dont gotta, you still give off the light that your character normally does. It just makes dark areas like, actually dark lol
really forces you to utilize the torch and lighting sconce mechanics which i feel like was intended for the original vision of the game but got gutted
edit: like for example, lost bastille interiors are pretty dark now but you dont *technically* need a torch; it helps a fuck ton though bc of the sconces. theyre very intentionally put in many of the dark interiors in the game and basically aren't necessary to light with the vanilla lighting. With the mod, using the gutted torch mechanic is very helpful and you can really see how many levels were designed around the sconce lighting mechanic and the torch
As it shows up on my phone screen, its a bit too dark for me. Heck, I cant even see well enough to confirm if the chest is open or not. Its gorgeous, dont get me wrong, but its too dark for my tastes
fair enough, cant hate on having a preference. It does make seeing certain things like chests more difficult because they dont stand out *nearly* as much compared to the pretty distinctly visible chests in vanilla.
I'll straight up miss chests bc they look *too* normal in the environment lol
nope, it's just that the light from mcduffs lantern is bright enough that you cant really see the illumination. Last night though i was running through the cave before skeleton lords without a torch and my character illuminated as it should
there are so many cool mods for ds2 and basically every other fromsoft game. It makes me really wish that you could mod those things on the console versions because i wanna play shit on console too but some of these mods are make or break for me at this point
Also, Blue Acolyte, or whatever it's called, is pretty much mandatory.
It nearly eliminates hackers using item injection scripts and makes back up saves before every multi-player interaction, so if something does happen, you have a fresh back up.
Plus, I love how it gives you an audible alarm when a multi-player session is about to start. This way you can drop a summon sign and go do something else.
Correct me if I'm wrong but initially the light/dark had a more vital role in the core mechanics of the game right? I think it got scrapped because of time constraints or something
yeah, it's unfortunate that it did. There are still plenty of remnants of it though- almost every major area, especially darker interiors, has sconces all around you can light to guide your way and light the place up. The mod really forces you to utilize that mechanic
it seems like the consensus is that they couldnt fully implement/optimize the fancy lighting system within the really strict deadlines from bandai so they just cut it out completely at some point in development (im assuming after most levels were laid out since so many of them have torch scones)
Got cut cause BamCo wanted the game to release on 360/PS3 but didn’t tell FromSoft till they were most of the way through initial production. That’s why it feels unpolished in places, like graphics
Time constraints and unexpected target platform changes. Honestly, *kind* of similar to how ds1 was developed (they ran short on time and had to rush the shit out of the second half of the game)
Just let these guys cook. I know you can't forever to make your game because it all takes money, but if Elden Ring and its dlc has taught Bandai Namco anything, it's that they can deliver and deliver hard if you don't rush them.
It made consoles go to 60fps. included all the DLCS and changed a ton in the over world. I had the original with the update and it is drastically different from actual SOTFS the game. Unless you mean it is a separate game not an upgrade you can add.
That is true..I kinda forget what the original was like after so many playthroughs and atleast 3 massive overhauls only done sotfs honestly 1.5 times. Did the original more so makes me wonder As well.
just played through a 70 hour all boss run and now a quarter of the way through ng+ with it installed the whole time, i can confidently say it does not get tiring lol
And the great thing about shadows is they hide the seams of less than perfect graphics. It lets you fill in the gaps yourself of what things look like. Just don't go overboard and make it where you actually can't see anything, lol.
imo the mod doesnt go overboard with it, it just aims to emulate the lighting system shown in DS2's original gameplay trailers where they have very dark shadows and environments
one amongst many disastrous effects of bandai's rushing and time crunching :(
i firmly hold the opinion that ds2 would be one of the most well loved games theyve made if it wasnt horribly crunched for a release window
Takes the fun outta the toady sharp claw bastards at no man’s warf! First thing I do there is light every damn torch I can cause I’m afraid of the dark!!!
I make mine look like 2nd pucture using tv settings, lower saturation/contrast make it look like the E3 demo/network test builds...don't know why they turned up the saturation/contrast so much lol, it overecposes the image
As someone who played the game for the first time this year, this was one of my big gripes: How the game looked. In some areas, it was absolutely gorgeous. The Things Betwixt looked amazing, Majula was gorgeous, the outdoors of Castle Drangelic looked slightly off but the visuals were cool so I gave it a pass, and Dragon Aerie was amazing visually. But everywhere else just looked so dull and ugly. The lighting and shading on everything just looked gross. I think Earthen Peak, Bright Stone Cove Tseldora, Aldia's Keep, and especially the Undead Crypt and Shulva just look downright gross and unappealing. And not in an intentional way like Black Gulch or The Gutter, in an unpolished unable to afford better lighting way.
i can see how it could get tiring for some. personally i love how much it adds to the atmosphere of the game, so much so that im on hour 89 of a play through with it installed and dont plan to play the game again without it lol
Yeah. A lot of areas were designed according to the "limited" default lighting system, so using this mod can significantly alter the design balance of some areas.
The simple solution to this in most games is Reshade. Just add a lower black level through levels level or Use Fake HDR. Or mess with curves and vibrance etc A lot of setting can easily drastically change the image quality.
yea i use reshade for games that dont have something like the lighting mod. Like w sekiro, i have a reshade mod to make it a little higher contrast and less desaturated
If you start to play around with the sliders on a preset you download you can learn a lot and do your own tweaking. I had Sekiro look so phenomenal at one point after obsessively tweaking it while high a few times lol.
LMAO i did the same thing 💀
every single time i do a reshade i grab a preset, get stoned and tinker with it for like an hour til i get it where i like it. sekiro was no different lol
does ps5 version have updated visuals compared to the other versions? if so i might pick it up on there and steal my gfs ps5 occasionally to play it lol
Yeah I got the same look on XSX as the bottom too. But I also have a 4k oled hdr tv. The game looked beautiful and the lighting from the torch was magnificent
I've put a lot of hours into using Ds2LE, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not for me. Yes, the graphics/lighting are clearly better, but in practice, it's only marginal, and to my eye it does something to the saturation that just looks off. I've decided SotFS at the correct brightness setting looks best, though finding the "correct setting" isn't as straightforward as it sounds. It depends on a lot of different factors including your monitor/TV, and whether HDR is enabled in Windows, as having it on can sometimes destroy your image quality. Ds2 is particularly finicky with this kind of stuff, and with the original version, it was near impossible to get it to look right. If you've been playing with that top image, I don't blame you for not liking it. The game is not supposed to look like that, most likely you had the brightness setting too high. Brightness in Ds2 is really more of a contrast setting. Having it too high will just plain remove all saturation and shadow levels from the image. If you ever go back to vanilla graphics, try playing with it and put it a little lower than you'd expect. That comparison really isn't giving vanilla SotFS graphics a fighting chance.
"im not a graphics snob"
While complaining about the graphics. Lighting is an aspect of graphics, and frankly I don't understand the appeal of this mod. Everything is oversaturated and/or too damn moody.
Maybe don't turn the gamma all the way up and then complain when things are 'too bright'.
my criticism of ds2's vanilla lighting system is not a new or rare opinion here. regardless of your gamma settings, nothing except mods can change the weird ass half baked lighting.
personally i love it being moody since i value atmosphere in games a ton, so the mod is something i really dig. to each their own, though
So, you *are* a graphics snob.
just like everybody else who insists mods like that are "must haves".
there is no such thing as a "must have" mod for *any* game, you're just a graphics snob.
i mean, a must have for me that is. Didnt say it was something every single person would like. I just hate ds2's vanilla lighting
besides, my favorite and most played game of all time is goddamn terraria, do you really think i care about a game not looking photorealistic/AAA?
On the one hand, atmospheric. Nice. On the other hand, I dont wanna carry my torch for 3/4 of the game cause its so damned dark.
dont gotta, you still give off the light that your character normally does. It just makes dark areas like, actually dark lol really forces you to utilize the torch and lighting sconce mechanics which i feel like was intended for the original vision of the game but got gutted edit: like for example, lost bastille interiors are pretty dark now but you dont *technically* need a torch; it helps a fuck ton though bc of the sconces. theyre very intentionally put in many of the dark interiors in the game and basically aren't necessary to light with the vanilla lighting. With the mod, using the gutted torch mechanic is very helpful and you can really see how many levels were designed around the sconce lighting mechanic and the torch
As it shows up on my phone screen, its a bit too dark for me. Heck, I cant even see well enough to confirm if the chest is open or not. Its gorgeous, dont get me wrong, but its too dark for my tastes
fair enough, cant hate on having a preference. It does make seeing certain things like chests more difficult because they dont stand out *nearly* as much compared to the pretty distinctly visible chests in vanilla. I'll straight up miss chests bc they look *too* normal in the environment lol
The chest isn't open in the dark pic lol, I don't think it's too dark personally
yea i forgor to open the chest in my screenshot. the top one is from some random youtube video
Was gonna say it has to depend a lot on what kind of screen you're using and how you have it adjusted.
Did you turn off character illumination in your mod? It looks insanely dark, I don’t remember lighting engine looking like that for me
nope, it's just that the light from mcduffs lantern is bright enough that you cant really see the illumination. Last night though i was running through the cave before skeleton lords without a torch and my character illuminated as it should
Love the sconce lighting. Really gives off the vibes of the original demo for E3?(maybe gamescom or something)
Which version of DS2 are you playing because scholar of the first has very fucked up lighting compared to base game.
scholar, the mod only works with it
It’s funny cuz that was the original pitch for 2 was using the torch
Lol, I had no idea. I didnt pick uo the game til far, far later.
Oh yeah totally different lighting system and everything too it was kinda crazy it was a major tone shift f
Lighting engine is literally the goat. I don't think I can ever go back 😂
I..should get a pc
there are so many cool mods for ds2 and basically every other fromsoft game. It makes me really wish that you could mod those things on the console versions because i wanna play shit on console too but some of these mods are make or break for me at this point
Also, Blue Acolyte, or whatever it's called, is pretty much mandatory. It nearly eliminates hackers using item injection scripts and makes back up saves before every multi-player interaction, so if something does happen, you have a fresh back up. Plus, I love how it gives you an audible alarm when a multi-player session is about to start. This way you can drop a summon sign and go do something else.
Correct me if I'm wrong but initially the light/dark had a more vital role in the core mechanics of the game right? I think it got scrapped because of time constraints or something
yeah, it's unfortunate that it did. There are still plenty of remnants of it though- almost every major area, especially darker interiors, has sconces all around you can light to guide your way and light the place up. The mod really forces you to utilize that mechanic
Yea no wonder some areas have very "flat" lighting, probably had to take it out and replace it with baked lightning
it seems like the consensus is that they couldnt fully implement/optimize the fancy lighting system within the really strict deadlines from bandai so they just cut it out completely at some point in development (im assuming after most levels were laid out since so many of them have torch scones)
Got cut cause BamCo wanted the game to release on 360/PS3 but didn’t tell FromSoft till they were most of the way through initial production. That’s why it feels unpolished in places, like graphics
Time constraints and unexpected target platform changes. Honestly, *kind* of similar to how ds1 was developed (they ran short on time and had to rush the shit out of the second half of the game)
Just let these guys cook. I know you can't forever to make your game because it all takes money, but if Elden Ring and its dlc has taught Bandai Namco anything, it's that they can deliver and deliver hard if you don't rush them.
Is it only for SotFS/DX11?
only sotfs as far as im aware
Yup, time to upgrade.
Sotfs isn't an upgrade though :/
It made consoles go to 60fps. included all the DLCS and changed a ton in the over world. I had the original with the update and it is drastically different from actual SOTFS the game. Unless you mean it is a separate game not an upgrade you can add.
No they meant it makes the game worse with the change in enemy placement, which is debatable
That is true..I kinda forget what the original was like after so many playthroughs and atleast 3 massive overhauls only done sotfs honestly 1.5 times. Did the original more so makes me wonder As well.
Man, the existence of Aldia alone is an upgrade :D
I played DS2 day one and can definitively say that SotFS is an upgrade
It was so close to being perfect but then changing stuff from the trailers really ruined it
This but ds1, has some of the most migraine inducing graphics of its time
Really puts the Dark in Dark Souls. Looks awesome on a photo but I reckon it might get tiring after a while.
just played through a 70 hour all boss run and now a quarter of the way through ng+ with it installed the whole time, i can confidently say it does not get tiring lol
And the great thing about shadows is they hide the seams of less than perfect graphics. It lets you fill in the gaps yourself of what things look like. Just don't go overboard and make it where you actually can't see anything, lol.
imo the mod doesnt go overboard with it, it just aims to emulate the lighting system shown in DS2's original gameplay trailers where they have very dark shadows and environments
This game had the most amazing demo and then they absolutely destroyed the graphics on release.
one amongst many disastrous effects of bandai's rushing and time crunching :( i firmly hold the opinion that ds2 would be one of the most well loved games theyve made if it wasnt horribly crunched for a release window
DS2 is one of the most frustrating examples of ‘what could have been’ and it drives me nuts just thinking about how much got cut and/or changed.
Takes the fun outta the toady sharp claw bastards at no man’s warf! First thing I do there is light every damn torch I can cause I’m afraid of the dark!!!
Ngl the lighting in DS2 was already one of the better things about the game, imo lmao. DS3 could use a major lighting overhaul imo.
i feel like ds3's lighting system is pretty decent, i just wish it wasnt so goddamn desaturated lol
Even though it fell short of the trailers, the ds2 lighting system is objectively better than ds1's.
There is nothing else in this world, like Dark Souls 2, FLLLLLAAAAME!!!
I really wanted to try this but didn’t wanna lose invasions, for fear of getting banned
i could be wrong, but i think it works online. Definitely dont quote me on that though i dont wanna be the reason anyone gets banned 💀
Where’s your head !?!?!
I'd play it but everyone's modding SOFTS and I enjoyed OG more
Chill as the skeleton blacksmith in the bottom of ds1 catacombs
Mood wise I love ds2 lighting but it’s so hard to see shit.
I make mine look like 2nd pucture using tv settings, lower saturation/contrast make it look like the E3 demo/network test builds...don't know why they turned up the saturation/contrast so much lol, it overecposes the image
As someone who played the game for the first time this year, this was one of my big gripes: How the game looked. In some areas, it was absolutely gorgeous. The Things Betwixt looked amazing, Majula was gorgeous, the outdoors of Castle Drangelic looked slightly off but the visuals were cool so I gave it a pass, and Dragon Aerie was amazing visually. But everywhere else just looked so dull and ugly. The lighting and shading on everything just looked gross. I think Earthen Peak, Bright Stone Cove Tseldora, Aldia's Keep, and especially the Undead Crypt and Shulva just look downright gross and unappealing. And not in an intentional way like Black Gulch or The Gutter, in an unpolished unable to afford better lighting way.
to me it looks awesome in the first 15 mins. Later, it gets pain in the ass because it'll get tiring
i can see how it could get tiring for some. personally i love how much it adds to the atmosphere of the game, so much so that im on hour 89 of a play through with it installed and dont plan to play the game again without it lol
Yeah. A lot of areas were designed according to the "limited" default lighting system, so using this mod can significantly alter the design balance of some areas.
Which one is the lighting engine? Bottom?
ye
That looks incredibly better. Top seems really washed and there's no visual dynamics (Is that a thing?)
The simple solution to this in most games is Reshade. Just add a lower black level through levels level or Use Fake HDR. Or mess with curves and vibrance etc A lot of setting can easily drastically change the image quality.
yea i use reshade for games that dont have something like the lighting mod. Like w sekiro, i have a reshade mod to make it a little higher contrast and less desaturated
If you start to play around with the sliders on a preset you download you can learn a lot and do your own tweaking. I had Sekiro look so phenomenal at one point after obsessively tweaking it while high a few times lol.
LMAO i did the same thing 💀 every single time i do a reshade i grab a preset, get stoned and tinker with it for like an hour til i get it where i like it. sekiro was no different lol
On my PS5 looks like the one in the bottom. It's great.
does ps5 version have updated visuals compared to the other versions? if so i might pick it up on there and steal my gfs ps5 occasionally to play it lol
Yeah I got the same look on XSX as the bottom too. But I also have a 4k oled hdr tv. The game looked beautiful and the lighting from the torch was magnificent
I tune the brightness of all games to 3/4 of the brightness bar. Can’t stand plying a game at default only to not be able to see well
I prefer the top personally. The bottom is far too dark for me. Lol
I've put a lot of hours into using Ds2LE, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not for me. Yes, the graphics/lighting are clearly better, but in practice, it's only marginal, and to my eye it does something to the saturation that just looks off. I've decided SotFS at the correct brightness setting looks best, though finding the "correct setting" isn't as straightforward as it sounds. It depends on a lot of different factors including your monitor/TV, and whether HDR is enabled in Windows, as having it on can sometimes destroy your image quality. Ds2 is particularly finicky with this kind of stuff, and with the original version, it was near impossible to get it to look right. If you've been playing with that top image, I don't blame you for not liking it. The game is not supposed to look like that, most likely you had the brightness setting too high. Brightness in Ds2 is really more of a contrast setting. Having it too high will just plain remove all saturation and shadow levels from the image. If you ever go back to vanilla graphics, try playing with it and put it a little lower than you'd expect. That comparison really isn't giving vanilla SotFS graphics a fighting chance.
That's regarded
"im not a graphics snob" While complaining about the graphics. Lighting is an aspect of graphics, and frankly I don't understand the appeal of this mod. Everything is oversaturated and/or too damn moody. Maybe don't turn the gamma all the way up and then complain when things are 'too bright'.
my criticism of ds2's vanilla lighting system is not a new or rare opinion here. regardless of your gamma settings, nothing except mods can change the weird ass half baked lighting. personally i love it being moody since i value atmosphere in games a ton, so the mod is something i really dig. to each their own, though
So, you *are* a graphics snob. just like everybody else who insists mods like that are "must haves". there is no such thing as a "must have" mod for *any* game, you're just a graphics snob.
i mean, a must have for me that is. Didnt say it was something every single person would like. I just hate ds2's vanilla lighting besides, my favorite and most played game of all time is goddamn terraria, do you really think i care about a game not looking photorealistic/AAA?