Depth buffer detection modifications

thalixte, regarding post #647 and the Gothic 3 screenshots -- are you able to run Gothic 3 with Reshade? When I try it (either with your new .dll or the one from the default install), my FPS tanks down into single digits, even without ANY effects enabled. If you're able to run it normally, what's your trick?

Sorry for the derail from the depth buffer topic -- the buffer detection DOES seem to work fine in Gothic for me with this .dll, it's just that the game is unbearably slow until I remove Reshade, so I'm hoping there's a fix

Sinclair wrote: thalixte, regarding post #647 and the Gothic 3 screenshots -- are you able to run Gothic 3 with Reshade? When I try it (either with your new .dll or the one from the default install), my FPS tanks down into single digits, even without ANY effects enabled. If you're able to run it normally, what's your trick?

Sorry for the derail from the depth buffer topic -- the buffer detection DOES seem to work fine in Gothic for me with this .dll, it's just that the game is unbearably slow until I remove Reshade, so I'm hoping there's a fix

Well known performance issue of Gothic 3 + ReShade.

Sinclair wrote: thalixte, regarding post #647 and the Gothic 3 screenshots -- are you able to run Gothic 3 with Reshade? When I try it (either with your new .dll or the one from the default install), my FPS tanks down into single digits, even without ANY effects enabled. If you're able to run it normally, what's your trick?

Sorry for the derail from the depth buffer topic -- the buffer detection DOES seem to work fine in Gothic for me with this .dll, it's just that the game is unbearably slow until I remove Reshade, so I'm hoping there's a fix

Sorry, i have uninstalled the game. Did not notice big hit in performances, but i was at the very start of the game. Downloaded a pc community patch to make it work.
Gothic 3 community patch 1.75

BlueSkyKnight wrote: + Fallout 3 - Depth Buffer Works with problems.
Seems to lose the depth buffer when facing some directions. The Ghost of a Mr. Handy Haunts the depth buffer.

Thks for taking the time to test it on Fallout 3 . From what i see in the video, it will be very hard to have a working depth buffer for this specific game. Depth buffer fluctuates from one clearance to another, and there are many db instances that shares the same number of drawcalls or vertices.

Not sure will gonna manage to make it work for Fallout 3

thalixte wrote:

BlueSkyKnight wrote: + Fallout 3 - Depth Buffer Works with problems.
Seems to lose the depth buffer when facing some directions. The Ghost of a Mr. Handy Haunts the depth buffer.

Thks for taking the time to test it on Fallout 3 . From what i see in the video, it will be very hard to have a working depth buffer for this specific game. Depth buffer fluctuates from one clearance to another, and there are many db instances that shares the same number of drawcalls or vertices.

Not sure will gonna manage to make it work for Fallout 3

Your DLL release dated 10_12_2018 32bit&64bit works perfectly with Fallout 3. So I know it can be done. But, you did change alot of things since then.

Tell me if you want the DLL I can send it to you over discord.

BlueSkyKnight wrote:
Your DLL release dated 10_12_2018 32bit&64bit works perfectly with Fallout 3. So I know it can be done. But, you did change alot of things since then.

Tell me if you want the DLL I can send it to you over discord.

Ok, i see. Those dlls used some kind of "brute force" method to rerieve the depth buffer. Shortly, it doubles the nb of drawcalls and vertices, as reshade write the vertices in a dedicated separate depthbuffer, meanwhile the game writes its vertices in the standard depthbuffer and the standard render target.
It can have a significantly impact in terms of performances. Fortunately, in those old games, it is possible to duplicate the drawcalls, with the modern cards it is not too painfull.
I will add an option to use this brute force method, as soon as i can, but it will be disabled by default, bacause i prefer the new method i term of perfs.

I would to test out the source engine dlls.
I do not know much or anything about coding for these things at all probably never will but I do have a large lot of source engine titles to test.

I didn't reply much but i tested here, aside from lots of flickering and some artifacts (Looks like vertical scanlines but its also present on normal ReShade so, its defo not your issue), it works amazingly on lots of Source Engine titles.

Here's the games i tested, it shall work on any branch without needing to disable the VGUI, it will flicker quite a lot and will give the outlast bug of a small depth buffer sometimes tho:
-Half-Life 2 and its episodes
-Garry's Mod
-Portal and Portal 2
-INFRA
-Counter-Strike: Source
-Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
-Insurgency
-Day of Defeat Source
-Half-Life Source

Mods will also work fine with it, as long as you put its DLL on either the Source SDK base bin or on the HL2 dir bin (Depends on which branch the mod uses)

Thks a lot for taking the time to test it.

Does it flickers on every game you tested, or only in Outlast ?

thalixte wrote:

BlueSkyKnight wrote:
Your DLL release dated 10_12_2018 32bit&64bit works perfectly with Fallout 3. So I know it can be done. But, you did change alot of things since then.

Tell me if you want the DLL I can send it to you over discord.

Ok, i see. Those dlls used some kind of "brute force" method to rerieve the depth buffer. Shortly, it doubles the nb of drawcalls and vertices, as reshade write the vertices in a dedicated separate depthbuffer, meanwhile the game writes its vertices in the standard depthbuffer and the standard render target.
It can have a significantly impact in terms of performances. Fortunately, in those old games, it is possible to duplicate the drawcalls, with the modern cards it is not too painfull.
I will add an option to use this brute force method, as soon as i can, but it will be disabled by default, bacause i prefer the new method i term of perfs.

Don't think we should worry too much about performance when it comes to older DX9 Titles. My reasoning is that with older titles most likely with DX9 era games most people will be running them on semi-modern hardware anyways.

But, Yes agree with you it should be off by default.

Also, any more DX9 games need testing? I finished the previous request.

Also happy to report Arx Libertatis a DX9 64bit game works well with your latest DLL

thalixte wrote: Thks a lot for taking the time to test it.

Does it flickers on every game you tested, or only in Outlast ?

I didn't test in Outlast, but from what people tested, the issue is the same, a small depthbuffer appears or the depth buffer is "freezed" for some time.
Anyways, it flickers quite a lot on Source Engine games, yes.
It seems to be releated on how the game manages its map LODs sometimes (areaportals).

matsilagi wrote:

thalixte wrote: Thks a lot for taking the time to test it.

Does it flickers on every game you tested, or only in Outlast ?

I didn't test in Outlast, but from what people tested, the issue is the same, a small depthbuffer appears or the depth buffer is "freezed" for some time.
Anyways, it flickers quite a lot on Source Engine games, yes.
It seems to be releated on how the game manages its map LODs sometimes (areaportals).

Did ou try to use a specific clearance index ? In Left For Dead 2, it seems to work correctly if i untick the "auto preserve" checkbox, and i select the second depth buffer texture. Off course, you play offline ?

d3d9_brute_force_32bits.zip

This one is for testing purpose wit Fallout 3... Check "brute force" checkbox, when in normal depth buffer detection mode mode.

Just tested Portal. In my rig, it does not flicker at all...

Tested buffer number 2 here, really didn't flicker, works way better than autodetection.
Thanks a lot! Now i can finally play without having to worry with blurry vision.

lowenz wrote: Request:

Can you test (solve?) the depth buffer detection in Deus Ex: Invisible War / Thief: Deadly Shadows (same engine/framework) with the Crosire D3D8->D3D9 wrapper (1.9.1)

Deadly Shadows with the default retrieval method gives the lightgem mesh and all the rest white, with the preservation all is black.

Preservation works really well in *wrapped* Unreal 2 / UT 2004 / Pariah and Republic Commando too!

These are the results in DXIW/TDS (depth, while in the depth mode all seems black):

Thanks in advance for every tip to solve this case!

thalixte wrote: d3d9_brute_force_32bits.zip

This one is for testing purpose wit Fallout 3... Check "brute force" checkbox, when in normal depth buffer detection mode mode.

Just tested Portal. In my rig, it does not flicker at all...

So tested Fallout 3 with the new "d3d9_brute_force_32bit," DLL.

Not working as well as the original DLL 10_12_2018_32bit. The ghost of random robots and not so random robots keep intruding on the depth buffer.



On an interesting side note, it seems to fix the issue with the HUD and Weapon Hands in oblivion. I don't know if it's due to the new addition or your changes elsewhere. Also, there was the ghost of Mudcrabs haunting the depth buffer in this new brute force mode.

lowenz wrote:

lowenz wrote: Request:

Can you test (solve?) the depth buffer detection in Deus Ex: Invisible War / Thief: Deadly Shadows (same engine/framework) with the Crosire D3D8->D3D9 wrapper (1.9.1)

Deadly Shadows with the default retrieval method gives the lightgem mesh and all the rest white, with the preservation all is black.

Preservation works really well in *wrapped* Unreal 2 / UT 2004 / Pariah and Republic Commando too!

These are the results in DXIW/TDS (depth, while in the depth mode all seems black):

Thanks in advance for every tip to solve this case!

Have you try to change the RESHADE_DEPTH_BUFFER_INPUT_IS_REVERSED mode ? Untick the "Use preprocessor option" to check it.

It's already re-reversed in preprocessor.

It seems to me that the DB in this case is somehow.....compressed (the values range I mean)

Using a far plane set to 10 you can see the hand+weapons BUT the rest of the Depth is somehow "packed".

Ah. I see. I don't know if there is an easy way to change it. Maube using the logarithmic option.

Sometimes, i test with the display depth version provided with superdepth3d, as it brings more options to play with. Give it a try. BlueSKyNight could help you, i think.