot at forum's 1st post for total lazy noobs?)) As for removal, question was answered already, if you cant simply rename 1 file by yourself to remove mod, wtf are you doing at gta modding forums? If you are here, you should get used to fact that sometime you should to some "hand job".

Say thx that patch installing everything itself and you not need to mess with hex editors))

 

 

So Bomli, you say it works only when noise effect is off? Is it a new option only for stand alone version?

 

This stand alone version is such a pain in ass, instead of releasing disk with addon that will be installed over GTA 4 installation or without it if GTA 4 not installed (but by preserving 100% same files just with GTA 4 original missions missing) they released totally messed stand alone crap that cost you extra 18 gb of space if you have GTA 4 already installed so now they need to do 2 separate patches instead of one shared!

(keep in mind that if you have DLC version of EFLC it will cost you just extra 5 gb)

 

Jesus, Rockstar Toronto coders and their technical director are so amateur and from 2 different solutions they always choose more complicated and dumb one.

 

 

I really suggest everyone to get DLC version of EFLC instead of that crap stand alone one. Rockstar should keep GTA 4 build solid instead of spawing many serate versions and new mess.

 

So can anyone from here get shaders folder from EFLC stand alone, pack it to rar and post here??? So i and\or belind can look into it and find where is Noise effect on version of shader store its settings for blur.

 

Update: please no rapidshare or megaupload crap! Use much better and less problematic www.sendspace.com

Edited June 2, 2010 by Voodooman

[denyfate]

btw thank you belinda for teaching us the manual way of doing things without demeaning us and understand that the german retail version maybe different from ours... because apparently having the standalone U.S. version of the game makes me have the intelligence and dignity in the same caliber as a pig

 

as i said, the " SMART HEURISTIC AGT" automatic installer method for lazy people like us and belinda's manual method of using hex editor only removed the blur during rain/drizzle/fog in TBoGT.

 

I never played TLAD so I wouldn't know about the noise function

 

regardless rather this is true or not, here is the new shader from the standalone version of EFLC U.S. version

 

http://rapidshare.com/files/394457036/shaders.rar.html